#i too wish other factions were present in the show considering it takes place in California
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paarthursass · 7 months ago
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"I can't believe the fallout tv show made the brotherhood the good guys" it did not. Like I get being wary because Bethesda loves to go "woah cool power armor" but the Brotherhood are not the good guys in this show.
We are shown they are a cult in episode 1. Episode 2 we see the kind of man who becomes a Knight in the Brotherhood. Episode 7 Thaddeus mentions how the Brotherhood will kill him for being a ghoul, which Lucy responds to with confusion "Aren't they the good guys?" and Maximus winces and gives a "It's complicated" in return. Episode 8, when Maximus expresses his desire to leave, Dane looks on him with pity and says "There's no leaving the Brotherhood."
And these are just the moments I remember off the top of my head! I'm sure there are more. But the point being: the show is taking deliberate steps to showcase the Brotherhood as not just corrupt, but fundamentally flawed in its basic ideology. Even my parents, who know nothing about Fallout lore, were able to go "Oh, the Brotherhood is NOT a good institution" after watching just episode 1.
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evercelle · 3 years ago
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What are your feelings towards 2.1 genshin? You mentioned having a lot of lukewarm ones in some tags :O
hm... short version: i feel mhy had a list of cool moments/story beats they wanted to hit in 2.1 archon quest, and rushed through cramming all of those into a single update at the cost of literally any good writing/character development/pacing.
long version: i'll cut this to avoid too many spoilers for folks/contain my complaining under a cut:
EVER'S LIST OF GRIEVANCES, 2.1 EDITION:
1) the pacing is super whacked out. i get that mhy wants to make each region wrap in 3 chapters (consistent with mondstadt and liyue), but the pacing for Inazuma as a whole was incredibly rushed at the end. the first 2 chapters did a great job of setting up the context for the vision hunt decree, introducing the toll it takes on Inazuma's citizens/visitors to the nation, and the introducing the resistance as well. the world quests available with 2.0 also went to great lengths to develop the theme of how the war & civil unrest created problems caused both by the shogunate and the resistance. then, in the climactic ending... it went almost entirely unaddressed? after the decree is repealed, vision holders are given their visions back and state they completely recovered their memories, but neither the main storyline nor raiden's quest address the rest of the human cost (lost time, lost lives, displaced populations). it feels like everything wrapped up too neatly.
2) there's a serious gap between raiden's ideals and the way her actions are written. raiden suffered great loss (her twin, her friends, even her subjects) throughout her reign, which is a reasonable (if whacked out) logic to base her pursuit of eternity upon. what i wanted to see (and mhy did not deliver) was the depth of her conviction that caused her to enforce something as drastic as the vision hunt decree. the fact that she flatly stated she was fully aware of its human cost even in the plane of euthymia substantiates how deeply she believed in her ideals... only for it to be effectively overturned by (1) conversation with yae/traveler? all the emotion in raiden's character trailer never makes a single appearance in the main line game (other than the animated sequence in which you’re very quickly told, not otherwise shown by raiden’s dialogue or choices, what she suffered), which is absolutely boggling.
3) no accountability for raiden's action = shallow character development: to that end, the lack of depth in her individual character quest is also disappointing... i get that she's the eternal god-ruler of inazuma which would present a very different public reaction than, say, a president doing the same thing, but the fact that the human cost of the decree isn't addressed at ALL is ridiculous. her character quest being... a shopping trip... lacks the development that other archons (venti, zhongli) had in their respective quests. i think raiden truly wants to protect her living subjects through her pursuit of eternity, yet the inner conflict between "a god's devotion to their subjects vs. an immortal struggling to grasp mortal experiences" was only vaguely implied instead of actively explored.
4) key NPCs were severely underutilized: acts 1+2 of the inazuma arc set up the resistance as key figures, only for them to do... absolutely nothing in act 3. kokomi is billed as a genius strategist. the notion that she'll accept unknown donations of supplies from an unidentifiable benefactor, no questions asked, is INSANE. frankly, i would've found the plot much more interesting if the resistance was actively colluding with the fatui to destabilize the shogunate, but no... the resistance's presence in act 3 is solely to introduce the delusions/tie the fatui back into the plot/create the emotional attachment to teppei to galvanize the traveler into confronting raiden again. the part with teppei was fine and in fact one of the highlights in the patch to me (legitimately!! heartbroken!! AT HIS LAST LINE ABOUT THE UNIFORMS!!!), but kokomi and gorou were such a non-presence... sigh. i acknowledge my pipe dream about kokomi doing sus shit with the fatui was wishful thinking, but mhy's decision to essentially lay the blame for everything on the established villains the fatui in order effectively absolve raiden of any emotional culpability/make her redeemable so players will like & roll for her is WEAK.
5) the pacing, again... (head in hands) i feel like all of the problems i complained about could have been addressed if mhy just let their story content breath a little more. i know game developers have schedules they need to stick to, but considering the complexity they introduced into inazuma and different factions present, trying to tie up all the loose strings in a single patch was a fool's errand... though it's possible that some of these things may be addressed in 2.2.
on one hand, genshin is a game designed to be played in short bursts, so it's not surprising to me that the narrative choices they make tends towards "tell, don't show" and lots of background reading (a LOT of character stories/depth/lore is only available in item descriptions), but it's still rather disappointing when you compare it to what it could be...
at the end of it, the cutscenes were beautifully animated and there were a few parts i did enjoy (sara had a nice spotlight, i stan for teppei, SCARAMOUCHE, and kazuha's moment was incredibly moving), but on the whole 2.1 felt very rushed, and the writing for raiden shogun is so all over the place it's really put a damper on my personal enjoyment for inazuma ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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thefirstknife · 3 years ago
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Help, I ran Garden of Salvation with some clan mates and i'm Experiencing Great Sadness about the Kentarch 3 again.
I haven't been following you since shadowkeep, and was wondering if you had some theories about what happened, because a lot is left unexplained, specifically about Lisbon-13's motivations. The story from Yardarm-4's perspective shows that something is influencing them before they accept power (stasis teaser?) from the darkness. Do you think they really had a choice? Do you think he was influenced in his decision to kill them? If so, why? As a test just for him? Presumably he's still out there somewhere, and I can't tell from the lorebooks whether Rekkana let him kill her first or not. I just feel so bad for them, they all loved each other. Yardarm probably took the power in the first place to help get them out safely. Do you think it'll ever get concluded? The whole lore series seems interestingly close to what happens with Shayura, just sort of in reverse.
Kentarch 3 fireteam and the whole story on the Garden of Salvation armour and the associated weapons and equipment is amazing and very interesting, I agree. I haven't talked about it before but it's a good thing to revisit every so often! I think there's still a lot we don't really understand, mostly due to not fully understanding the power of the Black Garden.
In short for the general audience, Kentarch 3 was a fireteam that consisted of Yardarm-4 (Titan), Rekkana (Warlock) and Lisbon-13 (Hunter). They went to explore the Black Garden at the behest of the Warlock order called the Cryptochrons which Rekkana was a part of. This order got exiled some time after Osiris for dabbling in prophecies. Cryptochrons were formed around a Oneiromantic Circle and led by a Sibyl (or multiple sibyls; or Sibyl was just a name of one member, it's unclear). Oneiromancy is the practice of interpreting dreams to predict the future and sibyls were ancient Greek female prophets and oracles.
I didn't think this would get long but it did so the rest under the cut:
The Cryptochron order continued operating after its exile and Rekkana received a prophecy from them that revolved around a fireteam learning about the Black Garden and retrieving from it a Vex relic of some sort. The relic is the exotic weapon Divinity and the lore tab on it details the prophecy they were chasing:
"And after any other Cryptochrons they learn of. But your path is more dangerous than most. The Circle has foreseen many fireteams following in your footsteps. You can find the knowledge the order seeks at the Tree."
"Can? Not will?" For the first time, Rekkana sounded concerned.
"The Circle has had limited success in piercing the veil that surrounds the Black Garden, so the order offers no certainties. They say that a group of Guardians will discover secrets about the origin of the Black Garden at the Tree. The Oneiromantic Circle foresees no reason why it will not be the Kentarch 3."
"Nor can I. But…?"
"There is another thread in the tapestry, entwined with this one. The Vex, or some fractal faction of them, worship or honor a… divinity there."
"The Black Heart? It was destroyed."
"Yes, but this is something different. An object. Something like a sacred relic. It is important to the Vex for reasons that we have not yet fathomed. The Circle has determined that it is dangerous—"
"A Vex weapon?"
"Perhaps," the Sybil sounded annoyed at the interruption. "Rekkana, the Circle concluded that it is a danger to you."
"To me? But then, why send me on this mission?"
"When the Circle dreamed of the object, you were beside it."
They agreed that, should they find this object, Lisbon should be the one to carry it. They did find it and he was indeed the one to carry it, as is shown later in another lore tab detailed below.
We know that Lisbon-13 killed the rest of his fireteam because they got corrupted by the Black Garden, something happened to their Ghosts (they all just dropped down and started losing their Light) and then turned on him. He was being hunted and he really had no choice. But he couldn't live with it. In Beyond Light, he's shown trying to kill his Ghost in order to stay permanently dead because he couldn't bear the burden of what he did to his fireteam, even though his actions were justified and he acted in self-defence.
But before he managed to do that, he was faced with his own doppleganger, just like the YW at the end of Shadowkeep. In the end, Lisbon didn't kill his Ghost because the doppleganger offered him power and Lisbon (presumably) chose to take it: his wish was simply to make himself forget about his fireteam (and Rekkana specifically, whom he loved). It's implied that he accepted and after that, we have no formal information what happened.
The outcome of what happened to Kentarch 3 is somewhat known, as detailed in this ship lore. The Vanguard knows Lisbon killed the other two, they're not sure when they lost their Ghosts and they have not found anyone's body, not even Lisbon's. But we know from the lore that came out after that Lisbon accepted the deal with his doppleganger and we have no idea what that entailed. Is he still in the Black Garden? Was he killed? Replaced? Just memory-wiped and sent back? Something else entirely? We'll explore at the end.
I'm pretty sure the voices they heard talking to them were also their own dopplegangers. And it's somewhat implied that they made some sort of a bargain and accepted "new powers" that came "from the wrong side." There's only one description of it:
Her fist glimmered and quaked with an unfamiliar power. She only had to release her grip, and that energy would rip through him, burning without fire.
That's Rekkana attacking Lisbon. It's never fully explained what it is, but it could very well be some sort of prototype Stasis in my opinion. Or some other Darkness power. Not sure why the Black Garden would give them this, which is why I think they simply harnessed the power of their dopplegangers. This is something that's been mentioned a few times in regards to Darkness: duplication. Same is present with the Taken as well (Taken psions duplicate). I mentioned the duplication theme being discussed in Clovis' journal before too.
Honestly, I can't make any definitive conclusion, but Kentarch 3 definitely found something horrifying in the Black Garden and fell to its influence. They also reference doing the puzzles to get Divinity, which they got and Lisbon used it to kill the other two.
Garden of Salvation raid ends with a Pyramid scale opening up and leading us down into the area with the Darkness statue. I think this could've easily been some sort of a lead into the future of Destiny and the powers of Darkness. Kentarch 3 may have accidentally received this power early on or were perhaps some sort of a test the Darkness did on Guardians before offering them Stasis for real.
It's an interesting story and yep, it does mirror Shayura's fireteam and how the story is told! Each member of the fireteam tells the same story from their own POV on armour for that class. I'll link all of them in order, roughly how I think it's best to read each POV:
Rekkana: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Yardarm-4: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Lisbon-13: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
I like how the armour follows the same name pattern: Righteousness, Exaltation, Transcendence, Ascendancy and Temptation.
Associated Garden of Salvation weapons also have some tidbits of lore that might help, namely:
Ancient Gospel Hand Cannon:
"These forces have existed forever, but only one of them speaks to us." —Rekkana, Warlock of the Kentarch 3
Sacred Provenance Pulse Rifle:
"These gifts were not made for us, but we were meant to have them." —Rekkana, Warlock of the Kentarch 3
Zealot's Reward Fusion Rifle:
"Why not use these gifts we've been given?" —Yardarm-4, Titan of the Kentarch 3
I would really like to learn more about them, and specifically Lisbon because he might be able to actually tell us what happened. He or his Ghost, Piri, who managed to survive last we've seen her. I think the Ghost might be able to give the most accurate version of events. It's interesting that Lisbon was very much against whatever power they received and that was the reason he abandoned his fireteam, which made the other two consider him a traitor to their friendship.
Very intriguing lore story that could possibly be mentioned again in some form. Also as a brighter note, yes, Yardarm literally flew into the Black Garden with an entire ship and crash landed inside. On a less brighter note, we've never seen the remains of a ship in there (to be fair, Black Garden is huge) and it's somewhat implied that they entered through the Vex Gate on Mars which puts the timeline of when they got there into question. The Vex Gate on Mars that led into the Black Garden was destroyed in the Red War. The new gate showed up on the Moon in Shadowkeep (and you can't fly a ship into it because it's in a cave).
An additional note which answers certain things when it comes to Lisbon's fate that I hinted at before: in order to acquire the quest for Divinity, you have to go to the Moon to the Vex Gate for the first time. The gate will open up and a Vex mind will come out. This giant Vex minotaur is called Zeteon, Redemptive Mind. Upon killing this minotaur, you receive "Divine Fragmentation" quest. Details of the quest here. You pick up a Vex core that has strange readings coming from it and you have to decipher it by running it through various Vex technology. Once fully completed, you have to go into Garden of Salvation, do the Divinity puzzles and the weapon will drop from the extra chest at the end.
Why am I mentioning this? Well. Zeteon, Redemptive Mind drops a core that contains information about how to get Divinity. Lisbon was the member of the fireteam that held Divinity and used it to kill his fireteam. There's a quote from Lisbon on the weapon called Accrued Redemption:
"I should never have let it come to this. Now each arrow is a penance." —Lisbon-13, Hunter of the Kentarch 3
Divinity's perks are called Judgement and Penance.
Basically, I believe that whatever deal Lisbon accepted that made him forget his fireteam, free him from the suffering and redeem him ended with him being converted into Zeteon, Redemptive Mind. It's the reason why this Vex in particular had the pieces needed to construct Divinity again. Lisbon was the last person who had it. Becoming the bearer of parts needed for Divinity was both his Judgement and his Penance.
Final note because I love ancient languages being used for the names of things in Destiny: "Zeteon" most likely comes from Greek "zeteo" which means:
to seek, search after, look for
to inquire into, examine, consider
to strive for, desire, wish
Probably tied to Lisbon's search and desire for redemption for what he's done. I think that wraps up his fate quite nicely, although tragically.
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sunshineandcybertronians · 4 years ago
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It’s Nice to Have a Friend - (Secret Solenoid) TFP Starscream x reader
Word count: 5,599
Warnings: none
A/n: This is my Secret Solenoid gift to @sheabeeprime. This ended up way longer than I meant it to be. The ideas for what I could do just kept piling up and I decided to do all of them. And in true Scarlet fashion, I named this after a Taylor Swift song.
~
The view was amazing from where you sat on the edge of a cliff. Staring at the amazing view ahead of you. The wind in your face and hair. Just you, your thoughts, and the giant robot on your left.
Yeah, you honestly had no idea why Starscream decided to sit with you. And no idea why he always came to your home to pick you up when he was hunting for energon. Maybe he just needed company? Whatever the reason, an opportunity like this was too cool to pass down. So you tagged along whenever you were free. Which sometimes meant having to tell him you were busy or why you weren’t home when he came last. Though it was amazing how he would avoid being seen.
You didn’t know much about him. All you knew was that he was grumpy, had a huge ego, and his ex co-workers sucked.
You bit your lip. Today was the only chance for you to ask this. You pushed a strand of hair that flew in your face.
His helm faced forward, but his optics were on you. “What is it, human?”
“Hmmm?” You looked up at him as innocently as you could manage.
“’I know you were going to ask me something. Just ask me and get it over with.”
“Well,” you began, “There’s this parade going on…”
“And?” he raised one of his large eyebrows.
“It’s celebrating all the different countries in the world.”
“So?”
“I was thinking we could go?” You shrugged and gave a strained smile.
“No.” He immediately shot down the idea.
“But you could learn all about different human cultures.”
“Why would I want to learn about other humans anyway?”
“Wouldn’t simply knowing those kinds of things get you ahead of, and make you more knowledgeable than, the Decepticons?” you asked nonchalantly.
“Hah! You think saying that will make me go?” A look of amused triumph was on his face, but you could see the metaphorical cogs turning in his helm. He soon let out an angry and reluctant hum. “But I suppose I could take some of my precious time to come to your… ‘celebration of opposing humans’.” He waved his servo.
You let out a laugh. “We aren’t enemies or any like that just because we’re from other countries. Yeah, there can be some wars, but we’re mostly allies.”
Starscream gave you a perplexed look with his head tilted. Eventually, he just huffed and turned away, mumbling, “That doesn’t even make sense.”
You examined him, then shrugged. “Okay. But whether or not it makes sense to you, I’m honored you’ll bestow your presence upon the parade.”
He considered your words and, once he processed that it was praise, he puffed out his chassis with his helm held high.
There was a bit of trial and error in figuring out how to get there. You didn’t have exact coordinates and Starscream didn’t know where it was. Finally, you both decided on a method. You would give him directions while looking at a map on your phone. Once you steer him in the general area, you should be able to see the parade from the air. Upon this decision, Starscream jumped off the cliff to perform a flawless, midair transformation. He soared back up to meet you, showing off a few spins, and opened the cockpit for you to get in.
You eagerly got in and he took off. He shot through the sky like a comet, reaching up through a puffy white cloud, which resulted in a huge smile on your face. There was something amazing about being that high above the ground. Clouds stretching out made it feel like a new, hidden world.
“Which way?”
“Oh, right!”
 It was strange how people appeared so small from up above. The whole event would probably have seemed grander from the ground, but you weren’t going to pass up the opportunity to see it from the air. Especially with a giant robot.
“Wow. Look at it,” you commented. Suddenly, the rule of ‘if I can see you, you can see me’ came to mind. “Uh, are they going to find it suspicious that a jet is just floating here?”
“You tell me.”
You thought for only a second. “Definitely.”
Starscream maneuvered himself into a cloud, enclosing around him as though it were just a hologram. The nose poked out and there was a thin layer of cloud over the glass off the cockpit.
“You can still see, right?” he inquired.
“Yep. Thanks.”
You leaned back comfortably. The view was amazing. However the wonder slowly wore off and the silence began pricking at you. You almost wished for him to start complaining, or asking you questions, or for a radio. Though you doubted that he would enjoy human music. Or would he? Maybe you should try introducing some to him, but which genre?
“So what’s going on?” Starscream’s question brought you out of your thoughts.
“Oh, well people representing each country are walking in their group with a flag of that country. Like Italy, over there. They invented pizza!” You sat straight and pointed.
“What now?”
“Pizza, it’s a type of food that has cheese and tomato sauce an-“
“Nevermind. I don’t want to hear about the things you fleshies consume.” You thought you felt his alt mode shudder.
“Hey, if you were human, you would like it too,” you said. You fought the feeling of being offended that was taking over your thoughts.
“Then thank Primus I’m not.”
“Whatever.”  You crossed your arms and slouched back. “… But we do need to eat to survive you know.”
He hummed in reluctant consideration. “I suppose you’re right.”
Some time passed as you continued to sit there. Occasionally you would comment on a ‘country’ that was passing by. Sometimes he would ask about one. It was surprising how much your mind blanked out when you tried to talk about a country. You would have assumed that you wouldn’t have this problem considering you grew up on Earth.
A white flag with a circle and black lines on the corners caught your eye. You couldn't see the details from so far away, but you knew the circle was a blue and red yin yang. "Oh! That's the flag for South Korea."
"South? That sounds more like a location than a faction."
"Faction? What? Well, yes, it's a location. A location with its own government and own way of doing things. Like how you're a cybertronian. Because you're from Cybertron? Were you thinking about it like that? Factions?"
He hovered slightly higher then fell back into place. "How was I supposed to know? Cybertron had one government and leader. Much simpler."
"Hmmm." You considered the thought. "That's either really nice or there was a lot of corruption."
"Oh, you bet there was corruption. But does that mean there's a north, whatever it's called?"
"Korea. And yes, there's a North Korea. It split into north and south a while ago. North Korea has a dictator and isn't a place you want to go."
“What kinds of governments does each of these ‘countries’ have?” He asked.
“Well, the USA is a Democratic Republic. And there’s also socialism in some places, and at some point I think Russia was communist? Why can’t I remember anything?” You cursed yourself.
“Remind me why there isn’t one large government and leaders over the whole Earth?”
“That would be hard to do. A lot of people just wouldn’t agree to that. One of the reasons being that people want their own way of doing things. Since all of these countries formed on their own, having them all agree on giving up their own leadership to have a universal government is nearly impossible. There will always be someone who disagrees on how to run things.”
“It would be easier if someone just conquered the Earth.”
“You think people haven’t tried? There’ve been quite a bit of attempts, like Napoleon, but they all failed in the end. It’s a big place and people fight back.”
Another silence fell upon you both. You bit your lip as you scanned over the parade again.
"There's Japan. They have anime," you said.
Starscream finally lost his patience. “I’m not learning anything of use here! I’m just sitting here watching humans walk! The most informative bit was what you told me about North Kaon!"
"North Korea."
"Whatever it was! You expect me to remember all of these names?”
“Well, at least you can get an idea of what each country is like.”
“Admit it, you just told me to go because you wanted to come.”
“Maybe,” your voice rose an octave higher.
He scoffed.
“But,” you added, sitting up, “I did genuinely want to see it with you and show you a little more of Earth.”
“Why would I want to stay here even longer?!”
“I didn’t say that.” You looked at the gauges softly as if it were his face.
“Ah,” there was a nervous stutter present in his voice, “right.”
“Why did you come to Earth if you hate it so much?”
“It’s one of the last locations where we can find even scraps of energon. And you’ve come along to aid me enough times to know it’s important,” he said.
“It’s one of the only things you do.” You recollected everytime you were with him.
“Because ever since leaving the Decepticons ranks, I no longer have access to our storage or equipment to effectively find it. But I promise you, if it weren’t for Cybertron becoming a desert wasteland during the war, I would have never come to this mud ball.”
“Well. Even if you really wanna get back to cybertron, I’m glad I met you. And that I got to experience your awesome flying skills.” You tugged on a strand of your hair and ran your fingers through it.
There was  a brief silence.
“I mean, of course you would… How much longer did you want to see the parade?”
“Maybe a half an hour.”
“Hmmm. I’m going to be sore after hovering in the same spot for so long.”
“I could always rub your wings later if you want,” you offered.
“And let your grubby, little, fleshie hands on my magnificent wings? I think not.”
“Okay.” You rolled your eyes playfully. “It was just an idea.”
For a few more moments, neither of you said anything.
“Would you like to see a demonstration of my aerobatic skills later?”
“Actually, I would.”
A comfortable pause fell upon you.
“…Would you like to go down there?” he offered. He tipped his nose ever-so-slightly to the ground.
“Nah.” You leaned back in your seat with a smile. “I like it up here with you.”
 It had been two months and six days since you last saw him.
Yes, you were counting and had no idea why. Maybe he finally got tired of your fleshie self and left. Maybe you should have seen it coming with how much he disliked humans. Maybe you annoyed him so much that he decided to never see you again without a word.
Yet, when you truly thought about it, it didn’t make sense. He seemed to enjoy being with you, even if he never showed it outright. He was always the one who decided to bring you along when hunting for energon. Even when he was a giant robot, and clearly had some sort of prejudice against humans, it felt as though he still treated you as an equal to some degree.
But maybe he truly did get tired of you.
You stood by your window. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the last ghosts of light had faded away into darkness. You stood in your sweat pants and baggy t-shirt. Your hair was brushed and you were ready to relax. A warm cup of hot chocolate was in your hands, the warmth seeping into your skin. You stared into the cup, thinking of nothing in particular when you blinked at a sudden light.
Your eyes instinctively followed the light. Outside the window, hovering just above the ground, was a large, greenish blue, swirling vortex. You stepped back, but promptly leaned closer for a better look. It didn’t seem to be pulling anything into it. It seemed gentle, yet powerful. You would have found it beautiful if your mind weren’t preoccupied with confusion.
Something seemed to appear inside of it. It was tall, and metal and--!
You nearly dropped your glass mug. After placing it safely to the side, you grabbed a jacket and rushed out the door. You raced to where you saw the portal as fast as your feet would carry you. It was still there when you reached it. Starscream held a device in his hands and his red optics searched the area, as if looking for something.
“Starscream!” You ran up to him, nearly in tears. “Where were you? You’ve been gone forever!”
His optics avoided your eyes. “Well, I…” His mouth pushed into a thin frown. “I lost my T-cog.”
“You’re what now?”
“T-cog! It’s what allows cybertronians to transform.”
Your current expression dropped as it finally dawned on you. The reason he had suddenly disappeared. Then you remembered that there were other people nearby.
“Why don’t we go back through your portal thing and talk about it there?” You began to jog into the portal.
“Ground bridge.”
“Whatever it is.”
You ran while he walked in. The fact that the ground seemed to be made of swirling energy, though it felt completely solid, messed you up. You being smaller didn’t help either. You were running and still falling behind. After a half a minute, Starscream turned around to pick you up and carry you through.
A flash filled your vision and you had to blink several times to adjust to the dark, new area. The walls, ceiling, and floor were made entirely of metal. The only light source came from a dim glow from an foreign, alien screen. It was clear from the dust that no one had been there in a long time. The scale was so large that you felt confident that this was something cybertronians built.
The portal behind you shrunk until it vanished. Starscream lowered you down onto the ground. As soon as your feet hit the floor, you dashed to Starscream’s foot to give him the biggest hug you could.
“I missed you,” you mumbled. Of course, he might have not heard it if it weren’t for nearly every surface being made of metal, causing an echo.
His posture went rigid. He began to reach down to pat your head, then pulled his hand away. He stayed like that without moving a servo the whole time you hugged him.
“Ah… Me too.”
You let go. The cold of the living metal still lingered on you.
“Where have you been? How did…?” You stared up at him.
“I came across some other humans,” he began as he walked over for something to sit on. He helped you up onto it and you sat next to him. “I tried to asist them in building a cybertronian. I believed that they would allow me to keep energon I allowed them to find.” He stared at the floor the entire time.
Your eyes stayed locked on his glowing optics. “Build a cybertronian? Wait, if that was what happened, how did you lose your T thing?”
“I-They needed a t-cog in order to build a cybertronian. The one they already acquired was lost and they decided to take mine instead.” He almost seemed to curl up at the last words.
This settled on your mind like a ton of bricks. You didn’t say a word. Suddenly the room felt very heavy. The silence was like a suffocating blanket that you couldn’t seem to push off. You swallowed.
“They took… it? But, you could have fought them off easi-“
“They shot me with some sort of stun mechanism then proceeded to rip me open to take it!” His talons clenched into fists before him.
Once again, you couldn’t speak.
“Why is it that the first humans I meet, other than you, are no better than the Decepticons?”
“… Because some people can just be like that. Just like humans have potential for both good and harm, it seems like cybertronians are the same in that way.” You stared at the ground. “So… You can’t transform anymore?”
“No.”
“And that’s why you couldn’t fly back to me?”
“Not until I found the Harbinger and a portable ground bridge.”
You nodded. You pulled your legs to your chest and stared off into nothing. “That must stink. Not being able to fly.”
“It’s been terrible! How do humans survive like this?” He lifted his fists to his face.  His eyebrows, or whatever they were called, dug into his optics.
You shrugged. “We’re just used to it.”
The metaphorical blanket came back onto you, but somewhat more comfortably. Somewhat. You both continued to sit.
“… Are you upset about my not being able to transform?” Starscream cut through the silence. Almost so softly that you could hardly believe he was the one who said it.
“Huh? Well, yes,” you let go of your legs, “because you’re upset. I know how much you love flying!”
“But what about you?”
“Me?” You pointed to yourself.
“Yes!”
“I don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“How do you feel about me not being able to transform?!” He stood up and spun on his heels to face you. His wings stuck up on point.
“Well,” you thought for a second, “I did enjoy flying, but it honestly doesn’t matter too much to me if you can turn into a jet or not. I’m just happy you came back.”
“Oh.” The frustrated expression fell from his face and he looked away. In any direction except at you.
“What’s wrong?” You straightened your back as if it would help you see what was up.
“Nothing, I think. I had simply thought that you only liked me because of my flight capabilities.”
“Why would you think that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because Megatron only kept me alive because I was useful? It was always like that on Cybertron, and with those other humans. Once I become useless, I’m tossed away.”
You felt your heart twisted and your blood boiling. “I hate people who are like that. Forget them. They aren’t worth your time. I’m glad their out of your life.” You stood up. “And to me, as long as we get to hang out, I’m good.”
Starscream tilted his head. “You truly don’t make any sense.”
You shrugged. “The best people in life are free.”
“Huh?”
“People who don’t expect anything in return,” you elaborated. “They care and love you unconditionally.”
“I don’t believe anyone like that exists.”
“They exist. And so do I.” You confidently stared up at him.
His gaze darted between you and away from you. He took a few steps back, as if you were a mysterious creature that could become hostile or blow up any second. Eventually, he gave in to a beautiful, natural smile. And the room suddenly seemed brighter.
 “So, Starscream, I was thinking…” You walked into the room.
“If it’s anything about making a giant s’more again, I’m not interested.”
“No.”
Starscream had been feeling down, pun not intended, about losing his t-cog. You had cleared out two days in your schedule to have a sleepover with him. He had surprised you when you jokingly offered for him to brush your hair and he accepted. He also tried to braid it when you taught him how. It was surprisingly well done, considering the size of his talons, but still sloppy. You had to remind him that he wasn’t a failure at braiding. While laying in your sleeping bag and bundle of blankets you brought for the occasion, an idea came to you.
“I was thinking,” you continued, “that since you’ve been down about not being able to,” Starscream gave you the stink eye, “you know. So I decided it would be fun to do something similar to that one day with the parade.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I can’t fly you to another one.”
“No, not that. I mean that there’s this scout group doing a world presentation or whatever near where I live. They’re going to have cardboard stands set up for each country they researched about.”
“I really don’t think you’ve thought this through,” Starscream sighed, “I do not think these, or any, humans would react well to seeing a cybertronian.”
“I’ve already figured that out!” You bounced on your toes. “I’ll be carrying a camera that will stream video to you over here. That way you can see it without having to be there! And I have some earbuds so I can start a call with you and be able to hear and answer back if you have any questions.”
“Will the humans be suspicious about you speaking to no one?”
“Nope! They’ll just assume I’m on a call with someone, which technically isn’t wrong. So what do you say?”
 “Okay. So you can still see the video feed, right?” you asked while readjusting the camera on your hat.
“Yes, now stop shaking around!” Starscream’s voice came through your earbud. You swore that you would go deaf if this lasted too long.
“Okay,” you mumbled.
The sky was overcast. You walked into the building along with families that had come to see the scouts’ projects. There were tons of tables and three paneled boards lined up. People wandered around. They would stop to read, then turn and walk to the next one that caught their eye. It was clear which groups were family because they would greatly compliment the child’s work.
You figured you needed to start somewhere. It was a stange feeling to be there when you didn’t know anyone, even if the event was open to the public.
“Are we just going to stare?”
This snapped you out of your daze. You blinked for a second. Right, you weren’t alone. You had Starscream.
“Right,” you said and stepped forward.
You walked along the rows, glancing over them until one caught your eye. “France,” you said while pointing to the printed out flag, making sure your finger could be seen by the camera. “It’s in Europe. The capital is Paris. The population is 66 million.” You read off of it. You walked over to another. “Germany. It’s also in Europe. You know, maybe this whole row is European countries. Anyway, capital’s Berlin. Population is 83 million. Their currency is euros.”
“Ironic how these give more information than you did that other day.”
You rolled your eyes. “Yes. Ironic.” You walked a few more steps and stopped. “Some place named Estonia. The flag looks cool.”
“It’s three lines of color, like the other ones.”
“I like the colors.”
“There’s a lot of writing and pictures on each report,” Starscream commented. “Did each of these children research, find the information, and organize it in a presentable way?”
“Yes?” your voice came out as more of a question.
“Impressive.”
You smiled. “Some kids don’t do scouts, but they end up doing things similar with science fairs in school. They’ll do experiments or research, and they they have to make a presentation about it, like a vinegar volcano.”
“A volcano?!”
“No, it can’t do anything dangerous.”
“Then what’s the point? I wouldn’t call that science.”
“It’s simple science that kids are able to do. You know, since they’re kids?”
You noticed one of the parents staring at you and you gave an apologetic look while moving your hair to point at your earbud. You continued walking and eyeing some of the posters to read to Starscream. You had gotten to the Asia section and did your best to pick out something to show him.
“And see? The rainbow bridge.” You pointed.
“Huh? Oh, yes. Very nice,” he said absent mindedly.
You quirked an eyebrow up, but eventually shrugged. He was probably getting bored with all of this. A part of you was beginning to wonder why you thought this was a good idea. This thought detracted you from the sounds surrounding you. You suddenly felt cold and like something was hitting you?
You looked around and suddenly noticed that the fire alarm had gone off. Loud beeps filled the room. Everyone was trying to get out. Kids looked in all directions in confusion. Adults tried to keep them calm and safely head out. Your clothes were beginning to dampen. Instead of trying to get out, your first instinct was to get out of the sprinkler. You crawled under a table and peeked out.
The last few people were almost through the door. That’s when you decided it was time for you to go, but something caught your eye. Something in one of the upper windows that lined the wall near the ceiling. Starscream? His red optics stared down at you and he signaled for you to stay there, along with whispering to you through your earbud. You were confused, but you hid under the table once more.
You waited until the water stopped pouring. Once it was over, you pulled yourself out and to your feet. You glanced around. That was rather sudden. And now there were puddles all over the floor.
A loud rattling echoed in the room.
You turned to see the large door, the kind you would see in a garage, at the back of the room open up. The temperature of the room changed to match outside. Starscream held the door up with a mischievous smirk. You took your earbud out.
“What did you do?”
“I may have gotten bored simply watching through a screen and decided to come. And I may have possibly started a fire, opened a window, and held it next to one of those fire alarms.” His grin grew with each word.
“Really?” You asked rhetorically with your hands on your hips. But you couldn’t help but crack a smile yourself.
“What? I was bored.” He shrugged and waved a hand.
You shook your head with a laugh. “Whatever.”
Starscream ducked in. He had to stay bent down to order to fit. You moved out of his way was he came in.
“So, you were actually interested in this?” you questioned.
“I thought it would be better to see it in person with you.”
“Yeah, but some fire trucks or someone else is going to eventually come back here and see you.”
“Hmm.” He looked back. “I see. But one look for a nanoklick couldn’t hurt. I just did all of this so I could see it anyway.”
“Okay.” You shrugged. “Just hurry.”
After his wing nicked the roof when he tried to straighten himself, he quickly realized that it was easier for him to be on his knees. As he got down on his knees, you helped direct him down in the small free space between the tables. The legs skidding against the floor echoed through the room and made you jump. You were surprised he was even trying to do this when he could barely fit between the rows.
He had to lean in close to get good look of the displays. He would occasionally ask you the meaning of a word he didn’t know. You had to admit, it was more fun to have him there in person. Unfortunately you couldn’t enjoy this for fear of being seen. You constantly looked over your shoulder.
Eventually your paranoia dropped by a few notches. Though, by then Starscream had gotten tired of being crammed in a small space and probably noticed your concern. It was awkward getting to the garage door, between him being unable to move much and him blocking you. But you made your way out.
He lifted the door and ducked under and out. You followed when you noticed him freeze. Confused, you followed his gaze. Your blood went cold and you felt as if your mind was being squeezed into a box.
Staring up at Starscream was what looked to be a five year old child. The little boy was alone, probably wandered off, and had an orange jacket and hat. His expression twisted into disbelief then fear. Your heart rate quickened when you saw his face wobbling.
“Scrap,” you let out as you both turn the other way in panic.
Starscream closed the door with a loud bang that sent a shiver up your spine. You didn’t noticed what Starstream was doing behind you, since you were already running on instinct. When he came into your field of vision again, he was twisting on one foot to regain balance and lifted up the remote ground bridge device. In his panic, he hesitated on which button to click, but quickly pressed it once he remembered.
“Is it a good idea to open it up in here?” you questioned as the piece of cybertronian technology swirled and grew before you.
“I would have preferred a larger space, but I don’t believe we have much of a choice.”
He scooped you up and pulled you through. Like always, you blinked when a flash filled your vision. The air suddenly changed and you were back on the Harbinger as the ground bridge closed behind you. When he held you to the ground and you finally collected yourself enough to jump off, you realized that three of the cardboard presentations had managed to come through along with you and Starscream.
You stood there. “Well, that was interesting.”
“One shouldn’t cause any problems, right?” He looked to you before his eyes darted back to where the ground bridge was.
“That was a kid. They won’t believe him. They might look around, but after seeing no giant robot, they’ll dismiss it.”
“That’s good to hear.” Starscream groaned and held his shoulder. “That made all of my joints stiff. And the tip of my wing caught on the top of that door.” He glanced at his wing with a slight pout on his face.
You stared up at him, taking a moment to consider your words before you were unable to take them back. “… Would you like it if I massaged your wings?”
His optics widened and darted around the area. “Fine,” you could barely hear in the midst of low grumbles.
You blinked twice before fully processing what that meant. As you were trying to figure out how to even reach his wings, he held out his hand. You stepped onto it and he carried you to a table or whatever it was. It was too large for you to tell exactly. You carefully got off of his hand and he sat with his wings facing you.
You sat with your legs hanging off the edge. Your hands reached out to his wings. He readjusted himself so you didn’t have to lean forward in order to touch them. Your fingers shook. You hesitated. Finally, your hand laid flat on it. It was cold. You didn’t know what you expected. It was basically like touching a regular piece of metal. You weren’t sure what you were expecting. But somehow it felt different. Maybe because he had trusted you to touch it. You began rubbing it soothingly. You prayed that you weren’t doing anything wrong.
He hummed as you rubbed patterns onto it. Although you were sure he could barely feel it, you saw him relaxing. There was silence for several minutes.
“Why are you so kind?” he said.
“Huh?” You did your best to peek around to look at his face.
“How can humans be like this? At least you and the ones you talk about. Those small humans, no matter how well they proformed with their research, were praised. And how can other humans get along well enough to be allies despite having separate territories and governments? How can anyone do anything for someone else without expected anything in return.” He turned his helm to you. “Unless there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“No?” You tilted your head in confusion. “I just wanted to because it was the nice thing to do?”
“How? Why?” He turned his whole body, leaving your hands floating in the air. “Why are you always so nice to me? Has it ever occurred to you that you would get nothing in return? Especially from a grounded Decepticon defect?”
“I’m not looking for anything in return,” you started calmly. “I might get to learn about cybertronians, and do some cool things with you. And I get to spend time with you. I get that in exchange, but I’m not expecting anything more. Can you please accept that there are some people who are just nice? Who actually like you and want what’s best for you?”
His face twisted, as if about to argue. But paused, like he had never considered that before. He opened his mouth again, but closed it again, when no words would come out.
He eventually sighed. “I suppose I’ll simply have to trust you,” he said softly. He stared at you closely. “Your hair dried.”  
You suddenly remembered it had been wet from the sprinklers. He reached out and touched your hair, letting it fall on his talons.  Then he flinched back. “Uh… apologies.”
You reached out to pull his finger close to you and hug it. “It’s okay.” You smiled. “I like it.”
Starscream appeared shocked by this, but relaxed and smiled. A genuine smile.
173 notes · View notes
mneiai · 4 years ago
Note
Hello! I love your writing so much and I would really like to see how you’d do a soulmate au where all mandalorians can tell (somehow lol) who their mandalor’s soulmate is... jangobi obviously!
So, this reminded me a lot of Fate Comes Early, and originally I was thinking of maybe just linking that, but then I was dwelling on it and thought how I could make it a very different take lol
This one kinda got away from me! I’ll probably post it as a one-shot on AO3.
I’m still accepting prompts in my ask box!
XXXXXXXXXXX
The moment they set foot in Mandalorian space, their whole mission went from not too unusual to completely kriffed up.
Maybe, Obi-Wan considered, before that even. Because the closer they got to the sector, the more Mandalorians they passed at refueling stations and there was something like a low buzz of danger in the Force.
Or maybe it was anticipation.
Regardless, he really wished Qui-Gon had listened to Obi-Wan instead of doubling down on his Living Force prejudices and insisting they had to live in the present. It would have saved them a lot of problems.
Because as soon as they were off their ship, they were surrounded, separated. There was no way to combat it without violence, which was not an option while they were on a diplomatic mission and there were government representatives in the crowd.
Obi-Wan was taken into what he assumed was the palace. Mandalorians, most but not all in their signature armor surrounding him until they reached a small building within the building. It was set in the middle of a courtyard, surrounded by what he guessed were native plants from the sector.
It was huge, lavish, and extremely well-secured. He could see guards at every point he'd think of for escape, even spotting a few on the nearby rooftops with the telltale bulk of a jetpack on their figures. He wouldn't have minded so much, if any of them had been talkative.
The building was the nicest prison he'd ever seen and apparently was just for him.
***
He spent a whole day mostly in one of the sitting rooms, refusing to take the comforts offered by the large bedroom he'd been shown, picking at the (admittedly, very good) food the guards brought him. Every so often he walked through the rooms, trying to act as though he were simply taking them in instead of looking for a way to break out.
Eventually, someone came to meet with him. A humanoid woman in armor who the guards in armor were respectful of and the guards without seemed to dislike. She treated him with surprising deference from the start, as one might a head of state and not a Jedi Padawan.
It was all making him very nervous, remembering a mission where a sentient sacrifice had been made temporary king before being thrown into a lava pit.
"Olarom, Ka'rata. I am your tengaa'cabur, your guide.."
Obi-Wan hesitated, then replied, "Olarom," back, remembering it as one of the polite standard greetings from the mission information packet he'd read on the way.
The Mandalorian smiled at him and it looked sincere enough, though she was surprisingly hard to read in the Force. "Your presence at this time shows the crossroads our people have arrived at. There is much to prepare, Satine Kryze was nearby for the," her face twisted in distaste, "election," before she managed to smooth it out again, "but the others are farther away."
"...Others?"
"The other candidates for Mand'alor. Once they are assembled, we will being the Ka'ra'ur'cire."
"That's...like an election?" he asked, hopefully, even though the word didn't seem at all familiar.
She laughed, though he got the impression she might have been rolling her eyes if she had less control. "In Basic, perhaps that is a close enough translation."
He'd been here to oversee the election, so at least it seemed like some part of his role would be fulfilled. He could only hope his Master was with Kryze.
"And why am I...separated? Why isn't my Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, here?"
Something twisted on her face, the same way it had when she'd first spoken of the election and Satine. "You are Ka'rata, it would be...improper. If you desire, after the Ka'ra'ur'cire you may be allowed other guests."
"You said that the Ka'ra'ur'cire," he thought he did a fairly good job at pronouncing it, the language coming surprisingly easy to his tongue, "would start once all the candidates are here? How long will that be?"
"Tor Vizsla will be here within the next few days. Jango Fett we hope within a week of that. The announcement has been made. You will meet all on even ground."
Neither of those men had been candidates of the election Obi-Wan had come to Mandalore for. Fett hadn't even been seen, as far as he knew, since the tragedy of Galidraan and Vizsla was considered a terrorist by most.
"And what does the Ka'ra'ur'cire entail?"
The guide stared at him for a moment, as though weighing what she'd say (or, perhaps, what he'd understand). "The Ka'ra will guide you. The one who will be Mand'alor will be revealed."
He didn't get much more out of her, after that.
***
The days after that continued with vague information, very good (if spicy) meals, and the introduction of coursework on Mando'a.
None of the language materials he was given included any of the odd terms that were used. He knew he was being called "Ka'rata" and it was honestly very rude of them not to clarify that point.
From the other information he was given, and what he'd already known for the mission, he was able to piece together that Mandalorians didn't have elections like most Republic states, that there were three main political factions each represented by one of the potential Mand'alors, and that the people guarding him and speaking to him had taken vows of neutrality and therefore would not--could not--support anyone over another until after they were declared.
He, too, was expected to have some sort of neutrality, at least to start off. And then...apparently he'd be the one doing the choosing.
That was a daunting task, especially without his Master's help, moreso because Obi-Wan was having trouble accessing the Force. He didn't know if it was nerves, or perhaps some sort of barrier around the building he hadn't noticed, but even in deep meditation he was finding it difficult.
He could still feel Qui-Gon, at least, though their bond felt muffled and indistinctive. It was enough to know that he was alive and he didn't feel as though he was in pain, just horribly annoyed. Wherever he was, maybe he was getting the same runaround that Obi-Wan was getting.
***
His guide from the first day came back, eventually. "The candidates are assembled," was the first thing she said after her formal greeting and he breathed a sigh of relief. "The Ka'ra'ur'cire will begin tomorrow."
"Does that mean I finally get to find out what it is?" His tone was maybe more petulant than he wanted it to be, but between the isolation and his growing disconnect from the Force, controlling his emotions was becoming harder.
She studied him, then nodded. "Yes. Your to'hodar to the epara'kyorar has faded, the Ka'ra will protect you."
Obi-Wan frowned. Ka'ra had been mentioned before, he knew that meant stars, but as some sort of divinity. The other two seemed to be combinations of words, none of which had good connotations.
"Right, would you mind explaining that as well as the other parts?"
The guide regarded him for a moment, then nodded again. "Elek, Ka'rata, I will explain all that I can."
But, of course, she didn't start explaining. Instead she guided him through the building to a dining room that he had seen in passing. There were other Mandalorians there, mostly older ones, though a few didn't have their helmets off to judge.
"The Ka'rata's blessed presence is known again in Mandalore," his guide stated and Obi-Wan suppressed a shudder as the others either bowed or saluted him. "He is prepared in spirit, but must be prepared in mind. It is our duty to do so."
Obi-Wan was directed to sit in one of the two chairs at the head of the table, the other remaining empty. Just like with his guide before, no one bothered introducing themselves, but he'd worked out that the ones in armor were Death Watch and the True Mandalorians (and could tell from the crests basically which ones) and that the ones who were not were most likely New Mandalorians. There seemed to be an even mix, four of each, plus his guide.
Food was placed in front of everyone who didn't have a helmet on and Obi-Wan reluctantly started to eat when others did, despite his need for answers. There was some sort of ritual at play, he knew from experience and learning, and interrupting it would probably do him no favors.
When the meal was over, his guide finally turned to him. "We will tell you now of what you are, and what it means, and what will come."
He sat up a little straighter. "Thank you."
"The Ka'rata is the heart and soul of the Mando'ade, chosen by the Ka'ra. In terms the aruetiise might use, the soulmate of the Mand'alor."
Obi-Wan wished he hadn't eaten, because he was starting to feel sick. He'd heard of soulmates, everyone had--a leftover of the Taung found almost solely in Mandalorians, a bond of the spirit that connected two people. He had a very brief education on them, in a single lecture that had discussed their simularities to naturally occurring Force bonds, and nearly everything else he knew came from the awful holonovellas that Vos sometimes watched.
"You think I'm the Mand'alor's soulmate?"
"We know it," one of the Death Watch members stated with conviction that, if Obi-Wan could just feel the Force, he knew somehow would ring true.
"We could feel it, the moment you neared us," his guide continued. "Once you nau'ur to'manda, you shall feel it, too."
He worked through those words, fairly sure it meant to forge the soulbond the stories spoke of, and frowned. "But you said I'm the Mand'alor's soulmate? So...who is the Mand'alor?"
"There are three potential Mand'alor's," the others shifted, clearly disliking comparing their own leaders, "and each must be given a chance to of nau'ur." Someone cleared their throats and she rolled her eyes. "And, arguably, their heirs."
"So if a Mand'alor dies...."
"There is always a Mand'alor. The individual might die, but someone always fills the role."
"You're saying that I just...get passed along like some heirloom?"
"You are Ka'rata, this is no insult meant to you. Once you open yourself to the Ka'ra and your to'manda, you'll understand, you'll want this."
Somehow this was worse than being sacrificed to a lava pit.
"I can't, though. I'm a Jedi, this...sounds like a very big attachment, which is forbidden by our Code."
Not only did many of them look uncomfortable at the reminder of what he was, he was fairly sure a few made a finger sign to ward off evil. Which...seemed excessive, though after Galidraan he supposed he couldn't blame them.
"The Ka'ra has freed you from the epara'kyorar. It can no longer smother you."
His breath caught. "Epara'kyorar...that's...that's what you call the Force?" He sounded small, weak, even to his own ears.
"It will not devour you any longer, Ka'rata, you are nearly free."
Obi-Wan reached desperately for the Force, but it was true, he could barely feel it at all. His bond with Qui-Gon might as well not even exist, not just as though it had been broken, but as though it had never been there at all.
He stood, chair falling behind him from the force of the movement. "I...no. I'm a Jedi, I need the Force."
"The epara'kyorare was blocking your sense of self," his guide insisted. "Your ability to use it was a trick to help you perpetuate it. Torre Vizsla learnt of this, warned us of it, what had long been suspected."
"How are you blocking me from the Force? How do I reverse it?" he demanded.
Looking around, he realized how foolish it must seem to them, a teenage boy without weapons or armor in a room full of Mandalorians, making demands. But the looks on their faces were not mocking, but more pitying. That grated.
"You can't just kidnap someone, take away one of their senses, and expect them to cooperate with you!"
"There is no kidnapping the Ka'rata. You are in our sector, under our laws you are ours."
"Your property?" he sneered, though cold sweat broke out across his body at the remembered weight of a collar around his neck.
One of the New Mandalorians, perhaps the least threatening looking person in the room, stood and approached him. "You are sacred. Once the Mand'alor has been decided on, only they can restrict you."
He looked in the man's eyes and saw what wasn't being said--the New Mandalorians were the least traditional, Satine Kryze would be less inclined to follow whatever tenants insisted that Obi-Wan was kept locked up in a separate building, guarded, unable to see any non-Mandalorians. Maybe she'd even let him go back to the Jedi, once she was confirmed Mand'alor.
Obi-Wan looked around the room, noticed eyes narrowed at the man, but no one discounted what he said. "Fine," he muttered, crossing his arms. "Fine. How do I decide which one is Mand'alor, then?"
***
It couldn't ever just be a simple "point at someone and say they're Mand'alor," but "spend a week learning how they feel to you" was aggravating. If he'd had the Force, Obi-Wan might have been able to tell right away, with a few questions, who would be a better leader.
Or he would have just chosen Satine, as he desperately wanted to, especially as the time they spent together within the building he was housed in or out in the gardens around it made it clear she disdained this tradition as much as he did. She was going along with it to hopefully gain more support and wasn't actually going to do anything more than that. She respected the Republic, the Jedi, him.
He really, really liked Satine.
Vizsla was...well, he wasn't sure what to expect, the file on him and his activities painted him as a terrorist for good reasons. But he was a traditionalist to the core and he had utter respect for the tradition of the Ka'ra'ur'cire.
Though, he did seem to be holding back parts of himself to interact with Obi-Wan. Despite surely thinking being soulmates would be an automatic thing, he was almost wooing him.
The last of the three he met was Fett. Who...seemed almost as out of sorts as Obi-Wan. He was abrasive, condescending, didn't have much time for Obi-Wan's lack of knowledge around the Ka'ra'ur'cire or any Mandalorian culture, and at first Obi-Wan took offense to that.
Until he realized this might be the first time Fett had seen a Jedi since Galidraan.
And then he looked beyond the surface of their interactions--Fett was shaken, broken, he felt like a failure and knew he didn't deserve to be Mand'alor.
Obi-Wan took two days of the meetings to realize he was understanding Fett a little too well. Another day to accept that Fett himself seemed to have quickly moved on from his hatred of all things Jedi to watching Obi-Wan like he couldn't believe he existed.
The guide had said that their stars would tell Obi-Wan who his soulmate was and horribly, Obi-Wan was realizing that maybe that was right. He, intellectually, wanted it to be Satine.
But his heart, or maybe it was his soul (or maybe it was the Ka'ra), was crying out for Jango.
"Oh," he breathed out during one of their meetings, watching Jango studying a battleplan in front of them, after he'd taken a piece of Obi-Wan's advice (hard-earned on Melida/Daan) without any protest or condescension.
Jango looked up at him, his face blank except for that little area of tenseness between his eyebrows Obi-Wan had already memorized. "Something else I'm missing?"
Obi-Wan shook his head, eyes even wider, and left the room.
***
When he went to his guide, she was as gentle as a Mandalorian could be as she talked him through how to finish the Ka'ra'ur'cire.
The next day, after fruitless meetings with Satine and Tor, he was glad to see Jango. His soft smile must have said more than he thought, because Jango--who must have felt it this entire time but had patiently waited on him--didn't stalk into the room to his usual seat. He walked right up to Obi-Wan, cupping his cheek gently in a calloused hand.
Obi-Wan, at a loss for words, managed what he thought was a steady and suggestive, "Hello, there," before Jango's lips crashed into his own.
And a million stars lit up inside of him.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Mando'a: Olarom - Welcome/greetings Ka'rata - from ka'ra (stars/fate) and kar'ta (heart), word for Mand'alor's soulmate Mand'alor - sole ruler, basically the dictator of Mandalore Ka'ra'ur'cire - from ka'ra (stars) and urcir (meet) aruetiise - foreigners/outsiders to'hodar - from to (join) and hodar (deceive), ie a false bond epara'kyorare - from eparavur (to feast, devour) and kyorar (rot) Elek - yes Mando'ade - Mandalorian People to'manda- from to (join) and Manda (soul), ie a soulbound nau'ur - light up, illuminate (is also used in context of forging weapons, nau'ur kad, forge or light up a sword)
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starwarsfic · 4 years ago
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Star’s Heart
Originally posted August 1, 2020
Summary: Obi-Wan thought they were going to Mandalore to help with an election, he didn't think he was going to be the person who chose the next Mand'alor.
Details: Jango/Obi-Wan. Mandalore Mission AU. Soulmate AU.
xxxxxx
The moment they set foot in Mandalorian space, their whole mission went from not too unusual to completely kriffed up.
Maybe, Obi-Wan considered, before that even. Because the closer they got to the sector, the more Mandalorians they passed at refueling stations and there was something like a low buzz of danger in the Force.
Or maybe it was anticipation.
Regardless, he really wished Qui-Gon had listened to Obi-Wan instead of doubling down on his Living Force prejudices and insisting they had to live in the present. It would have saved them a lot of problems.
Because as soon as they were off their ship, they were surrounded, separated. There was no way to combat it without violence, which was not an option while they were on a diplomatic mission and there were government representatives in the crowd.
Obi-Wan was taken into what he assumed was the palace. Mandalorians, most but not all in their signature armor surrounding him until they reached a small building within the building. It was set in the middle of a courtyard, surrounded by what he guessed were native plants from the sector.
It was huge, lavish, and extremely well-secured. He could see guards at every point he'd think of for escape, even spotting a few on the nearby rooftops with the telltale bulk of a jetpack on their figures. He wouldn't have minded so much, if any of them had been talkative.
The building was the nicest prison he'd ever seen and apparently was just for him.
***
He spent a whole day mostly in one of the sitting rooms, refusing to take the comforts offered by the large bedroom he'd been shown, picking at the (admittedly, very good) food the guards brought him. Every so often he walked through the rooms, trying to act as though he were simply taking them in instead of looking for a way to break out.
Eventually, someone came to meet with him. A humanoid woman in armor who the guards in armor were respectful of and the guards without seemed to dislike. She treated him with surprising deference from the start, as one might a head of state and not a Jedi Padawan.
It was all making him very nervous, remembering a mission where a sentient sacrifice had been made temporary king before being thrown into a lava pit.
"Olarom, Ka'rata. I am your tengaa'cabur, your guide.."
Obi-Wan hesitated, then replied, "Olarom," back, remembering it as one of the polite standard greetings from the mission information packet he'd read on the way.
The Mandalorian smiled at him and it looked sincere enough, though she was surprisingly hard to read in the Force. "Your presence at this time shows the crossroads our people have arrived at. There is much to prepare, Satine Kryze was nearby for the," her face twisted in distaste, "election," before she managed to smooth it out again, "but the others are farther away."
"...Others?"
"The other candidates for Mand'alor. Once they are assembled, we will being the Ka'ra'ur'cire."
"That's...like an election?" he asked, hopefully, even though the word didn't seem at all familiar.
She laughed, though he got the impression she might have been rolling her eyes if she had less control. "In Basic, perhaps that is a close enough translation."
He'd been here to oversee the election, so at least it seemed like some part of his role would be fulfilled. He could only hope his Master was with Kryze.
"And why am I...separated? Why isn't my Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, here?"
Something twisted on her face, the same way it had when she'd first spoken of the election and Satine. "You are Ka'rata, it would be...improper. If you desire, after the Ka'ra'ur'cire you may be allowed other guests."
"You said that the Ka'ra'ur'cire," he thought he did a fairly good job at pronouncing it, the language coming surprisingly easy to his tongue, "would start once all the candidates are here? How long will that be?"
"Tor Vizsla will be here within the next few days. Jango Fett we hope within a week of that. The announcement has been made. You will meet all on even ground."
Neither of those men had been candidates of the election Obi-Wan had come to Mandalore for. Fett hadn't even been seen, as far as he knew, since the tragedy of Galidraan and Vizsla was considered a terrorist by most.
"And what does the Ka'ra'ur'cire entail?"
The guide stared at him for a moment, as though weighing what she'd say (or, perhaps, what he'd understand). "The Ka'ra will guide you. The one who will be Mand'alor will be revealed."
He didn't get much more out of her, after that.
***
The days after that continued with vague information, very good (if spicy) meals, and the introduction of coursework on Mando'a.
None of the language materials he was given included any of the odd terms that were used. He knew he was being called "Ka'rata" and it was honestly very rude of them not to clarify that point.
From the other information he was given, and what he'd already known for the mission, he was able to piece together that Mandalorians didn't have elections like most Republic states, that there were three main political factions each represented by one of the potential Mand'alors, and that the people guarding him and speaking to him had taken vows of neutrality and therefore would not--could not--support anyone over another until after they were declared.
He, too, was expected to have some sort of neutrality, at least to start off. And then...apparently he'd be the one doing the choosing.
That was a daunting task, especially without his Master's help, moreso because Obi-Wan was having trouble accessing the Force. He didn't know if it was nerves, or perhaps some sort of barrier around the building he hadn't noticed, but even in deep meditation he was finding it difficult.
He could still feel Qui-Gon, at least, though their bond felt muffled and indistinctive. It was enough to know that he was alive and he didn't feel as though he was in pain, just horribly annoyed. Wherever he was, maybe he was getting the same runaround that Obi-Wan was getting.
***
His guide from the first day came back, eventually. "The candidates are assembled," was the first thing she said after her formal greeting and he breathed a sigh of relief. "The Ka'ra'ur'cire will begin tomorrow."
"Does that mean I finally get to find out what it is?" His tone was maybe more petulant than he wanted it to be, but between the isolation and his growing disconnect from the Force, controlling his emotions was becoming harder.
She studied him, then nodded. "Yes. Your to'hodar to the epara'kyorar has faded, the Ka'ra will protect you."
Obi-Wan frowned. Ka'ra had been mentioned before, he knew that meant stars, but as some sort of divinity. The other two seemed to be combinations of words, none of which had good connotations.
"Right, would you mind explaining that as well as the other parts?"
The guide regarded him for a moment, then nodded again. "Elek, Ka'rata, I will explain all that I can."
But, of course, she didn't start explaining. Instead she guided him through the building to a dining room that he had seen in passing. There were other Mandalorians there, mostly older ones, though a few didn't have their helmets off to judge.
"The Ka'rata's blessed presence is known again in Mandalore," his guide stated and Obi-Wan suppressed a shudder as the others either bowed or saluted him. "He is prepared in spirit, but must be prepared in mind. It is our duty to do so."
Obi-Wan was directed to sit in one of the two chairs at the head of the table, the other remaining empty. Just like with his guide before, no one bothered introducing themselves, but he'd worked out that the ones in armor were Death Watch and the True Mandalorians (and could tell from the crests basically which ones) and that the ones who were not were most likely New Mandalorians. There seemed to be an even mix, four of each, plus his guide.
Food was placed in front of everyone who didn't have a helmet on and Obi-Wan reluctantly started to eat when others did, despite his need for answers. There was some sort of ritual at play, he knew from experience and learning, and interrupting it would probably do him no favors.
When the meal was over, his guide finally turned to him. "We will tell you now of what you are, and what it means, and what will come."
He sat up a little straighter. "Thank you."
"The Ka'rata is the heart and soul of the Mando'ade, chosen by the Ka'ra. In terms the aruetiise might use, the soulmate of the Mand'alor."
Obi-Wan wished he hadn't eaten, because he was starting to feel sick. He'd heard of soulmates, everyone had--a leftover of the Taung found almost solely in Mandalorians, a bond of the spirit that connected two people. He had a very brief education on them, in a single lecture that had discussed their simularities to naturally occurring Force bonds, and nearly everything else he knew came from the awful holonovellas that Vos sometimes watched.
"You think I'm the Mand'alor's soulmate?"
"We know it," one of the Death Watch members stated with conviction that, if Obi-Wan could just feel the Force, he knew somehow would ring true.
"We could feel it, the moment you neared us," his guide continued. "Once you nau'ur to'manda, you shall feel it, too."
He worked through those words, fairly sure it meant to forge the soulbond the stories spoke of, and frowned. "But you said I'm the Mand'alor's soulmate? So...who is the Mand'alor?"
"There are three potential Mand'alor's," the others shifted, clearly disliking comparing their own leaders, "and each must be given a chance to of nau'ur." Someone cleared their throats and she rolled her eyes. "And, arguably, their heirs."
"So if a Mand'alor dies...."
"There is always a Mand'alor. The individual might die, but someone always fills the role."
"You're saying that I just...get passed along like some heirloom?"
"You are Ka'rata, this is no insult meant to you. Once you open yourself to the Ka'ra and your to'manda, you'll understand, you'll want this."
Somehow this was worse than being sacrificed to a lava pit.
"I can't, though. I'm a Jedi, this...sounds like a very big attachment, which is forbidden by our Code."
Not only did many of them look uncomfortable at the reminder of what he was, he was fairly sure a few made a finger sign to ward off evil. Which...seemed excessive, though after Galidraan he supposed he couldn't blame them.
"The Ka'ra has freed you from the epara'kyorar. It can no longer smother you."
His breath caught. "Epara'kyorar...that's...that's what you call the Force?" He sounded small, weak, even to his own ears.
"It will not devour you any longer, Ka'rata, you are nearly free."
Obi-Wan reached desperately for the Force, but it was true, he could barely feel it at all. His bond with Qui-Gon might as well not even exist, not just as though it had been broken, but as though it had never been there at all.
He stood, chair falling behind him from the force of the movement. "I...no. I'm a Jedi, I need the Force."
"The epara'kyorare was blocking your sense of self," his guide insisted. "Your ability to use it was a trick to help you perpetuate it. Torre Vizsla learnt of this, warned us of it, what had long been suspected."
"How are you blocking me from the Force? How do I reverse it?" he demanded.
Looking around, he realized how foolish it must seem to them, a teenage boy without weapons or armor in a room full of Mandalorians, making demands. But the looks on their faces were not mocking, but more pitying. That grated.
"You can't just kidnap someone, take away one of their senses, and expect them to cooperate with you!"
"There is no kidnapping the Ka'rata. You are in our sector, under our laws you are ours."
"Your property?" he sneered, though cold sweat broke out across his body at the remembered weight of a collar around his neck.
One of the New Mandalorians, perhaps the least threatening looking person in the room, stood and approached him. "You are sacred. Once the Mand'alor has been decided on, only they can restrict you."
He looked in the man's eyes and saw what wasn't being said--the New Mandalorians were the least traditional, Satine Kryze would be less inclined to follow whatever tenants insisted that Obi-Wan was kept locked up in a separate building, guarded, unable to see any non-Mandalorians. Maybe she'd even let him go back to the Jedi, once she was confirmed Mand'alor.
Obi-Wan looked around the room, noticed eyes narrowed at the man, but no one discounted what he said. "Fine," he muttered, crossing his arms. "Fine. How do I decide which one is Mand'alor, then?"
***
It couldn't ever just be a simple "point at someone and say they're Mand'alor," but "spend a week learning how they feel to you" was aggravating. If he'd had the Force, Obi-Wan might have been able to tell right away, with a few questions, who would be a better leader.
Or he would have just chosen Satine, as he desperately wanted to, especially as the time they spent together within the building he was housed in or out in the gardens around it made it clear she disdained this tradition as much as he did. She was going along with it to hopefully gain more support and wasn't actually going to do anything more than that. She respected the Republic, the Jedi, him.
He really, really liked Satine.
Vizsla was...well, he wasn't sure what to expect, the file on him and his activities painted him as a terrorist for good reasons. But he was a traditionalist to the core and he had utter respect for the tradition of the Ka'ra'ur'cire.
Though, he did seem to be holding back parts of himself to interact with Obi-Wan. Despite surely thinking being soulmates would be an automatic thing, he was almost wooing him.
The last of the three he met was Fett. Who...seemed almost as out of sorts as Obi-Wan. He was abrasive, condescending, didn't have much time for Obi-Wan's lack of knowledge around the Ka'ra'ur'cire or any Mandalorian culture, and at first Obi-Wan took offense to that.
Until he realized this might be the first time Fett had seen a Jedi since Galidraan.
And then he looked beyond the surface of their interactions--Fett was shaken, broken, he felt like a failure and knew he didn't deserve to be Mand'alor.
Obi-Wan took two days of the meetings to realize he was understanding Fett a little too well. Another day to accept that Fett himself seemed to have quickly moved on from his hatred of all things Jedi to watching Obi-Wan like he couldn't believe he existed.
The guide had said that their stars would tell Obi-Wan who his soulmate was and horribly, Obi-Wan was realizing that maybe that was right. He, intellectually, wanted it to be Satine.
But his heart, or maybe it was his soul (or maybe it was the Ka'ra), was crying out for Jango.
"Oh," he breathed out during one of their meetings, watching Jango studying a battleplan in front of them, after he'd taken a piece of Obi-Wan's advice (hard-earned on Melida/Daan) without any protest or condescension.
Jango looked up at him, his face blank except for that little area of tenseness between his eyebrows Obi-Wan had already memorized. "Something else I'm missing?"
Obi-Wan shook his head, eyes even wider, and left the room.
***
When he went to his guide, she was as gentle as a Mandalorian could be as she talked him through how to finish the Ka'ra'ur'cire.
The next day, after fruitless meetings with Satine and Tor, he was glad to see Jango. His soft smile must have said more than he thought, because Jango--who must have felt it this entire time but had patiently waited on him--didn't stalk into the room to his usual seat. He walked right up to Obi-Wan, cupping his cheek gently in a calloused hand.
Obi-Wan, at a loss for words, managed what he thought was a steady and suggestive, "Hello, there," before Jango's lips crashed into his own.
And a million stars lit up inside of him.
xxxxxx
A/N: Written for an anonymous prompt on my Tumblr: "Hello! I love your writing so much and I would really like to see how you’d do a soulmate au where all mandalorians can tell (somehow lol) who their mandalor’s soulmate is... jangobi obviously!
Originally posted on my tumblr.
This prompt reminded me very heavily of Fate Comes Early so I almost just linked to that, but then kept dwelling on it and thought I could find a way to make it different enough.
Tumblr user theclonewarsbrokeme graciously looked over most of this for me to confirm it made sense to someone else lol
Mando'a: Olarom - Welcome/greetings Ka'rata - from ka'ra (stars/fate) and kar'ta (heart), word for Mand'alor's soulmate Mand'alor - sole ruler, basically the dictator of Mandalore Ka'ra'ur'cire - from ka'ra (stars) and urcir (meet) aruetiise - foreigners/outsiders to'hodar - from to (join) and hodar (deceive), ie a false bond epara'kyorare - from eparavur (to feast, devour) and kyorar (rot) Elek - yes Mando'ade - Mandalorian People to'manda- from to (join) and Manda (soul), ie a soulbound nau'ur - light up, illuminate (is also used in context of forging weapons, nau'ur kad, forge or light up a sword)
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jurassicparkpodcast · 4 years ago
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Velociraptors, Dilophosaurs and a Fallen Kingdom: A follow-up On The Canon Of Jurassic World Aftermath
Recently, we published an article exploring how we thought Jurassic World Aftermath may fit into the wider canon – with lots of speculation as to the role that characters like Dr Wu would play within the story. Now, we can follow-up on that article with some facts pulled straight from a session spent with the new VR Game. The footage to accompany this video can be found on our YouTube channel, and is courtesy of fellow Jurassic fan Brent Kappel, who actually appeared in Jurassic World as an extra!
Without any further ado, let’s break down some of the most interesting pieces of lore introduced within Jurassic World Aftermath. Spoilers ahead for anyone planning to play the game themselves.
The key thing on everyone’s mind is obvious – how are there more Velociraptors on the island? We learn, in Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, that Blue is supposedly the last of her kind – which makes her an invaluable asset for Doctor Wu and Eli Mills to obtain. Naturally, you may think that the inclusion of Velociraptors here in Aftermath takes away from this – but careful consideration has been made to think about where they slot into the story. The N.M.S Centre was an off-the-grid facility so to speak, in terms of the fact that the work they did at the facility was not well known by the other operatives working on Isla Nublar. In fact, mention of Owen Grady and Vic Hoskins is made at one point – acknowledging that neither of them knew about the existence of the programme. This suggests that the work being conducted at the N.M.S Centre was different to the work being conducted by Project IBRIS – and therefore was kept relatively quiet in comparison to InGen’s other project. 
But, you may be asking, why was there a need for a second Velociraptor project?
The answer boils down to the science and genetics of Jurassic World. We know that genetic modification has been a key story point for the latter films, and this is no different in Aftermath, with the work at the N.M.S Centre proving vital in allowing the geneticists at Jurassic World to continue to enhance how much they can augment the code of their dinosaurs. The NMS Centre, in particular, was working on the Velociraptor Genome, and was experimenting with areas like elevated social hormones, suggesting that they were taking the work which IBRIS had done, and seeing if they could tailor-make a Raptor which is more able to respond to commands – aka the latter Indoraptor. We also learn that work had been done to get the raptors to respond to audio prompts so they could come for feeding – again, building upon the idea of these being Raptors who can be more effectively trained and controlled. The way Wu is communicated throughout here as a narcissistic and egotistical character is very interesting, too, as it helps to sell his character as someone who is purely invested in his work without any of the ethical confines which may have otherwise held him back. The mission to recover the Velociraptor Genome ultimately takes a change of pace when, at the end of the game, it is revealed that we need to recover Blue’s DNA. Indeed, in this moment we learn that Blue’s creation seemed to be an accident. Wu was experimenting with monitor lizard polymer raised to promote parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction) when Blue was born – implying that she may be able to reproduce naturally in the current Jurassic World Dominion timeline.
So, how does all of this tie directly into Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, and the birth of the Indoraptor? Well, as we already know from the film, the mission to recover Blue is an important stepping stone in creating the Indoraptor. Therefore it is natural for us to assume that the events of this game are taking place parallel to the development of the first Indoraptor prototype we later see in the film – implying that the work and research recovered here factors in to the eventual creation of that animal. We get more concrete comparison of this being tied together through the fact that Mia and Sam actually have a direct link with Lockwood Manor in the latter part of the game – showing that Wu is indeed working with Mills at this point. It sounds as if Mills is in charge of the operation at this point in time, as Wu mentions him as overseeing the operations at several points. This suggests that the mission to Isla Nublar we see in FK’s opening is perhaps the climax of a long string of missions to recover different pieces of technology which were ultimately needed to continue Wu’s hybridisation work. The most interesting piece of lore here is that we learn that InGen had emergency backup systems connected on the mainland to Nublar – with Lockwood Manor being the emergency backup for the facility. This implies that rather than being a rogue faction, Mills and Wu may have still had some affiliation with InGen during the events of JWFK, although it could equally be implied that the connection existed from the Jurassic Park days when Lockwood was still involved in the parks.
There are a couple of other interesting bits of information strewn throughout the game. The first is that Wu begins to freak out when the character of Emelia (the geneticist helping with the in-game mission)  has a meeting with Simon Masrani in May of 2015. This allegation is taking to the InGen Board, with Wu pulling her up for insubordination towards a superior. This is interesting as Wu becomes very defensive and suggests that she may damage the work of both him and the board – implying that rogue elements inside of InGen may be working against the wishes of Masrani this whole time. Whilst this isn’t anything new per-say, it does provide interesting insight as to where people like Hoskins may have fit into a much larger game being played in the shadows by other entities in InGen. Of note, also, is the way Wu presents his work throughout these audio logs – implying that he is working on multiple projects which will change man’s understanding of the natural world. Much like we saw hinted within Camp Cretaceous, the implication here seems to be that Wu may have worked on many more projects than those we simply see on screen.
A couple of final bits of interesting information we wanted to highlight is to do with specific details inside the story. Firstly, we learn that Isla Nublar’s Jurassic World did, indeed, use a Geothermal Plant – and that the Dilophosaurus can be found nested in there. Whilst this game does take place two years after the titular film, it is entirely possible that they have been nested in them for some time – which may explain the lack of encounters with this particular dinosaur so far in Camp Cretaceous. In addition to this, we also learn that Nublar is under a UN Quarantine following the events of the Jurassic World incident – meaning that we are in a similar situation to that which we find in JPIII. The fact the characters only have one hour on the island suggests this may be more stringent, however. Another fun detail comes in a mention of the Monorail – with it being revealed that the Indominus tore through the monorail track at some point before the main street battle, explaining some of the damage and devastation inflicted upon Nublar between the incident and JWFK. There are also a few other moments scattered throughout – including a fun visual nod to the Jurassic Park Visitors Centre.
All of this comes together to make a piece of Jurassic media which is much broader and deeper in terms of canonical scope than I think any of us expected going into it. Whilst we remain hesitant about whether this will be a ‘canonical’ story or not, I think that there has been some great work here to build on core Jurassic concepts. The character of Wu is developed incredibly well, and the ties to Lockwood Manor and Mills are executed well, too – making enough sense when considered alongside the events of Fallen Kingdom. Overall, Jurassic World Aftermath appears to have a lot of value in building up some pre-established areas of the canon, whilst also building to the future. As mentioned in the article, the idea of asexual reproduction in Blue poses an interesting question for Jurassic World Dominion. A recorded speech from Ian Malcolm present in the game also talks about a course correction after we have meddled with science to this point – setting the perfect precedent for what we are expecting to see in the upcoming sequel.
What do you think? Are you surprised about how much lore is packed into Jurassic World Aftermath? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned for plenty more on all things Jurassic Park and Jurassic World here on The Jurassic Park Podcast. 
Written by: Tom Fishenden
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worryinglyinnocent · 4 years ago
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Fic: City Lights and Cactus Forests
AU-gust Day Eighteen: Bodyguard AU Fandom: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Pairing: Scorfuma
Rated: G
Summary: Scorpia is tasked with protecting the princess of Plumeria on a state visit to Scorpia’s home city. She does not expect to find herself with a crush on said princess.
City Lights and Cactus Forests
“As you all know, Princess Perfuma of Plumeria is arriving tomorrow for a five day stay in the city. Most of her time will be spent in the palace with her parents whilst the treaty negotiation is taking place, but there will be several official visits as well.”
Scorpia looked around at the rest of the security team, most of whom were looking as if they wanted to be anywhere except where they were right now. The Plumerian royal visit had been the only thing on anyone’s minds for longer than anyone could care to remember; absolutely nothing was allowed to go wrong, which was a daunting prospect in itself without the problem of there being several things that could go wrong. Quite a few factions in the city were not on friendly terms with the Plumerian government.
“Agent Scorpia!”
“Yes, yes, sorry, what, yes, sir!”
The head of security raised an eyebrow but said nothing concerning her abstraction, placing a folder down on the desk in front of her.
“You will be acting as Princess Perfuma’s personal bodyguard throughout her stay here. You will stick to her like glue, you will not leave her side, and if she ends the visit with so much as a stubbed toe or papercut, you will be fired faster than you can say Plumeria.”
Scorpia gulped. “Yes, sir.”
She looked down at the file in front of her, which contained all of the information they knew about Perfuma. She flipped it open and was immediately non-plussed by the photograph inside the cover. The Plumerian princess was notorious for shying away from the press, so she was rarely seen in public. The last time she had made an official appearance, she’d been fifteen years old, and Scorpia wasn’t sure why she had not factored in the passage of time when thinking about the princess. She was no longer a gawky teenager. She was an extremely pretty young woman in her twenties.
Scorpia continued to stare at the photo for a long time. Oh, this was going to be very interesting. 
X
Princess Perfuma was just as lovely in person as she was in her photograph, and unfortunately, it was a lot harder to be inconspicuous when you were staring at a real person rather than a piece of paper.
“Agent Scorpia!”
Scorpia snapped out of her stupor as her boss hissed in her ear.
“Sorry, sir. I’m fully present now, sir.”
“Honestly, I’m beginning to regret having given you this assignment now.”
“No!” Scorpia was slightly embarrassed by how desperate to keep her assignment she sounded. “Everything will be fine. I promise, sir.”
The head of security gave her a look that showed that he plainly was not convinced by her words, but he did not say anything, instead going over to greet the princess.
“Welcome to our city, your Highness. I hope you enjoy your stay. This is Agent Scorpia, she’s been assigned to protect you for the duration of your time here.”
“Pleased to meet you, Scorpia.”
It took Scorpia several seconds to remember that she had a tongue in her head and she really ought to use it.
“I’m pleased to meet you too, your Highness.”
“Please, just call me Perfuma. If we’re going to be spending all our time together, I’d like to think that we could be friends.”
Scorpia nodded enthusiastically. Yes, she was definitely up for that idea.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward as they made their way to the palace. Scorpia occasionally pointed out landmarks of note as they drove past, and Perfuma seemed to be genuinely interested in learning about the place and its history, but Scorpia was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the task at hand when she had a thousand and one scenarios running through her head of how this week could go wrong. And how it could go right. She’d always been a closet daydreamer, positive thinking getting her through some of the worst days.
Everything was going to be fine. Nothing was going to happen to Perfuma, Scorpia wasn’t going to get fired as a result, and she and Perfuma would be friends.
Oh, she should not be developing a crush on the person that she was supposed to be protecting. Not already.
Once they were inside the palace and the head of security had left them to it, the atmosphere eased a little. Perfuma was no longer putting on her official royal persona, and she chatted much more animatedly as Scorpia showed her to her room and got her settled in.
There was nothing on the official itinerary until the welcome dinner later that evening, and there were a few hours to kill. Although Scorpia had assumed that Perfuma would be tired after her long journey, she seemed as bright and bouncy as anything as she looked out of the window over the city’s heights and lights. 
“Maybe you could take me on a tour of the city?” she suggested. “I mean, if you’ve lived here all your life then you must know where all the best spots are.”
Scorpia nodded, immediately running through a very long list of all the city’s hidden gems that she would be only too happy to introduce the Plumerian princess to, but then she shook her head on remembering that at least half of the places weren’t really suited to visiting royalty.
“You’ll be having the official tour tomorrow,” she said.
“I know.” Perfuma sighed. “Official tours don’t really offer a true experience of a place, I’ve always felt. They only take you to the nice, sanitised parts of the city that have been cleaned up and deemed appropriate.” For all her brightness and lightness, Perfuma had a cheeky little smile. “They never take you to the nice green places. I like exploring nature in a city. It reminds me of home.”
Scorpia racked her brains to think of a green place in the city that she could take Perfuma to. Their climate was arid and dusty and didn’t really lend itself to greenery.
“There’s the cactus forest,” she said tentatively. “That’s sort of green. Actually, some of the flowers will be blooming now, so it’ll be orange and pink as well.”
“That sounds perfect! I’ll just get changed so that I look a bit less conspicuous. I always prefer to do these things incognito.” Perfuma looked Scorpia’s uniform up and down. “Is there any chance that you could be slightly less conspicuous too?”
Scorpia considered the request for a moment. On the one hand, she really wasn’t supposed to, and she didn’t know what her boss would think. On the other hand, she was supposed to be keeping Perfuma safe and happy, and if this was what made her happy, then so be it.
“I would still have to wear my body armour and bring my gun in case something happens, but I can try for incognito.”
“Great!” Perfuma clapped her hands together. “This is going to be fun!”
X
Scorpia would never before have classed a visit to the cactus forest in the middle of the city as fun, but Perfuma’s excitement at seeing it definitely made the trip worthwhile.
“I never used to like cacti,” Perfuma was explaining as she wandered through the plants, touching their soft flowers. “I’ve always found them hard to care for. A lot of people say that they’re easy because you can just leave them to their own devices, but I can never tell how much I’m supposed to water them or not water them. I’ve grown to love them though, and these ones are so majestic. They must have such impressive roots.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever really given cacti that much thought,” Scorpia said. “But I guess you’re right.”
Presently the sounds of shouting and running footsteps caught their ears, and Scorpia’s security instincts and training kicked in at the flip of a switch. One moment she was trailing along after Perfuma, watching her enthuse about plants and wishing that she didn’t have so much of a crush on her, and the next, her reflexes were dialled up to eleven and she was pushing Perfuma out of the way behind a cactus.
“Get down!”
“What’s going on?”
There was a thud as Perfuma went flying and Scorpia landed heavily on top of her. The commotion passed them by completely but being too careful was never a bad thing.
It was only after the noises had faded into the distance that Scorpia realised she was squashing her charge, and she got up.
“I’m so sorry, are you hurt anywhere?” She helped Perfuma to her feet and started patting her down for injury, before realising that she probably shouldn’t be manhandling a royal personage like that and then realising that in her quest to stop Perfuma being injured and herself fired, she’d probably just guaranteed both eventualities in one go.
“Scorpia, I’m fine.” Perfuma’s hands caught Scorpia’s, but she didn’t push them away, just standing holding them for a moment. “Everything’s fine. Thank you for being so worried about me.”
“Well, you know.” Scorpia could feel herself blushing and she really wished that she couldn’t. “I am your bodyguard, after all. All in a day’s work.”
She looked away, embarrassed, but when she forced herself to look back, she saw that Perfuma’s cheeks had gone a little pink as well, and then she noticed that Perfuma was still holding her hands.
“We, erm, we should probably get back to the palace,” she said. “Don’t want any more near misses.”
Perfuma nodded, gradually letting go of Scorpia’s hands. “Yes, you’re right. Don’t tell my parents that I snuck out, will you?”
“As long as you don’t tell my boss that I nearly squashed you.”
“Deal.”
The walk back to the residence was a quiet one, but there was nothing awkward in the silence this time. Some kind of unspoken understanding had passed between them, and little looks and smiles were exchanged the whole way back.
“You know, Scorpia,” Perfuma said once they were back inside, “I think I’m going to like it here.”
Scorpia knew that she was definitely going to like Perfuma being there, too.
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The War Council Ending
oh boy, another fallenverse ending! personally i prefer this ending to the beam wins timeline, but uwo
~~~~
They met in pure neutral territory, where no one would dare attack each other. A barren wasteland of a Universe, no positivity or negativity for Beam or Sable to feed off of. Dolomite had never been there, so he would have no trap waiting. Jasper’s Clinic was elsewhere, along with any of his utilities that he couldn’t carry with him.
A table had been set up, seats for everyone accounted for. A map of the Multiverse was placed in the middle, large enough for the corners to nearly droop off the edges of the table.
“I believe we all know why we are here.” Sable said calmly, nodding to Bloodstone, who slid the piece of paper they had received earlier onto their side of the table.
“Yes, a War Council.” Beam retorted, getting a nudge from Sardonyx due to his attitude. Beam shot a glare at him, before turning back to the others around the table.
“A War Council against Diamond and Sapphire, specifically.” Dolomite spoke up, crossing his arms as Opal placed black pins over many of the Universes on the map. Jasper felt a breath escape him as Opal finished placing the pins.
“Has he really taken so much territory?” He asked softly. Alexandrite resting his hand on the other’s shoulder. He received a decisive nod from Dolomite, who stared at the map with a grim expression. It was a sharp contrast from the usually kind skeleton.
“So, that’s why you’ve called us here.” Beam examined the map. Opal was working on placing pins to represent the territory taken by the others present. Yellow pins for Beam, blue pins for Dolomite, purple for Sable, and one red for Jasper’s current location of his Clinic.
The pins couldn’t lie. Against the colors of Beam, Sable, and Dolomite, Diamond had claimed almost as much territory as they all have, combined. Beam gave a soft growl, Sardonyx not even bothering to scold him as he stared with a nervous expression. Sable’s tentacles were drooping, with Bloodstone tugging on his socket.
“We can’t let him get away with this.” Dolomite said suddenly, drawing the others attention. “I have called you all here to request an alliance, either temporary or not.” Shocked silence filled the air. None of them had even been in an alliance with each other, even Sable and Dolomite. Of course, truces would air as needed, but they never lasted long enough to become an alliance.
“Who’s to say you won’t just try to take over the first chance you get?” Beam asked, suspicion on his face as he narrowed his eye sockets at Dolomite. Dolomite seemed to have prepared for this question, though.
“I have a solution for that. If we all ruled, together, we could keep each other in check.” Excitement sparked in Dolomite’s eyelights, as he smiled softly. Opal gave him an encouraging nod from his placement beside him.
Sable stared at Dolomite, intrigue in his own eyelight. He glanced at Beam, fast enough that no one could notice.
“In that case, why are we here?” Jasper spoke suddenly, confusion lacing his tone. “I’m just a simple Clinic owner, what could we get out of this?”
“I’m glad you asked, Jasper.” Dolomite turned to Jasper, smiling for real now. “I know you’re not interested in ruling anything, but you’re an amazing doctor. All I ask of you, is to continue providing medical services for everyone. In return, you would receive protection and support.” Jasper stared at him, a considering look in his eyes.
“Let’s take a few minutes, talk things over with our seconds, alright?” Sable spoke up, a half-hearted smile on his face. After a moment of deciding, nods and agreement were sounded around the table. Everyone stood up, before huddling out of earshot to speak to each other privately.
~~~~
“Is it worth sharing?” Beam grumbled to Sardonyx, who smirked at him.
“Well, you DO realize what this would mean, right?” Sardonyx tossed an arm over Beam’s shoulder, which ended up with his arm being thrown back at him.
“The hell are you talking about.”
“Sable! This might just be your chance to get back together with him!” Beam sputtered at that, pushing Sardonyx, who was grinning cheekily at him, with a hand.
“I- He- Shut up!” Beam growled at Sardonyx, who barked out a laugh.
“You know I’m right!”
~~~~
“This seems almost too good to be true.” Sable confided in Bloodstone, who nodded in solidarity.
“I trust Dolomite, more or less, but I’m not sure if this will work out like he thinks.” Bloodstone commented, arms crossed. Sable frowned.
“It’s just…. I guess I’m more worried about having to interact with Beam.” He sighed. Bloodstone patted his back gently, avoiding the tentacles.
“I understand. But, maybe this could be a good thing? We could spread our help to the Universes previously untouchable.” Bloodstone held out a hand, emphasizing his point. Sable considered it for a moment.
“I, suppose you’re right.”
~~~~
“Is this worth it.” Was the first thing Alexandrite said when the two of them retreated. Jasper looked at him, mouth pinched tight.
“Yes.” He said at last. Alexandrite observed him for a moment.
“Are you certain?” The taller skeleton asked. Once again, Jasper did not respond for a moment.
“I trust Sable, and I trust Dolomite.” Jasper spoke, voice final. At that, Alexandrite nodded in acceptance. They would follow each other to the ends of the Multiverse, even if it cost them everything.
~~~~
Dolomite paced around Opal, nerves showing as Opal watched him calmly.
“Chill the fuck out, broski. It’s gonna be hella fine.” Opal soothed, only to get gently batted at by Dolomite.
“But what if they don’t go for it? What if they want something more?” Dolomite’s pacing grew more hurried and frantic, as Opal sighed.
“Stop workin’ yerself into your damn grave. It’s fucking fine.” Opal groaned. Dolomite always got like this when nervous.
~~~~
The four faction leaders, along with their right hands, met back at the table and map. Nerves had been settled (or at least hidden, in Dolomite’s case), and decisions had been made. Silence stretched for a long moment, before Beam set his hand onto the table.
“I will join this alliance.” He announced, voice steady and calm. Sable stared at him for a moment, shock evident in his posture, before he adjusted himself.
“I, too, will join.” He placed his own hand on the table, the darkness a difference from Beam’s softly glowing gloved hand.
“In that case, I’ll join as well.” Jasper placed his hand on the table, nodding at the others.
Dolomite grinned, and placed his hand on the table as well.
“Glad to see we have an agreement, boys. Now let’s wage a war.”
~~~~
The alliance had come as quite the shock to those within each faction’s territory. Some quietly accepted the change, hopes bright for the future, like those from Crystal Clinic. Others begrudgingly accepted, stubborn in changing their ways, but willing to try, like those from Solar Eclipse.
Of course, then the war preparations started. Gathering an army gave mixed results. In the end, the bulk of the army came from Solar Eclipse, who had been rather militarized before the alliance. Safe zones and refugee spaces were set up for those wishing to flee the inevitable carnage, or to keep their families and loved ones safe while they left to fight.
Sable stood at his window, hands clasped behind his back as he observed the young soldiers training in the castle yards. A familiar presence crept up behind him, sliding softly glowing arms over his shoulders. Sable smiled, leaning into the one behind him.
“Still watching them do their routines, ey?” Beam chuckled lowly, tilting his skull to view his husband’s face.
“They’re improving rapidly, soon they’ll be ready to head off.” Sable responded, eyes still on the courtyard. Beam gave a quiet laugh at that.
“You need to come relax, it’s been all ‘War effort this’ ‘War effort that’ with you lately. Opal’s getting lonely.~” Sable couldn’t help the laugh that came out of him at that, finally turning to look at him.
“Never thought I’d hear you of all people say that.” Sable laughed, as Beam grinned at him.
“Well, the whole therapy thing that Sardonyx is forcing me to go to seems to help.”
“Good, I’m proud of you, y’know.” Sable’s smile was soft and genuine, causing Beam to blush and duck his face.
“Oh hush, you.” Beam retorted, avoiding Sable’s eyelight. Sable just chuckled, turning back to his window to continue watching the soldiers.
~~~~
The war waged long and hard. Dust was spilt, and Universes were won and lost. But in the end, the alliance held strong.
Everything had finally come to a head when Diamond and Sapphire were finally captured, with little territory left under their control. The two were forced into a kneel, hands tied behind their backs, with Dolomite, Sable, and Beam in front of them. Jasper was busy in the Clinic, and didn’t particularly want to be there anyway.
“So, ya gonna kill us?” Sapphire smiled sweetly, as Diamond snorted. Dolomite glared at them, hatred in his gaze. Sable slapped Sapphire with a tentacle, not moving from Beam’s side.
“Pathetic, both of you.” Beam scoffed. “A child and a foolish artist were the terrors of the Multiverse for this long? Truly, pathetic.”
Diamond gave a crooked grin, showing his sharpened teeth. “Aren’t you the one who would throw tantrums when things didn’t go his way?” He barked out, laughing at Beam who didn’t bother responding.
“Dolomite, would you like to do the honors? They’ve terrorized you longer than either of us combined.” Sable asked Dolomite gently, a hand placed on his shoulder. Dolomite turned his head to glance at Sable for a moment, before nodding. At that, Sable released him, and stepped back with Beam.
“Any final words?” Dolomite asked, summoning his strings. Sapphire and Diamond glanced at each other, before looking back at their executor.
“Fuck you.” Diamond said cheerfully, right before Dolomite destroyed his connection to the Multiverse, along with Sapphire’s soul.
~~~~
It was quiet, beautiful colors swirling around him. Universes, or what he thinks are Universes, coming to life, and then dying. It was gorgeous, even if he didn’t know why he was here, or even who he was.
And then.
He Woke Up.
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xsparklingravenx · 5 years ago
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lily of the valley
Title: lily of the valley
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Characters: Yuri, Balthus, Hapi, Constance, Yuri’s Mother
Rating: T
Word Count: 1783
Summary: Yuri’s mother had always said that makeup was her shield.
AO3
Yuri’s mother had always said that makeup was her shield.
 It was something he remembered strongly even now, standing at her side as she sat by a worn-down vanity, the poor thing barely standing up under the weight of its own age. His tiny hands would rest on her knee as she powdered her nose, applying her eyeshadows before finally painted her lips. Lilac hair would tumble from the messy bun she always put it in, and when he would ask what she was doing, she would always say the same; “Putting on my mask, little flower.”
 “But why do you need a mask?” he asked once, curious. She never had elaborated, after all.
 “To become someone else,” was her response as she painted black lines across her lids. They made her look so glamorous, he’d always thought. Powerful, even, like a sorceress who could cast incredible magic, someone who could chase anything terrible away. “When I work, it’s sometimes better to not be me.”
 He hadn’t understood—of course he hadn’t, not then, he’d been too young, too innocent—but he remembered reaching for the brush that she’d used for her eyes then, his fist small around it. It was an old thing, bristly and well-used, just like the vanity. They had taken up residence in a beaten-down tavern, and his mother had been working to the bone to pay for the roof. Since then, it had been night after night of him being left alone, all while she went out, the moon sitting high in its lofty throne as she did whatever it was that required her mask.
 As time went on, he realised she was selling herself to do it, making men pay for the best of her so she could give the best she could for him in return. But back then, with his hands around that brush, he only knew that she wanted to feel strong, to feel untouchable. He took the tool for himself and closed his eyes, brushing the bristles against his own eyelids.
 His mother had chuckled at that, delicately taking it from him. “Oh? And who are you hiding from, little flower?”
 “Nobody,” he said, puffing out his cheeks. “I just wanted to try too, to look like you do. Beautiful.”
 She laughed at him anew, reaching out to brush a hand through his short, messy hair. “Oh, you charmer! I fear you will only make a dreadful mess of yourself if I let you loose with my products, but I can teach you, if you’d like. When I get home in the morning, I’ll show you exactly how to do it.”
 “So I can be just like you?”
Her smile fell at that. Later, when children of Abyss said the same, he would understand why. He and his mother, they both felt the same about themselves—she was the strongest person he knew, and she said herself that she was so, so, proud of him, but they knew the real darkness that they both harboured. He was a murderer, a liar, a cheat. She considered herself nothing more than a worthless whore. They were identical at the core; both never wanting to be a role-model, both never wanting to pass on their shadowed ways.
 She took his small face in her thin hands and shook her head. “No, my little love, not to be like me. I’ll teach you so, if you ever need it, you’ll have your own shield to use. The world can be a dangerous, frightening place, and sometimes, a little paint on your face is enough to make you think you can face it. You will stand up to anything, I promise you that.”
 In Abyss, in the present, Yuri sat at his own vanity with his powders open on the surface, his eyeshadows sat in their palette. The mirror reflected his image back at him, bare-faced, shadows being cast over his skin by the flickering of the candle he had set beside him. A potted lily-of-the-valley sat on the vanity’s edge, its white flowers nearly tipping right over the edge.
 He scowled. How weak he looked without the purples at the edge of his eyes, without the gloss at his lips. His hands were in fists as they rested on his knees, his jaw clenched tight. His heart still beat a humming-bird’s pace in his chest, furious.
 The threat still felt present in the air. Aelfric had barged into his room and caught him unawares a clock’s pace beforehand. He’d whispered threats into his ear while they had been alone, to make sure he was keeping up his own part of their twisted charade. Yuri’s fingers had itched for his blade, to slit the man’s throat before he’d been able to blink, but he’d been powerless in truth. The man had his mother as a hostage for one, and Rhea wanted more information on his faction’s movements.
 Killing him was not an option—and, as much as Yuri wished to gut him, he equally knew that he could not. Aelfric was much more than a kidnapper; he was also one of the few caretakers that Yuri had trusted before he’d betrayed him, and part of him still did, unfathomably, love him.
 He reached for his brush, sweeping it up in the purple powder that he usually coated his eyelids in. Constance had procured this particular colour for him after he’d complained that most of Abyss’s wares were not to his tastes. Purple was the colour for nobles, expensive and difficult to find. Where she’d gotten it from was anybody’s guess, but he had a strong suspicion that it was regular, brown powder that she’d infused with magic. She’d managed to change the colour of tea before—he was certain that powder would be no issue for someone of her talents.
 He set to work, an artist with his brush as he painted himself into the person he wanted to be. First, he scoped out the shape of his eyelids, filling them in with colour before blending it outwards. Memories of his mother’s movements, her guiding hand, his own muscle memory—all of it made up his morning routine. A shame Aelfric had seen him with his mask off, with his face nothing but himself. Another thing he would pay for eventually. The lily-of-the-valley that sat in the pot, it was poisonous. One day, Aelfric would realise that he was too.
 A knock at his door had Yuri turning halfway, his hand stilling. “Who’s there?”
“Yo, pal, you still in there?” Balthus’s voice was gruff through the door. “We were heading to grab a bite for breakfast, but you hadn’t shown up yet.”
 We, he said, implying that the others were there. His suspicions were confirmed when Hapi’s voice came next. “Still putting your face on, Yuri-bird?”
 “Why, of course he is! Do you know how much time it takes to look this magnificent! I can assure you, it doesn’t just happen in seconds!” Constance’s voice was high and airy despite the early hour. “We just need to wait, and he shall appear at any moment.”
 They were so respectful, his friends. He was reminded of a time when they’d been in Abyss’s bar and someone had loudly, drunkenly, made a comment on how improper it was for a man to be wearing woman’s makeup. Yuri hadn’t even been able to make it out of his seat before Balthus had smashed his fist into the man’s face, sending him bowling over into Hapi, who had bashed her head into his all while Constance cackled behind her hand, claiming, “Serves you right, you piggish swine!”
 The man hadn’t known who he was at the time, hadn’t realised he’d been picking a fight with the leader of the Ashen Wolves, but it made no difference to Yuri. “I’m not so delicate that I need you to fight my battles for me,” he had snapped at Balthus afterwards, but Balthus had only laughed. “I’m serious. If you start breaking the jaws of every man who makes a jab at me, soon it’ll get around that I’m going soft, that I need a bodyguard. I’m not weak.”
Balthus only carried on laughing. “Oh, I know that. You’re a conniving bastard, you’d stab a man before he even saw it coming.”
 “So why did you do it?”
 “‘Cause we’re the Ashen Wolves, and nobody gives our pack leader any kind of shit.” Balthus had smirked at that, punching one hand into his waiting palm. “Ain’t just about you, Yuri. It’s about all of us.”
 How he wished they wouldn’t trust him so blindly. How he wished he didn’t trust them so either. The truth was that; he loved them as much as he did his rogues, his mother, the people that Aelfric had taken hostage to control him.
 But his mission was to gather his friends together and help Aelfric kill them alongside himself.
 He didn’t deserve their devotion. His hands were tied, he had nothing to do except pray. His mother had always asked the goddess for her help, had always claimed that Yuri had been her gift from Sothis herself. Unexpected, she’d said, but the best thing she’d ever received. Maybe, if he begged the goddess enough, she would give him the way out he needed, help tip his luck a fraction more in his favour.
 He finished applying his eyeliner to his lids and painted his lips in shiny gloss. When it was done, he pushed the brushes aside and looked into the mirror, his reflection staring back. When he smirked, it was a knife’s edge. That was what he wanted; that was who he wished to be more than anything.
 Beneath it all, he was many things. A liar, a cheat, the son of a whore, a whore himself, the bearer of Aubin’s Crest, Aelfric’s pawn, Rhea’s informant. But that was the beauty of what his mother taught him; with his mask on, he was whoever he wanted to be.
 She’d been right. Sometimes, the world was dangerous, but she’d given him the gift of her paints to provide him the shield he needed. He pushed his chair away from the desk and opened the door, finding all three of his friends standing around, Balthus leant against the opposite wall, Hapi mid-stretch, and Constance mid-yawn.
 “Thanks for waiting,” he said.
 Aelfric’s time would come. Like the lily-in-the-valley, Yuri was as dangerous as he was beautiful. As soon as he had his way out, he would take it, his mother’s shield guarding him the entire way.
 But for now, he would bide his time. It was on his side, after all.
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theworkofxanderking · 5 years ago
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The Originals: Bad Blood (Alternative Season 5)
Episode 5: A Mikaelson Family Christmas
Warnings: I do not own the original content to “The Originals”, “The Vampire Diaries” or “Legacies” or any of the characters from the television shows.
15 plus, displays of Violence, Gore, Torture, M/M, F/M, F/F.
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Klaus vamp sped into the dining area of the compound to find Rebekah and Elijah sat the table both looking rather miserable with themselves.
“I’m beginning to think use two are competing for most miserable Mikaelson this year and I have to say I’m rather annoyed your coming for my trophy.” Klaus said to them mockingly. “Things are on the up Marcel and I have called a truce, Hope’s arriving any minute and Hayley’s compelled one of the city’s finest cooks and yet you two have been miserable for days.”
“As long as there’s no daggers in my stockings like that one god awful Christmas I’m sure I’ll get into the festive spirit.” Rebekah replied as she stood up forcing a smile on to her face.
“I must admit even this Christmas still beats that one.” Elijah said as he too stood up and straightened his suit jacket.
“I found it rather amusing,” Klaus retaliated with a cheeky smirk noticing Elijah and Rebekah were hardly feeling festive. “Okay what the bloody hell is going on?”
“You should tell him Rebekah after all this is of your doing.” Elijah snapped at his sister.
“Firstly, none of you would be here if it wasn’t for me so don’t even start blaming me for reuniting us.” Rebekah snapped back.
“Well somebody please tell me before I dig out those bloody daggers for a second Christmas.” Klaus demanded clearly grown tired of his siblings’ secrecy.
“It’s Henrik, he’s alive well he’s a lot more than just alive he’s all kinds of messed up and all he wants for Christmas is to feast on his beloved siblings.” Rebekah revealed before Hope walked into the dining area hugging Hayley.
“Guess whose finally home for Christmas?” Hayley said to them all while hugging her daughter tightly.
“Now how exactly do us Mikaelson’s celebrate Christmas?” Hope asked them while Rebekah and Elijah tried to hide their guilt and her father Klaus remained shocked by her aunt Rebekah’s admission.
Marcel walked into Rousseau's to find Josh wearing a Santa hat while cleaning tables within the bar and listening and dancing along to “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” on his Bluetooth speaker placed on the counter of the bar causing Marcel to laugh at possibly the world’s most innocent vampire before walking over to the counter and switching the speaker off demanding Josh’s attention.
“Hello Marcel,” Josh said as he took of his Santa hat and gushed at the man, he had recently spent a night with. “I’m guessing your not here for a drink considering we’re not open although that tends to not stop most of my clientele.”
“I actually wanted to talk about…” Marcel began to say.
“Davina and Kol coming to the city for Christmas I know Davina already told me.” Josh butted in knowing that wasn’t the topic on Marcel’s mind. “I bet you can’t wait to see Davina again I sure can’t.”
“Well it has been a while but that’s not what I came here to discuss.” Marcel replied.
“Is it about the Mikaelson’s getting a head at the table for the faction meetings because I think that’s a good idea if only to lessen the bloodshed.” Josh added in proving to be very eager to not talk about a certain subject.
“Josh you’re not the first guy I’ve ever been with when your immortal sexuality is a lot simpler than people make it out to be.” Marcel explained to him. “We like who we like when we like them and have no need to apologize for it.”
“Wow where was that kind of thinking when I came out to my parents.” Josh answered him clearly surprised by Marcel’s reaction to their one-night stand.
“It was definitely interesting I mean you’re a lot less shy between the sheets,” Marcel said with a sinister smile “definitely unforgettable however I value our friendship too much for it to ever happen again.”
“Oh, thank god,” Josh breathed a sigh of relief. “I mean no offence but us would’ve been super messy I mean you’re clearly still madly and deeply in love with Rebekah and I tried the whole relationship thing once and it ended it too much pain.”
“I’m glad you and I are on the same page.” Marcel laughed. “However, I don’t think you should write off romance with everyone I know what happened to Aiden broke your heart but the moments you had with him were worth every ounce of pain. Trust me when I say love is truly the best and worst thing that can ever happen to you.”
“So, did you get invited to the Mikaelson’s Christmas?” Josh asked. “Davina’s convinced me to go just what I love Santa and Klaus wrapped up into one holiday I just hope it’s not me that ends up roasted on the open fire.”
“Do you know you’re absolutely adorable when you say stuff like that?” Marcel told him while looking at him with pure admiration.
“Oh no don’t you be looking at me like that!” Josh said clearly nervous by Marcel looking at him. “Shouldn’t you be last minute Christmas shopping for Hope and Davina?”
“I’ve already got their presents sorted.” Marcel replied with a laugh finding Josh’s nervousness intoxicating before vamp speeding to be standing right in front of him so close that Josh could feel Marcel breathing on him, the two beginning to long for each other’s touch.
“Well I can’t say I’m surprised to see you working Josh.” Davina said as she walked in instantly making Marcel and Josh distance themselves from each other. “I’m guessing you’re also here Marcel because you’re doing just about anything you could possibly do to avoid seeing Rebekah until necessary.”
“It’s so good to see you,” Marcel said as he walked over to hug the girl he loved like a daughter. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“You got here in perfect timing.” Josh said with a sense of relief in his voice.
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Hope and Klaus walk down the stairs in the compound Klaus’ arm lovingly around his daughter as they reach the bottom of the stairs and start making their way to the fountain Hope clearly suspicious of what’s going on with her family knowing when any Mikaelson was quiet it was never a good sign.
“Okay go on dad tell me what’s going on already.” Hope demanded as the two stopped walking and Klaus let go of his daughter. “It’s freaking Christmas our first one together in I don’t know how long certainly the first one I’m going to remember that’s for sure and you’ve all been quiet since arrival. Do you not want me here?”
“There is nobody on this earth I’d rather spend any day with than you Hope.” Klaus replied making it clear to his daughter she was wanted and loved. “I just want you to have the perfect Christmas.”
“Dad I’m fifteen now I’m hardly a kid anymore and even when I was, I went up against the ancestors, unbound aunt Davina from The Hollow and helped Aunt Freya restore Elijah’s mind after his death.” Hope snapped at her father. “I can take care of myself now tell me what’s going on. You’ve spent five years away from me dad don’t come back just to keep me in the dark once again.”
“You are right you’re a Mikaelson after all,” Klaus responded as he lifted his right hand to touch his daughter’s cheek lovingly “one day you are going to become the most powerful witch this world has ever seen. You are everything we ever wanted you to be and so much more Hope, you are this family’s true legacy.”
“Who’s plotting to kill our family now?” Hope asked. “It can’t be The Hollow because she’s gone right?”
“The threat this time is a lot closer to home I’m afraid to say.” Rebekah announced after vamp speeding into the compound.
“Thank god you’re here to explain because to be quite bloody frank I have little clue myself to why our brother is now hungry for our blood.” Klaus told his sister while looking at her furiously.
“So, it turns out this ancient powerful witch brought our youngest brother Henrik back to life and the spell took a toll on him making him a power draining monster he’s already claimed our mother’s spirit.” Rebekah explained before taking a reluctant sigh. “And our eldest brother Finn’s spirit. Finn sacrificed himself so that Bonnie and I could return from the now destroyed ancestral plane.”
“There’s always some pain in the ass witch messing around with our family.” Klaus snapped. “We need to get a hold of Freya and see if there’s some spell or something that can help Henrik.”
“I’ve already called and explained everything to her she should be arriving just in time for Christmas.” Rebekah revealed. “So far there isn’t much she’s found that can help Henrik, but we won’t stop until he’s saved or no longer a threat.”
“This meddling witch you speak of is she the one who removed The Hollow from us all and restored Elijah’s memories?” Klaus asked.
“Yes, he is.” Rebekah answered, “His identity is a whole other story best saved for later.”
“Seems like you’ve been keeping a lot of secrets to yourself Rebekah!” Klaus shouted at Rebekah.
“Don’t you dare come for Aunt Rebekah for doing everything she could to bring us all back if it wasn’t for her none of us would be standing here together.” Hope snapped at her father causing Rebekah to smile at her niece defending her. “We just need to find a way of helping Henrik and getting him back too.”
“You are right.” Klaus mumbled clearly taken aback to be put in his place by his own daughter.
“Bonnie’s also looking into every resource she has to find some sort of solution to this hell and Davina should be due in the city any minute with some possible news.” Rebekah told her brother. “Plus, the witch that created whatever the hell our brother has become is now working alongside Elijah for some reason he will not reveal to me. Even though I was the witch’s alliance at first, but I guess pompous men like to stick together.”
“Can this witch that Elijah is working with be trusted?” Hope asked her aunt.
“Absolutely not.” Rebekah replied.
Elijah walked into St Anne’s Church to see many people gathered while Hayley, Marcel and Bonnie gathering many of the New Orleans together handing out Christmas style hampers causing Elijah to smile seeing Hayley being so kind.
“Elijah what are you doing here?” Hayley asked him after vamp speeding over to him.
“Nothing’s wrong I just wanted to see you.” Elijah said with a soft smile.
“That bad then,” Hayley scoffed. “I thought it would only be a matter of time. Go on tell me what Klaus has done now?”
“Actually, it’s my youngest brother who has created the chaos our family now finds ourselves in.” Elijah replied.
“Marcel said he saw Davina what possibly could Kol have done already?” Hayley asked wondering what Kol had done now.
“Actually, the blame falls on my youngest brother Henrik it appears he’s not as dead as we were once led to believe and now, he seems to be some kind of magical battery determined on killing us all.” Elijah explained to her. “But I don’t want you to be alarmed because I’ve already got things in hand well as in hand as possible.”
“You’ve just told me your long-lost brother Henrik is out to kill the lot of you which last time I checked meant Hope too and I’m not to worry.” Hayley snapped. “How can he possibly be alive?”
“You guys are around vampires we can hear everything.” Marcel told them after vamp speeding over to them.
“He was brought back to life by a powerful witch which practices some long-forgotten magic called Malus.” Elijah revealed to Hayley.
“The witch in question also happens to be Klaus’ first love but nobody has told him that yet I’m assuming.” Marcel butted in shocking Hayley with his admission.
“Hold up I thought Aurora was Klaus’ first love?” Hayley asked them both.
“Well Bonnie told me that Rebekah told her this Nathaniel guy was Klaus’ first love back in their human days so I guess Aurora was Klaus’ first love after no longer being human.” Marcel responded in a gossipy tone.
“But that would mean this witch is like a thousand years old.” Hayley said clearly intrigued by recent news.
“We’re deciding not to tell Klaus about Nathaniel until after Christmas Henrik being alive and wanting to murder us is enough bad news for one Christmas.” Elijah revealed while rolling his eyes.
“Makes sense Klaus has never been one to take bad news well.” Hayley replied. “Can we trust this Nathaniel not to screw us all over?”
“Absolutely not.” Bonnie stated as she walked over to the three of them.
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Nathaniel sat on a rocking chair swinging back and forward outside of a small decaying cabin in the woods of Helton when Henrik appeared in front of him a puff of black smoke his eyes still jet black and looking rather angry with his long-time friend.
“You left me trapped for what felt like forever am I supposed to believe you only found a way recently to free me from my cage.” Henrik said as Nathaniel stood up from his chair.
“I admit I could’ve got you out sooner but if I did it would’ve have been for anyone’s good except your own. I needed it to be now Henrik because now is the perfect timing to end my father’s miserable existence and save you.” Nathaniel replied.
“I don’t need saving I’m perfectly fine as I am or at least I am now that you’ve finally seen fit to release me.” Henrik snapped.
“Don’t you dare take that tone with me if it wasn’t for me you would’ve been nothing, but a corpse long rotted away into nothing but bones in the dirt. I made you the powerful witch you are today and never forget that.” Nathaniel snapped back at him. “Everything I have done is to protect you and save you from yourself from following a similar fate as my father or soon to be me.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Henrik asked with genuine concern as his eyes went back to their normal color.
“The details of my plan are not important Henrik just trust in me to have your best interests in mind like I always have done.” Nathaniel replied before walking over and hugging Henrik. “I’m glad I’ve got you home for Christmas let’s not spend it fighting.”
“I’ve never understood your fascination with Christmas.” Henrik scoffed while breaking off the hug. “It’s not particularly like either of us are very family orientated.”
“You are my family,” Nathaniel told him as he placed his hand on Henrik’s shoulder “you may not be my blood but from the moment I brought you back to life, raised you, cleaned up your endless slaughters you have been my son. Always and Forever.”
“Always and Forever.” Henrik smiled before looking at the cabin. “Why do you always come back to this place?”
“Because it’s the only place that has ever been a home to us.” Nathaniel revealed. “It’s exactly where all of this should end.”
“I guess we should find something to cook for dinner then.” Henrik replied while looking around the woods. “I saw a cafe about 40 miles back we could always go there for Christmas dinner.”
“I’d like that very much.” Nathaniel said with a soft smile clearly beyond happy to be reunited with the man who he considered a son.
Klaus found himself sitting on the edge of his bed in his bedroom at the compound staring into thin air as he tried to wrap his head around the fact that his youngest brother Henrik, the brother whose death he blamed himself for was resurrected by some powerful ancient magic the same type of magic which had somehow removed the Hollow from Klaus, Rebekah, Elijah and Kol.
He had never heard of magic powerful enough to do these things and yet somehow it was all possible in that moment as he struggled with flashbacks of his youngest sibling’s death he wished for his oldest sibling Freya to be there to explain the unexplained knowing that if anyone could explain Malus to him it would be her.
“I’m sorry Niklaus all I wanted was for my family to be reunited.” Rebekah apologised after vamp speeding into his room and taking a seat next to her brother. “The truth is after centuries of craving freedom the last five years without all of you were the most miserable of my life. I got you Elijah and Kol back and for that I’m not sorry I just wish I understood what that cost would be.”
“So, Henrik is labelled some kind of monster that’s what we’ve all been called our entire lives we will find a way to help him somehow.” Klaus replied while placing his arm around Rebekah.
“The Malus witch’s master plan includes saving Henrik’s soul so speak.” Elijah revealed after he too vamp sped into the room and took a seat next to Klaus and Rebekah. “Sure, we have to help this Malus witch kill their father but we happen to have an expertise in killing parents sure usually our own.”
“Who is this witch? Why is he so interested in Henrik’s well-being?” Klaus asked as he stood up form his bed looking down his brother and sister. “Clearly he must be somebody of importance if you haven’t told me their identity yet and clearly, we have history with him if Rebekah trusted him to remove The Hollow.”
“Trust is a strong word Niklaus it was more desperation than anything else.” Rebekah revealed as Hayley suddenly vamp sped into Klaus’ bedroom.
“It’s Nathaniel some guy who was neighbours with you all when you were humans.” Hayley admitted much to Rebekah and Elijah’s shock. “Don’t blame your siblings for not telling you they just feared your reaction whereas I genuinely think if we’re ever going to tell you something like this it’s best to have Hope within close proximity so you don’t overreact and dagger everybody.”
“We were going to tell him after today.” Elijah said giving Hayley a disapproving look as he and Rebekah rose to their feet.
“That makes sense Nathaniel was just a mortal who fled our village before we even turned even if he somehow became a witch, he’d of had no clue about Henrik.” Klaus replied as he struggled to understand what Hayley had just said.
“Actually, he didn’t leave as early as planned and when he heard of word came back for Ayana, she was always like a mother to him there was no way he’d ever leave her with a choice.” Rebekah revealed reluctantly. “Kol killed Ayana and I managed to fight him off Nathaniel, but the blood lust was so new, and I couldn’t restrain myself.”
“You fed on him?” Klaus asked her with a look of disgust in his face as tears began forming in his eyes.
“I wish I never, but control was something that took us all too long to learn.” Rebekah answered her brother. “For some unexplained reason he didn’t die, and I guess that’s when he went down this path of discovery into Malus magic.”
“Malus witches feed on the magic of others especially the darker magics which provides them immortality of sorts and incredible power the reason he didn’t die at Rebekah’s hands is because only a Malus can kill another Malus.” Elijah explained to Klaus who continued to remain painfully silent.
“We’re not sure whether we can trust him or not which may mean he’ll have to be killed somehow.” Hayley said to Klaus.
“Enough!” Klaus snapped before forcing a smile on his face. “Hope is downstairs preparing for a Mikaelson family and that is what she is going to get.”
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Nathaniel Malin was a Malus witch by birth but not by nature despite a thousand years of darkness there was still light within him and he had never fully succumbed to the darkness even at times when it would’ve been easier for him if he did. He fought the darkness as he mourned the other mother he knew, he fought the darkness as he spent centuries on the run from his own father and he tried his hardest to help Henrik fight the darkness he had accidentally inflected on him however Henrik may not of been a Malus witch by birth but he certainly was one by nature.
Nathaniel and Henrik had found themselves sitting within a booth in a cafe as Nathaniel watched Henrik tuck into a roast dinner with blood on his hands as Nathaniel look at him with disapproval in his eyes before looking around to see lifeless bodies all around the rundown cafe painted with the blood of Henrik’s victims.
“Less of the judgement Nathaniel.” Henrik told him as he continued to eat his roast dinner. “You know I’ve never been one for an audience while eating.”
“I know but killing them all was hardly necessarily.” Nathaniel replied with a sigh. “I fear for your humanity sometimes Henrik.”
“You’ve killed as much people as I have Nathaniel maybe you should worry about your own.” Henrik responded while continuing to eat.
“I kill for survival for power I kill because sacrifices need to be made to keep us both alive, but I never get off on the kill.” Nathaniel told him. “Sometimes I believe you enjoy it a little too much.”
“We’ve been killing for centuries Nathaniel and I’ve seen you in action you enjoy it just as much as I do but you fight it because you want to hold on to whatever humanity you claim to still have.” Henrik explained to him as he stopped eating. “Your Malus blood is the only reason why we are both alive and yet you continue to despite it.”
“I know you were younger when all this happened to you, but I spent an entire life as a human or an entire life believing I was human.” Nathaniel said. “I was a good person and I have no illusion that there’s good left inside of me, but I won’t freely dance in the darkness as of it’s anything other than sentence.”
“You never change,” Henrik laughed. “Very well I promise to not kill anybody else for the entirety of the day consider it your Christmas gift.”
“Thank you.” Nathaniel replied with a sigh of relief.
“Now please tell my why after all this time you continue to defy me killing my siblings?” Henrik asked him.
“Because their your family and unlike your parents they have done nothing but love you.” Nathaniel warned him. “Killing anymore siblings would be the point of no return and don’t even get me started on how furious I am with you over what happened to Finn.”
“You are my family!” Henrik shouted as he stood up. “I barely even remember them all they are to me is power ready to be drained. You’re my family not them.”
“I will not be spoken to like that killing the Mikaelson’s is not on our agenda.” Nathaniel snapped back as he stood up.
“If we got rid of them, we’d have more than enough power to get rid of Augustus.” Henrik told him clearly furious by Nathaniel’s demands.
“Then we lose everything!” Nathaniel shouted raising his voice higher.
“Everything is already lost Nathaniel you’re just stuck in a past where you meant something to them.” Henrik said with a harsh tone. “They would kill you without pause and you allow their existence because of feelings you should’ve been over centuries ago.”
“Killing them isn’t a part of the plan and would only derail things as for my supposed feelings they are in the past and I am not.” Nathaniel stated trying to convince both himself and Henrik.
Klaus, Hope, Rebekah, Elijah and Hayley are stood within the compound watching the bonfire in front of them burn only to be shocked to see Freya walk into the compound hand in hand with Keelin and immediate attention turns to Freya who’s very clearly pregnant at least five months by the size of the bump leaving everyone shocked as nobody knew anything about this pregnancy.
“I guess there’s a new Mikaelson on the way.” Hayley said with a smile before going over to hug Freya and Keelin. “Congratulations guys.”
“Well I guess I’m not the only Mikaelson sister keeping secrets from the family.” Rebekah joked before going over to hug Freya. “You deserve all the happiness in the world.”
“I’ve got to say I’m shocked that you kept this from us Freya.” Elijah said to his older sister as he too gave her a hug.
“I never thought I’d ever be with child again after everything that happened to me and I never thought I’d ever love again but I’m glad I was wrong.” Freya revealed as she held on to her fiancé Keelin’s hand.
“Well we all know you’ve been saving us or kicking or asses when needed for long enough it’s about time some child has to suffer you instead of your siblings.” Klaus said with a laugh before hugging both Freya and Keelin.
“I guess this means I’m going to have a little cousin.” Hope said before being the last Mikaelson to walk over and hug Freya.
“I was going to tell you all once we had defeated The Hollow but then Nathaniel Malin became the latest threat knocking our family’s doors.” Freya explained herself. “I’ve only met the witch once or twice over the years and he’s not one to be messed with however he’s nothing compared to his father that man is wicked enough to claim aunt Dahlia’s admiration.”
“Let’s not concern ourselves with our enemies tonight.” Klaus told his older sister while pulling in Rebekah and Hope in each arm for a hug. “The entire family is here and tonight we celebrate tomorrow we’ll discuss our battle plans.”
“I guess that means it’s time to dine and fill the humans with enough drink to pass out.” Kol said as he and Davina opened the dining are doors to reveal a table filled with a full Christmas feast with a delicious turkey on the table.
“I’m sure us witches will put some of you vampires to shame.” Davina replied to her husband with a smile.
“I’m not late, am I?” Marcel asked as he vamp sped into the compound.
“You’re just on time.” Klaus responded with a smile as Hope walked over to Marcel and gave him a hug.
“While you’re in such a good mood Klaus did, I happen to mention I’ve invited Bonnie to dinner too?” Rebekah told her brother only to laugh when he rolled his eyes.
“I hope I’m still invited.” Josh said as he too vamp sped into the compound before looking at the bonfire making him terrified. “Oh, crikey there’s a big fire.”
“Everyone is invited,” Klaus said with a smile that made Josh uneasy as he put his arm around him and gave him a hug surprising everyone there. “That smell is oddly familiar.”
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gffa · 6 years ago
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THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG POST, BUT BEAR WITH ME BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING I FOUND REALLY FASCINATING AND GAVE ME A LOT OF FEELINGS, BUT ALSO YOU NEED CONTEXT TO UNDERSTAND THE BIGGER WHOLE.  IT’S MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT QUEEN’S SHADOW AND IT DOES IT SO WELL!! I’ve talked some about this before, about the politics of the Republic and the parallels between Padme and the Jedi, in that they were both good people trying to do their best because they cared deeply in a system of government that threw up every roadblock it could to stop them.  Both the Age of Republic: Padme Amidala #1 and Queen’s Shadow show this set up very, very clearly and tie into what Star Wars Propaganda showed us about how the Clone Wars came to be and why the Separatists came to be and why it all spiraled into the hell that was the Empire and why not playing wasn’t going to win, either. I’m going to quote a lot from Queen’s Shadow because the book is a fascinating illustration of just how hard Padme tries to get something done and why she fails, why the system asked the impossible of her, and even when she could make some victories, it was not a sustainable method.  As much as I enjoyed this book for being about Padme, I loved it even more for being an illustration on why things didn’t get done, despite that people were trying very hard to do so.
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      Senator Amidala had only a few moments to decide. She knew she was prejudiced against the Trade Federation, but she tried to think on their terms for a brief moment while she made her consideration. The route through the Lesser Plooriod Cluster had been partially mapped by the Trade Federation, but for the most part, the work had been done by the Ithorians. The humans in the Urce sector had a claim only to the portion of the route in their own space, but taken together with the Trade Federation claim, they could potentially block the Ithorians into a corner, and Padmé remembered all too well how that could end up. Ultimately, she came down on the side of the Ithorians. It was their system, after all, and they had been using the lanes before the Trade Federation claimed to have mapped them. Naboo had made the mistake of displacing their planet's native population, to their eternal shame, and Padmé was determined not to be part of such actions again. She voted in favor of the motion.       "Motion fails," Palpatine announced a moment after she had pressed her selection. "The chair recognizes the member from Chandrila."       A slim, red-haired human woman began to speak, and Padmé didn't have time to dwell on the failed vote. She had to move on to the new one.       It felt like it went on for hours. Motions were raised and passed to various committees, or they were voted on. Even though she had done the background reading, Padmé felt like decisions—all of them stalls—were made before they dug into the heart of any particular issue. Several bills that Padmé thought were sound failed, and even more were bounced back to the bargaining table, only she didn't know when or where that bargaining took place. At last, the chime sounded again, and Chancellor Palpatine called an end to deliberations. (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      It was something of a sore point. Chancellor Palpatine's motion to increase Republic work against slavery had failed to make it to the floor for months after he had promised her he was working on it. When it was finally presented, it was so toothless that Padmé could tell it wouldn't get anything done. And then it had not received enough votes anyway and disappeared back into the committee. Padmé kept abreast of developments but stayed off the committee herself at Palpatine's request.       "Naboo can't be seen as too involved, my dear," he'd reiterated when she had asked him again about joining the committee after the failed vote. "It is the price we pay for having chancellor and senator both. I am doing my best to represent your voice because I know how much this means to you, but if it becomes public knowledge that we are working together on such a potentially radical topic, I fear there will only be more obstacles thrust into our path." (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      "Of course," Mon Mothma said. "It is no easy task to put one's own home to the side in order to serve a greater purpose."       The piece clicked into place so loudly in Padmé's head, she was worried that Organa and Mon Mothma might have actually heard her thoughts. It wasn't her inexperience, exactly, that was causing them to be so cold to her. They thought she was more loyal to Naboo than she was to the Republic, and that she wasn't up to facing that kind of conflict of interest. Indeed, her past actions in deposing Chancellor Valorum in an attempt to level the playing field against the Trade Federation showed how quick she'd been to dismiss Senate protocol. Naboo was part of who she was, but it seemed they expected her to exorcise that part, or at least isolate it, before they would fully trust her. She wasn't entirely sure she was willing to do it. (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      "I suppose that's as much as any of us can hope for, these days," Bonteri said. "It just takes so long to get anything accomplished through official channels. Why haven't you sought your father's friends out?"       "Because I wanted to stand on my own," Padmé said. "I am already viewed as an extension of the Chancellor by some, and I have no wish to be viewed as an extension of my father by others."       "Yet you do not mind being viewed as an extension of Naboo's queen?" Bonteri asked.       "I was Naboo's queen," Padmé said. "I am always going to be part of that system, though I believe I can be something more, as well." (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      "A senator should be able to maintain a balance," she said. "To love the world they are from but see the galaxy as a whole."       "Can anyone truly do that?" Bonteri asked. "See the whole galaxy and remain objective about it?"       Padmé considered her words. Bonteri was usually much more open than Mon Mothma had been, yet it was clear that Mon Mothma believed in the Republic first and foremost. What Bonteri was suggesting wasn't treasonous, but it was dangerous, and Padmé couldn't tell which side of the argument Bonteri came down on.       "I think that we should try," she said at last.       Bonteri drained her teacup, and Padmé couldn't tell if she had passed or failed the test. She also wasn't sure if she wanted to pass or fail the test, but Bonteri didn't look disappointed in her, so she supposed she had done well enough.       "You'll have to try harder than others," Bonteri said. "You've already gone around the Senate once by displacing Chancellor Valorum and then hying off back to Naboo to solve your own problems anyway through the use of military force." (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      Padmé considered what Bonteri had said while she made her way back to the residence. Some senators would prize her allegiance to Naboo, while others would distrust her for it. Some appreciated her aloof persona, while others required her to be more gregarious. And some were always going to dislike her, no matter what she did, because they believed the Trade Federation's lies about her. Her objective had not changed: rather than alter herself completely to meet the restrictions her colleagues felt were appropriate, she would forge on as she was doing. She was going to need a faction to support her at some point, but she would decide what that would be when the time came. (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      "In the Senate, loyalty is a subtle and shifting thing," Organa said. "But there are certain limits."       "Like attacking a sovereign planet and holding it hostage?" Padmé said. "No, wait, that is permissible so long as you can pay off your allies to vote in your favor."       "Loyalty to the Republic is paramount," Organa said. He managed not to make it sound patronizing, which Padmé appreciated. "Loyalty to democracy."       "And what if democracy does not return the favor?" Padmé asked.       "Then you must work to restore the democratic process," Organa said. "I know the Senate didn't move quickly enough for Naboo, but your senator's nomination to chancellor stalled all discussion on every topic except that election. You can work through the proper channels."       "What makes you think I won't?" Padmé asked.       "Your actions as Queen of Naboo," Organa said. "Your actions now. You stay out of almost every committee, and you have no faction." (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      "I remember," Padmé said. She made a face like it physically pained her to continue speaking. "But I'm still hopeful the Chancellor's motion will have a better chance in its next round, and if word gets out I'm meddling on Tatooine directly, I'll be right back where I started: too much of an independent for anyone to trust. I hate having to make this kind of choice." (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      "I don't know why anyone ever thinks they can't trust you," Sabé said. "You're so honest it hurts."       "Honestly, I think that's why they don't trust me," Padmé said. "They keep waiting for me to turn." (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      "You have given every evidence that you are perfect for the job," the queen said.       They stepped out onto the terrace, and Padmé took a moment to enjoy the beauty of her own sun, which she had missed.       "I was viewed as something of a wild card," she admitted. "Everyone in the Senate knows that I called for the replacement of Chancellor Valorum, and because my own senator replaced him, it looks like a setup. I had to distance myself from Chancellor Palpatine to prove my own autonomy, even though he has several projects that are important to me on a personal level."       "It is this sort of dedication that I think makes you an excellent choice," the queen said.       "The perception is that I am too loyal to Naboo," Padmé said. "I went around the Senate to liberate us from the Trade Federation. There are strange undercurrents in the Senate right now. I fear that there are those among us who are starting to doubt the effectiveness of the Republic, and I am doubly afraid that unless I take great care with my actions, I will be labeled as one of them." (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      The next three days were draining in a way that Padmé had never experienced. She thought she'd known exhaustion after the Occupation. Constantly moving to planets with different diurnal cycles and enduring the mental challenges of maintaining Sabé as her decoy for that length of time while coping with the stress of the military situation on Naboo had been the hardest things she had ever done. This was more like chasing a thread across a room that was carpeted with other threads, some of which she needed but most of which would only tie her down. It required her to pay attention to details and to move quickly, but not too quickly, lest she unravel the whole thing.       [...] In the end, the Mid Rim Cooperation motion involved more than a dozen key systems, a variety of different resources, and the heads of every bloc they needed to sway in order to lure sufficient votes away from the Trade Federation. Padmé was scrambling to finish her speech as the chronometer ran down. (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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      "I know this was something of an outlier, in terms of procedure," Padmé said. She had confronted a few of her feelings on the return journey. The rush of working with Clovis had faded quickly, for several reasons, and Padmé realized that the process they had used was not sustainable in the long run. Eventually, there would be no more favors to trade, and the relationships they had built in constructing the bill weren't solid or reliable enough to be worth it. But Bromlarch would survive. "I hope someday the Senate can respond swiftly to problems without resorting to fast dealings. It made me uncomfortable, and I am not in a hurry to do it again, if there is another way."       "We will make that way together," Mon Mothma said as her shuttle landed across the pad. (Queen’s Shadow by E.K. Johnston)
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The thing that this book does so well is that it shows us the set-up of what a good person was facing and why there was no simple, easy answer to the problem of trying to get things done. The book shows the nigh-impossible balance that Padme is walking, that she cannot be seen as leaning too heavily on her connections to Palpatine or her father, lest she not be taken seriously or be dismissed as nepotism, that she would be accused of being another Core World Elite who didn’t actually earn her authority or power, but got it through shady connections.  (And this is without psychic powers that people didn’t understand and would have accused her of abusing, if she’d had them and then tried to make a speech to get people to change their minds on an issue.) It shows that she’s inundated with a constant stream of problems and everything gets lost in the shuffle.  The Tatooine problem she’s trying to solve doesn’t get addressed until four years after The Phantom Menace, nothing gets done there (even when she spends her own money to just buy people), and the sub-plot is dropped halfway through the book, because Padme’s on to other things.  Even if she had gone rogue or made a bigger stink about it publicly, she would have been brushed off because she was too close to it, too involved, she would have been seen as having shady dealings. It shows that, having done around the Senate once, where she didn’t even do anything illegal or start any wars (which, let’s be real, is what exactly would have happened if the Jedi went rogue and invaded Hutt territory without Senate approval), she still paid for it for years.  And that was as one of them, as a politician whose job it was to be involved in this!  And they still didn’t trust her honesty, they couldn’t believe it was genuine.  (Much like how this was illustrated by Drooz’s complete inability to understand why the Jedi didn’t abuse their powers and couldn’t believe they were genuine.) Eventually, Padme does find a way to accomplish a fairly major goal, she collects together a series of political favors, a web of people benefiting from different trade agreements, and manages to achieve this one thing that’s important to her!  But even when she’s doing so, she understands that it’s not sustainable, that eventually favors would run out, eventually it would fall through.  This also comes with the backdrop of knowledge about how we all know where this is heading, as well as we know what Padme and the other good people of the Republic do not:  That the Supreme Chancellor doesn’t want democracy to prevail, he doesn’t want people to be helped or saved.  We know that ultimately the Republic will fall, that Padme and Mon Mothma and Bail Organa will not find a way around fast dealings or even a way to save democracy.  We know that the Jedi will not find a way to save everyone’s lives in this war. But it’s incredibly clear from this book why that is and it’s not because they didn’t care or because they were morally deficient, but instead because there were no better paths--just going rogue meant you were further behind than before, just not playing would get you accused of being a Core World Elite and people turned on you even faster, being honest and genuine made them distrust you because they couldn’t understand it and were waiting for you to turn, trying to play by the rules was the only way to make even a little progress, especially when all the other options feasibly available were far worse. This book illustrates why good people can do good things and still fail, when the system is out to get them.  This book illustrates why Padme made things better than they would have been otherwise, but she couldn’t save something that didn’t want to be saved.  And this book showed me so clearly how the Jedi were in similar positions, that if they had stepped away from their impartiality, they’d have gotten the same treatment Padme did, if they stepped out of the game, the Propaganda book shows us they’d have been twice as fucked, if they stepped further into politics, they’d have been accused of misusing their powers (and, frankly, organizations like them should be impartial, just like any country’s military or investigative body (even though neither of those are perfect parallels to what the Jedi are) should not be aligned with one political party over another), how someone who had actual political power as a Senator could barely keep her head above water, the Jedi (who were under the jurisdiction of the Senate, because no way was the public going to trust them without oversight of non-psychic people that they at least did somewhat understand) were in the same boat. It illustrates how complicated all of this was and that there were no easy, simple answers, especially when no one was working with all the pieces, except the one person who was trying to bring the whole thing down and had rigged it so that, no matter what she did, ultimately Padme would fail, because one person, not even a small handful of people (when there are quadrillions of people in the galaxy, even ten thousand people is nothing) could have changed that without the rest of the public getting up off their asses, something the vast majority of them had no interest in doing.
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queen-scribbles · 5 years ago
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From the Depths
For @pillarspromptsweekly 99  Rebuild. I’m using Adi for this, since I already touched on Tavi in other fics and haven’t decided for Emiri yet, but this is all theoretical bc my lil fluffy nerd hasn’t even met Queen Onekaza yet in actuality. :D
                                                       ---
Adela would never be used to the disorienting rush that accompanied her return from talking to the gods. It didn’t matter what she learned or where she woke, there was always this vaguely nauseated edge to her senses for the next couple hours. But as the pieces of Eothas’ plan came together, as well as the history that drove his actions, the nausea started hanging around longer, accompanied by a faint and growing sense of dread.
When she stood on a spire of adra and watched both the Wheel and the reborn god’s form crumble, the nausea and dread showed up in force and she almost wished for a conference of the gods. Much as they bickered and plucked her nerves, like younger siblings spoiling for a fight, they may have at least had some more advice. Because nothing she’d come up with had deterred Eothas from his plan. The best she’d been able to do was soften the blow, so to speak. She hoped.  ‘Take pity,’ she’d begged, and the god of light and redemption had seemed to pause, just for a second. Time would tell if she’d only been imagining things, or if not, what he’d done in that second. For now, it was a decent walk back to the Ilhana, and she was emotionally drained from the last few hours. They all were(though none more than Xoti and Edér, she was sure).
None of them spoke as they wound their way through the desolate remnants of Ukaizo toward the harbor. There was too much to process. The Wheel was gone. The course of nature as they knew it was altered, a god had died in the process(for the second time), and the implications of everything they’d learned sparked too many questions to count.
Adela was disproportionately relieved when they rounded the final curve to Ukaizo’s harbor and she saw her ship bobbing at anchor. It felt--almost jarringly--like home. It was, at least, something familiar after everything that happened, and that alone made the thought of a boat more welcome than it would usually be. A sharp whistle echoed from the deck as soon as they came into view, and by the time they’d skirted the Guardian’s lifeless form, nearly everyone she’d left behind had congregated in the stone plaza.
“How do I tell them?” Adela muttered, scrubbing her eyes with one hand as she scanned the expectant faces. They’d followed her all the way here, through the most harrowing seas known to kith or beast, with the singular goal of stopping Eothas. And they hadn’t.
Edér squeezed her shoulder.”If I knew that, I’d offer t’ do it for ya, Adi.”
“It is a rather fantastical account,” Aloth agreed, rubbing the back of his neck.  “But so are many of the things you’ve encountered and overcome.”
“What makes this one borderline outlandish is that we didn’t,” Konstanten chipped in wryly. “Overcome, I mean.”
“Might as well tell ‘em,” Adela sighed. “Sooner that’s out of the way, sooner we can leave, and kith as a whole can start trying to figure out a way to fix this.”
“Can we?” Xoti asked skeptically.
“Well, I mean, there was some method in place before the Engwithans created the Wheel,” Adela said. “Not to imply we can just revert to that, whatever it was, only that it’s possible to do some other way. Or we could try to recreate the Wheel...” She shook her head. “Look, for now, all I want to do is tell them, and then sleep on it while we get out of here. After I get some rest, I’ll be all too happy to theorize and plan.”
“It’ll be interesting to see how different the seas are without the Mortar churnin’ away,” Konstanten commented, rubbing his beard contemplatively.
“And you’ll get to very shortly.” By now, they were close enough for Adela to address the gathered crew and there was no more time for asides.
“How did it go, casita?” Irrena asked, the first one--as always--to find her voice.
Adela wrinkled her nose. “Well, good news, we found out how to clear up Ondra’s Mortar so the journey back will be much easier.”
“And the bad news?” Beodul prompted, crossing his arms.
“We couldn’t stop Eothas,” she said, bracing herself for surprise and censure at her admission of failure. There were times she wondered if kith outside her closest friends believed she could fail. “He destroyed the Wheel. We need to sail back to Neketaka and talk to the remaining faction leaders about how we want to proceed.”
There was surprise--shock, even--in some of the faces turned toward her, but none looked disappointed. Apparently it was understandable if even someone with her storied record couldn’t take down a god. That was something of a relief.
“The Wheel is gone?” Kuldrun spoke up. He had paled noticeably when Adela looked his way.
She grimaced. “Yes, but Eora has vast resources of both intellect and materials, and some time before we start to see the effects of this, so I’m sure we can find a way to rebuild or replace it.” She ran her fingers through the wisps of hair that had escaped her bandanna, brushing them back from her eyes. “For now, let’s just worry about getting back to Neketaka, alright?”
Some of the crew seemed to share Kuldrun’s worry, but they all nodded, and the small knot of kith started almost as one back up the Ilhana’s ramp. Adela and her companions followed behind the crew. Even with the Mortar calmed, it would be three or four days’ sail back to Neketaka. The sooner they could start, the better for all concerned. Which was literally everyone.
Adela cast a half-longing look back over her shoulder as she trudged up the ramp. Under other--better--circumstances, she would love to wander what remained of Ukaizo. Just explore the streets, see what she could learn. But there wasn’t time now. Maybe she could come back, now that kith were able to control Ondra’s Mortar. Shame Kana couldn’t come with her; he’d love to see this.
Dwelling on the Mortar brought another train of thought to mind, and she tapped Beodul on the arm. “Where Daelia? I didn’t see her with the rest of the crew.”
“Where do you think?” the dwarf snorted.
Well, that answered her next couple questions, too. “Thank you.” Rest first, then she could check in with the crew who hadn’t been in the harbor. She headed for her cabin.
Aloth followed. “Adela.”
“Yes, Aloth?” She plunked her grimoire on the desk and sat in the chair to start unlacing her boots.
“Do you really think that was wise?” He shut the door and leaned back against it. “Telling them everything?”
“First off, it wasn’t everything,” she retorted. The first boot came loose and thunked hollowly against the floor. “Nothing about the how, when, or why of the Wheel’s creation, or the history of what the Huana and Engwithans did. But they knew what we came here to do-” the second boot  dropped “-I feel like they deserve to know how things stand.”
“And you aren’t worried a panic will start the first time we make port?” Aloth pointed out. “People hearing second- or third-hand that the Wheel is gone, destroyed by Eothas for that matter, are not going to ask if there’s potential for a solution. They’re simply going to worry.”
“So let me get this straight....” Adela sent him a strongly dubious look. “I should have kept it a secret because it’s too dangerous for common kith to know and they wouldn’t react well to the truth? B’cause you know who that sounds like, right?” She tugged off her bandanna and dropped it on top of her grimoire. “You sort of helped me kill him, if memory serves, and have spent five blazing years trying to single-handedly dismantle his following.”
Aloth’s face colored and his ears twitched irritably. “I’m not saying they should never know, Adela. I’m saying it would be better learned from their leaders, with all relevant information presented together, then heard in bits and pieces as a dockside rumor that’s been through Usher knows how many people first.”
“I see your point,” Adela allowed. “But you know I’ve always believed honesty is the best policy.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said softly, tucking his hair behind one ear and then fidgeting with the pages of his own grimoire. “In this case more than most.”
“Me, too,” she said with a wry snort. “But I can’t help thinking the solution to this mess may be thought up by a Huana fisherman, or a Dyrwoodan merchant, or some other ‘commoner’ who would be considered an unlikely source, so the faster kith hear about it, the faster we may get at least pieces of a solution.” She pulled her braid over her shoulder and started curling the end of it around her thumb. “Knowledge is meant to be shared, right?”
“Yes, but not willy-nilly,” Aloth countered. “Or you get mass panic under some circumstances, or mob justice, or kith dabbling in power they con’t control...”
“I get it, I get it,” Adela sighed. She maybe didn’t completely agree, but she saw where he was coming from, and it was a valid argument. “Still not sorry I was honest with my crew. And if it makes you feel any better, we’re not stopping anywhere before Neketaka unless we have to. So any rumors or panic won’t have long to spread before the truth can counter it.”
“It still feels like a bit much of a risk for me,” Aloth said with a shrug. “But I trust you, so if this is how you want to handle the situation, I will support you, as always.”
“Thank you.” She slid out of the chair and crossed the room to squeeze his hand with a grateful smile. “It means a lot that you back me, even when we disagree.”
He smiled in return. “Someone may have once pointed out that’s something friends do.”
She giggled and sent him a mischievous look. “Someone sounds smart.”
“She is.” He squeezed her hand back. “I believe at the moment she’s also tired, so I’ll take my leave and let her get some rest.”
“You’re not wrong, and she appreciates it.” As if on cue, Adela yawned. “See you in... nine or ten hours, I guess?”
“From the quality of those dark circles, I’d say that’s an optimistic estimate,” Aloth smiled. “But you know where to find me.”
She nodded and watched him go. She really was tired; enough she could probably fall asleep without much trouble, even though they were at sea.
                                                      ---
Conservative as her estimate had been, Adela didn’t even get the anticipated nine or ten hours’ sleep. Instead, she was all but rolled out of her bunk to land in a heap on the floor when the Ilhana banked hard to port. She blinked and shook her head in an attempt to wake herself up, but still had barely made it to her feet when someone pounded on her door.
“Yeah?” she hollered, scrambling for her boots. Her hair fell in her eyes, but she just impatiently raked it back.
The door banged open and Xoti all but tumbled into the room. “Beodul said t’ come getcha, Adi. There’s... somethin’ out there you need to see.”
“What?” Adela shoved her feet in her boots and nodded back toward the door.
“Just... you’ll see.” Xoti darted back to the ladder abovedecks.
Now fully awake from pure curiosity, if nothing else, Adela followed her friend. She hadn’t even fully emerged on deck when she did, indeed, see what Xoti had been talking about. “Whoa.”
“Toldja.” Xoti shot her an expectant look as Beodul broke off his conversation with Kuldrun and headed their way.
“Beodul,” Adela nodded around a yawn so big it made her jaw click.
“Watcher. Sorry to cut your rest so short, but whaddya think of this?” He gestured at the island off the starboard rail, surmounted by algae-slicked, still dripping ruins that absolutely had not been there on their way to Ukaizo.
Adela blinked and stared at the architecture. If it wasn’t for the fact someone else was pointing them out, she might’ve wondered if she was still dreaming. From this distance she couldn’t make out many details, but they were clearly ancient. How ancient would require a closer look.
“I think I want go explore a bit,” she finally said. There was something about the nearest spire.... “Who wants to come along?”
Konstanten, Xoti, and Tekéhu were her only takers. In theory that was plenty; if this ruin had risen from the sea as it appeared, there shouldn’t be any living threats, just structural ones. In which case a smaller group might be better.
The fading light meant they wouldn’t have long, but she didn’t really need more than an hour for now. Just enough to get a better look, satisfy her curiosity, maybe figure out what this place was.
As the smaller longboat made its way through the waves, guided smoothly by Tekéhu’s watershaping, Adela couldn’t tear her gaze away from the arches and spires. Even as dimly colored shadows, there was something familiar about them. It didn’t hit her until they’d beached the longboat and started trekking toward the closest section of ruins.
Engwithan. There were distinctly Engwithan elements to the design, the patterns of the stonework. Even as this revelation hit her, Tekéhu let out a grunt of surprise.
“Ekera, it seems this place was built by my people,” he murmured, pointing to a cluster of buildings off to the side. They were just as clearly Huana as the ones Adela had seen were Engwithan.
“They’re mixed,” she muttered, a thousand theories spinning through her mind. “More evidence of working together...” Evidence that had been hidden at the bottom of the ocean until a couple hours ago at most. A long-past conversation surfaced in her memory, so clear she could feel the icy wind that had been its backdrop, and the implications made her clap both hands over her mouth, ears dipping low as she squeaked in delight. “I don’t believe it...”
“Believe what?” Xoti asked, ready to be excited for her but unsure why.
“This is... this is a place Ondra wanted forgotten,” Adela said, voice trembling with mingled awe and excitement. Galawain’s hide, she wished Aloth or Edér had been awake to come along. Or, Hel, that somehow Kana could be here. Someone who would understand exactly what this meant to her. “She sank them, so they would fade from kith’s memory. And they’re back.” She almost reverently placed one hand against a nearby pillar and wiped off the coating of slime to reveal Engwithan runes. It took a moment to recall their meaning; some things were still jumbled from all her soul had been through, but- “Path of Souls...” 
She wiped off more muck, but the rest was all patterns and decoration. Still, it was enough. This had been something important to the Engwithan study of souls. Which would make it very helpful to explore and study in their current circumstances.
“Watcher....” Tekéhu paused, biting his lip in thought or concern. “Why did it surface now, do you think?”
She remembered the pause, Eothas hesitating for a bare moment before battering the Wheel to pieces. “As a head start. I’ll bet my favorite grimoire there’s more places like this that suddenly resurfaced after centuries. And I’ll bet most--if not all--of them have information and secrets that can help us deal with the Wheel’s destruction!” She looked around, practically bouncing in excitement  “Even if it can’t, it’s bound to be fascinating to study.” She tugged on her necklace. “What do you think are the chances of dropping anchor nearby for the night so we can come back tomorrow with more light?”
“I think even if Kuldrun wasn’t superstitious enough to make him wantin’ to linger a long shot, we’ve got somewhere important to be,” Konstanten reminded her. “I know you love this stuff, Watcher, but we can mark it an’ come back. You already have a plan.”
And he had a point. She did need to talk to all the people of authority so they knew what was going on and could start working on a solution. She just had a feeling there sorts of places were going to be a big part of any solution they found. Between that and her insatiable curiosity, the reluctant nod she gave pained Adela more than she let on.
“You’re right,” she sighed. “Well look around a little bit more before all the light’s gone, and then mark this place on the map when we leave.” She glanced up at Tekéhu and smirked. “I guess you’ll want to come with me when I come back?”
He grinned. “I do have to admit a certain curiosity. I would be happy to return with you.”
“Great! Right now, thought, we’re wasting time.” Adela bounced on her toes a couple more times before scampering further in to the ruins. At this point, they had less than an hour of light left, and she wanted to use every bit of it she could. As help from the gods went, she liked this much better than random conferences that yanked her soul from her body. Ancient ruins beat bickering gods any day. Between what the ruins could teach and accepting help from those who offered, she had a feeling the world would be alright.
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mariaarnt · 5 years ago
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Attack of the Clones Canon Divergence Poly OT3 Plot Bunny
So I dreamed the ENTIRETY of this last night, and I absolutely love it. However, since I literally need to crank out an entire YA novel by November (in addition to editing and publishing the first two in the series), I do not have the time it deserves to write it. Come December, I’ll have the new sequel to inspire me, and will likely write about that instead of more prequel stuff nobody cares about.
But, since my muse DEMANDS validation, I must share the idea with you. Because the summary I cranked out in a couple hours is very long and I respect your time and dash space, I’ll put it under a cut.
Super short version: because things went differently in AoC, Padme, Anakin, & Obi-wan end up in a Poly relationship, fight Palpatine and win, and Padme becomes Supreme Chancellor. I promise it makes sense but you gotta read the long version for that.
Follows the plot of AoC until
Padme insists on going with Anakin when he goes to find his mother. She’s able to comfort him & keep him calm. He can’t slaughter the Tusken village & protect her at the same time, so they simply leave undetected with Shmi’s body.
They arrive back in time to receive Obi-wan’s message live. The conversation is very short as Padme convinces him they should rendezvous nearby & he can use her ship’s more powerful communications array to contact the Jedi council. He quickly agrees & is able to leave Geonosis before the droids find him.
After they rendezvous, Obi-wan contacts the Jedi council & tells them about the Clone Army. When they suggest that they should use it to invade Geonosis, Padme butts in and warns the council that this would start a war they’re not prepared to fight. The clones were commissioned for the Republic, so the Senate should decide what to do with them. They reluctantly agree.
With no imminent emergency, Palpatine is not granted special powers. The Senate bickers about what to do with the army. A growing faction, including Padme, Bail Organa, & Mon Mothma, believe they should allow the Separatists to secede & have their own government in order to prevent a cataclysmic war. Palpatine is not happy with this, and his warmongering efforts cause him to begin to lose control of the Senate.
Padme continues to work with Obi-wan & Anakin to mediate issues concerning the Clone Army. Since they were commissioned by a Jedi (allegedly) but for the Republic, there’s still some question as to jurisdiction. The Jedi complain that there are too few of them to keep the peace in such volatile times, and if they were allowed to lead the army as generals they could do better. The Senate’s compromise is to deploy the Clone Army as a peacekeeping force in place of the Jedi, answering to the local government authorities. They are particularly used in areas that are being harassed by the Separatists who have expressed no desire to join them. The Separatists likewise deploy their droid armies to areas they are having difficulty holding on to. All action takes place terrestrially, and besides a few skirmishes with locals, there is no active fighting between the two forces, although there are several very tense standoffs. The end result is a cold war, with stockpiling continuing until they are close to reaching assured mutual destruction.
Throughout this time Padme, Anakin, & Obi-wan all become extremely close with each other. The unresolved sexual tension between Padme & Anakin is nearly unbearable, but Anakin does his best to respect her wishes (it’s very Victorian lol, lots of situations where they end up in close physical contact, or try to comfort each other without giving in, etc). Padme & Obi-wan find each other incredibly intellectually stimulating, often engaging in “wit-sparring” when one of them plays the devil’s advocate, until Anakin about wants to throttle them both. And as Anakin matures into adulthood, Obi-wan finds that their brotherly bond is deepening into something the Jedi would likely disapprove of. (But he made a promise to Master Qui Gon and he is determined to see it through).
Finally, one day Padme decides to take action (as usual). She sits them both down in private. First, she tells Anakin that she’s reconsidered their conversation at Varykino, and she has come to agree with him. She’s tired of pretending that there is nothing between them. When Obi-wan uncomfortably objects that maybe he shouldn’t be present for this conversation, Padme turns to him & explains that she has fallen in love with him too, she just thought it was best to tell Anakin first so he didn’t go on a jealous rampage. (They all agree she’s probably right, even Anakin). Then she notes that she may not be a Jedi, but even she can tell there’s something between the two of them, too. Obi-wan turns bright red & objects that this would be completely inappropriate to a Master-padawan relationship, while a surprised Anakin says he thought it was actually part of that relationship, and to be expected. Besides, he should have been allowed to do his trials by now anyway (he salty) so it shouldn’t matter.
Padme asks, and stresses that she’s asking, not requesting or demanding, if they would be willing to leave the Jedi order & get married. 3-person marriages are not unheard of on Naboo, and before Kings & Queens were elected, they often had multiple spouses (as many as 5) as the emotional care & support of a regent was often too much work for one person. Anakin immediately agrees without hesitation. He’s had it up to here with the Jedi order, and he would do anything for her. Obi-wan is a little more reticent. He had considered leaving once Anakin passed his trials, as his duty to his own Master would have been fulfilled. But he feels the need to disclose his previous & ongoing love for Satine Kyrze. Padme says she can certainly understand if he would rather go to her, although it pains her to say so. Obi-wan simply smiles sadly and says “she never asked me to leave, though.” He just wants them to know the relationship exists. He doesn’t want to go into this with secrets.
That decided, Padme reveals that the reason she is asking now is that Bail & Mon Mothma (among others) have been encouraging her to make a bid for the position of Supreme Chancellor. Palpatine’s insanity is starting to show, and while it’s uncommon for subsequent Chancellors to come from the same planet, her calm & reasoned handling of the Two Armies Incident has garnered her a lot of support. It’s becoming clear that a war would last decades, if not centuries, and would probably only end in the entire dissolution of civilization as they know it. But she doesn’t think she has the strength to do it without them, and if they remained with the Jedi there would always be rumors that she was being used as a puppet. The Jedi are still largely out of favor as they seem resentful for being removed from their role as peacekeepers in the galaxy and relegated to spiritual leaders only, despite it being more consistent with their philosophy. Freed from their responsibility to the Jedi, Obi-wan could act as an impartial advisor to those things concerning the Jedi. Anakin says he’s not sure how he could help beyond emotional support, he’s terrible at politics, and they both kind of stare at him for a moment. “Anakin, you can be very intimidating sometimes,” Padme tells him. “Uh, thanks?” he says sarcastically. Obi-wan catches on easily. “Sometimes, it’s easier to get things done quickly if there’s a little intimidation behind the request,” he explains. “Oh, so I’m going to be the enforcer?” he asks, a little offended. Then he sits there and thinks about it a minute. “Yeah, I could do that. I’d probably be good at it,” he grins. “Do I get a title? A lot easier to be intimidating when people have to call you “lord” so-and-so.”
This leads to a not-unrelated conversation where Anakin admits that Palpatine has said some very concerning things to him & he is beginning to suspect he may have dabbled in the dark side of the Force (he’s also not sure how he feels about that). Padme agrees and admits that one of the reasons she’s been so resistant to a relationship with Anakin for so long was partly because her old mentor seemed so bent on pressuring her into it. It seemed wrong, especially when Anakin was so young and she thought it would essentially ruin his future. Obi-wan also agrees that it often seemed that Palpatine seemed to be trying to supplant his place as Anakin’s Master, but as he often found himself at a loss for how to guide him, he couldn’t gainsay the additional advice.
Padme & Obi-wan begin to discuss the logistics of them leaving the order (this will be his 4th time so he’s old hat at it) and getting married so as to minimize the political scandal. Anakin seems to be having trouble paying attention & keeps staring at the door. Padme makes a joke about him being impatient as she is to get it over with, but he says “Something’s wrong. Something’s… coming.” Just then the chime for her front door sounds. They sit in silence for a moment, and Obi-wan says the classic “I have a bad feeling about this,” line. Padme decides to answer via an interior room’s communication panel, rather than at the door. Anakin & Obi-wan take places to ready for an attack. At the door is a young woman, one of Palpatine’s aides. No one else is visible on the security camera, but Anakin says he can sense at least 5 more people, and Obi-wan agrees. Padme turns on the audio and says she’s in a private meeting and asks what it is the aide needs. She’s informed that Palpatine has sent to make sure that Padme is alright, as there is breaking news of Jedi attacking Clone Army units & local government throughout the galaxy, and he understood she was likely to be in the company of two Jedi. (In truth, he’s executed order 66 and spun it as incited by the Jedi). Padme responds that no, she’s just fine, and thank you for your concern.
Apparently, this is the wrong answer. The door bursts open, and a unit of clone troopers storms in. These are men that Anakin & Obi-Wan know personally, have worked with, and it’s extremely unsettling to be fighting them. In the process, Anakin’s arm is cut off when he hesitates. (Is he distracted by Padme or Obi-wan getting hurt? Does he freeze when thinks he must kill Commander Cody, a friend? Haven’t decided). But the three of them manage to prevail until they have one injured Clone Trooper left - Commander Cody. Despite his injuries, Anakin uses his pain to gain the power to pull the necessary information from his mind (think Kylo Ren, definitely dark side stuff). He learns the truth about Order 66, and breaks the chip. They rush Anakin and Cody to a medcenter, where Padme turns on the holonet and they see the violence unfolding all over the galaxy. Because the Jedi were not actively working with the clone troopers, it has not been as quick or as successful. The Jedi temple is under siege. Anakin expresses concern for the fate of the younglings within and argues that they should go fight to liberate the temple, despite the fact that he is actively being fitted for a prosthetic arm. When Obi-wan protests, Anakin argues that he can just use the pain to his advantage. Obi-wan chastises him for giving in to the dark side, but Anakin just yells “does it matter which side I use if I’m saving lives? If I’m protecting people???” Without a good argument to the contrary, Obi-wan shuts up.
Padme, however, does have a good argument. Vigilante action is likely to just get them killed along with all the other Jedi. She’s just received word that an emergency session of the Senate is being called. If they can bring Commander Cody’s confession as evidence, it’s more than enough to get Palpatine impeached for abuse of power. They rush to the Senate building, and Bail has already started proceedings for a vote of no confidence. When they present the evidence, Palpatine loses his shit and pulls his “I AM the Senate!” nonsense. Think Yoda-vs-Palpatine in the 3rd movie, but the whole Senate is there and it’s Palpatine vs. Obi-wan & Anakin together. But by now, they’ve learned how to be an effective team, and Anakin has the element of surprise as he absorbs Palpatine’s lightning and throws it right back in his face. (There’s some comment along the lines of “bitch, please, you’re the one who told me how to do this shit).
At the end of the fight, they have Palpatine pinned but they won’t hold him for long. Obi-wan is arguing that they should try to find a way, that he must stand trial, but Anakin is arguing he’s too powerful. They both look to Padme. She knows that this will probably destroy her shot at the Chancellery, but it’s the right thing to do. She tells Anakin to do what he thinks is right. He kills Palpatine. They retrieve Commander Cody, and he helps them figure out how to rescind Order 66. A lot of damage has been done, but the Temple held fast and the losses, while significant, are not even half of the Jedi order as a whole.
In the aftermath, the Jedi Council rules that while killing Palpatine was likely the right course of action, Anakin’s use of the Dark Side makes him ineligible to become a Jedi Knight and he must leave the order. He has the distinct pleasure of telling them the equivalent of, “you can’t fire me, I quit.” A beaming Obi-wan declares that he’s out, too. Bail Organa has been given interim control of the Senate, but he makes it clear that it’s only until things calm down. Padme, Anakin, and Obi-wan are married in a quiet but public ceremony. Shortly after, the Senate reconvenes and surprisingly elects Padme anyway. Apparently, her decision to support Anakin’s argument was actually widely accepted (it’s pretty clear the trial would have ended in the same way anyway). She almost immediately becomes pregnant (dammit Anakin and his super-special chosen-one Force-sperm lol) but she’s confident navigating that at the process of reforming the Republic into a Federation. The galaxy has grown too big to be ruled directly. It will be split into individual factions who agree to a loose constitution of basic rights and laws, but the particulars are left to the rule of the region. The Separatists are offered a seat at the Federation table, and surprisingly, they take it (without Palpatine pushing his buttons, Dooku makes a remarkably capable leader). Peace reigns in the Galaxy, Padme retires the role of Chancellor and they go to live on the estate that Obi-wan apparently now inherits (along with lots of money) and all raise a very happy and well-adjusted Luke & Leia.
Anakin still kind of wants to strangle Padme & Obi-wan when they argue though.
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kondo-hijikata · 6 years ago
Text
Pairings: Established Kondo/Hijikata Rating: T Summary: He’s a demon and he’s committed and he loves the commander...but something tells Hijikata that these things alone could never be enough. [AO3]
This story takes place after episode eight of Reimeiroku, when Hijikata and Sannan return covered in blood from fighting the ronin who used their name to extort money. The prompt was patching each other up.
for @sabinasanfanfic
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.*Enough*.
He sat in seiza beside his desk with slumped shoulders and languid posture.
The reflection in the silver-framed looking glass Hijikata held was unsightly, and not just from the augmenting bruise that defiled an ever flawless complexion. His eyes narrowed at their own image, staring beyond the mirror and searching so much further—so much deeper—than that which could be superficially perceived. Fingertips absently raised while he sized up his soul, applying pressure to the wound and drawing out the sensation of pain.
...It stung where he’d been struck, radiated right from the center of his cheek and prickled further and further across sensitive nerves to make the afflicted area seem even larger. And while anyone who wasn’t a glutton for punishment would withdraw his hand at this mounting discomfort, Hijikata proceeded to press steadily further.
In truth, it wasn’t that he wanted or needed to feel it.
He deserved to.
That the action even hurt at all was unnecessary evidence, and yet it was evidence all the same: of once distant nightmares transforming into harsh, tangible reality. He’d dreamed of this particular horror, of approaching the point of no return, on more occasions than his memory could accurately serve. But all they had been were just that—dreams; figments of anxiety running rampant about his subconscious to jolt him awake with tense muscles and a brow beaded in sweat.
Now, however...
Despite how Hijikata wanted to pull his eyes away, he kept them dutifully trained to his reflection...to the darkening purples and reds serving as actual proof and reminder—of insult and failure, of shame and things that were best left unspoken. Yet no matter his wishes and no matter how well guarded he remained, there his misgivings and inadequacies all were, physically written on his face and exposed to any passing glance tossed in his direction.
His hand let up from further exacerbating the injury and dropped to the tatami with a thud.
This wasn’t about him, at least not directly. And that was precisely why the bruise felt more like a raw nerve against cold air.
Whether anything was physically evident or not on Hijikata was moot, as the facts themselves were indisputable either way. The Roshigumi reputation had sunk so far that any kind of refuse could claim it for their own immoral purposes; a band of thugs using their namesake to demand money from merchants hadn’t caused anyone to bat a damn eyelash in question—not the merchants themselves, not the people here in Kyoto. It was likely that not even Aizu would doubt the validity of such a story.
And speaking of their sponsoring overlords, how quickly had the news of extortion reached them? Surely, Matsudaira-ko's¹ inner circle was already privy to it at this point. But if more bad news reached the Protector of Kyoto himself, then...
A choppy exhale left Hijikata's lips.
He hadn't bothered removing his haori, still stained in blood that both was and wasn’t his own...hadn't bothered removing the hachigane² from his forehead or treating the consequently acquired bumps and scrapes; trifle tasks, each of them, when pitted against an engrossing cocktail of dread and failure. And culpability. ...And remorse.
The list of emotion wavered and wore on and on, but the situation in hindsight was certain. Hijikata should have stopped the ronin, made examples of them, sent a damn clear message. Sannan and he had been outnumbered, yes, but that might have been different if they’d agreed to Kondo’s earlier overly cautious suggestion of ramping up patrol numbers. Still, no matter the odds, to fail at protecting the most precious thing of all was...
Disgrace welled further within him, along with the lump in his throat. To fail where it was most dire was unforgivable. Certainly, no one ever wanted to return in defeat, but this was about something infinitely more complicated than wounded pride, or victory or vanquish. What had been at stake was their name and that name, no matter how sullen, was all the Roshigumi had at this point.
Yet, in its simplest form, all it was was a name. If the group became forced to dissolve, everyone in this tight-knit circle of brotherhood could let go and move on with his life—or almost everyone, that was. Surely, the farewells and partings wouldn’t be easy, and Hijikata knew that his current anguish could be empathized with at the surface level. However, no one around him would really understand the true depths of it, or why it now consumed him to a point where it was difficult to breathe.
...Except for one, perhaps. Indeed, there was one capable of fathoming it, just as he fathomed all the other ugly and mysterious pieces that Hijikata kept locked up inside himself. And he was the very same individual who would drag that marred name of Roshigumi, of Miburo³, chained to his ankle for the rest of his life should this campaign end in catastrophic failure.
Naturally, this was about the Roshigumi’s future—as much as it was about Aizu and Kyoto, about Tokugawa loyalty and the greater good that was the state of this beloved country. However, while the tendrils of guilt rose and entwined about each of these dire components, for Hijikata, the seed was rooted in something much more personal than any one of the aforementioned reasons.
It grew from the very fabric of his essence: from celestial soil comprised of vows and loyalty, of ambition and another feeling so profound he couldn’t bear to speak of it openly.
He had referred to it in proxy, though.
"I swear that I'll lift you up and make you this country’s most exalted samurai."
But what arrogance, to have made such a promise without any guarantee or secondary plan...
“I won’t rest, I won’t give up until I see you claim your rightful place as a daimyo.”
And what naive hope, what childlike faith, that if he'd only worked hard enough, then Kondo-san could...
Hijikata’s teeth clenched.
Kondo-san would...
“Kat-chan, I bet my life on you. We’re going to Kyoto. But only if you lead us there. You’re the only one who can.”
He sucked a deep breath and finally jerked his face away from the offensive image in the glass; studying it any longer was as intolerable as it was agonizing, and the situation was already torturous enough.
Everything that had gone wrong tonight served as a painful reminder of how the Roshigumi’s reputation was directly linked to Kondo’s. Serizawa acted on his own accord, had created his own infamy and had absolutely nothing to lose—which made protecting their name more dire than ever. Still knowing that, though, Hijikata had somehow allowed this treasure so precious to slip through his fingers like sand in the wind.
He wouldn’t be the one to ultimately pay for that carelessness, however. That’s what hurt most.
Swallowing hard, he stared across the space of his quarters that had long begun yielding to darkness with the setting sun and wondered.
How much longer could this go on? The rules were put in place to control Serizawa and his lawless faction, but they came too little too late. Damage had already been extensively done by that point and the consequences, exactly like what had occurred this evening, still continued to plague them in the present.
So, how many more chances, how many more miscalculations, how many more blunders could Kondo waltz their way out of with Aizu? How much more dishonor could their name possibly bear until it was beyond salvaging and they were sent back to Edo in disgrace?
...Before Kondo was sent back to Edo in disgrace?
Hijikata’s insistence had done nothing except recklessly raise the stakes of someone else’s life, someone who was dearer to him than any other. It wasn’t as if Kondo needed him for that; he’d already been coined the jewel of Tama before this whole grand scheme took flight, so to even consider his having to face return with dishonor... To think that Hijikata, himself, could be to blame for that...
His forehead met his palm with an unsteady breath. He would fix it, he would fix it all. Hell, he’d kill Serizawa in cold blood if it solved anything. But first and foremost, Hijikata needed to regain his mental bearings and recreate the face he showed to the world, even if that face was currently tarnished from injury.
And as if things couldn’t get any worse, that was when the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears. Familiar footsteps. The kind he’d often be very pleased to hear, but now dreaded.
In a quiet panic, Hijikata’s hand jolted to deposit the mirror back into its drawer beside his desk.
Of course, he would come. Of course. But why now? Why so soon? Surely the group which converged on their dramatic return from patrol hadn’t disbanded with such haste. Hijikata had used that assumption to his benefit, purposely slipping off while Sannan allowed Yamazaki to treat his wounds and relayed further detail of their encounter to Kondo.
A tightening throat indicated necessity to be alone, to get his emotions under control. Being surrounded by so many observant eyes was perturbing when Hijikata was up against this much mental distress; it’d been imperative to gather his thoughts, and not to mention himself, before he could face anyone properly—especially the man he’d let down most of all.
...especially the man who mattered most.
Hijikata barely had time to smooth out his disheveled attire and rise to his feet before the door slid open without so much an inkling of announcement.
Colors of dusk invaded the inner space immediately, bleeding a jagged strip of light from the entrance to the opposite wall. And there, casting an ominous shadow over that intrusive glow, stood Kondo. The backdrop of sunset obscured the finer details of his features, but Hijikata could clearly make out the clenched jaw and tension in his figure.
“...Toshi.” Despite the harshness of his appearance, Kondo’s voice betrayed it by falling breathy and reverent. He was concerned.
And upon recognizing it, Hijikata felt an overwhelming sense of shame flood through him. It was to be expected. Still, his cheeks burned with mortification and his mouth parted, but all he could manage to do was avert his gaze.
“Sorry for taking off.” The apology left Hijikata quickly, before too much time passed and this exchange became even more awkward. “I was just—”
“—standing around in the dark.” Kondo was fast when he wanted to be. The shoji clapped shut after he stepped over the threshold. “I know.”
For someone who had no formal experience with the trade, the commander made a damn fine politician. Raising a hand, Hijikata idly ran it through his hair and swallowed. Even as dusk settled within the room again, he still couldn’t bring himself to look at the silhouette converging on him. “I needed to clean up. To get myself—”
Hijikata’s breath caught mid-excuse and his eyes widened as Kondo lashed out, with heavy palms hitting his shoulders and fingers curling inward to seize. A forceful haul had him stumbling forward and colliding directly with a strong chest, while warm arms immediately wrapped him up.
Hijikata’s lungs stilled and his back went ramrod straight. “My uniform,” he rasped, pushing against Kondo to put space between them, but found himself only embraced tighter. “There’s blood on it, you’ll—”
“I know,” Kondo stressed. “I don’t care.”
“You should.”
“I do.” A beat. “About what’s important.”
And that was what finally had Hijikata’s voice breaking into a soft whine, what had the ice in his veins melting and his tenacious defenses disintegrating to dust. “...Kat-chan.” He’d meant to say more afterward, but a soft hush whispered into his ear made Hijikata settle for otherwise, at least in the meantime. His hands lifted and took purchase of Kondo’s haori, fingertips flexing into the material while staring across the ever-growing darkness.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Kondo breathed and nuzzled him. “We’ll get through it. I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to worry.”
Hijikata’s eyes closed tightly and he held his breath again. Nothing about this was even remotely fair. How had he gone from wayward despairing to the comfort of Kondo’s embrace in a matter of seconds?
Though personal risk existed, Hijikata wasn’t the individual who had everything on the line here. So why should Kondo be the one soothing him now and saying all the right things? Why was Kondo always the one to clean up all the messes and run around doting on everyone, with warm arms and gentle smiles and kind words?
And he always knew, too, what Hijikata needed to hear and when he needed to hear it, without so much of a tiny verbal clue.
These thoughts kicked him back into form, gave him the slap he needed. “Kat-chan, please.” Hijikata began to push away, but stopped before their eyes could meet. “This is—it’s my—” A pause, and he finally settled for, “I’m sorry.”
Kondo’s reply was immediate, and rumbled deep within in his chest. “Don’t be.”
“You don’t even...” Hijikata’s chin lifted so they could finally see each other. “You don’t even know what the hell I’m tryin’ to apologize for.”
Pursing his lips, Kondo shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.” His hands wandered up to undo the white knot of the hachigane and he pulled it free from Hijikata’s forehead. “There’s no injury to pardon...unless.” Kondo licked his lips, and then added softly, “Unless we’re talking about this one...” His thumb gently grazed over the bruised cheek and Hijikata turned his face to the side.
“You didn’t let Yamazaki-kun treat your wounds.”
“Kat-chan.” Hijikata’s tone was dry and serious as he kept his focus on the shoji—and the conversation on topic. “I really let you down tonight.” When he felt Kondo shift, presumably to offer protest, he insisted, “I did.” Hijikata’s gaze snapped back and with resolve, he shook his head. “But never again.”
Kondo remained quiet for several moments, before he relented with a gentle nod. “All right. If that’s what you needed to say...but, Toshi...” He hesitated and looked down to the point where their chests touched. “For what it’s worth, you never have.” The scoff went ignored and then Kondo’s attention lifted to his again. “And I know you never will.”
Silence permeated the room as the inner corners of Hijikata’s brows raised and he simply stared. “How can you just...say that?” he demanded over an incredulous breath. “After tonight when I clearly—how—?”
“Because you always try so hard. You always do so much.” Kondo stroked over the uninjured cheek, brushed loose hair away. “And you always, always blame yourself, especially when you’re not at fault.” He drew Hijikata into another embrace. “It’s all enough, Toshi.” After remaining like this for several moments, Kondo hugged him just a little tighter. “I promise. You’re enough.”
At that the air was stolen from Hijikata’s lungs once more, and he stared unblinking and stiff over a broad shoulder. Only after withdrawing far enough to press a kiss to his slightly parted lips had Kondo finally released him.
...And before Hijikata could manage crafting any semblance of a coherent reply, which wasn’t guaranteed anyway, the topic was immediately switched.
“So, how about this? We get that lamp going to have some light in here. You get out of those clothes.” A hand ran down Hijikata’s sleeve and gave a tug. “Meanwhile, I’ll go find something to treat that bruise of yours. And then...” Kondo’s lips twitched upward and almost pleadingly, he asked, “you’ll help me come up with a speech filled with valid excuses and lots of praise to deliver to Matsudaira-ko in the morning?”
After a few pensive seconds, Hijikata blinked and his chin fell with a single nod. That reply he’d lamented over not having earlier still hadn’t presented itself by this point either. So, with that, they both set off into their respective assigned duties.
The dirtied garments were stripped free like physical manifestations of guilt, leaving Hijikata’s body as the blame left his soul—and with each blood-stained piece removed, he felt lighter and lighter.
Certainly, the barrage of negative emotions which engulfed him earlier hadn’t disappeared, but his strength rebuilt itself to fight them back into their dark corners. Who had time to brood when Kondo believed in him so strongly, when Kondo needed him in top form now more than ever?
As Hijikata tied fresh hakama about his hips, a kaleidoscope of feelings battled for his attentions but the one that screamed loudest was determination; therefore, that was the inner voice he decided to listen to, when everything else was just...noise.
He was enough, after all.
The straps were given a strong yank.
Roshigumi.
Hijikata would fight to protect this name and all it stood for. He would fight to protect the man it represented. And he would love that man with all he had—love him so much that it would turn him into a daimyo, no matter what the hell happened here in Kyoto or anywhere for that matter.
Just as Hijikata finished smoothing out the clean attire he’d donned, Kondo returned with a towel tossed over his shoulder. A tray with three onigiri and tea had been balanced on a shallow basin, and he shut the shoji with his foot.
“I know you were too busy before to eat, what with hanging out in the dark all alone.” Kondo placed dinner on the desk, and Hijikata could hear him trying not to laugh while he spoke. “...so I took the liberty. In any case!” He turned back with a grin. “Lemme tend to that wound, yeah?”
“You know, Serizawa’s mouth is never gonna stop if you insist on running around like a servant instead of a commander...Commander.”
To that, Hijikata barely heard Kondo mumble in response, but it sounded dangerously close to, “heh, that’s my Toshi.” An unaffected shrug followed. “Let him.” Kondo pulled the cloth off his shoulder and held it out with another soft twitch of his lips.
Hijikata observed the growing smile aimed directly at him until his lashes fell, along with his chin. He could argue further and object, continue to voice complaint and lecture on and on about setting examples. Or, he could boot Kondo out and attempt working through his misgivings alone with a clearer perspective.
But if only for now...if only for this moment...
Hijikata’s eyes opened and he relented with a dramatic sigh. “I can’t best you, can I?”
They both fell into seiza.
“Not sure about that,” Kondo offered, submerging the towel and then wringing it out. “In any case, I prefer you right here. Next to me.” He even possessed the gall to look up after that declaration.
Lashes went wide and blush heated cheeks. “Sh...Shut up.”
Alas, at Kondo’s side was exactly where Hijikata remained.
And when the next morning bathed the world in fresh sunlight, his knees hit the tatami in time with his commander’s, directly before Matsudaira Katamori.
“I understand the situation,” Matsudaira said with no disapproval or anger in his tone. “Kondo, raise your head. I would give you something. Perhaps it helps.”
A scroll was handed to an attendant, and the attendant placed it in Kondo’s waiting open palms. When given permission to look, he carefully unraveled it. And there on that paper, in the Protector of Kyoto’s own penmanship, was a new name.
Shinsengumi.
The breath left Kondo’s chest, and he simply marveled before rolling this invaluable gift back up and clutching it with possession. Lowering his head, his voice was rife with emotion when he promised, “I will defend this name’s honor with my life.”
And still bowing beside him, Hijikata made a silent vow all on his own—something similar to Kondo’s, but also a little deeper than what could be seen at the surface.
Such was his way. That was how he loved. And some might’ve found that difficult to swallow.
But where it truly mattered...Hijikata’s lashes parted and he stole a glance at Kondo. It was enough.
Thank you for reading! I’m no authority on anything but here are some footnotes, just in case:
¹ -ko: honorific to address people in very high positions of power, like Matsudaira ² Hachigane: metal helmet ³ Miburo: derogatory term for the Roshi/Shinsengumi, mashup of Mibu + ronin
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darquedeath4444 · 6 years ago
Text
The Deity of Spring
Chapter THREE
"I think I need to go."
"I agree. The sun's completely up. You look like you're going to faint."
"Shut up."
"And you get cranky when you're mad."
"...Hn."
"I get it, only being able to stay up half the day is annoying, but it's a price we both agreed we were willing to pay."
"Don't need to remind me."
"Hey, I trusted you with the night; trust me with the day."
"I….I don't not trust you."
"You are so not cute."
"I don't want you to think I'm cute."
"Ah, riiiiiiight."
"Stop that!"
"Go rest."
"Wake me if anything happens."
"Right."
"Wake me if she wakes up."
"Uhhhh, maybe."
"I swear-"
"Okay! I'll see."
"Hn. Don't slack off."
"Yeah, leave it to me."
Uchiha Itachi had been out of the Land of Fire when Kaguya had destroyed everything he had ever fought for. Nothing could have prepared him for the shock and utter horror of returning to see his home gone, obliterated under unseen powers at the whims of a Goddess. Many had died, but just as many had survived, and Itachi had a nagging feeling that Kaguya was toying with them. Most of the victims had been civilians who didn't have the advantage of being able to access their chakra to aid in their escape.
A small part of him wished that he had been here, and he had died alongside him beloved home, so he did not have to face everything that had come after.
"Itachi-kun?"
He looked up at the sound of his name and saw his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, leaning against the door. There was clear worry in her eyes and Itachi realized with a start that he had stopped mid-preparation. The spare clothes he had been about to pack was hovering halfway into his pouch as he had frozen in thought. He quickly finished the action and turned to his mother. "Yes?"
The woman carefully entered the room and gracefully sat down next to him. "How are you feeling?"
Itachi once again paused, this time while reaching for his weapon maintenance kit, and finally lowered his hand. "I am feeling fine," he said.
Mikoto hummed and gently ran her hand through his hair. Itachi let her and patiently waited for her to finish her affectionate gesture. "You are going to the Forest of Death," she finally said.
"I am," Itachi replied.
Mikoto sighed. "Must it be you?" She asked. "There are plenty of others who could go in your place-"
"Okaa-sama," Itachi said, gently cutting her off. "I am honored Hokage-sama has deemed me worthy of leading a party tasked with finding a possible path to survival for the whole of mankind." He smiled and pretended not to notice the way his mother's eyes watered in defeat, as though she had known what his reply would be. She probably did. "If there is something, anything we can do for the future, I would like to be a part of it."
"Of course, Itachi-kun," Mikoto said, smiling in return. "I know you can do it."
His mother left soon after, insisting on preparing food he could bring for himself and his team. They would be hunting for most of the trip, but having something homemade was always nice. Itachi quickly finished packing and soon joined his family in what might be his last dinner with them. There was a certain air of awkwardness as they ate, but by the end of it both his parents were beaming at him, and just before he was about to retire for the night, Fugaku stopped him.
"No matter what," he began softly. "Never ever forget that we are so proud of you, son."
Itachi found himself looking down at his feet and finally managed a faint nod. "Good night, Otou-sama, Okaa-sama," he said, and when he obviously ran to his room, no one called out after him.
Early the next morning, a rather large group of people came to see them off and many more hovered around the exit of the war camp to watch.
As the Hokage once again shared words of encouragement with them, Itachi thought over the members of this party. Nara Shikamaru was the renowned son of Shikaku, who was the best strategist Itachi had ever known. The son may have inherited the infamous Nara laziness, but that hadn't taken anything away from the intellect the clan was famous for, and he also knew the boy had mastered the shadow manipulation techniques passed down within his clan.
Inuzuka Kiba was acknowledged as one of the best trackers even within the Inuzuka, a clan that had honed their chakra in order to communicate with their canine partners, and while he seemed to take after his mother in terms of loudness and brashness, the boy had proved himself over and over during tracking parties outside their base.
Hyuga Neji was often put onto the same pedestal as Itachi himself, and he had even heard rumors of how the Hyuga planned to instate Neji as the next clan head. Neji was the one out of the rest that Itachi had taken the most missions with, and he knew for a fact that the Hyuga was well deserving of the title of prodigy.
Akasuna no Sasori was someone Itachi might consider a friend on a particularly nice day. The man had something about him that annoyed Itachi to no end, but the redhead was the closest definition to the phrase 'do not judge a book by its cover', for, despite his lazy appearance, he was one of the most powerful, most deadly warriors ever. Itachi had been present when Sasori had lost both his arms in a reconnaissance mission gone disastrously wrong three years ago. The redhead had sacrificed himself to ensure they all got out alive. Soon after, the man had used his expertise in puppetry to make himself wooden arms to replace his limbs. He had then slowly added new gadgets and tools to them, and he always had new functions to show off whenever they spared. He had the world's most useful set or arms, ever.
Deidara was another person Itachi might consider his friend. The two of them, along with Sasori, were a part of an elite group of warriors made up of people from all over the Elemental Nations, known as the Akatsuki. Even recently, the Akatsuki were called upon when a particularly dangerous group of Zetsus appeared too near their base for comfort. That alone spoke of the blond's skills, and he was someone Itachi would like to have on his side as opposed to an enemy, though he was often very loud could sometimes be annoying. Deidara's self-proclaimed hobby seemed to be annoying Sasori, which Itachi was okay with as long as the redhead did not turn to him for help.
His thoughts were cut short when applause met Tsunade's ending speech. Itachi formally bid his parents, then the rest of the clan, goodbye and waited while the rest of his team did the same in a slightly more affectionate manner. Shikamaru received a few words from his father and a tight hug from his mother before his friends dragged to aside to say their own goodbyes and good lucks. Kiba and his family were slightly louder, though Itachi was not surprised considering the nature of his clan. He then shared a few more friendly hugs with his own friends. The Hyuga were much more composed, much like his own clan, and Neji was the first to reach his side.
Sasori and Deidara both briefly talked to their own Kage, before they too fell into step beside him.
"Shall we depart?" Itachi asked, and when he received firm nods in return, the six of them exited the base.
Gaara watched the search party depart and remained rooted to his spot even when the people gathered slowly began to disperse back to their tasks. When not out of the field, warriors spent the time resting, helping out around the base and tending to their weapons and equipment. Civilians aided as much as they could too, and there was even a civilian faction being trained by warriors to fight so that they could at least defend themselves should their one and only stronghold fall. It hadn't come to that yet, but many were willing to learn to prepare for the worst.
"Gaara?"
He turned towards his sister, who was looking at him with worry in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" She asked. "You look a little out of it."
Gaara took a deep breath to clear his thoughts and nodded. "I am fine," he said. "I will be retiring for the night. If anything happens, you know where to find me."
Temari nodded. "Rest well," she told him. "I know you haven't been sleeping well for a while."
Gaara smiled to himself as his sister walked off; it appeared there was no hiding anything from her sharp eyes. He retreated to his personal tent and went around trying to clean himself up. Finally, he gave up. The war had taken a toll on all of them and he wasn't an exception. Instead sat down on his bed and reached for a book he had dug out of his own collection of books and scrolls.
The Deity of Spring.
His hand hovered over the cover like it had many times during the past two days, and he finally turned to the first page. He flicked through the book Temari had often read to him as a child and words flowed through his mind as memories began to resurface. Kaguya was the Goddess of Creation, but it was the Deity of Spring who had been the one to breathe life into them. There were many variations of how the story had gone, but in this particular one, the one where Kaguya had been sealed by the other Gods and Goddesses after a destructive war for suddenly turning against mankind, the Deity of Spring had been one of Kaguya's victims before she had been contained.
As he read, something became apparent to him, something he hadn't realized or understood as a child. "The Deity of Spring did not remain on this plane by choice," he whispered to himself. "Whatever happened, whatever Kaguya did rendered them unable to return to the Realm of the Gods."
"Where is she?"
"Good evening to you too."
"You said you would wake me when she woke up."
"I said maybe. Besides, we all need you well rested, you know? Can't have you fainting halfway during your watch because you didn't rest properly. Also, she just woke up a while ago. She's washing up."
"You-"
"Shhhhh! You know she doesn't like it when we fight!"
"We aren't 'fighting'. I'm merely attempting to correct your stupidity."
"Do you think that excuse would work on her?"
"I...guess not."
"Exactly."
"Hn. So, how was she?"
"She looked fine, and she smelled fine too."
"That's good."
"Yeah."
"And did she say anything else about the war?"
"She didn't."
"But they're still coming."
"Yeah."
Chapter FOUR>
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