#it might have worked if she told irving that

[innieirving]

my roommate @latr1nal1a and i were discussing this scene in s1ep3 where petey is talking to mark in his basement

he mentions a department that no one has been to before. a department where you aren't allowed to LEAVE.

he is CLEARLY talking about the testing floor, where they are keeping gemma!!!! she isn't allowed to leave!!!!!!

so. this has been established. petey somehow stumbled across the testing floor. which then means that he knows about the exports hall............

a big question i've had the entire time while watching this show is how the FUCK does outie irving know about the exports hall. it's the kind of information that only an innie could know, and clearly innie irving had no clue about it until the OTC when he saw all the paintings.

so. how does outie irving know? who told him?

my leading theory so far was that reghabi was irving's contact. she seems to be the one with the most knowledge about the things going on inside lumon, so it would make sense that she would be working with irving.

HOWEVER, now that we've realized that PETEY knows about the testing floor.............who's to say it wasn't petey who told irving about the hallway? having been reintegrated, petey would probably have sought out irving as well!

let's go back to the message outie irving leaves over the phone in s2ep2

"you're not picking up. i get it."

whoever irving is calling, they HAVENT BEEN ANSWERING.

guys. i genuinely believe that PETEY might be irving's contact on the outside, and the reason he hasn't been able to contact him is because irving has no idea that petey died!!!!!

that's how irving knows about the exports hall.

[athetos]

Some thoughts from severance s2e3, and the season in general:

I 100% assumed the reason the goat people were asking to see their bellies was to see if they had belly buttons. Since the prevailing theory is that the goats are for cloning purposes, i figured they wanted to make sure they weren’t clones (clones not having belly buttons because they weren’t birthed/have need for an umbilical cord). If we take the pouches line at face value, I’d guess that they were told a rumor that MDR had pouches, to sow division and fear between the departments (like the fake uprising told to MDR about O&D, and vice versa).

The Export Floor. The fact that O&D used to deliver things there themselves, but then a courier was used. My theory is that someone saw something there they shouldn’t have. I don’t know how o!Irving knows about it, but I’m not here to discuss that right now. What I want to talk about is the name. The obvious one is exporting goods (or even ideas) to other countries, and this could simply mean it’s where stuff made by O&D gets sent up to the ‘outtie’ world. But there’s another possibility - export as in transferring data to another software/format. I think it’s this meaning that is critical, and has big implications for Gemma/Ms. Casey. They could be transferring the data MDR has refined to her chip, or in some way or another, working on “Cold Harbor.”

I am very firmly in the ‘that’s Helena’ camp now. I don’t think this is in character for Helly, as the extremely awkward conversation in the hall with Mark as well as telling Irving they ‘got him’ sealed it for me. I’m fairly certain that management knows it’s Helena; after all, they don’t activate her chip, although I won’t rule out she paid someone off/threatened them to do it. That said, I like to believe she compromised with the board to go down as herself, instead of as Helly. This would also mean that she can encourage Mark to go places that Lumon specifically wants him to see, instead of ones that are much more confidential. However, I think she’ll end up siding with the innies by the end, simply because the connections she will forge with them will be the only genuine and loving relationships in her life.

I didn’t mention this before, but i’m pretty sure Irving knows that Helena/Helly is lying, because he was the only innie who spent enough time outside to know that it was winter and she couldn’t have been gardening. He distrusts her, that’s why he only told Dylan about Burt.

Upon immediately seeing Dylan’s wife I assumed she was a hired actress. However it genuinely appears to be her (granted, I’m faceblind, but the voice sounded the same when she was with his outtie later in the episode). Lumon clearly thinks that this perk will keep i!Dylan in line, but I think it might backfire spectacularly, or at least cause significant drama - his wife is going to fall in love with his innie. Think about it, if their marriage is going through a rough patch, and she gets to spend time with a version of her husband who lacks all of the assumptions/grudges he has against her - basically starting all over… yeah, it’s gonna get strange. The way she talked about it to o!Dylan was like she was hiding it from him, almost like it’s the beginning of a potential affair…

(I also am still of the mind that either she or one of their children is terminally ill in some way, hence the benefits/insurance that Dylan is always looking after. He also complained a few times about having sore arms and jokes he works out. I feel this might be related somehow? But not sure…)

I stand by my theory that the board is actually the motherboard and is Kier’s (and his successors?) consciousness, or something of that ilk. The board was referred to as “it” in this episode (also “they”, but I believe that was meant as in plural, including Natalie). So I think we actually don’t have any proof that it’s multiple people or even people period. It will be like the export double meaning I mentioned earlier. Again, the board is hot on Mark staying and working because it wants him to finish Cold Harbor so it can begin the revival of Kier’s family (the rotation could potentially mean their minds being uploaded. Or something of that nature.)

No big theories or details to chew on here, but things that got big reactions from me: the Black Kier portraits I was expecting but still not prepared for. I desperately want to see Natalie’s portraits that she received; were they all biracial, all women, or both? The idea of genderbent biracial Kier family is killing me. This is like Hamilton (I think). Cobel definitely was going to die if she went into the building, she made the right call, I was terrified that her car might explode as she left. Phew. Next episode is going to be a roller coaster, I can tell. Shocked that he’s starting reintegration so soon but I’m here for it. Worried that Devon is going to get murdered. And I’m waiting for Cobel to get hunted down by Mark or for her to willingly seek him out as she realizes this is her only chance left to… do whatever the fuck it is she wants to do.

[dnickels]

John Irving Poem Playlist

I love the hype around Davechella and wanted to do something a little different- a mixtape of poems, with commentary (desperate self-justification) and bonus poems below the cut

I.

The Lamb, William Blake

The Pilgrim, Sophie Jewett

Self-Dependence, Matthew Arnold

The Light of Stars, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Wanderer, Unknown, trans. Roy M. Liuzza

Up-Hill, Christina Rosetti

Sir Galahad, Alfred Tennyson

II.

They Could Not Tell Me Who Should Be My Lord, Edwin Muir

God gave a Loaf to every Bird, Emily Dickinson

Ancient Text, Louise Glück

I Find no Peace, Thomas Wyatt

A Secret Told, Emily Dickinson

Mary Magdalen, James Elroy Flecker

Because I Liked You Better, AE Housman

III.

A Better Resurrection, Christina Rossetti

The Temptation of Saint Anthony, Rainer Maria Rilke, trans. Leonard Cottrell OR trans. Len Krisak

Batter my heart, three-personed God, John Donne

At Least to Pray, Is Left, Is Left, Emily Dickinson

'Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend", Gerard Manley Hopkins

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, (LXXXIV- LXXXVI) trans. Edward FitzGerald

I Shall Know why- when Time is over, Emily Dickinson

IV.

Sudden Hymn in Winter, Joseph Fasano

Fable and Decade, Louise Glück

Love (III), George Herbert

Of Molluscs, Mary Sarton

Dark Night of Soul, Juan de la Cruz, trans. E Allison Peers

He Touched Me, So I Live to Know, Emily Dickinson

The Finder Found, Edwin Muir

V.

The Plate, Anthony Hecht

Prospice, Robert Browning

Pietà, Rainer Maria Rilke, trans. Jessie Lemont

DEATH THE COPPERPLATE PRINTER, Anthony Hecht

The Gold Lily, Louise Glück

Futility, Wilfred Owen

Flock, Billy Collins

"What, no Wild Geese?" spiritually Wild Geese is here, tucked in section IV, which might a well be subtitled "The soft animal gets a treat", same with Song of Songs and so many psalms I couldn't pick one. I wanted to try to play with poems that were either new to me or a little further off the beaten track (although there are still some obvious picks but come on was I not going to get some Donne in there?). Frankly, this entire list could have been Emily Dickinson start to finish, it's not yet accepted historical fact that she was an inexplicable psychic witness to the sufferings of the Franklin Expedition but I am submitting my findings to journals as we speak

(sorry Jirv for all the Catholics and extremely suspect Anglicans!!)

I. SEEKING

Whenever I invoke "The Lamb" please know I am reading it with the same menace and sense of foreboding as Patti Smith. Given the vibe I'm trying to cultivate you'd think there would be more Blake, but I think Jirv has such a profoundly different experience with Church Authority and his own conversion experience that he and Blake hardly seem like they share the same faith. Even in a scenario where he managed to unclench, I can't see him espousing a sentiment like The Garden of Love. Maybe if he survived to reflect on his encounter with Koveyook he might groove more with "[Christ] is the only God ... and so am I and so are you."

The only section that has at least a few poets I think Jirv would actually read, namely Matthew Arnold-- the only poem on here that I think isn't very good, I'm sorry to Mr. Arnold but there we are, they were right to light your ass up in Punch. He's here however because I think his work captures a very clear and immediately accessible sense of the early Victorian man striving to be himself, in the sense that he can flower fully into the model of upstanding sober bourgeois middle-class manhood which isn't always attainable for later birth-order sons in a navy overcrowded with officers. The real life Irving's letters touched me very much in that he is both looking for a deeper connection with God, a better version for himself, and in the material world, a way to make enough money to establish himself as capital-R Respectable in a way that swashbuckling at sea or derring-do in the colonies doesn't really allow him. I actually don't know if the years line up for him to have read Longfellow but this stanza:

O fear not in a world like this, And thou shalt know erelong, Know how sublime a thing it is  To suffer and be strong.

Is such a classic mid 19th century "making yourself miserable for ideological reasons" motto. Shades of "Invictus" (which for some reason I don't know if Jirv would vibe with, maybe more of a Crozier poem).

I think you could also call the first section "Voyages", I was struck by how often the real Irving was compelled to relocated to try and make a place for himself in the world in the literal, material sense, and the few letters we have are largely his thoughts on his spiritual seeking-- I was very surprised not to find a settled and secured ticket-to-Heaven holder but someone who still considers himself a student, is still wrestling and grasping and looking for something.

Prithee, Pilgrim, go not hence; Clear thy brow, and white thy hand, What shouldst thou with penitence? Wherefore seek to Holy Land? Stern the whisper on his lip: Sin and shame are in my scrip.

It feels a little much to say 'Jirv is the Galahad of their doomed Grail quest' but frankly, given that no one succeeds, I kind of like the idea of a failed Galahad. It's slightly ahistorical to invoke but once we get into the 1860s and the mid-Victorian chivalric revival Galahad becomes a potent symbol for a kind of chaste imperial knighthood in service to God/Queen/Country. At least one young office who died in WWI was named Galahad, not just a PG Wodehouse joke christening.

II. CRISIS

Obviously there are ten thousand things that could torment the evangelical protestant mind and bedevil one's self-worth and it doesn't have to be "hopelessly in love with your best friend" but I wasn't going to miss a chance for some Housman, was i? Wyatt gives us the money couplet:

I desire to perish, and yet I ask health. I love another, and thus I hate myself.

I had included Flecker's We That Were Friends but felt it was just slightly too self-aware, ditto Rosetti's Winter: My Secret.

III. STRIFE

I think these are all pretty self-explanatory. I could have added ten more Emily Dickinson poems because she is the only one on this earth who gets it (me, the deal, the whole of existence). Hopkins I think is more concerned with the sins of the world than the real life Irving (who, based on the very limited material shared, must be the most laid-back and chill evangelical in human history? Or maybe I spent too long among the Baptists) but I can see Jirv wondering, in the God-proof bunker of his diary, why the wicked are flourishing while he is losing his everloving mind and threatening to lock up ABs for being afraid of ghosts.

Here is the excerpted Khayyam so you don't have to go looking (although you should because its wall to wall bangers) (context: the narrator is standing in a potter's shed, and listening to the vessels talk amongst themselves)

LXXXIV. Said one among them— "Surely not in vain My substance of the common Earth was ta'en And to this Figure molded, to be broke, Or trampled back to shapeless Earth again." LXXXV. Then said a Second—"Ne'er a peevish Boy Would break the Bowl from which he drank in joy; And He that with his hand the Vessel made Will surely not in after Wrath destroy." LXXXVI. After a momentary silence spake Some Vessel of a more ungainly Make; "They sneer at me for leaning all awry: What! did the Hand then of the Potter shake?"

"Did you make me just to smash me, God?"

Runners-up for this section included Rossetti's The Three Enemies, which only didn't make the cut because I think its slightly uneven compared to the rest of this work and this list has become pretty Rossetti-heavy. Ditto De Profundis.

IV. ACCEPTANCE

Also pretty self-explanatory. Mystical union with Christ or a very special sergeant of the marines, or both! Is it canon? No! But I like to think that even just one time...

If you read any poem on this list please read 'Love (III)' and 'The Finder Found', the latter of which is my 'Wild Geese'. It seems self-serving to say I cried when I read it but I did. Meanwhile Herbert is goated and his entire work could be listed here but hearing Love (III) read aloud made me understand what poems could do.

I cheated putting two Glück poems for one but given that they were published together in that magazine I think its ok. Here's even more cheating: The Undertaking would be in there if I could squeeze it on the same line. "The darkness lifts, imagine, in your lifetime" PLEASE

Runners-up here were Larkin's First Sight, which just doesn't quite fit but I love for the sense of spring coming to someone who doesn't know there's anything other than winter deprivation, and A Shropshire Lad XI (On your midnight pallet lying) which I LOVE but again doesn't quite jive with the theme, but I do imagine it as a bridge poem between this section and the last...

V. DOOM

A little bit of Browning, who might squeak in under the line of plausibility (though perhaps not this poem) as Jirv sets out on the death march with waning faith that is not, in fact, a death march but then his journey ends in Stabtown, population: YOU. "The Plate" in this case would be that faith and knowledge of being loved that remains even after hardship and the final lost battle, maybe even literally in the meat from his stomach. But misery and death put all the men on the rack and instead of salvation they are essentially tortured to death, often long enough to crush/squeeze out any semblance of humanity and leaving the animal capacity for violence.

"Futility" could encompass the whole sorry venture but in specific the shot of Jirv's body after all the effort to make contact with someone would could help. Was it for this? "Exposure" also a strong contender for "the long slow process of freezing to death for unclear reasons".

"Flock" of course-- God needs martyrs.

[tobo-jobo]

GUYS JUST FINISHED S2 E1 OF SEVERANCE AND IM GOING CRAZY

WARNING FOR HUUUUGE SPOILERS:

OKAY I NEED TO START SOMEWHERE—(keep in mind these are all theories)

Helly— Did anyone else think she was off? My theory is that it’s Helena Eagan who’s acting as Helly. The way she didn’t actually rip Milchick into pieces on SIGHT. She didn’t tell anyone about what she saw (which seems like something she would tell them because she’s an EAGAN FOR FUCKS SAKE) and also that she’s been reaaaaly weird abt Mark having a wife even thought there’s much more pressing issues at hand. It’s almost like she’s acting, and all she was told was her cover story, that she and Mark kissed, and that she hates outies.

Ms. Casey/Gemma— WHAT WHY WHERE. Where is she? Still don’t know. Why hasn’t Mark asked Milchick about it? He was insistent on the “Where is my team?” stuff, why wasn’t he on the Ms. Casey stuff too? Also, is she dead dead or did they do something brain-wise?

Irving— IF something’s up with Helly, I think he noticed and that’s why he only told Dylan about what he saw. Also why didn’t he leave? Why (maybe) can’t he leave?

Outies— Why haven’t we seen any of them yet? From the little bts thing, we saw outie Mark and Mark S. switching—almost like Petey. In that case, does that mean they’ve all been reintegrated and side effects haven’t shown up yet? I think if this is the case—or not— whatever’s happened to Ms. Casey, they might have done to MDR.

Devon— If outie Mark is back and alive and well, what is Devon doing about it? She knows that Ms. Casey is alive (not who she is as an innie, but just in general) and she would probably tell Mark as soon as he was back. Also Ms. Cobel? She knows about that now.

Ms. Cobel— Where is she? Was she killed? Is she working from the inside? Is she really gone from Lumon, or is she some sort of acolyte to the board? Why does her name still show up on Milchick’s computer? Does that mean Milchick isn’t really the one who runs this whole thing?

Mr. Milchick— Why does Ms. Cobel’s name on his computer bother him so much? Is he actually trying to reform the severed floor or is he just bluffing? What’s his deal with the family visitation room? Why did he let the MDR team see them again? Is he like a puppet, or is he genuinely trying to do something?

Miss Huang— Apparently Miss Huang is supposed to be Mark and Ms. Casey/Gemma’s kid according to some articles my dad read (but also want the crash like only 2 years ago?) WHY IS SHE SO CREEPYYY? Does she have something to do with the control of the severed floor? She seems to know more than she’s letting on. She also seems to not like Mr. Milchick, which is similar to how Ms. Cobel didn’t really like Milchick. I think she might be an extension of Ms. Cobel of sorts.

General outside— At least with Helena/Helly, news has got to have been broken. What is happening regarding severance outside? What happened after Irving got switched back and was banging at Burt’s door? What happens with that pro-severance guy and his wife?

ANYWAYS, that’s some of my takes and questions on this. Can’t wait for e2 on Friday!

[stalkedbytrains]

False Idols: Chapter 3

General Lucienne Prophet sped through the empty streets, as everyone else headed the other direction to light a candle in the Cathedral for their departed Chosen Executor. The trip back took a fraction of the time it took for her to get there in the first place.

Inside the base, she marched straight up to her massive airship, the only kind in use by the Ranger Corps. It was large enough to be qualified as a base in and of itself. It allowed Luce to monitor the ground war, and get to any theater that needed her immediate intervention in fighting, or, as it seemed to be more common, retreating.

Major Jeanie Marks was one of the first people to greet the returning General. “How was the funeral?”

“Long. Boring,” Luce said simply. She didn’t want to elaborate.

Marks nodded silently, not pressing the issue. She just followed the General as she headed toward her room. “Ma’am,” she finally said when Luce went to open her door, “I know today was hard on you. I got you something to make this day suck just a little bit less.”

Suddenly thrust into Luce’s one working hand was a very small plastic bag, filled with little white capped cookies. They were her favorite cookie, and how Major Marks managed to get some was no small feat. Instead of asking how she managed to get a luxury good this decadent in times of war, or saying thanks, the only thing the Ranger General could ask was, “Why?”

“Because you’re my General. And you’ve had a bad day. It is something to try and make you feel a little better.”

“How?”

“I bribed the crap out of a five-star chef.”

“Major… don’t go blowing your paycheck on me.”

“General Prophet, with all due respect, you don’t get to tell me how to spend my paycheck. I have no significant other, or family left, so I might as well show my appreciation to the best Ranger General in the last 200 years.”

“Thank you, Major Marks. Would you like one?”

“No thank you ma’am. I’m not big on sweets.”

Luce looked awkwardly at the little package of cookies in her hand totally unsure of what the proper thing to say or do was. There weren’t any words she could think of saying.

That’s when Major Marks filled the silence by relaying the message she just received over the radio, “Ma’am, I’ve done what you asked. High Chancellor Irving is here to see you.”

“High Chancellor, really? I was expecting an Inquisitor Attaché at the most.”

“You’re more important than you give yourself credit for,” Marks muttered.

Lucienne ignored it, or didn’t hear it. “Tell him to meet me here. How bad is the situation at Sietan?”

“It’s… bad.” Marks sighed.

“Better or worse than the Lighthouse?”

“Worse. Much, much worse.”

Luce swore under breath. “I want to take off as soon as possible. Get someone to my quarters to take off this Void cursed cast, and have all the squads ready to move before we get there. Understand, Ranger?”

The Major saluted and turned to do exactly what she was ordered to.

Luce entered her quarters, the largest on the ship by a small amount. The lights were on, like they always were. Every single corner of the room was lit up. No shadows would be tolerated in the room where she slept. She couldn’t sleep if there were any shadows.

A furry animal attacked her the moment she stepped through the doorway.

“Hey Sasha,” Luce smiled as she petted the massive war-dog that mauled her face with a slobbery assault.

The dog looked ecstatic to see her owner, but after a few seconds picked up Lucienne’s underlying sadness. Sasha whined.

“I know girl,” Luce said with a couple of scratches behind the dog’s graying fur. “I miss Theo too.”

Sasha got off her hind legs and whined a bit. She licked the palm of Luce’s good hand.

“I’ve got to get ready, we’ve got company coming,” Luce told her companion. Sasha responded by jumping back up on the bed. She cracked a smile. “I’m never going to get you to stay off the bed, am I?”

Sasha barked, then shook her head with a big, dopey grin.

Luce put the cookies down, and sorely tempted by the delicious looking indulgence, popped one into her mouth as she began to divest herself of the military funerary uniform coat. It was soft and fresh and sweet and utterly amazing. It was the best kind of cookie. It was made to perfection and, in fact, was still slightly warm. Just as she was finishing the first cookie when there was a knock at the door which prompted Luce to walk back and open the steel barrier. Sasha jumped off the bed and growled at the person beyond the threshold.

Outside the door was a balding man with the white and red robe of a High Chancellor of the Inquisition. “Sasha, calm down. Chancellor, come in. Irving, right?”

“General, this is quite… unprecedented. I am High Chancellor Mar-”

“Spare me the formalities,” Luce interrupted, walking back into her room. Her shoulders had risen slightly, taut with anxiety that wasn’t there a moment before. She had subconsciously stepped into a ready stance, so that if anything went wrong, she wouldn’t be caught flat footed. That fleeting happy feeling from the cookie was gone. “There is a war going on and I don’t have time for pleasantries.”

“Understandable,” the Chancellor said as he swept into the shadowless room. He stroked his stubble a couple of times as he observed the person before him. The wrappings around the General’s wrists caught his attention. They looked like the kind of like the kind of bandages or wraps that a fighter would put on to keep joints from swelling uncomfortably. But something seemed off about them, a worn look that suggested that perhaps it was applied some time ago, or perhaps reused a few too many times. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Michael is going to cost us this war,” Luce said as she pulled off her uniform jacket. “He was content to let each branch do as they’d please. The Infantry just keeps throwing people at the front lines to die in a war of attrition. His precious Paladins are doing nothing but protecting long ago abandoned Holy Sites that don’t do anyone living any good. The Navy is bottled up in bay protecting Thyros from those horrendous Corrupted sea creatures. Instead of working evacuations or even bombing runs, the Air Force is little more than a supply train. The Rangers are stretched thin trying to cover the bases left wide open. We are going to lose the war like this. As an Inquisitor, you must see this. We’ve already lost three million people in the last few years that Michael has taken direct command. Three million. We can’t keep stalling like this.”

“Three million, six hundred and forty-two thousand, three hundred and ninety,” Irving said quietly, “at last count. Only a fraction of them have been military deaths in combat. About forty percent roughly. And that isn’t even considering the deaths from the start of the war. The first years were rough. I believe the death toll is closer to twenty million.”

“That is too many. Far too many. I don’t want to lose another soul, but that seems to be the only way we know how to wage war,” Luce said as she held her gaze steadily at the floor. “Just keep throwing people at the problem hoping it will get fixed, all the while slowly losing ground to the Corrupt.”

“I am well aware of the recent… feuds between you and the tragically passed Executor,” Irving said with another stroke of his day-old stubble. He had begun to look at the aging war-dog who really looked more like a hunting wolf than a pet. “But I don’t see why this must include the Inquisition, or why we should go against the war plan of the fallen Most Holy Executor. He kept us alive this far.”

“Michael was an idiot,” Luce snapped, her eyes suddenly meeting the Inquisitor’s, still intimidating despite the broken arm. “He was leading us backwards, step by step, day by day. If we follow his plan, we will be out of soldiers to throw at the problem within the year. We need to totally abandon the current game plan and start fighting a war with the Corrupt, not another Separation War. We need to get everyone on the same page, everyone fighting the same war.”

“I’ll ignore your blatant heresy for the moment,” Irving said, noting the careful location of the lights. Even with two full grown adults, a giant war-dog, and all the furniture, there was barely a shadow. “What would you have the Inquisition do? Pick a side? Throw out the last orders of the Most Holy Executor?”

Luce sighed heavily. “I want this war over. That is what the Rangers were made for. What I was made for. We can end this given the chance.”

“The Rangers are little more than scouts, probing the darkness with a sword. You have no air support, no tanks, and only a few thousand people.”

“The Rangers are the sole branch of the military whose purpose is fighting the Corrupt. My people have been fighting them for years. We know how to fight them, we know how to beat them. And all I need is your help. I don’t want you to take a side, not publicly. I just need you to help me get the things that I need to do this job right. I need you to get the other branches to follow a unified leader.”

“You want us to find Michael’s replacement?” the High Chancellor asked.

“I need your help to bully, bribe, convince, whatever I need to get the other branches under a single unified leader,” she pleaded, hoping that the Inquisitor saw sense instead of blind faith in the outdated doctrine of a dead Executor.

“Why should we help you? Especially now since you are talking treason. You’re talking about disposing the Seven Star General.”

“Because the Rangers can do this! We’ve been doing this kind of thing for the last seven years! Because you know I’m right! Ryker is not helping this war at all.”

“And what about this plan of yours. Say we help you dispose of the Seven Star General, how do you plan on fighting the Second? When the Rangers’ best and Executor Michael went up against it, you came out of the fight gravely wounded, and Michael was dead.”

“Because this time we’ll be prepared! This time I’ll be in charge!” This time I’ll face it by myself.

“Not good enough.”

Luce opened her mouth to immediately start arguing, but Irving put his hands up. “You’re going to need help. And more than just strategic help and resources. I’ll have to run this up the chain of command.”

“You don’t have that much time. I don’t have that much time. I’m leaving for Dynas Sietan as soon as you step off my ship. I have another Citadel about to fall, another city I might lose to the darkness. We have a war to fight and I need an answer.”

“I have to ask my superiors. You’ll have an answer before your operation is over,” the Inquisitor said much to Luce’s dismay.

Sasha barked at him before he backed out of the room.

Luce’s hand went to Sasha’s head. “He’s not worth it.”

[-]

Outside, Irving watched the Ranger airship take off into the afternoon sun. He was approached by a tall woman with long dark hair, pulled back, except for her perfectly kept bangs that hung just above her eyes.

“It’s done,” Irving said. “She’s asking for someone to lead the armies as a single faction instead of separate branches.”

“She wants to dispose the Seven Star General?” asked the woman who towered over Irving. She didn’t bother to look at him.

“Yes, she believes Ryker and Michael were losing the war and that we can only stop the end of the world by working together. She’s leaving now with her Rangers to reinforce one of the last Chain Links left. They are the only ones participating in this war it seems. She’s turned the Rangers from a reconnaissance force into an elite strike team likes we’ve never seen before. And she wants your help in forcing the others to start helping,” he explained.

“Good,” the woman said. “We’ll make Lucienne Prophet Seven Star before the end of the week. Go find out exactly who we need to remove from power. And find Roth. Tell him I have a job for him.”

“Right away, Grand Inquisitor.”

the whole book is available in one go on my kofi

[consanguinitatum]

David Tennant's Plays: An Experienced Woman Gives Advice (1995)

I haven't done a thread on any of David's plays in a while, so I had some time yesterday to rustle one up about his 1995 play, An Experienced Woman Gives Advice. It premiered 28 years ago yesterday (which was why I chose to do a deeper dive about it) so let's get into it! An Experienced Woman Gives Advice (I'll use EW to refer to the play from here on out because what a long title!) would be David's first time performing onstage at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

Prior to winning his role in EW, the last play David had done was What The Butler Saw as Nicholas Beckett, a role he was warmly praised for. What The Butler Saw ran for two months at five different venues around England before closing its run at the Nottingham Theatre Royal in late May 1995.

EW's playwright, Iain Heggie, had seen phenomenal success with his 1987 tour-de-force, A Wholly Healthy Glasgow. But in the years afterwards, Heggie had produced only a few more plays before deciding he'd rather go back to teaching and let his writing commence at its own pace.

Originally written as a miniature sex comedy, EW was long in development, and received further script development workshops at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow in 1992, and at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 1993.

Its world premiere would see Heggie's return to the stage.

Initially, it might have seemed odd that EW - with its Glasgow setting, Scottish writer, and fully Scottish cast - didn't make its debut in Scotland. But because Heggie and the Royal Exchange had similar actor-centered outlooks and many of the artistic directors in Scotland preferred a more visual style, Heggie chose to work with the Royal Exchange (who liked his work anyway) and the play made its debut in Manchester.

Previews for EW began at the Royal Exchange Manchester on 21 November 1995, with an opening day of 23 November 1995. It had a small cast of five: Siobhan Redmond as Bella, David Tennant as Kenny, Jenny McCrindle as Nancy, Alastair Galbraith as Irving, and Alexander Morton as Stick. It was directed by Matthew Lloyd, and its assistant director was Marianne Elliott.

The set, which was designed by Laurie Dennett, was quite sparse - a communal back garden and garden shed of a block of Glasgow tenement flats. The music was composed by Paddy Cunneen, who fans will recognize from many other projects he did with David, some of which I've previously done deep dives into (like Sunburst Finish, The Pillowman and Bite).

The three-act play had a runtime of 3 hours and 20 minutes, with two intervals - one 15 minutes in length, the other 10 minutes in length. It closed its run on 16 December 1995. Tickets were priced from £5.50 to £18, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The action takes place on two Sunday mornings and opens with Bella, who's a 39 year old teacher, gardening in her back garden. We learn she's in a three-year long relationship with a live-in toyboy lover, Kenny (DT) who's a former pupil and 15 years younger than her. And that he didn't come home the previous night.

Bella calls Kenny her "charming, fallible boy", and she treats him like one. Former lovers say he's "tall, kind of blond, with a lovely lean build" and "incredibly rich brown eyes." There’s "just no resisting him,” and he's "bastardly good looking.”

David in rehearsals as Kenny (from program of An Experienced Woman Gives Advice)

In a series of interruptions from people passing into the garden, Bella (Redmond) dispenses advice to the inquiring strangers Nancy and Irving (Galbraith), and learns Kenny spent the night with another woman...from the woman herself, Nancy (McCrindle), who doesn't realize who she's told. What Bella does with this information - and how her meticulously cultivated freedom of choice lifestyle shatters, especially given her first love, Stick (Morton) lives nearby - is what the rest of the play explores. We see love, lust, and lies play out as Bella makes her choices.

And there's a scene with Bella and Kenny...and sex behind the doors of a rocking, exploding garden shed!

I haven't been able to locate a production script of the play to see whether this scene was enacted onstage, but Heggie's published script book says this scene, where Bella strips Kenny of his clothes piece by piece before they go into the shed to have sex offstage, had some brief nudity. None of the play reviews I've been able to find mention any nudity, though one article about the play does state that due to "strong language and the sexual nature of the story, the play is not suitable for children under 15." (I don't know how much weight I should give this particular article, however, because it also calls the lead character "Maggie" rather than "Bella"!) Anyway, if this scene was included in the play, it would be the second known instance (the first being that now-infamous What The Butler Saw full frontal nude photograph) where DT was onstage in the buff!

Speaking of reviews, they were wildly different - some found it hilariously funny with barbed, sharp dialogue, while others found it fatiguing. David's "able portrayal" as Kenny was praised as part of an extremely talented cast, and his was called a "great performance".

David and Siobhan Redmond earned Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards (MENTA) nominations - Redmond for Best Actress, and David for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. They also earned British Regional Theatre Awards nominations; Redmond for Best Actress and David for Best Actor. The play itself was also awarded a MENTA nomination for Best New Play. Redmond won both her nominations; David and the play didn't.

Photos from the play are almost nonexistent. I haven't located any images housed in any archives anywhere...so far. That doesn't mean they're not out there, mind you, just I haven't found them yet! I did manage to find a few of horrible quality while digging around in newspaper archives (I'll refrain from venting here about the quality aspects of digitizing newspapers, as that's a rant for another day) but it's a damned shame. I mean, in one of these, David just looks like a David-shaped black hole with floating arms! Nevertheless, I'll leave them here.

Something else I found fascinating during my research was that, like many venues, the Royal Exchange had a tradition of scheduling at least one informal discussion with the director and members of the company for each of their productions. While I didn't find any information on whether a discussion of this sort occurred during EW's run, I have to assume it did. Ah, to be a fly on the wall for that!

And that, my friends, is pretty much the story of An Experienced Woman Gives Advice! I wish I knew much more about this play, but like many parts of David's theatre career, wide gaps in our knowledge remain. But I keep on looking.

Thanks for reading!

[eyes-of-mischief]

weekly fic recs | 47

prompt: self-insert/OC-insert

fandoms: bnha, knb, mdzs, naruto, svsss

bnha

Causality of Temporal Paradox by MirrorDaltokki

"A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use." - Washington Irving

In which you are very clearly not having a good time slipping through time and space.

Lucky for you, there's at least one constant. Hawks seems to not mind you showing up in his bed over and over again throughout his life.

But hey, look at the upside. There's pro-heroes, so that's kind of cool.

Cleaning Crew; Teaching Kids to Value their Safety, for Fun and Profit by Reavv

Takenaka Hideo is a thirty-two year old, in mild desperation for money, who has just been hired as a new janitor for UA's support staff. He has a quirk that lets him find lost objects, a liaison with the police because of it, and desperate desire for competent co-workers.

Oh, and he's already lived a previous life, in a world where quirks and heroes didn't even exist.

Not a big deal, though. It's not like you ever see the janitor playing a big part in action movies. He's here to get paid, and that's it.

On the opposite side of the equation, class 1-A has to wonder at the new UA cryptid that always seems to show up when things are on fire, and who keeps trying to convince them to let the adults handle the fire extinguisher.

knb

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by Vroomian

You don't care about sports, and you didn't ask for this nonsense.

so miracles happen after all. by リリス - riris (arurun)

Paralyzed from the neck down, a former basketball star wished only for one thing.

And like a miracle, he wakes up in a new world, in a new body-- and there's only one thing he wants to do now, so he starts running.

"Wait, is this that basketball anime?"

Ball Is Life, But You Still Need To Pay Rent by vermillion_crown 

Here's the thing. Taiga has a little breakdown (politely, in the cabin restroom at 3:37 AM PST while the other passengers are dead asleep) and gets over it in the span of the eleven hour flight into Tokyo. The leftover memories in his head really help with perspective, let's just say.

He likes basketball. Loves it, even. Sure, maybe another team sport might do the trick in a pinch, but his body and reflexes are optimized for basketball. It'd be a waste of time to change tracks

Ball is life, but you still need to pay rent. Okay, well officially, his dad's paying the rent. But the sentiment still stands, right? There are other things to worry about.

Who the hell peaks in high school?

(SI/OC as Kagami Taiga, who just wants to ball—all the chūnibyō shit be damned.)

mdzs

by foot it's a slow climb by Vroomian

(graphic depictions of violence) (major character death)

So. Let's get this straight - I didn't set out to derail any plot. My plan was to lay low and stay away from canon. It's just...

My plans tend to fail.

Spectacularly.

i told you when i came i was a stranger by Caramelized

(mature)

A modern OC arrives in Yiling before the start of the Sunshot Campaign. She has no friends, no money, and no cultivation. She knows what's coming, but what could she possibly do about it? *** “Well…” I looked down at my fingernails and tried not to squirm. “If there were a way to separate Wei Wuxian from Madam Yu without ruining his relationship with his siblings, I’d encourage it. Like, as an example, marriage.”

Xichen blinked. “To you?”

“No. Absolutely not. What even—?” The thought was so abhorrent I couldn’t hold it in my head. My brain spat it right back out. “To your brother.”

Xichen blinked. Again. “To Wangji?”

“Obviously?”

“This is a concern of yours?”

“I realize it’s not my business at all,” I admitted. “But you asked.”

naruto

Doing the Work by MarbleGlove

There’s more to peace than the absence of war. The work is as hard and uncertain as any Shinobi mission.

AKA: A highly self-indulgent fic in which a civilian woman helps an orphaned Sasuke and winds up saving the world.

Making Lemonade by Meeceisme

(mature) (graphic depictions of violence)

Waking up after dying to a whole new life in a brand new body is a little outside his frame of reference. But he'll do his best to make the best of this weird as hell situation. Worse comes to worst he'll grab all his favourite people and run the hell away from this mad place.

Featuring: Konoha's atrocious orphanage system, cynical child soldiers and Kakashi's guilt complex.

wataru, wataru by unolvrs

(mature)

“Kirigakure didn’t need help. They needed salvation.”

No one knows anything about the Mizukage. Only that she’s kind. She likes to smile. She likes seafood like every other Mizu-born. And that there’s something inexplicably wrong with her. There’s something wrong with the Mizukage whom the Kiri-nin call a ‘god’.

—or, Wataru Wataru was never really a powerhouse, in this life or the last, but she’s resourceful. She knows cults, pyramid schemes, and corrupt politicians like the back of her hand, so of course, she becomes the Mizukage and becomes a god along the way.

svsss

exec_ep=diviega/. by MirrorDaltokki, MULmul

(mature) (major character death)

AKA: Female Protagonist Fights the System Because She Doesn't Want to Live on the Lesbian Peak Just Because She Won't Sleep With Luo Binghe and She Can Write This Piece of Trash Novel Better than The Stupid Author

[lesbian-diana-cavendish]

Ok the eve and post the battle of denerim time since I'm in the dlc nowwwww

To set this up, Alister and the warden are told about the final sacrifice, but morrigan doesn't go to the warden, she goes straight to Alister, her relationship with him (and leliana and everyone) isnt as bad as she claims and she just wants to get this done fast, if he really pushed back then shed involve the warden, but in the mean time, the warden seeks out leliana, they've been together long enough that she refuses to hide this, obviously leli is distraught as the warden tries to hold a brave facade

Leliana is so racked with guilt and sorrow bc she might lose her love, but what's worse is she's now desperately praying for the death of either a good man even if a stranger, or someone she's come to view as a dear friend, she feels selfish guilt for it but she won't stop bc she can't lose her, they spend the night together trying to make it nice, not just wallow in sadness (Alister hears her crying, which might even push him to accept morrigans proposal) he doesn't truly believe it will work so he keeps it to himself not to get peoples hopes up

The day of, the warden practically begs leliana to stay at the gates bc she fully intends to make the killing blow and shed rather leliana not see that LMAO, leliana absolutely refuses saying she'll be there to get the warden as far as she can no matter what, but she almost breaks again when they watch Riordan fall bc well, now it's settled she's losing someone she cares for, in my mind the push to the fort involves more than just the four party members but they drop off and stay behind at each section they make it to to help hold the area and leliana stays just at the top of the tower as a choke point to stop more dark spawn from getting in (it kinda looks like her last stand in "in hushed whispers" but she wins lol)

When the whole tower lights up and shakes, and dark spawn start retreating she knows what that means, but she keeps killing, tears now streaming down her face untill arms grab her and, no no no, it's Alister he's alive and there were only two options and this can't- "come on she's ok, she just got injured and morrigan and Irving are treating her, they don't want her moving yet but she keeps trying to get up to find you, right maybe they shouldn't have picked me to get you huh" and she rushes out and her warden is being sat up, and her face is covered in bandages that are already bleeding through a bit and that looks rather painful but she's still trying to smile as much as her injury will let her at the sight of leliana running twords her, tackling into her at the mages protest but she doesn't care bc everything in the world is right again when shes in her arms.

.

.

.

And then they lock themselves in a room together for like 22 hours (can't be too greedy she's an important person now with important things to do) and leliana pouts a little bc she can only smother *one* side of the wardens face in kisses.

After the celebration they (with zevran tagging along) leave the castle and travel for a bit less than a year (starting with going with Sten to Par Vollen)...Until they finally are sent messages from the wardens and the Divine respectively and have to get to work

[carla51two]

Thoughts on the inn residents

oh, that's a really good question. where do i start..

Well for starters.. My Grandpa! He's super nice, and he lets me drink whatever whenever i want! he's also generally just.. super cool.. and a really good guardian. he helps me out a lot, and he's the one i talk to the most out of everyone here.. i love him so much. if he wasn't here to take me in the moment i landed in here i probably would've been dead not even a few seconds after.

I don't see Mr. Jeremiah often, cause he's usually out and about- doing.. the things he does. Gramps tells me a lot about him, though. the lab coat i wear has his name on it, and gramps told me he does all sorts of experiments and other cool stuff. i look up to him a lot. he also has a silly straw collection, that i now pretty much usually borrow from. because of my current.. creme brulee situation.

Bryce is really cool. he saved me that one time when there was a gas leak! i actually would've died if it weren't for him. a real hero, really. i don't talk to him much, but the times when i did he was super sweet and kind!! his cooking is the bomb as always. sometimes when i do dishes i lick up the leftovers on plates. it's just that good.. One day i hope i work up the courage to ask him if i can help him cook; i really wanna show him how to cook filipino cuisine. with whatever we have here, of course..

I don't think I've spoken with Lazarus at all but from what I've seen of him hes usually hanging around with someone else. he seems really cool, though. i'd love to talk with him sometime.

I've only spoken to Weasel Kid a handful of times and those were when he was looking for his vape and when he dug up the bones from the yard during the gas leak. Safe to say he acts like a little brother i never had. an annoying one. don't take that as an insult, though- i've always wanted a sibling. he's super cool, i really like talking to him. rad guy.

Chandrelle is cool. i like watching her fight with people (especially with irving that one time; entertaining as all hell). she has one hell of a fighting spirit, that's for sure. she's really quiet though, and usually on her own from what i've seen. but the off chance that she is with someone else she's pretty talkative. i've talked to her once; she's awesome. i hope she takes up my offer to drink with me soon.

Mr. Rust is the real quiet one, though. He usually sits alone and we all just kind of let him be; he does go out sometimes, though, so that's why i usually don't see him. he seems really nice.. i'd wanna talk to him more but i can't really find conversation topics. oops. i do see them gardening sometimes though. which is like; super fucking cute. i might die.

Dear god. FPP. Where do i even begin with them.. um.. yeah, no, i see them everyday. If it's not at the inn it's on my dashboard. i still haven't forgotten about the posts from yesterday; what the hell happened there, by the way? but they're chill. they're super sassy in actuality, which is like, good for them, you know? i don't talk to them much. i should talk to them more, though. they seem just genuinely fun to be around.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Devil May Care: Part Two

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.1k

Warnings: canon angst and violence

Summary: Castiel is missing after you told him to go to the Bunker after the angels fell. However, that is put on hold when Abaddon calls with two hostages that you now need to save.

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated.

x

You walk onto the bus and kneel next to the first dead guy you see. You notice there is a bullet wound on his chest, and before you think that this is what killed him, you pull back his shirt to get a better look at it.

"Sam, check this out," you say and show him the wound. "This wound is a decade old, easily. Check that body out too."

Sam walks over to the next body and examines it to find the same kind of wound, something that happened to the victim over ten or so years ago. Dean finally walks onto the bus, and you stand to greet him.

"Anything?"

"This guy was shot in the heart but the wound is over a decade old. Every one of these bodies has a fatal wound or three, but they're all old."

"So, we're looking at meatsuits? The bodies took a licking and the demons inside kept them ticking," Dean says.

"Probably. I think they were possessed, and now those soldiers are."

This bus was filled with demons in prisoner meatsuits and soldiers who are missing, and you can only assume the demons took them for a joy ride. The same Sergeant enters the bus with a tablet in her hand.

"Excuse me, agents? We pulled this off a security camera. You might want to take a look."

You take the tablet and watch the video with both Winchesters looking over your shoulders. The bus pulls into the parking lot for ten minutes, and then the soldiers inside step out and begin walking away. The last person to leave is someone you know and recognize, and your blood boils at the sight of her.

Abaddon.

You three finish what you're doing before leaving the bus so you can talk about this privately.

"Abaddon? Seriously?! I thought you Kentucky fried that meat suit," Dean says.

"I did, Dean," Sam sighs.

"You—well, then how'd she get it back? Why's she playing G.I. Joe?"

"No clue. Why don't you ask her when we find her?"

"Oh, I will, and then I'm gonna chop her fucking head off. Again."

"Leaving Abaddon alone in that warehouse wasn't the best idea, was it? You should have kept her buried," you smile sweetly, and Dean rolls his eyes in annoyance.

You're not going to get answers from here, so you decide to head back to the Bunker and come up with a game plan there. It's in the middle of the night and you're about halfway home when Kevin calls. He's panicking, and when he panics, nothing is ever good.

"Wait, Abaddon has what?" Sam says over the phone. He pulls back and places Kevin on speakerphone so you can all hear what he has to say. Kevin starts rambling in a panic, but Sam is quick to shut that down. "Kevin, you need to calm down. Tell us what happened."

"This lady called me. She gave me coordinates and two names. 44.053051 by -123.127860, and Irv Franklin and Tracy Bell."

"Abandon must have them," you whisper.

"Irv's a friend, but I don't know Tracy," Dean says.

"Alright, the lady said they were hunters, and that if you didn't go save them, that she would kill them. Who is this lady?"

"She's the bad guy, Kevin," you say. "Forget the angel tablet right now. We need you to look up everything you can on the Knights of Hell."

"Knights of Hell? Okay," Kevin sighs after a beat.

"If you find a way to kill one, and I mean permanently, call us," Dean says.

"Hey, how are the kids?" you ask before Sam can hang up on him.

"They're doing fine. They're playing in front of me where I can see them. Say hi," he says to them.

"Hi Mommy," Joanna says.

Knowing that they are fine, Sam hangs up the phone. New mission: Find Abaddon and hope not to get killed in the process. Sam works his magic on the laptop and pulls up the coordinates Kevin gave.

"The numbers point to a spot on the outskirts of Eugene, Oregon. You know this is a trap, right?"

"Yup."

"We're just going to walk right into it?"

"With guns blazing. Are you with us?"

"Always."

It takes an extra half-day to get there, so when you finally arrive, it's the middle of the day. This place really is an abandoned town. All the buildings are broken down with graffiti on virtually every surface. There are no signs of life anywhere, but Sam being Sam looked up the history of the town before you arrived.

"What the hell happened here?" you ask.

"A local chemical plant sprung a leak years ago. They evacuated three square blocks. I guess it's still contaminated."

"Wait, so this whole place is poisonous?" Dean asks.

"Yeah."

Dean instinctively covers his cock, and you laugh at this.

"Oh sweetheart, that's not going to help," you giggle and kiss his cheek. "Look, guys, if you see Abaddon, let me handle her. I'll try and hold her back while you shoot the ever-living shit out of her. Okay?"

"You got it," Sam and Dean agree.

While the coordinates are located in this town, the true location of Irv and Tracy is in the local diner that looks unsafe to even be in. You break open the lock on the door with your magic before pushing the door open cautiously.

Irv and Tracy are tied and gagged in the middle of the room with their backs to each other. Sam and Dean rush over to help them, but you stay by the door.

"Irv? Are you okay? Where's Abaddon?" Dean says when he removes his gag.

"Abaddon's been torturing hunters. She's trying to get intel on you three."

"Do you know why?" you ask and look out the lightly boarded-up window.

"I seriously doubt she wants to add you to her Christmas card list. Now, do you wanna make with the rescue or what?" Irv asks about his and Tracy's ties.

"Right after you take a shot of holy water."

Since some demons have mastered hiding from you, you can't be sure that Irv and Tracy aren't demons themselves. The best way to test this is with holy water, and both hunters take a sip to prove they are themselves.

"Happy?" Tracy snaps.

"You know the drill," Dean shrugs.

"Don't worry about it. The last thing you need is us popping black eyes," Irv sighs.

Dean takes care of Irv while Sam unties Tracy from her restraints.

"You're Tracy, right? I'm Sam Winchester," he tries to be friendly to her.

"Good for you," she snaps and moves away from him as fast as possible.

"She's new," Irv whispers. "We did a shifter job in Sacramento together. She's smart, but has a mouth on her."

"Let's gear up."

Dean and Sam work with Tracy and Irv to gather as many supplies and weapons as they can for the demons you know are coming. You're still by the window, and you haven't taken your eyes off the ground outside. If they are going to come, then the first place you think they'd look would be the place they locked Irv and Tracy up.

"Aren't you going to get ready with us?" Tracy asks.

"Honey, I am the weapon."

You demonstrate by throwing a ball of magic into the furthest wall. The plaster crumbles to the ground and there is a small dent, but Irv and Tracy understand what you can do.

"Alright, we got Jesus juice, guns are loaded with Devil's Trapped bullets, angel blades, and our own personal warhead. Anything else?"

You look out the window again, and this time, you see two demons in soldier meatsuits carrying rifles.

"Shit, they're coming and they've got assault rifles."

"So, what's the play here?" Irv asks.

Dean comes up with the brilliant plan to record his voice on his phone to lure the demons in here so that gives you time to escape and come up with a better plan. Once he does that, you five leave the diner through the back before the demons can come inside.

"We gotta kill the SEAL douche team in there, so Irv, you, and I will go left, and Sam, you, Y/N, and Tracy go right."

"Okay, let's move," Sam says, but Tracy has other plans

He lays a hand on her shoulder, but she jerks back aggressively and glares at him.

"Don't fucking touch me."

"Whoa, what's the problem?" you ask.

"My family's dead because of him."

"What?"

"I watched a demon slaughter my parents and the whole time it talked about how it was celebrating some dumbass kid who let Lucifer out of his cage."

Sam's whole face drops at her accusations. He still feels bad for what happened nearly four years ago.

"Okay, new plan. Tracy and I will go this way, and you, Sam, and Irv go the other way," you suggest. "Are you okay with that?"

"As long as it's not with him," Tracy shrugs.

You and Tracy leave the men's side, and you wait until they are out of earshot before you talk to her. The men will deal with the demons inside the diner while you're on Abaddon duty.

"Listen, Sam's not the only person who thought what he was doing was right. It went to shit. He made a mistake. That's part of being--"

"A hunter?" Tracy scoffs.

"Human." You let your words sink into her brain before continuing. "Look, if you want to be pissed at Sam, then be my guest. If you want to avenge your parents' death, then you have to go after the ones with black eyes. You have to know who the real monsters are in this world, kid."

You round a corner and come face to face with Abaddon. She rears her fist back and punches you to the ground, and you crumble in a cry of pain. Tracy takes out her gun and fires at her three times, and Abaddon stands there and takes it with a sinister smile.

"Nice try," she chuckles. She lifts her shirt up to reveal a bulletproof vest. "Kevlar beats magic bullets. I love the future."

You spit out some blood from your mouth and grin with bloody teeth. You blast Abaddon back with your magic, putting a few dozen feet between you and Tracy, and her. You put up a forcefield to keep her at bay while you stand up.

"Go get Dean."

"What? No, what about you?"

"Trust me, I can handle my own. Go get Dean!"

Tracy runs away from you, and when she is at a safe distance, you let down your forcefield so you can face Abaddon head-on.

"Finally, alone at last," she grins.

You blast her again, but she quickly dodges that as she runs at you. She throws her hand in front of her, and you're forced to your knees in front of her. You raise your hand to blast her, but she grabs your arm and snaps it in two.

Instead of the reaction she was hoping for, you just laugh in her face. Without blinking, you snap your arm back into place with a sicking crack.

"You're going to have to try a lot harder than that," you glare.

She uses her powers to pin your other arm behind you so that you're completely in a lock. You can easily get out of this, but if you keep distracting her, then she won't go after your family. Sam and Dean can handle the demons, but not Abaddon.

"I really appreciate the three of you coming when I call. I think that's what I like most about you Winchesters. You're so obedient and suicidally stupid. I like that, too," she grins.

"What the hell do you want?"

"I want Crowley, or what's left of him. I can't imagine you've been treating him with five-star quality."

"What's in it for me?" you chuckle.

She yanks on your arm, and you groan in pain from the strain she's putting on your body.

"I let you die. You give me Crowley's head, and I will snap your neck, quick and clean. You won't feel a thing, trust me."

"Yeah? What if I tell you to bite me?" you grin.

"I've thought a lot about possessing your delicious husband. He's got a body to die for, but you? I'm sure you got a 'no demons allowed' tattoo somewhere on your body. I'll peel it off your skin and blow smoke up your ass. It'll feel so good to possess a witch."

"You truly don't want to see the horrors waiting for you inside my head if you do. I'm the Sapphire Witch. I'll make you regret possessing me, and I'll keep you locked in my head without a second thought."

"Ooh, keep talking dirty," she chuckles. "Once I'm on top, I'll make you watch. Have you ever felt an infant's blood drip down your chin? Or listened to a girl scream as you rip her guts out? Have you ever heard your husband plead for you as you skin him alive? I bet your children taste amazing."

All thought flies out the window as soon as she mentions your kids. Dean can handle his own, your kids can't.

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[illusivesoul]

Hello, hello! I have a prompt for you! Since I know you like rarepairs, how about Leliana/Wynne and "quiet hallways"?

Hi, friend. Took me a bit but I finally finished it. Thank you for the lovely prompt. Always happy to write about one of my fav rarepairs :)

I went a bit overboard so the whole thing goes pass the word limit tumblr has for asks, so the complete story is here on AO3.

.

It was a busy day at the Grand Cathedral. Truth be told, the days when there weren't crowds coming in and out of the building made by Emperor Drakon upon the founding of the orlesian empire were rare and far between. Some came for bureaucratic manners, some came to pray, some came to curry favours with the Chantry, and others came to find peace. The large building still served its purpose as a center of the faith when it wasn't being a pillar of the orlesian Game. It also meant that Leliana could not let her guard down. She stepped around the room, memorizing the list of those who were scheduled to meet the Divine today. Everyone had been vetted, her agents were being her eyes, ears and hands throughout the building as usual, a couple of nobles with questionable loyalties had already been marked to get a close security escort once they arrived, to dissuade them of any possible bright ideas they might get. “A pleasant visit” Leliana said to herself as her eyes drifted to a particular name on the list, the last ones appointed to see Justinia that day, and by her calculations, they would be arriving shortly. 3 short knocks on the wooden door moments after proved her right. "The mages from Ferelden's Circle are here, sister Leliana" the messenger said, his words still marked by the rush in which he had arrived. "Thank you, Kelaros" Leliana answered "Please inform the Knight Commander that I'll greet him shortly" The elven messenger nodded and quickly stepped back out of the room. Leliana stood from her chair and looked in the mirror, straightening out the folds in her white and red robe, and putting on a small amount of perfume that she applied on the back of her neck, smiling into the mirrour as she did.

"Leliana" "Cassandra" the redhead replied, a hint of a smile set on her face as she saw the Seeker towering over several nobles as she escorted them from the chamber where the Divine was, the nobles hurrying their steps to put as much distance as possible between them and the warriour. Shortly after, a familiar sight from her time in Ferelden greeted Leliana. "Knight Commander Greagoir. It is good to see you once more" "You too, Sister Leliana. I had heard that you had started working directly for the Divine" the man replied. His hair had gotten even grayer, and the dark bags under his eyes made it evident that the lyrium was taking its remorseless toll on him "Glad to see both our fortunes have improved since those dark days at the Circle during the Blight" "Indeed. I hope your travel here was uneventful" "It was, and I certainly hope it's the last time I come here. I'm no longer at an age to spend so much time on the road. And the damn road from Jader seems to get worse every year" "Let's not take more of your time than it's needed then. Please" Leliana answered as she motioned towards the large open door that led to the large chamber where the Sunburst Throne and Divine Justininia awaited. Gregoir nodded and moved forward. "Sister Leliana, it is good to see you" "You too, First Enchanter Irving" Leliana said as they both respectfully made a half bow to each other. As the enchanter passed her by, only years of bard training at finessing and hiding her emotions helped her contain the warmth that bubbled within her as she saw who arrived next. "Enchanter Wynne. A pleasure to see you" Leliana said as she grabbed the mage's hand, placing a soft kiss on top of it. "You too, my dear. It's been some time. I have missed you… your stories, I mean. You were always such a great storyteller" Wynne answered, giving a few quick nervous glances around them. Leliana knew it wasn't out of shame, but out of fear of what insidious eyes or ears in these halls could do if they learned too much. The Game was played in the Grand Cathedral just as much as it was in any noble party. "I have greatly missed you too. I hope your travel here was a pleasant one" "Yes, crossing the Frostbacks and moving on horseback from Jader all the way to Val Royeaux it's always such a pleasant experience. My back is already thanking me for providing it with such a good time" The sarcasm in Wynne's voice drew a giggle from Leliana that made the older mage smiled warmly in return "We'll have to make sure that your time here compensates the difficulties of your travel" "I know, Greagoir. I am coming" the mage said, making the templar's words die in his mouth just as he was about to utter them, making him turn around and walk back into the chamber with a frustrated sigh. Leliana gave Wynne a quick blink that held promises of more as she motioned Wynne to walk ahead, the sister following closely behind. "You smell nice" Wynne said, smiling. "Thank you. A mage acquaintance of mine really likes this parfume" They both smiled as the doors to the chamber closed.

"Thank you for your time, Most Holy" Irving said, his coarse voice struggling to make itself heard "I am sure the Knight Commander will take your recommendations to heart" The mage turned and smiled as he looked at Gregoir, who returned the smile and spoke with all the finesse of someone who has never been trained or had any need to hide precisely what he was feeling "Yes, First Enchanter. The Divine's recommendations are very appreciated" the templar said, his metal gauntlets creaking as he tightened his fists. "I am glad we were able to address your concerns. The delegations from the Circles of Nevarra and Rivain will arrive tomorrow and we can continue addressing the topic in more depth. Leliana, can you please show our Fereldan guests to their accommodations?" "Of course, Most Holy" "Thank you for your time, Most Holy" the templar and the 2 mages said after a respectful bow and began stepping out of the room.  As Leliana was about to follow, Justinia quietly called out to her, making the woman step beside her as Justinia whispered into her ear. "I've closed the third hall of the First Tower for renovations. You told me your friend Wynne may enjoy the view from there, yes?" Justinia gave Leliana a knowing smile, and Leliana returned it "Thank you, Justinia"

[ourpickwickclub]

Do you think that Irving might have told Gwen that a reunion show like Coachella would be necessary for ND to get a Hall of Fame induction and it is sort of means to an end if that was a goal she was trying to achieve?

I honestly don’t think Gwen has ever been motivated by that stuff. Money or accolades. I think Gwen was made aware that the guy really needed money. To me, that would fit her personality much more. I am only basing that off that string of asks we have gotten over the years talking about the downsizing they have down. Sports cars to modest cars, etc. which could also just be getting older and more practical. I could be totally off base. To me, it just fits better. Guilt has always worked with Gwen much more effectively than feathers in her cap, or waving money at her. She also may have wanted the kids to see ND play once while old enough to remember.

- B

[therecordchanger62279]

Twilight On Union Square

(Short Fiction)

     The company I work for, The New York Central Railroad had moved its offices to a building on East 14th near Irving Place. It was a cost-cutting move. Business had been off since the depression hit, but the move was convenient for me because I had a room in a boarding house two blocks over and it gave me a chance to walk Union Square to work. My parents use to take me to Union Square when I was a kid. There were all sorts of shops there. Street vendors sold newspapers. I remember a candy store, and a little shop where my father took his work shoes to be repaired. There was a dry cleaner, and a small grocery store my mother insisted had the best fruit. I hadn’t been on the street in ages because I rode the trolley to the office when it was in the other direction. I was anxious to see if any of the shops I remembered were still there.

     It was the second week in December, but it was unseasonably warm when I returned to Union Square on my way to work that Monday morning. I hadn’t gone a block when I heard a voice say, “Pots and pans. Kitchen utensils. Everything for the lady of the house who likes to cook. Pots and pans, right here.” I recognized the voice and I turned to see a makeshift storefront with an old woman there I’d not seen in years. Her name was Violet Detmer –“Vi” is what everybody called her. My mother use to buy potholders and kitchen towels and silverware from her when we’d come to town to shop. It had completely slipped my mind until I heard that croak of a voice.

     “Vi? Vi Detmer? I can’t believe it. I can’t believe you’re still here,” I said to her.

     “Do I know you, son?”

     “Oh, I don’t know that you’d remember me. I was just a boy when my parents use to bring me to Union Square to shop. My mother was one of your regulars.”

     “Is ‘sat so? What’s her name?”

     “Estelle –“

     “Estelle Jessup?”

     “Yes! How did you know?”

     “I may be old, but I remember my good customers and your mom was one of the best. You’d be her little boy, then. Not so little now. Peter is it?”

     “It’s Paul.”

     “Peter. Paul. I knew it was biblical. How is your mother?”

     “Oh, she passed away two years ago.”

     “I’m sorry to hear that. I was wonderin’ why she stopped comin’ around. Figured maybe the family left town to look for work. This depression ain’t been real good for business. Lotta my regulars don’t come around so much anymore.”

     “Yeah the street is kind of quiet. Is it always like this on Mondays?”

     “It’s like this most everyday now. Don’t matter, though. The mayor’s shuttin’ us down for the holidays. That’s what all these boxes is for. I’m packin’ up.”

     “Are you closing?”

     “Nah. Just a short holiday, you might say. This new mayor has got it in his head that he needs to sell the city to tourists and he don’t think it looks good to have street vendors down along here over the holidays when the big money comes to town to take in a show, or eat in them fancy restaurants. So he got the city council to pass an ord’nance to get us off the street till after New Year’s.”

     “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

     “Don’t be. I could use a vacation. Ain’t had a proper one since my Benny left.”

     “Benny?”

     “My husband Benny. He hitched a ride four years ago on the Nickel Line to Chicago. He heard about a job there. He ain’t come back. Runnin’ this place by myself ain’t left me much vacation time.”

     “Have you heard from him?”

     “Well we didn’t exactly part on good terms. We had a big blowout when he said he wanted to leave town to look for work. I told him we’d get by with this place, but he said it wasn’t enough. One thing led to another, and – well, Benny is real sensitive and I said some things I shouldn’t of said. But he’ll be back. I know he will.”

     “I’m sure he-“

     “I’m expectin’ him on the 4:30 train tomorrow, as a matter of fact.”

     “But if you haven’t heard from him…?”

     “He won’t stay away forever. He just needed to be by hisself for a while and get straight in his head what he wanted to do. He’ll be back. I went down to the train station last year on the 13th ‘cause I thought he’d be back. That’s our anniversary. But he didn’t show. But this year he’ll be there. I know he will. And if he don’t make it then, he’ll be back by Christmas Eve. He wouldn’t want me spendin’ Christmas Eve alone again. He’ll be back.”

     “I’m sure he will.”

     “You married, son?”

     “Not yet. I’ve got a steady girl though. In fact her birthday is coming up next week and I wanted to do something special for her.”

     “There’s still a couple of nice restaurants near here. And there’s a new Loretta Young picture at the Acme. ‘Ramona’, it’s called. I love Loretta Young.”

     “That’s an idea. I was thinking about maybe taking her to see a big band. I heard Cab Calloway is at the Cotton Club.”

     “Is that open again? I thought they closed it down after the riots a few months ago?”

     “They did, but it’s open again. I just thought she might enjoy it. She loves to go dancing.”

     “Can she cook?”

     “She’s getting better at it. She needs some practice, but she seems to enjoy it. She lives with her parents, but I get invited over for dinner, and she does the cooking. Of course her mother helps out.”

     “Well you could maybe get her something for her kitchen – when you two get married, I mean. One less thing I’d have to pack.”

     “You know that’s not a bad idea. Do you have some nice potholders – maybe something with flowers on them?”

     “Honey, I got everything. Hang on a second, and let me look.”

     She went around the back for a couple of minutes and I heard a lot of clanging and banging, and the sound of boxes being shuffled around. She was back a few minutes later.

     “Here you go. Roses. What girl doesn’t like roses?”

     “How much?”

     “Ten cents apiece or two for 15.”

     “Sounds like a bargain.”

     I reached in my pocket and handed her two bits and told her to keep the change.

     “Well I guess I’d better hurry along. Don’t want to be late for work.”

     “Where do you work, son?”

     “I work at the New York Central Railroad office. We just moved to 14th.”

     “Well my Benny always takes the Nickel Line. That’s where I’ll be tomorrow when he gets in. I hope it’s on time.”

     “You can always call them and ask.”

     “I’ll do that. Busy day tomorrow. My landlord is supposed to stop by and fix my leaky faucet. Damn thing keeps me up nights it’s so loud. I never use to notice it before when Benny was home. He snored so loud you couldn’t hear the train comin’ let alone a faucet drippin’. Never thought I’d miss that…”

     Her voice trailed off and I thanked her and said my goodbyes and headed to work.

__________

     When I reached the office, I started thinking about Vi and Benny and I decided to phone the Nickel Line to see if they had a passenger list for the 4:30 tomorrow.

     “Nickel Line Railroad,” said the voice on the phone.

     “I wonder if you could give me some information?”

     “Sure thing. What do you need to know?”

     “You have a train coming in tomorrow at 4:30?”

     “That’s right.”

     “I was wondering if you could check your passenger list for a Benny Detmer?”

     “Passenger list? There’s no passenger list. The 4:30 is a freight, not a passenger.”

     “Are you sure there isn’t some mistake?”

     “No mistake, buddy. It’s a freight.”

     “Ok. I’m sorry to have bothered you. Thanks for your help.”

__________

     I decided to have lunch at Marinelli’s just a block from the office. On my way back to the office after lunch I had some time to kill so I stopped to get a shine. I was making small talk with a man sitting next to me waiting his turn, and I told him about my visit back to Union Square.

     “Yeah, that place has gone to hell. It won’t be around much longer.”

     “What do you mean,” I asked him?

     “I heard the city sold the entire block to some big developer that plans to raise the whole block and rebuild it from scratch. They want to modernize it.”

     “Well, what will happen to all the shops and businesses there?”

     “Who knows? I suppose most of them will go out of business. They’ll probably look for new tenants once they get everything built.”

     “That’s a shame.”

     “Yeah, it sure is. But the place is beginning to look run down. You know the mayor is on a crusade to modernize the city. He wants to bring in more tourist business. You got an interest down there or something?”

     “Oh there’s just a shop down there that sells pots & pans, and –“

     “You mean Vi’s place?”

     “Yeah. Do you know Vi?”

     “Sure. Everybody around here knows Vi. She’s been on that block for years. I don’t know how she’ll get along without that shop.”

     “I talked to her today. She said she’s expecting her husband Benny on the train tomorrow.”

     “That’s not going to happen.”

     “How do you know?”

     “I know. Benny use to work at the bicycle shop on 21st? You know the place?”

     “No. Never been there.”

     “Well when they went under after the crash, Benny lost his job. He started drinking, and he took to disappearing from time to time. Vi got use to him coming and going, and – “

     “Where did he go?”

     “Oh he’d get an itch and some booze in him and go down to the Nickel Line and hitch a freight. Sometimes he’d be gone a few weeks before he’d turn up again. Vi always took him back. Four years ago he decided to leave for Chicago because he heard they had work there at the stockyards. I heard he did work there for awhile, but his drinking got worse and he started missing shifts and they fired him.”

     “Where’d he go after that?”

     “Oh he came back here. He rode the Nickel back into town one night, and a security guard at the Nickel caught him getting off the train. There was a scuffle and Benny fell and cracked his skull on a piece of track. He didn’t have any identification on him so they got him to the hospital, and then took him to jail. One of his cellmates turned out to be a guy Benny knew from his years at the bicycle shop. Well, Benny didn’t survive the night. He had a bleed from the wound and the next morning they found him on his cot dead. The guy in the cell identified him to the police, but this guy knew Benny before he married Vi, so when they asked him about next of kin, the guy told them as far as he knew he didn’t have any.”

     “So how do you know what happened?”

     “I work for the newspaper. I write the obit columns, and I talk to the precinct captain whenever there’s a death notification, and they gave me Benny’s name.”

     “Didn’t you tell Vi?”

     “The obit was in the paper, and I figured there were plenty of people who knew her that saw it and she’d get the word. And I was right. The guy that has the candy store next to her place saw the notice and told her about it.”

     “What did she say?”

     “She didn’t believe it. And they couldn’t show her the body because they’d had it cremated because they couldn’t locate any family. So Vi just went about her business as if Benny would turn up again one day. Every year since she goes down to the Nickel Line in December to look for Benny. But he’s gone and he’s not coming back.”

__________

     On my walk home that evening after my shift ended, I walked down Union Square. The lights were off at Vi’s place and the door was padlocked. I went back to the boarding house and changed clothes. I’d decided to take my girlfriend to dinner and then to the Loretta Young picture at the Acme. On the walk there, I started telling her all about Benny and Vi. By the time I finished, we were at the ticket window.

     “That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. What’ll that poor woman do now, “ she asked?

     “I imagine she’ll just keep doing what she’s been doing. She’ll just keep believing Benny will come back to her one day.”

     I turned to the ticket taker. “Two, please?”

THE END

© 2023

[galacticwildfire]

Fire Meet Gasoline | Poe Dameron

Five

Poe Dameron x Solo Original Character

Hope Solo’s haunted by the night the temple burned. Having gone rogue she hunts the First Order in search of answers until a fateful encounter with Poe Dameron brings her back to the Resistance and Leia puts her daughter under his command to find Luke Skywalker.

Word count: 8.8k

Tags/warnings: poe pov, threepio trying to parent, leia going for round two, poe sitting back and realising what he's getting himself into, snap being a wingman for both of them with non homicidal big brother vibes, mentions of setting people on fire, oc is delusional with anger issues, mild brat taming, mentions of lightsaber wounds and blood, a little flirting towards the end, the beginning of the on/off between them.

All my stories are written for adults with adult themes, I use appropriate tags but read at your discretion.

A/N: so i've got about five chapters of the prequel up on ao3, it isn't a romantic or ship story so it won't get any attention here but if you're interested I have it linked on my masterlist.

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Hope

It's late when I find myself still walking around base looking for R2. For a droid who refuses to let me out of his sight he's quite happy to disappear now, maybe we've been a little at odds due to my career choices these past months, so I know this is a form of payback. Droids are programmed for loyalty but I dare say Luke altered some of that programming when he made R2 my official guardian on Naboo, to pull me into line and report back instead of blindly facilitating my poor choices.

If R2 is one thing, he is a droid who does not forgive or forget, and as it turns out he remembers Hondo Ohnaka and Boba Fett quite well and has quite explicitly told me off time and time again for working for them with very colourful language. I'm still convinced Luke altered his programming and I'd try to rewire it but it just feels wrong to do that to R2. To me he's more of a sentient being than most lifeforms and I'm not going to pick his wires apart just so he's easier to get on with.

He is my best friend after all.

I want to take off, to go somewhere to clear my head. Like Snap said, leaving and not coming back might be a bit excessive, but I need more time to wrap my head around the fact I'm no longer a captain and am likely going to be on permanent probation. Maybe I'll check in with my contacts to see if they've got any leads on the Irving Boys and where the Falcon could be, give it one last shot before facing the music, but I hate going anywhere without R2, and that's where Korrie finds me, in the hanger still looking for him.

"You're back," she says, not quite pleased but not as panicked as Brance. Although I can't truly blame her, she was one of the few who'd tried to help me and I'd shut her out. One of the only friends I had on Hosnian Prime as a teenager since she'd interned for Mom, just another one I cut out without any real reason to other than the fact I can't stand seeing someone look at me with pity, or something worse.

"Yeah," I say, managing a smile. "I um- I took a sabbatical."

"Sure," she says but she's too close to my Mom to believe that, everyone above a certain level of command knows just why I left even if it seems the rest of base believes I just conveniently went back to university. "The General is asking to see you in her office."

"Again?" I ask and she nods as I try to find a way out of it. "Tell her-"

"Tell her yourself," she says curtly and leaves me there before I can argue.

I purposefully take the long way to her office and this time Threepio is waiting for me by the door.

"Miss Hope, I am glad to see you."

"You too Threepio," I assure him but he stops me before I can go in.

"Now please, do mind your manners this time," he lectures. "I'd overheard your previous conversation and I am quite disappointed in you."

I look at the protocol droid in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes, and I do not appreciate your sarcasm," he says pointedly as I raise my eyebrows at him. "A little courtesy goes a long way."

He catches my glare before I walk in only to be hit by a wave of betrayal when I open the door to find R2 there with Mom, but it's when I see the commander sitting across from her I become alarmed, wondering if this is about appropriate conduct. Although that should be the least of her worries.

"You asked to see me?"

"I have," she says and I see the recording on her desk of the Cato Nemoidia heist I pulled off and look at R2, realising he went behind my back to tell her just what I've been doing in the Outer Rims and know I should have seen it coming. He'd all but warned me he'd override my ship's controls to bring me home so this isn't a far stretch.

"Traitor."

He tells me it's what I get for ignoring him and Mom agrees. "Care to explain yourself?"

"Haven't we been over this already?"

"Yes but I'm hoping this time you can be rational," she states and I choose deflection.

"Just out of curiosity," I begin, wanting to know just what I'd be admitting to, although still confused as to why the commander's here if I'm being interrogated over my other exploits. "How much did R2 tell you?"

She purses her lips and says "I dare say he's only scraped the surface, but along with Threepio's intelligence let's start with you not just hunting the First Order for sport and acting as a mercenary for hire amongst several other chargeable offences, but pulling off highly illegal heists on planets where they give you the death sentence for it."

"Well you'll be glad to know that's the worst of it," I smile nervously, for some reason looking at the commander for some type of support right now and find him giving a painful nod of reassurance. "Don't worry I made sure I can't be charged for it, loopholes remember?"

"Mmhmm," she hums doubtfully but changes the subject. "Hope, I believe you've made yourself familiar with Commander Dameron."

I manage to keep a straight face, barely even shrugging in acknowledgement. "I'd say acquainted rather than familiar."

"Acquainted," he agrees and I nod along, trying not to look at his face because the first time left me feeling foolish enough and the last thing I want is for Mom to think I have any sort of attraction to him when I should want to hate his guts for thinking he could beat me in an x-wing but unfortunately his face makes that complicated.

And besides, he's the one that was blatantly flirting, not the other way around, but the way Mom raises her eyebrow tells me she might be slightly more in tune with the force than I thought to see through my bullshit, or worse she listened to his flight recording. Oh maker I hope she didn't because then he wouldn't be the only one mortified.

"Acquainted, alright," she says going with it. "Well I plan for the two of you to become familiar."

Oh no, that would make things even more unnecessarily complicated.

"Actually I was just about to leave, come on R2," I say as I get up from my chair and look at R2 but he remains firmly in place. "R2." He doesn't move and I look at Mom. "The hell did you do to my droid?"

"R2 was mine long before yours, and he's always been a very independent and stubborn droid who has no intention of watching a third generation of our family lose their way," she says and I narrow my eyes at him. "And his loyalty inhibitor prioritises your safety and my commands above yours. If you've forgotten R2 was given to you so he could act as your guardian in mine and Luke's absence, not your partner in crime."

The betrayal stings.

"So you'll offer to set someone on fire for me and won't snitch but now you just hand me over?" I challenge and feel the Commander's head turn to me in alarm and Mom leans back in her chair with raised eyebrows and I quickly remember she didn't know about that incident. It had been an innocent enough night out until a group of thugs tried to take me as ransom to get money off of Dad. I might have stopped Ben from killing them but when I spotted them the next day I couldn't resist getting even. More than even.

"When was this?" she asks me and looks at R2 who now remains silent. "Hope Solo-"

"I was sixteen-"

"There isn't a statute of limitations on setting people on fire!"

"Actually there is on Theron and Dad was fine with it," I say and she just stares incredulously. "They were going to kidnap me, and we as a family agreed not to tell you."

"And as a family you mean-"

"Everyone except for you and Luke?" I say and try to laugh it off but her face is very serious. "R2 was my partner in crime, blame him." R2 beeps in offence so I shift the blame. "Dad was the one who told us to lie."

She puts her head in her hands, taking a moment to compose herself before remarking. "At this point it would be easier to try to list the offences you haven't committed than list those you have."

"That is true," I acknowledge. "But technically-"

"Sit back down," she says curtly and I do so without argument, biting my tongue. "I am going to forget what you just told me that for both of our sakes and get on with the reason I had you called in."

I glance at the Commander beside me who's confused as much as alarmed. I find momentary amusement in it before having to very quickly regulate my facial expression and look back at Mom.

"So if this is round two of interrogations why the company?" I ask and can see her shaking her head in regret. "Because I only nearly dragged him into an x-wing race, so technically no offence has been committed. Intention to commit perhaps, but nothing worthy of anything above a lecture."

Out of the corner of my eye I see him nodding to himself in agreement there, seeming slightly relieved but Mom definitely isn't.

"Every day I regret sending you to university and pushing you into a career that teaches you how to argue," she tells me and I'm tempted to remark I learned all about arguing from when her and Dad could still stand to live together but refrain due to the company. "You should count yourself very lucky that despite your ego and sarcasm you've inherited outstanding talents," she continues and I wait for it, but for once the compliment doesn't come with a dressing down. "I have a mission for the two of you."

"The two of us?" I question, knowing I only ever undertake missions alone and she nods but I'm hardly the one with leverage right now. "So the mission is an actual mission and wasn't just a ploy to make me come back?"

"At this point I'm wishing it was," she sighs and looks at the clock and back to me, and I nod in understanding to not be a smartass. "R2 has told me you've been going rogue in unidentifiable vessels to attack the First Order so you have deniability?"

"You already knew that but yes."

"And that you performed several heists and stole artifacts from Cato Nemoidia?"

The commander blinks in surprise beside me and I only feel proud as I correct. "Reclaimed Jedi artifacts, and without a hitch."

"Good," she says to me and now I'm the one blinking in surprise. "I have the perfect mission for you."

I look at the Commander but find he doesn't have much more context than I do and I ask her "Is this a trap?"

She reminds me just where I got my mouth from, and it wasn't my father. "So you can trust Boba Fett but not your own mother?"

I swear I hear the commander actually choke from beside me and R2 cackles as best a droid can. Feeling quite ganged up on I relent. "We could get into that again but I'd rather hear about the mission."

She actually seems pleasantly surprised. "Wise decision."

She places a holoprojector on the table and I see a politician I'm half familiar with, wondering if this is going to be some political mission and feel myself quickly losing interest.

"This is Senator Erudo Ro-Kiintor," Mom tells us. "The senior senator from Hevurion to the Republic."

I raise an unimpressed eyebrow and the Commander seems to share the same sentiment but most pilots aren't exactly fond of politicians.

"If you say so, General," he says and I steal a glance, wondering if I was mistaken in how stupidly attractive I found him, as if it could have been some moment of weakness, only to find I was definitely not mistaken and quickly pull my eyes away before Mom can accuse me of anything, looking very intently at the hologram instead of either of them.

But I get a little more excited when she changes the hologram to one of a ship. "This is the Hevurion Grace, Senator Ro-Kiintor's personal yacht," Mom says and it's what I'd expect, Poe nodding along as he takes it in.

"It's a Pinnacle-class luxury ship, made by Vekker Corp. I've seen Pinnacles once or twice before. They're exclusive ships, everything aboard handmade, or so Vekker advertises," he begins, his knowledge of a random model of ship he's probably never even touched before making me slightly jealous. "Only the very wealthy can afford them. They trade luxury for efficiency, practically hang an invitation off the hull for pirates saying money in here."

"Damn right they do," I smirk to myself and Mom just looks unimpressed at that knowing just who I've been associating with. "I had to make credits somehow."

"If I recall you're a princess," she begins to lecture. "A title that was handed to you with great consideration with the expectation you wouldn't throw your lot in with pirates."

Those words dig deep considering just how seriously I took that honour, another reminder of just how much everything has changed for the worse.

"Only Hondo and besides, he helped the rebellion," I try to reason. "And you married someone who worked for the Hutts but I don't see you glaring at him."

"Oh I would if I could," she assures me and I don't doubt that, but she doesn't stop there. "Because he'd be so proud to see that his daughter ended up taking after him more than anyone else in the family which is why you are sitting here." Something changes in her eyes, they feel more alive as she nods towards the ship. "Can you fly one?"

"Of course I can fly one what sort of question's that?" I ask and she poses the same question to the Commander who runs a hand through his hair.

"It's designed to be flown by a single pilot, though it crews better with two," he says and again I'm wondering how the hell he knows so much about luxury cruisers. "Not counting of course any servants the owner may want aboard."

She has a mischievous glint in her eye and I lean back in my chair, smirking as I realise "You hypocrite. You want me to steal it."

"I want the two of you to steal it," she clarifies and it seems I might not have made a mistake in coming back after all.

I look at the Commander and find him grinning. "Sure. Anything else you'd like while I'm at it? Maybe pick you up one of those new Nebulon-Ks?"

She laughs. "I'm not entirely convinced the Nebulon-Ks have solved their combustion-shielding problems."

The rapport between them has me tilting my head, Mom's never friendly with pilots, hell she's hardly friendly with command. So why the hell's she making jokes with a guy who looks like the type of pilot she'd hate?

But then again, she married my father after all.

Oh maker.

I look away, she wouldn't, but then again she married my father and kissed her own brother so I can't put anything past her. I mean he definitely would, he looks like walking sex and it took him all of a minute to try to talk me into a date, or more likely into bed. Oh for the love of the force this is not what I thought I'd come back to. This could be even worse than the thought of her and Luke.

"Are you quite right there Hope?" Mom asks with a peculiar look.

"Stellar," I say, for once wanting to get to business and refuse to look at either of them. If she wanted to find a new flyboy she could at least look for one that isn't her son's age, he'd have to be in his late twenties, a bit older than Ben but close enough. I'm old enough to know that guys who look like him are only after one thing, maybe temporarily I leaned that way too for a moment when we were in that hanger, but certainly not now. And as for Mom... I just want her to be happy but not like this.

If she wanted a new husband I'd be thrilled, honestly I'd be lying if I hadn't thought her and Lando could possibly give it a go, mostly because it would break Dad's heart like he broke ours, but also because it would mean I'd have some semblance of a stable family.

But this- oh no this is not something I'd approve of. Maker I hope I'm just grasping at straws here.

I notice the commander eyeing me cautiously at my sudden change in demeanour before asking Mom "So what's this about General?"

"We've suspected Senator Ro-Kiintor of colluding with the First Order for years. He's delayed or derailed motions covering everything from sanctions to increased support for the Republic Navy. He's taken numerous unscheduled and impromptu vacations to locations in the buffer region, in the neutral territories." None of this is news to me, it seems as if half the remaining Centrists are secretly First Order agents, but this is news to the Commander. "There've been sightings of the Hevurion Grace in First Order space. Large sums transferred to his accounts through shells and third-party corporations via the CSA. He's not only in with the First Order, but he's in deep. He may have access to the top, to General Hux. Perhaps to Snoke."

I lean forward, suddenly intrigued. "Really?"

She's apprehensive now and stresses "But we haven't been able to prove any of this. No hard evidence, just circumstantial. And we've tried, believe me. Twice in the last year Ematt's sent his agents aboard the Hevurion Grace after one of the senator's trips, trying to access the logs, the navicomputer, to prove where he's been. Each time the files had been purged prior to landing."

"You want us to kidnap a Republic senator?" Poe questions, not entirely opposed, and that might slightly redeem him in my eyes.

"I can do that," I say without hesitation.

She looks between us in alarm and points her finger at me specifically. "No, that's precisely what I don't want you to do. I want the ship, I want those logs, the navicomputer data, all of it, before anyone's had a chance to cover their tracks, you understand? But no loss of life." She shakes her finger at me again in warning and then points it at Poe. "Not even a bruise on the senator or any of the crew aboard if it can be possibly helped and especially no interrogations as it must be completely deniable." She looks back at me upon mentioning interrogations, her voice somehow turning even more serious. "Emphasis on no interrogations which means no force tricks either Hope, no threatening, no persuading, no questioning. Nothing. Do not even attempt to find a loophole in that either. You are not to even interact with anyone on board if you can help it." I raise my hands in my defence, deciding not to open my mouth and she goes on. "Ro-Kiintor is a traitor, I'm sure of it, but until we can prove it he remains a member of the Senate and the Resistance will honour that. We must honour that or we're no better than the First Order."

But I have to shake my head at that, knowing nothing is that simple, and make the mistake of opening my mouth. "If we aren't willing to get our hands dirty how do you expect to take down people who would destroy the entire galaxy without blinking an eye?"

"Considering you've been working for Vader's right hand man I don't want to hear a single word out of your mouth about morality," she says curtly and,clearly I'd underestimated the lasting impact Cloud City had on her. The Commander turns his head towards me but I don't dare look at his expression while Mom calms herself. "I'm going to assume your judgement's been clouded for you to make such a decision and trust it's cleared enough for you to partake in this mission without any complications.

"In all fairness what happened with Boba Fett was Dad's fault," I remind her, she was innocent in what occurred that day, but him not so much, and I want her to understand my reasoning. "He swindled a Hutt and paid the consequence, and besides, it's my understanding Boba Fett helped rescue a Jedi youngling after the war from Moff Gideon. Luke should have been able to tell you that considering he was the one who took the kid. And as for being Vader's right hand man, has it occurred to you that one of the reasons I did work for him was for information, to make sure Vader didn't I don't know.... leave any apprentices that could rise up to lead a new empire?"

Now I have her attention and she gives me the chance to elaborate. "And?"

"He had none," I reveal to her, both of us having operated under the assumption he'd been trained by Vader or Palpatine. "Whatever Snoke is, he wasn't Vader's apprentice and no one knows anything about what he is or where he came from."

I feel the Commander's confusion and Mom explains. "This information is mostly unknown due to a lack of understanding around the matter, but Snoke is a force user like the Emperor was. One of the questions we had been working on answering is what type of force user he is and who trained him."

I expect the Commander to be completely clueless about the force and its lore like most of the galaxy, but he surprises me. "So he's a Sith then like the Emperor was?"

"No, the Sith followed a strict rule of two, a master and an apprentice, although during the Clone Wars they saw that as flexible. It's how they survived all this time until Palpatine, and if he wasn't trained by either then he can't be a Sith. He uses the darkside of the force but doesn't adhere to the Sith doctrine," I explain, still unable to figure it out. "He's something else and I want to find out what."

"Which we can begin to learn through the data on that computer and not interrogating a senator who would have no personal knowledge of anything you want to know," she argues with me, driving in the point she made about my last mission. "Which is why considering your recent experiences of pulling off heists I believed you would be a valuable asset to this mission, but if you are going to prove otherwise-"

"No, you won't have any trouble from me," I quickly say and she nods her head. I came here wanting to prove myself, and I have to put my own bullshit aside for long enough to do that. Especially if it means getting my hands on intelligence. "So, what's the plan?"

Poe's face draws together in concentration as he theorises. "If they're purging the data they're almost certainly doing so within minutes of coming out of hyperspace."

Mom agrees. "That's Ematt's thinking, as well."

"It's a very tight window in which to take the ship," he says, immediately jumping into an action plan. "And it'll have to be done in space, it can't wait until the senator's landed."

I look at him, surprised by his tactical thinking and quick responses. Maybe he was made a commander for something other than a pretty face after all.

"Which is where Hope comes in," Mom says to him. "If she can break into Cato Nemoidia undetected to steal Jedi artifacts I have every confidence she can steal a ship, according to R2 she's become quite experienced in that as well. She has a very specific skill set and whilst I am confident she could pull this off the matter in which she would pull this off is what concerns me. Considering she has no regard for her own personal safety I know she won't refuse this mission, but you can."

I scoff at her talking to him like I don't exist. "I'm right here."

Poe just looks confused. "Why would I refuse?"

"I'm aware of exactly how difficult this mission will be. Which is why I'm giving you the option of saying no, Commander. I have to stress this, Poe." Mom reaches out and squeezes his hand right in front of me and it's all I can do not to gape at them. "This is not an order. It could go very, very wrong, and if it does the Resistance would have to deny any involvement. You and anyone you took with you to do this would be on your own. You'll have Hope there and she has a knack for beating the odds but any reinforcements would be at risk."

I take the opportunity to jump in and finally turn to address the Commander personally, unable to help but feel slightly smug. "I can handle it alone since this isn't exactly your line of work."

But he doesn't back down, only seeming more sure of it as he fires back. "Don't be so sure."

"As Commander Dameron said, it crews better with two," Mom points out and I narrow my eyes at him before turning my head back to her.

"So does the Falcon but I've flown it myself all the same," I remind her and get to the point. "You know I wouldn't have a single issue flying this thing or getting what you need so what's your concern?"

"You. You're my concern."

"So that's it?" I laugh bitterly. "Your new favourite flyboy's my babysitter?"

He scoffs under his breath while she just shakes her head at me.

"Hope, you're twenty could you please attempt to act like it," she scolds and lectures. "If you want to have your rank restored you're going to need to prove yourself and have recommendations."

"I'm a captain-"

"You were a captain, and if you want to be one again you can earn it back," she says and I press my lips together, shaking my head as I struggle to keep my mouth shut with the anger that rises in me. "As of right now you are an agent of the Resistance that has no rank within our navy or army. If you want that to change you will do as told without the sarcasm and follow Commander Dameron's orders as he will be taking the lead on this mission if he will accept it and have you part of it."

I hold her eye but she doesn't back down and I'm the first to cave. He looks at me now in hesitation, my expression very clearly telling just how I feel as I find a spot on the wall to focus on so I don't have to look at either of them, as I brutally beat back whatever hurt tries to overwhelm me, and hear him say "We're um- we're going to need a few things."

"Alright then," she says, the decision being made since she's right in knowing I won't turn down the mission when I have a personal incentive to get that intelligence. "You'll both be transferred to the Echo of Hope to prepare for the mission. Due to the need to have deniability you will not be able to make use of your x-wings but I'm sure the two of you can figure that out and acquire whatever you may need."

"Yes General," we both say automatically, telling myself the information I can get from that ship is more valuable than anything else. If it can lead me to Snoke there's no question about it.

"I've sent the information we have to your datapads for you to review and strategise," she says and she knows by my silence I'm utterly pissed at being degraded like this in front of someone who's been here for five minutes and has more of her trust than I'll ever hold again it seems. I look between them, wanting to believe there's something wrong going on here, something to explain it, some sick favouritism or something more scandalous but no, she wouldn't go that far with someone under her command and finally I see it for what it is.

He's not a substitute husband, no, he's a substitute son.

And somehow that only makes it worse.

It makes it worse because if she'd given Ben a fraction of the care and warmth she's given him in the past five minutes we wouldn't be in this position and so I leave without being dismissed before I can open my mouth and ruin my chances of getting the intelligence I need to find my brother.

If Mom doesn't have any faith in me he will, and I know he's the only person in the galaxy who'll put me above anything else. If I can get him onside then we can damn the Resistance and the First Order to hell and destroy Snoke in our own way without being held back.

I am getting that intelligence if it's the last thing I do.

~

Poe

I don't know what I said or did, but Hope Solo does not like me.

And I can't help but return the feeling.

"It was really that bad huh?" Snap says as we sit in the mess hall well past dinner that night talking.

"I don't know what her problem is but she wouldn't look at me or Leia and then just walked out as we began to prepare for the mission," I vent to him, knowing I can't tell him the details of the assignment but I've got to get the rest off my chest. "Everything was just electric, sparks everywhere, right up until the moment she walked into that office and then it was like she was a completely different person."

"She's temperamental," he acknowledges, not wanting to talk bad about her and neither do I but I just can't understand her.

"It's just the way she spoke to Leia," I continue, her being pissed at an absent father I can get but not that. I couldn't ever imagine speaking to my mom like that if I was lucky enough to still have her around. "It's not just disrespecting your general, but your mom, I just can't come at that."

"Those two fight but look, she isn't as awful as she makes herself out to be," Snap sighs and actually takes her side. "I remember the very first Resistance meeting where she dragged her whiney ass big brother in there and chewed him out for talking bad about Leia. I learned real quick that day that the thing about Solo's is they'll fight like hell with each other but if someone comes for them you'll never see anyone switch up as fast. It's- it's just their way of communicating because trust me, I've seen Leia give it to her as well."

I can't deny that, a couple of things Leia said had me raising my eyebrows, mostly provoked to be fair but still I'd never seen her be so harsh before. From the sound of it a lot of the scolding was justified but still I couldn't help but feel bad for her until she decided to be pissed at me along with Leia for reasons I still can't understand since I only said about one sentence to her.

But not wanting to admit it I shrug him off. "Still."

He leans closer and lowers his voice "Just give her a chance alright, because your first impression of her was the right one. Yeah she's difficult and her and Leia can tear each other to shreds but she isn't the way she is without reason."

"Like what?" I find myself asking, I've seen the holonews, I've heard the rumours, but I don't know how much of what is actually true, and considering I'm going to be depending on her in a life or death situation I need to know who I'm working with.

He debates his words. "You know the General had a son right?"

"Yeah, of course," I say quietly, no one on base has ever dared even mention him until now. I've definitely never ever dared to venture there in all my conversations with Leia, not even when that grief she carries has left me up at night worrying. "He was killed when the temple was destroyed."

"I met him once, the splitting image of Han and Leia. He was a proper Jedi, Hope bounced around but he was fully devoted to it. Everyone says she was Luke's last apprentice but she wasn't, she was her brother's apprentice," Snap tells me and I feel uneasy. "I watched the two of them fighting like nothing else, like brothers and sisters do, but you could see how close they were. She- she was a real different person back then. One minute she's bright eyed and greeting everyone with a smile and then weeks later she ends up in hospital with lightsaber burns."

"Lightsaber burns?" I repeat and his face is grave.

"I know you've heard what people say about the supposed heir of Vader miraculously surviving the destruction of the Jedi Order?" he says, rumours I've tried not to listen to but I can't deny having heard them. "Look, if the General or anyone heard me say this I'd be dead but I was stationed on Hosnian Prime when they brought her in. They took her to the hanger where we were operating out of so the media couldn't get any footage since they'd been hounding her and Leia. I saw Han when he walked out of the Falcon, I've known that man since I was sixteen years old but I'd never seen him like that. Whatever happened that night... she nearly died, they said she was hospitalised for smoke inhalation but I got a glimpse of her when the Falcon landed in the hanger and they called in emergency services."

He pauses, knowing he shouldn't be saying anything but shakes his head and goes on.

"The side of her head was covered in dried blood and she was covered in that much ash she looked like the temple had been dropped on her, but it was the lightsaber burns they made sure the media never got wind of," he says quietly, a pained expression on his face. "One along her leg and the other on her arm, I'd thought she was dead when Chewbacca carried her out of there. Whatever happened that night wasn't an accident, but despite what people like to guess she wasn't the one who burned the temple down, she was just the one who was left for dead."

I'm at a complete loss for words now. "I-"

"She was seventeen when it happened," he says and I lower my eyes. "Han left a few months later. Leia coped by throwing herself into building this, Hope coped by taking out that grief on the First Order. Leia's done all this before so she knows it's important to build up our fleet before even thinking about engaging, but Hope wants action and immediate results. Those two weren't always at each other's throats, just look at the holonews if you want to see how protective she is of Leia."

I remember pieces from the initial media coverage, and know if L'ulo was on base he'd remind me of the fights I'd have with my dad because we were both grieving and had different ways of coping with it.

"Alright," I say, still struggling for words. "I'll um- I'll figure it out."

I go to leave, to get something started so I can get her input on it but Snap stops me. "Look if you go to see her don't give her any pity or say you feel sorry for her, just pretend like I haven't said anything." I nod in understanding but he goes on. "You want my advice for dealing with Hope Solo, or anyone from that family? To give as good as you get."

"I just saw her fighting with Leia, I don't think it's possible for me to give as good as she does," I remark but he doesn't look so sure.

"Give her the benefit of the doubt and be nice but if she's going to be under your command for whatever this mission is then you better learn to stand up to her otherwise she'll walk all over you," he advises, and considering she actually listens to him I don't argue back. It's not my style as a commander to be an asshole, because if I'm giving it back to her that's what I'm going to end up sounding like, but a good commander has to be adaptable. "She won't respect you unless you give as good as you get."

I take those words literally as I go to see her.

~

Hope

There's a knock at my door that I ignore as I unpack the things I'd packed, not knowing if I'm coming or going but knowing I'll need to bring some things at least with me. Still debating if I should go after that ship myself before anyone even knows where I've gone.

"I don't like this one bit R2," I tell him. "I was a captain, I performed countless missions and now some flyboy who's been here five minutes isn't just Mom's new favourite but he's giving me orders and I do not like this at all and I do not like him."

R2 beeps a smartass remark about that and I realise even if Mom hasn't picked up on my attraction R2 certainly has.

"R2," I warn but the knocking at my door persists and in my annoyance I open it to tell off whoever it is, half expecting a lecture from Threepio, but when I see the Commander my voice is sharper than I anticipated. "What?"

He's mildly alarmed at the sight of me, as if whatever resolve that brought him here quickly slips. "Bad time?"

"Yes," I state plainly and go to press the door switch but he has the guts to reach for my hand to stop me, the sudden touch jarring enough that I actually do stop.

"Look," he begins and stammers over what to call me. "Hope or Princess whatever you want me to call you?"

I pull my hand away, my voice firm. "Solo."

He nods, content with that. "Solo. I know you aren't happy about this-"

"So you can use your head then after all?"

His expression quickly turns to one of exasperation, but he knows it's not unfounded. "I might have gotten a bit carried away."

"Might have?" I question and can't help but snipe "Didn't seem to mind until you realised with who."

He knows I have him there. "In all fairness, you don't exactly give off the impression you'd expect from a princess."

I just scoff at that. "Because I'm not one." He just looks confused at that and I state plainly. "It's another rank she gave me which she remarkably hasn't stripped away like the only one that actually mattered."

He tries to lighten the tension. "Well at least I know now you weren't kidding about insubordination."

"And now you get to be my commander for this mission, enjoy," I say, and see people walking past in the hallway giving strange looks. "So what do you want?"

"Look if you're gonna be mad at me for whatever then fine, nice to meet you too," he says shortly. "But I was going to talk to you about the mission."

I raise an eyebrow. "In my bedroom, in the middle of the night?"

"I- " he clamps his mouth shut before saying "Alright, my bad, but it's urgent."

I just shake my head at him. "How did you even find my room?"

"Mutual friends," he says and know the only one he could mean is Snap. "Look can I come in and talk or we can air this out in the hallway, your choice."

"Fine," I say and throw my hands up as I let him in, becoming slightly less hostile when I realise he's brought his droid with him for support. "What's so urgent?"

The door shuts and I sit down in my chair and kick my legs up on the desk, crossing my arms over my chest as I wait for him to talk.

He takes me in, the tension between us far different to how it was in the hanger, and I realise when the General's not around I'm not the only one with a smartass mouth.

"So it's gonna be like that then?"

"Yep," I say slowly as I hold his eye and he cocks his jaw before nodding to himself.

"You know you actually seemed to like me before that meeting."

"I did, and now I'm taking orders from you so how's that worked out?" I remark, knowing that's certainly a conflict of interest that neither of us are game enough to admit to my Mom. "You've got one minute before I kick you out."

"Alright princess," he says and I narrow my eyes at him as he stands over me, not that he's overly tall. "I don't know what your problem is, but I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and say you're just pissed off right now." I open my mouth but he cuts me off. "The reason this couldn't wait is because before we get transferred I need to give the general an action overview and wanted your input."

He surprises me enough that some of my apprehension eases and I can't help the disbelief that's clear in my voice. "My input?"

"You might be acting like a brat but I've seen enough to know that you're damn good in the field," he says and I blink in surprise as the insult and praise, respecting it enough to listen. "And whatever the hell you've been doing out there means this is your type of job, so." He leans forward over the desk, making it clear he's not going anywhere. "Hhow about you give me some input so we can work out an action plan together so we're on the same page and I can give it to the General with both our names on it."

I look at him in contemplation, holding his eye and still see that challenging glint in it from the hanger and find myself still forcing back a smile. "Alright hotshot, show me what you've got."

Now he's the one that's surprised but goes along with it and we end up cross legged on the floor going over the files we were sent and the schematics of the ship that's projected in holo form from my datapad.

"So, just to be clear," he begins and makes clear. "Absolutely no judgement on my part, but have you stolen a ship like this before?"

"Not the exact model but similar enough," I say, looking at the cross sections to pinpoint weak spots we could break through if we can't reach an entrance easily. "It's a luxury yacht, it's only going to be as difficult to hijack as we make it."

"Which is gonna be difficult regardless," he says and reminds me. "The issue is the time frame we're working with because if they call in reinforcements we're gonna be screwed. I've got some pilots in mind for an armed escort but if possible I'd prefer to not have to bring more people into this knowing the risks."

"Look this senator's a right prick," I tell Poe and he doesn't have any arguments with that. "I've met him and he's a Centrist which says enough but if he calls in reinforcements we need to be prepared for that to be in the form of the Republic or more likely hired security."

"The question is which would be better luck," he says although I'm not particularly worried about either. "Republic means a star system of trouble for the Resistance if we're identified, hired security means a skirmish."

"Look I wouldn't be too worried about getting identified," I tell him. "No one's gonna be shocked to see me committing piracy and I can always say I kidnapped you or something."

He stares at me in disbelief for a moment before asking "That's your plan?"

"It's a plan c for if the Republic shows up," I assure him. "So let's figure out how to avoid that."

"Here's what I've worked out," he says and lays it out for me. "We have to hit the ship the moment it comes out of hyperspace, and temporarily disable it by damaging the engines, get on board and then get the senator and anyone else on the ship into the escape pods and off the vessel."

"So no hostages?" I ask since Mom never clarified that and he considers it for a moment.

"No, no hostages," he confirms and I don't argue as he goes on. "We restart the engines and then get out of there with the ship, and we have to do it within eight minutes."

Now I grow hesitant. "Eight minutes being the Republic's response time?"

He nods in confirmation. "Correct."

I nod slowly and admit "It's a tight window, especially since it relies on how fast those engines and that hyperdrive recharges. I'm good with rigging hyperdrives but there's only so much I could do to make it charge faster in such a short window."

"That- I hadn't thought of that. Rigging the hyperdrive could really save us with the timeframe we have," he says taking my idea into consideration. "Are you familiar with the hyperdrive model?"

"It's class two, so it's right up my alley," I confirm, getting a little excited now. "If I get the right booster cables and bypass some other mechanics on it I should be able to rig it to charge faster but still I can't give an exact time frame as to how long that would be until we're on board and I can run the diagnostics."

He nods but asks "Won't that make it unstable?"

"No more unstable than what I grew up flying," I remark but he takes it on board. "And besides we only need to make one jump, I can keep it intact for that long."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it," he decides and reaffirms. "Eight minutes to get on board and recharge the engines before the Republic comes. It could take them longer but we need to be prepared for them to arrive in the minimum time frame."

I nod along but then wonder "But what if he doesn't call to the Republic for help? If he's carrying the information the General believes he is then he's going to have greater security than just relying on a distress signal to a naval base or even a private security escort." He listens as I tell him "Before you found me in the field I'd had a dozen tie's ambush me out of nowhere just because they'd identified my ship, not even knowing who was flying it. If he is carrying First Order intelligence and is compromised the First Order will try to reinforce but if they know the ship's been hijacked they're going to blow it up and take all of us with it."

He stills now, the thought of the First Order reinforcing before the Republic having not crossed his mind. "Which means this mission is a hell of a lot more dangerous than we gave it credit for."

"But it's not impossible," I say, determined to get whatever is on board. "We just have to be smart about this and have backup plans and improvise if needed.'

He studies me a little more closely now. "I'm going to go out on a whim and say most of your plans involve improvising?"

"Hey, I'm still alive aren't I?" I shrug and see a shadow of a smile on his face in the dim light.

"That's good, I like improvising," he says and now I'm the one trying to resist the same sort of smile. "If you can pull off a heist on Cato Nemoidia I don't doubt that you're more than capable of seeing this through."

I've been that used to having to go above and beyond for anyone to trust me, it's nice to have someone who does it without me having to fight for it. Although that says more about his character than mine.

"If this senator has information about where Snoke is then that is the most invaluable piece of intelligence we could get our hands on," I say and stress as I take in the ship. "It's not properly armoured, just an automatic set of laser cannons that would do nothing to protect it if we're ambushed, so we need to rely on getting out of there before that can happen."

He nods in agreement. "I like your thinking, I think you've accounted for any major variables that could go wrong. This is the one mission we can't fail."

"Trust me, this is personal, I'm not gonna fail it," I promise him, knowing if it comes between following orders and doing what I need to do to get the information I need the choice is clear. "So what are we gonna be flying if not x-wings?"

"That's what I was hoping you could help me with, we're gonna need ships that can't be traced back to the Resistance," he says. "I've got some favours I can call in but I thought you might have some better ones."

"I do, in fact a pirate owes me some credits and I can get the booster cables I need from him as well," I say knowing Hondo will help me out. "How many ships will we need?"

"One for each of us," he says to me. "I was considering bringing two pilots as an escort, they came with me to the Resistance so you wouldn't know them, but they're damn good at what they do."

Except I can sense his hesitation. "But you're worried they'll be collateral if it's the First Order who shows up."

He nods gravely and reveals "Yeah, I lost a man not that far back in the field and I'm not letting that happen again if I can help it."

I don't inquire or push, but I take note of that fact. "Alright then, so just us?" He nods again and I assure him "I can take care of ships no problem, but I suppose my N-1's out of the question?"

He shakes his head with a grin. "Now if you bring that we're definitely going to be in trouble, let's just say you'll be wanting ships we can ditch mid space."

"I can do that," I say, knowing Hondo has enough rust buckets that won't be missed. "Just don't tell the General where I'll be getting them from because she won't like it." I point a finger at R2. "That goes for you as well you little traitor."

"Now I gotta ask, I know you're a great pilot but do you have any formal military training outside of the Resistance?" he asks me and sees the look on my face upon realising he hasn't looked at my file. Although it's a safe bet that it's classified to anyone not in high command. "What?"

"I started in the Naboo Starfighter Corps in 23ABY."

He nods slowly before exclaiming "Wait I thought Leia said you were twenty? That would have made you-"

"Twelve," I smile to myself. "So I can assure you I'm quite well trained."

He just stares incredulously as he tries to understand that. "Wait- how the hell did they let a kid into their starfighter corps?"

"I made the argument that if twelve year olds could be queens then twelve year olds could also be pilots," I say and he can't argue with that assessment, once he gets past the disbelief he seems impressed.

"I gotta say," he begins and surprises me. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in the field Solo."

I study his face along with his force signature, almost hating the fact that despite my best efforts I can't truly find cause to dislike him, yet at least. He's effectively taken my role here in the Resistance and my mom's respect, and yet I only find frustration at the situation rather than with him.

"You've already seen me in the field, I'll be more interested to see if you can back up that ego you've got," I tease but he just gives a charming grin.

"Oh I can promise you, I won't disappoint."

I don't miss the look in his eye, one I'm not quite sure he even realises is there. I can't quite make sense of but it makes me feel things I definitely don't want to feel and while I'm not completely opposed this conversation has already gotten more personal than I'd like and the longer I hold his eye the warmer this room feels and so I quickly stand from the floor to put distance between us. "Well, if that will be all Commander."

A quick look at the clock on the wall tells me it's three a.m., but we've got the mission mapped out as well as possible for now at least. "I'll give this to the General and find you tomorrow to talk logistics."

I nod in approval and realise how well I've done at being able to look at his face without feeling anything, until now at least, but there's a warmth in his eyes I can't help but like. "Tomorrow then."

He nods back and finds his way out, leaving me in a state I can't quite pinpoint but R2 feels the need to tell me that I don't mind him that much after all.

And unfortunately he's right. 

[alyssalenko]

DO NOT GET ME WRONG. I LOVE THIS GAME SO SO MUCH but the the faction stuff has felt a little clunky.

Taash told Bellara that they have an elvhen appraiser so they don't take culturally significant items. But what about the Dwarves? And the Avvar? Even the Qunari? Don't they deserve the same respect? I understand Isabela is head of the Lords of Fortune and she started the coup and war in Kirkwall by stealing the Relic, and is probably trying to stop that from happening again, but also who is to say what is an item of cultural significance? That's like saying a fic is squick free. HOW WOULD YOU KNOW? Even the smallest thing could be window to the past or sentimental/important to someone and there is no way to guarantee that no one is going to be upset by the loss of it.

The Dalish don't even get off scot free here. Every game they made it a point to to say that the elves in the alienages and the slaves weren't "their people" because they didn't know anything about Dalish history and culture and didn't care to help them. I purposefully made my Lord of Fortune Elvhen Rook not have Vallaslin (firstly because it didn't work with her hair and secondly because I chose to be a Lord of Fortune instead of a Veil Jumper) and it is never mentioned. Bellara and Davrin just talk to her like she was raised among the Dalish like them and that the Elvhen Gods are her gods too when they very well might not be because she wasn't raised Dalish. Almost like a Dalish Inquisitor being forced to be the Herald of Andraste when Andraste is not part of the Dalish religion.

Lucanis said eight talons died of embarrassment over the Crows' contract in Fereldan instead of making Zevran cleaning house the reason and forcing the Crows to change their ways. And it would explain why they are the way they are now, but they just like skipped over it. Like hey. The Crows are good guys now, but the how and why (Zevran) was basically written out of Dragon Age's history and now he's some boogeyman they can't and won't talk about.

Yes we have the odd magister who doesn't like slavery like Dorian and Maevaris, but before this game, those were the only stories we heard from literally everyone. Slavery in tevinter. Dorian even has a codex entry about how he saw two different cities and hadn't realized it was so bad because growing up he had the privilege to not have to travel in the slums...but we don't get to see it.

My Lords of Fortune Elvhen Rook was a TEVINTER (once again mention of slavery in Tevinter which proves it was still a pretty recent thing) galley slave and then was freed and taken in by the Lords of Fortune which she mentions in an aside to Taash as we were running through some ruins. But things like that should be in the codex. Not in a one-off side quest you might not do.

And there is so much other storytelling that happens outside the game which makes it even harder. I haven't read any of the companion novels, which makes some of these characters I should know just a footnote--like Varric and Rook's meeting. It was in a trailer. And brought up by Varric exactly twice. And we know we were on a mission before the game that went bad--but again that's all offscreen, even though Origins had a perfectly fine time letting us play our origin to see how it went wrong before dropping us into the bulk of the story. Even doing a time skip (though you only know that if you did a mage origin because when you return to the Circle Irving and Wynne say it's been a year since you left--Hawke's first year in Kirkwall, as the Blight/Darkspawn consumed Lothering after the HoF left and Hawke's Family was fleeing Lothering because of the Darkspawn horde). Which is why more of our choices from the previous games should have mattered.

Why Fenris could Never Cameo in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

In the run up to Dragon age: The Veilguard, I was almost certain that Fenris would be our main legacy character from previous games. Not only has he been central in the comics released between DAI and DATV, he is an escaped Tevinter slave who's plot revolved around magisters, magic and the structural prejudices surrounding elves in Thedas. Not only that, but he's canonically in Tevinter killing slavers currently so he's geographically in the right place for us to meet him.

About halfway through the game though, it was clear to me: Fenris could never cameo in The Veilguard. Because he'd break it.

How the Veilguard treats Thedas is...odd to me, to say the least. I will be writing another post about how much I adored the expanded big lore in this game (the titans, ancient elves were spirits, where the blight came from etc.) and yet while these large lore expansions worked for me, the actual culture of modern Thedas is entirely softened, its sharp edges filed down until it's a sanitised fantasy world devoid of what made the franchise so vibrant and compelling in the first place.

So let's start with Fenris and slavery. In all three games, the reality of slavery is pushing at the corners of the world. In DAO Loghain allows Tevinter Magisters to enslave elves in order to raise money for his war effort. In DA2 Fenris is fighting to be free from slavers who will not leave him be, let alone the reminders that the city was built by slaves which are everywhere. In DAI one of the two possible mini-bosses is Calpurnia who was a slave, and characters such as Gatt and Dorian both show us how much slavery is tied into Tevinters culture and success.

But DATV the first game actually set in Tevinter where we get to see the famed Minrathous...it's like the game purposefully wants to avoid the issue. I can feel it tilting the camera away to not allow me to see. Slavery is mentioned, but never talked about in depth or as a specifically ELVEN problem in Tevinter. This might have been done to be less problematic, it feels ignored.

We are in DOCK TOWN. We are at the DOCKS. You would think that slaves from all over Thedas who are being smuggled and bought by various groups would be everywhere. You would think that the injustice in dock town would be partly built on the back of ships we've seen in the comics crammed with elves in chains. This is the world Dragon age set up for us. And yet...nothing. zilch. A tiny easily skippable side quest where we free a couple of venatori slaves, but only one of whom is an elf.

None of our Tevinter characters seem to have been influenced by their culture even a little bit when it comes to how they view elves; there is no moment when Neve fucks up and says something prejudiced, no moment when Bellara or Davrin are distrustful of her for being a Tevinter mage.

The same goes for Zevran; a character who epitomised the issues with the crows. The crows have consistently been characterised as very morally dubious assassins who kill for the highest bidder and who buy children on the slave market and torture them as they grow in order to assure that they reach maturity able to withstand torture without giving away a client's name. Zevran is very explicit about the fact that if you fail a contract your life is forefit.

Nobody responds particularly to you if you're an elf. Nobody trusts rook less for it in Tevinter. Nobody treats Rook any differently. Even DAI had better mechanics for this; with nobles in Orlais less likely to trust you as an elf.

Considering one of the main plot points of this game and what makes Solas sympathetic is the fact that he was fighting against the slavery of ancient elves...you'd think the game might want to mirror that in modern Thedas. It might want to show us how characters fighting to end slavery in Tevinter are similar to Solas and how the society Solas fought against was similar to the one that characters we love such as Fenris have fought against in modern Thedas. Maybe we'd want to explore how in a world of slavery like this, how could the answer NOT be to tear it all down? Maybe we should have that option at the end of the game so it really can chose whether we agree with Solas and his plans or not.

Adding Fenris to this game would entirely break the game because Fenris refuses to allow you to look away from this horror. He is a sympathetic character who had to learn to trust mages again because of course he didn't trust them. Of course he didn't. Fenris wouldn't allow the camera to shift focus because he's literally covered in the lyrium scars that show how slaves are used as experiments in Tevinter. Fenris WOULD question Neve on how she feels about elves and slaves. Fenris WOULD have things to say about Lucanis and the crows (let alone the fact Lucanis is an abomonation). So he could never be in this game; he'd drop a bomb on it's carefully constructed blinders to the very society its supposed to be set in.

And yet, in DATV, the crows are presented as...a found family of misfits and orphans? The politician who opposes the crows having absolute power in Antiva is framed as a comically evil idiot who doesn't understand that the crows are ontologically good. Yet...they're NOT. Crows in this game act more like a secret rebel group than an assassin organisation. We see no crow taking contracts with the VERY RICH venatori magisters despite being hired killers. We see crows just refuse to kill people despite having a contract because 'its crueler to leave them alive'. The crows don't feel like the crows here, they feel like a softened version of a cool assassin group who are cool because they wear black and purple.

Our pirate group are also sanitised; the Lords of Fortune are good pirates who only steal treasure that's not culturally significant. Theyve clearly read the modern critiques of the British Museum and have decided to explicitly stop anyone levelling similar critiques at them. There is no faction of the Lords of Fortune who aren't like this, no internal arguments about it. Everyone just. Agrees. And is able to accurately tell what a cultural artifact is vs. what treasure that you can have yourself is. Rather than showing us why a pirate stealing cultural artifacts might be bad (like in da2 where such a situation literally causes a coup and a war) it just tells us it's bad. But also pirates are cool so we still want them in our world.

This issue seaps into Thedas and drains it of any of the interesting complexity and ability to SAY anything that this franchise had before this game. It becomes a game about telling and not showing rather than the other way around. The games have ALWAYS asked questions about oppressive structural systems and their interplay with society, religion and culture and how these things can affect even the most well meaning character. Dragon age at its best IS a game about society and how society functions both for and against it's characters and what happens to societies built on cruelty and indifference. The best bad guys dragon age has given us are those who are bad because they embody these systems or have been shaped by them. Our main characters have had to wrestle with questions surrounding how to exist in these systems, fight against them, learn and grow.

Yet every group you come across in DATV is sanitised and cleaned up to the point of being as non problematic as humanly possible. None of our cast of characters have to wrestle with where they came from or the world that shaped them. None of them have to confront their own biases. They start the game perfectly non-problematic and end it that way too.

And this just...isn't what Dragon Age has been in the past. It isn't why I love the franchise. The whole game just felt, in a way, hollow. And this was a CHOICE and it is why the legacy characters are few and far between. Too many dragon age characters are just too...angry and complex for this game. You can feel them pulling their punches on this one. I have to imagine they did this because they didn't want to be criticised or have too much controversy? But I think it honestly goes far too much in the other direction and just makes it bland.

I can't imagine what I say here will be unique, but it is the basis for a LOT of my other thoughts on this game so I wanted to get it out of the way first. The softened Thedas and characters make this game by far the weakest in the franchise.

[icgaminglogs]

Warden Cousland's War Journal

Chapter 6: Redcliffe

Maker or no, someone seems to be guiding our path. Perhaps we shouldn’t have detoured on our way to Redcliffe, but stopping to deal with the Circle meant we arrived perhaps at the exact right time to truly help. Though I can’t help but wonder if the villagers would see it that way.

When we reached the village we found it under seige. Not only is the arl on his deathbed, but there’s some sort of evil presence in the castle that comes out at night to prey on the village. Bann Teagan, the arl’s brother, has been leading the defenses as best he can, but he’s not had an easy time of it. My companions and I stood with them in the most recent battle and saw what they’re up against. Darkspawn I can deal with – I’m actually getting used to them, which is a frightening thought – but undead? No thank you. And the people of Redcliffe have faced these things for some time.

From what Teagan told us afterward, that night’s attack was the worst yet. It might well have razed the village entirely had we not been there to help with preparations and defense. He was going to lead us into the castle himself, through a secret path, when the arlessa turned up and insisted he go with her. The woman seemed beside herself, but there was still something she was holding back. Trying to press her on it was an exercise in futility, though; the bann went with her, the rest of us snuck in through the secret entrance.

The castle itself was actually less full of the undead than we thought, fortunately. There was a mage in the dungeon, Jowan, who’d been left there by the arlessa and blamed for what had happened. He swore up and down he had nothing to do with it, but he also confessed to being the one who’d poisoned the arl. That didn’t exactly go over well with Alistair. Neither did the fact that he was a blood mage, but...he seemed genuine enough. And he was willing to do what he could to put things right; he was as unnerved by what was going on as we were, but he could at least give us more insight and a better understanding of what had happened.

It had all started when the arlessa hired Jowan as a tutor for her son Connor, who’d started showing signs of magic. She hated the thought of sending him to the Circle and wanted him to learn just enough magic to hide his abilities. Jowan was hired but had also been sent on Loghain’s orders to poison the arl. Not enough to kill him, it seems, but enough to keep him deathly ill and out of the way. Connor...I don’t think anyone’s really clear on how it happened, but he somehow tore a hole in the Veil or something, reaching for power to try and heal his father, and wound up possessed by a demon. Jowan, Maker bless the man, knew a ritual we could use to send someone physically into the Fade to destroy the demon without killing the boy. The only trick was that it was a blood magic ritual, which required so much power that it would kill whoever Jowan used as a focus.

None of us except Arlessa Isolde wanted any part of that. The Arlessa put herself forward as the sacrifice – fitting, given it had been her deeds that had caused all this to begin with, but even so. With the Circle freed of Uldred, though, there was the chance we could call on their help for the ritual, so we sent word by the swiftest means possible. First Enchanter Irving came himself to oversee things, and Morrigan agreed to venture in. She’s hardly the most comforting sort to send to rescue a child, but she has almost as much disdain for demons as she does everyone else, and she’s a master of combat spells.

It worked, too. Connor’s free, if a little hazy on what happened. For the best, I think. The Circle is the best place for a child to learn magic; there are safeguards there, and more instruction than one apostate mage can give on his own. And maybe an arl’s son will have a better life than others there, but...well, given what I’ve heard of Circle life, I can’t quite blame Isolde for not liking the idea.

Unfortunately, not even Irving could do anything about Arl Eamon’s illness. Maybe the Urn really is his only hope, if it even exists. None of the men the arlessa’s sent have returned with any word on it, though; the only lead anyone has is about a Brother Genitivi in Denerim. We need Eamon if we’re going to go against Loghain. Looks like we’re headed into the lion’s den to follow this lead. So long as we keep our heads down, Loghain need never even know we were in the city.