#just rocking up like oh you killed my rogue-turned fighter?

[wispythreads]

I'm absolutely loving the energy Emily is bringing to the rescue of Jawbreaker.

[cjstalkingstarwarsagain]

hi! i’ve recently decided to rewatch all the star wars movies and take notes on them and then,,, share them with you. so if you’re even mildly interested in my star wars opinions, here you go :)

i’ll divide it into a couple categories so,,,

well start with rogue one!!

shit that made me giggle

"oh look, here’s lyra back from the dead. it’s a miracle."

everything K2 says and does. i love him and he’s perfect.

i love the continuous attempts by K2 to appear imperial and how he fails every time. not a single storm trooper or officer ever believes him when he starts running his mouth.

so sorry but bohdi getting his cable caught and trying to shake it loose is such an adorably human moment. makes me giggle every time.

i honestly thought this section would be longer, this movie made me laugh a bunch. 

stuff i don’t like or doesn’t make sense

why does jyn start believing in the rebellion? there’s no indication that she cared before they found her. there’s no real turning point that we can see. she just,,, suddenly is really into this shit. which is strange because the only reason she ever joined was because she was given a non-choice (either help or get put back in prison). i guess i can kinda see how her father dying could have changed her, but we see none of that on the ship after his death. we just get to the rebel council and all of a sudden she’s the poster girl for rebellion.

saw seems really stable at the beginning of the film, so why did he go seemingly crazy and paranoid? it’s probably explained in the novelization but that’s no excuse to just have a character go crazy with really no explanation or backstory.

that being said, a lot of the character development is pretty lacking. i don’t think i’d care about these characters nearly as much if i wasn’t already a star wars fan.

video game cut scene style general tarkin

bor gullet is supposed to make you lose your mind but bohdi was pretty much fine after like,,, a day

how does the death star,,,, move?? like i know it can but has that ever been explained? is it like little thrusters? like the ones you can see in real life to stabilize things in space? there’s nothing i can visually see. i’m not mad about it i just wanna know.

why does saw insist on staying behind? why doesn’t he come and help?? it would have been so easy to just leave but he insists on staying behind and just watching as death inches closer. i think it doesn’t make sense because we know *so little* about his character. give me more on him, make me understand.

since james earl jones is getting older, vader sounds older. was there??? nothing the audio or editing department could have done about that??? not super mad about this one just because darth vader is really cool and i’ll never really complain too much about darth vader screen time.

when the fuck did jyn become a motivational speaker??

my one gripe about pretty much every star wars movie is the sheer number of times people climb through huge shafts and jump around and shit and they’re always *fine*. no way they wouldn’t fall to their deaths in any normal situations.

can someone?? check the science of the hammerhead corvette?? because there’s no gravity or weight in space right?? theoretically all you gotta do is give that star destroyer a bump and it’s spinning out, right?? i know absolutely nothing about space physics but i gotta be right. maybe i’m wrong. i dunno. i’m dumb as rocks. hear that baby girl?? it’s the spare change rattling around in my skull. i got pennies where my brain is.

absolutely no fucking shot cassian survived a blaster hit AND that fall AND climbed out. my belief simply cannot be suspended that much.

DUDE I FORGOT THAT THE DEATH STAR CAN TRAVEL THROUGH HYPERSPACE HOW DOES WORK SOMEONE TELL ME!!!!!

why doesn’t vader just,,, force grab the plans. i know he sees them. why not just force stop the guy running away with them??

final note now that the movie is over. yes, it’s got a lot of issues. the plot is ehhh at times. the trailers don’t match up with the movie shots AT ALL (i wanna know what happened behind the scenes with that). the character development is lacking in many major ways (that has not stopped me from loving these characters though, but that’s the autism talking). but like i’ll say in the "stuff i liked" section, this is such a damn cool movie. i was once talking about it with an older friend of mine and he said seeing rogue one in theaters felt like watching the original trilogy in theaters back in the 70s and 80s and honestly that’s such a compliment. i love this movie, i really do.

just cool shit,,, you know the vibe

DEATH TROOPERS

krennic is probably one of my favorite imperial officers. for some reason he just really sells it for me, the evil and manipulation that borderlines in try hard. and (i mention it more later because you see it more in the "choke on your aspirations" scene) beyond that just the fact that he’s?? a guy. just a dude. at any given moment he could be described as just hanging out. but he’s trying so hard (for whatever reason, we don’t know his evil motivations) to be this big bad evil dude. and it’s just interesting to see someone *trying* to be imperial and *trying* to be evil, as opposed to a tarkin-type character who’s just naturally an asshole.

i love the rogue one main theme. don’t even talk to me. it’s so cool.

it’s cool to see more about the birth of the death star, seeing other people learn about it. sort of realizing the fear and terror that everyone must have been experiencing. especially after being a star wars fan for so long and being like, yeah it’s the death star it’s just a staple of this universe. it reminds me that "oh god this was a planet killer and this was the first time something like that had ever even been heard of".

there’s gorgeous visuals in this movie.

i like the "i’m wanted in 12 systems" guy cameo (did you know his name is cornelius? i googled it)

when the storm trooper asks for papers?? like fuck yeah show me what life is like under imperial rule. give me that shit.

chirrut is so badass i’ll never get over it

"i’m one with the force and the force is with me" i’m eating that shit UP! salivating over the meal in front of me. i really want more exploration of the guardians and jedi worship in general. like gimme that weird funky space religion.

seeing an at-st just walk around a town. i dunno i like that shit.

K2 saying sorry for hitting cassian. i’m so soft on this robot.

"clear of hostiles,,,, ONE HOSTILE"

jyn stepping in front of K2 to protect him after she (not ten minutes ago) made the comment “i’m just afraid they’ll miss you and hit me”. jyn,,, your soft side is showing,,,,

i like the cool machine blaster that baze has. it’s awesome seeing different blaster styles when originally the only variation we really saw was chewie’s cross bow style blaster.

i really wanna see more of baze and cirruit. i wanna know what happened that made baze stop believing. i wanna know how they met. i wanna see them evolve and grow together.

i like that jyn argues that 16 is too young to be a solider (she’s 21 in the movie). i like that she’s mad that she’s young and has been put in a position to protect herself and then later save the galaxy. (for context: luke and leia were 19 in a new hope. anakin is 19 in attack of the clones, ~22 when he became darth vader, and rey is 19 in force awakens. stop putting the fate of the galaxy in the hands of people who are *barely* adults)

the testing of the death star is awesome. love seeing wicked cool space weapons. when it blocks out the sun? ominous as hell fuck yeah.

it’s interesting that baze says cassian doesn’t look like a killer, that "he has the face of a friend", when one of the first things we saw him do was kill a man. i think about that a lot. does that say more about baze’s ability to read people or does it say more about who cassian is deep down, beyond what he’s done to serve the rebellion?

cassian’s relationship with death and killing is very interesting. you could argue that cassian is just as brainwashed and deep in the rebellion as anyone imperial. i really hope it’s something that gets explored in his stand alone show. he mentions he’s lost everything and has been a rebel since he was 6. gimme cassian andor backstory.

"careful not to choke on your aspirations director" is probably some of the most dramatic-anakin-skywalker shit i’ve ever seen vader do

i like seeing rebel infighting. so often it seems there’s always general consensus about what the rebellion wants, but it’s good to see that they don’t always agree on how to rebel.

i love the consistent "found family" rebel alliance shit in these movies. it makes my dick so hard.

ARTOO AND THREEPIO CAMEO FUCK ME UP THOSE ARE MY BOYS

okay i totally get that the empire is evil, i really do, but rogue one (and lots of moments in the sequels) really reminds me how fucking cool some of their shit is. like death troopers? imperial droids like K2? the base on scarif? vader’s castle on mustafar and his bacta tank?? fuck me UP.

i loved hearing the troopers doing their dumb small talk about the T-15s on the beach.

i think ben mendelssohn is perfect for the role of krennic, no notes there. he’s just like?? a guy and he’s doing everything he can to fit into this evil role and he just wants to be like this big bad imperial boy on campus. i don’t know. i don’t have the words right now to express how fuckin awesome he is. i’ll write an essay about it later.

THE AT-AT COMING OUT OF THE MIST?? CHRIST ON A BIKE. LAY ME TO REST. LOVE IT.

fucking love me some female fighter pilots. the women of star wars are so badass. doing justice to my return of the jedi ladies.

i think a whole lot about jyn giving K2 a blaster. the way he takes it and looks at it and holds it so gently. i think that’s the first time a human has trusted him with a blaster since his reprogramming. he seems so appreciative of that trust.

i love seeing the faces of baze and the other rebels when a few of the x-wings show up and take down an at-at. i’m so very soft for the relationship between these rebels. not to be cliche, but the *hope* that they have. it’s so moving. this movie is just so full of that quintessential rebel feeling.

hey so i’m super emotional about the death of K2 okay? because in the novelizations you learn that in the last second k2 had before a full shut down, he ran a simulation where cassian lived and even though he knew it was impossible, it made him happy. FURTHERMORE K2 is very well known and his name is often listed along side jyn’s in terms of talking about the history of the rebellion.

chirrut and baze’s deaths are so important to me. we know they’re best friends, and even though we don’t know how long they’ve been together, they love each other so deeply. chirrut being the path for baze to return to the force? touching. i so wish these dumb force husbands could have had more screen time. baze calling chirrut back?? chirrut telling him to find him in the force?? baze looking to see the man he loves one more time before he dies??reminds me of the silken quote about dying in your best friends arms because it’s all you know. anywho,,, if star wars canon has any mercy then these two lovers are force ghosts together rn. don’t care how you feel or whether you "ship" them or not. love comes in so many forms and they encompass all that love.

terribly sorry but i think about those two star destroyers colliding with the rogue one main theme playing over it every day. it’s,,,,, so,,,, ( ´∀｀)

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again BEN MENDELSSOHN??? UH YEAH

krennic watching his weapon (his beautiful, successful weapon) power up and kill him,,, the poetic justice of it all,,,,

any time anyone says "may the force be with you" i dunno maybe it’s my religious trauma but i’m head over heels for that good shit

the star destroyer coming out of hyper space as the rebels are escaping and some of the ships hit the destroyer?? one of my favorite things in the new star wars movies is directors and writers saying "oh this can totally happen" and they DO IT

jyn mentioning earlier in the film that she isn’t used to people sticking around when shit hits the fan and then dying in the arms of cassian?? because he stayed?? and for the first time she has someone??

in that same vein: cassian also says earlier in the film that he lost everything too. his connection with jyn is also important to him, just as important as it is to jyn. they need each other. i can’t remember who on this hellsite said it, but someone mentioned that they hope the stand alone cassian stuff coming out doesn’t make him this swindling playboy who fucks around a bunch. i think having him as more of like?? a mandolorian type character would be really cool. like he’s a rebel assassin: make him one. make him independent and badass and cool and DONT give him a bunch of romantic or sexual interests because then that downplays the clear love he had developing for jyn. again LOVE COMES IN FORMS BEYOND BASIC SHIPS. and there’s a lot of love in star wars.

i’ve said it a million times but vader is so cool and over and over again this movie reminded me that he’s actually so scary. i saw star wars for the first time when i was 6 and i can’t remember my initial reaction to him, but i’ve definitely (like with the death star) been desensitized to the fact that if i was in star wars, darth vader would scare the shit out of me. he’s *scary* and that’s cool. i liked seeing vader effortlessly go fucking mad on these rebels. then you understand why they were so scared in that first scene of a new hope.

no i absolutely will not get over the vader scene. i won’t. his saber turning on. his force abilities. his effortless lightsaber work. the choral music over the scene with the hectic orchestra. don’t touch me i’m emotional.

i loved seeing leia. it touches me so deeply every time.

fuck i love this movie despite all its faults.

if you’ve made it this far, thank you!! i hope you enjoyed. please remember that this is totally a safe space for all star wars opinions and you can feel free to disagree with me! i’d love to hear what some of you thought :))

[away-from-anthills]

prologue-

How did they do it?

Antstep mulled the question over as his eyes remained glued to the massive boulder that sat squarely between the four oaks. Four figures sat positioned at the top, their ears pricked as they listened to the groups of chattering cats around them. The smallest of them was exchanging pleasantries with a large blue-gray tom. The largest, a ragged yellow molly, looked away to the north. The sleek gray tom next to her twitched his tail with impatience.

“Those ShadowClan buggers are always late,” he grumbled, but just as he finished his sentence the big yellow molly besides him shoved his shoulder. A group of small, skinny cats entered the clearing, led by a rather handsome red tabby.

“Greetings,” announced the red tom. He effortlessly leapt onto the rock as the conversations died down. “Pardon us for being late. Our youngest queen was giving birth, and it was not an easy one.”

“It’s always something, isn’t it,” started the sleek gray tom, but before he could finish the thought the yellow molly draped her tail over his muzzle.

“Shall we begin?”

The others nodded, and so the smallest of the group, Tulipstar, cleared her throat to speak.

Antstep had always admired Tulipstar. She was impeccably small, about the size of an apprentice, despite RiverClan cats like her usually being large and girthy. Some say it was due to a birth defect- but others in the elders’ den opined that StarClan had made her so small because otherwise she would simply be too much of a force to be reckoned with.

“RiverClan has not been doing well as we would have wished it to,” she admitted. “Rogue groups have been on our borders. We have allotted them territory for the time being to shut them up- but come these next few moons, when our apprentices are ready for battle, we shall take our land back.” She dipped her head and awaited the next cat to come forward and speak.

“SkyClan, however, has been doing wonderfully,” started the sleek gray tom.

“It’s always wonderfully, ain’t it, Pigeonstar!” heckled some cat near the southern edge of the clearing behind Antstep.

Pigeonstar’s face furrowed, and then he continued. “Our most recent batch of apprentices became skilled warriors, and I am pleased to introduce them to you by their proper warrior names at this Gathering. Everyone welcome Birchtail, Nettlebark, and Stoneclaw!”

Pigeonstar doesn’t usually mention new warriors so fast, thought Antstep, and then he looked over in the direction Pigeonstar was gesturing to to see three gray tabbies identical to the SkyClan leader. Oh- Of course he’s introducing them so fast. They’re his kits.

“The greenleaf drought has been merciful to SkyClan this year, and we thank it for that. Besides the apprentice graduations, little else of note has happened in SkyClan since we last met.” He sat back down. The red tabby stepped up to speak.

“While we in ShadowClan are not doing as well as we had hoped we would, we are doing quite well. You may have heard about the fire that recently destroyed part of our territory. While we are lucky that most of us have emerged safe, three of our warriors- Turtlewing, Darkwhisker, and Stormfoot- unfortunately lost their lives to the blaze.”

A ripple of condolences echoed throughout the clearing. Currantstar eased his body slightly, leaving the clearing a moment to understand. Antstep noted burn scars at Currantstar’s feet- clearly, despite Currantstar’s young age, this was a cat who took up the mantle of leadership fully knowing what it would entail. He seemed… almost perfect. The fact he was quite a handsome thing- especially for a ShadowClanner- didn’t help.

“However, tonight we celebrate new life within ShadowClan. Just before we left, Nightwater gave birth to four healthy kits, all her spitting image: Ravenkit, Blackkit, Sharpkit, and Juniperkit!”

Another ripple, this time of celebration, echoed throughout the clearing. Pigeonstar seemed slightly disgruntled that his children’s warrior names had not received as much applause.

As soon as he had begun, Currantstar stepped back. A gaunt, blue-gray tom stepped up. His face was long and bony, and his pelt was crisscrossed with scars. His eyes were weary, and the bumps of his spine were visible from age.

Antstep felt his chest swell as he watched the tom open his mouth to speak. After all, this cat had been his leader, his mentor, the closest thing to a father Antstep had known.

Shalestar, the almighty leader of WindClan.

“WindClan has been faring well this past Greenleaf. Like our SkyClan friends, we are lucky to be treated kindly by the drought.”

Antstep looked around. Rainleap, the WindClan deputy, stood just below the great rock, a proud grin on his face as he studied every syllable that left Shalestar’s lips. It was generally accepted within WindClan that, as Shalestar was upon his final life, Rainleap would soon ascend as Rainstar- and everyone deeply anticipated the spotted tabby’s leadership. He was charismatic, he was courteous. He knew everyone and everything in WindClan like the back of his paw to the point that, if you brought him a leaf from any weeping willow within the territory, he could tell you not just what tree it was from but the exact bow and branch it had resided upon. Rainleap was to become a wonderful WindClan leader- even Pigeonstar, the grumpy sod, seemed to appreciate him.

“However, the last moon has not passed by without its troubles. An illness swept through our camp. Nearly all of us survived- unfortunately, our dear Palefeather passed from the illness.”

There was audible sadness from some cats near the northern end of the clearing.

“You may recall her as our former medicine cat, who served us many moons before she retired to the elder’s den last leaf-fall. She was a wonderful companion to me in the darkest hours of my leadership. She was an extraordinary teacher, she was an adamant follower to the stars above, a devotee to her kin, and a gifted healer for all of us in WindClan. We miss her terribly.”

The medicine cats, who were in their own little corner off to the side of the Great Rock, seemed heartbroken by the news. Whitetooth, the WindClan medicine cat and Palefeather’s apprentice, looked more alone than ever, despite the sympathies uttered to them.

“However, with the end of a time, another always begins. I am proud to introduce  our two newest apprentices- warrior apprentice Twigpaw and medicine cat apprentice Marblepaw!”

Twigpaw, who was directly behind Antstep with his mentor Molethroat, was lapping up the attention. Marblepaw, however, seemed alarmed. She leaned into Whitetooth’s side, and her mentor draped their tail around her.

“We also have a litter of kits to announce,” continued Shalestar. Molethroat couldn’t hold in his excitement. “Those are my kits!” he exclaimed to the mingling cats from other Clans. “They look just like my mate! I love them so much!”

Shalestar, however, was calm, even though there was a sliver of optimism in his voice. “We are proud to announce Cherrynose’s kits- Olivekit, Rosekit, Amberkit, Brindlekit, and Patchkit.”

“Oh, all of them are so wonderful,” continued Molethroat, his whiskers twitching with sheer joy. “Rosekit and Amberkit are so smart! They amaze me every day. And Brindlekit is so bold, and Olivekit is so thoughtful, and Patchkit is so kind… They sneak out of the nursery to wake me up from the warriors’ den nearly every morning. And my mate is so patient with them, I’m the luckiest cat in the world to have her. I tell you, I could go to StarClan tomorrow and I still would think I had the greatest life…”

Antstep looked around. WindClan was as peaceful as he had ever known it to be. Goldenpaw and Milkpaw, two WindClan apprentices, signed to each other, poking fun at the other leaders. Russetfoot, Rockscratch, and Emberheart, three WindClan warriors, were chatting to a trio of RiverClan cats. Even Sandwhisker- the sister of Palefeather, and the oldest WindClan warrior- looked content, despite the loss she had suffered the prior moon.

Antstep never knew if he would fully fit in WindClan. But this is a WindClan he was, for the most part, content living alongside.

A cold chill snapped Antstep out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see the largest cat take the stand as Shalestar stepped back.

Tatteredstar had been ThunderClan leader for a very, very long time. She had been one of the most formidable fighters ThunderClan ever knew- and the scars crisscrossing her pelt gave plenty to show for it. She could kill a rat just by looking at it from the right angle, they said. No leader dared to mess with her.

“ThunderClan has been doing pleasantly enough. Juncopaw, who you may recall from his introduction last Gathering, has elected to train as a medicine cat, and so he will be trained by Emberblaze. I expect her to pass down all she knows to him. We have many mollies due for kits within the next moon. We are all very excited about it- but it will undoubtedly mean ThunderClan has more mouths to feed.”

Without warning, she turned to Tulipstar. She was nearly thrice as large as the RiverClan leader, and she easily had dozens more scars. “I am making a request that RiverClan gives up Sunningrocks to us immediately. I understand this is sudden news- but RiverClan, if they know what is best for themselves, will back off of the territory.”

Many incensed RiverClan cats jumped up to speak- but most of them found their words lost when Tatteredstar shot them a pointed glare.

Tulipstar, however, stepped towards Tatteredstar, nothing breaking her green gaze as she stared upwards to the massive yellow molly. “RiverClan has fought for seasons to keep Sunningrocks. We, too, need the territory, for our own mouths to feed. I thought we had reached an agreement last leaf-fall that RiverClan could hold the territory until the leaf-fall after. We still have a season left on that agreement.”

“Old agreements mean nothing now.”

“If ThunderClan wants more mouths to feed, expand the territory elsewhere, Tatteredstar. We both know your warriors are capable. They will not be intruding on RiverClan’s hard-earned territory.”

The two mollies slowly inched towards each other, their noses wrinkled and their lips slightly curled. The tension between them was palpable, and no other leader dared to speak. This was Tulipstar and Tatteredstar’s score to settle and theirs alone. Their respective deputies, Trufflepelt and Eelwhisker, tried to shuffle towards them- not only to back them up but to pull them away from each other if claws were unleashed.

The clearing went dead silent.

Even though WindClan was in no way involved, Antstep felt fear coursing through his veins as he watched the two leaders stare at each other inches apart.

Then, Tatteredstar sheathed her claws into the matted fur that bunched at her feet. “You’ve got a nerve in you, runt,” she said, with hints of respect and perhaps even something resembling affection. “RiverClan can have Sunningrocks for now.”

The two backed away from each other, Trufflepelt and Eelwhisker eased, and the tension slipped away as the murmur of Clan cats returned.

“I suppose the Gathering is over, now,” Shalestar said. “Let us return to our camps in peace.”

As Rainleap began to organize WindClan, Antstep still felt adrenaline rush through him from the confrontation between Tulipstar and Tatteredstar- as well as a bit of awe. The way all the leaders composed themselves so well. The way Tulipstar didn’t back down, the way Tatteredstar knew when to call it quits. The charisma of Currantstar, the pride of Pigeonstar, the wisdom of Shalestar…

How did they do it? How did they all do it?

Antstep felt a kitlike wonder- and a kitlike envy. He turned to see Rainleap nod towards the journey home, the light of the moon shining in the WindClan deputy’s lime-green eyes. As Molethroat and Rockscratch chattered behind him, Antstep let himself get lost in his thoughts. Rainleap will make a wonderful leader- I wonder how his first gathering will go…  I wonder how I’d do. I mean, of course Rainleap will be the next leader. Everyone knows that. But it must feel nice to be up on that rock, to be there with the greats… To be loved by your Clan. I wouldn’t want the stress, of course, but… I would want that.

Wouldn’t anyone?

Little did Antstep know, his life was on the cusp of changing forever.

[meme-spren]

Hello everyone I've barely dipped a toe into the dark and mysterious waters of mechs fandom but I've already inflicted pictures on the discord to see what the squad thinks they do

[Image of Drumbot Brian, seated, looking off to the side]

S: Criminal S: I'm gonna guess morally repugnant P: Well it's a pirate band so that stands to reason S: One bad bad man P: I think this guy would be the captain because who else would wear a full suit and a rose on his hat O: Not captain, I'd think. Captain is for a lead person and drummer is not. O: I wanna say... the one that fires the cannons? P: Probably bard vibes S: It's a band P S: I bet they all have bard vibes R: He looks horny R: He looks like he flirts with everything that moves, that is

[Image of Nastya Rasputina playing her violin]

S: Assassin S: Was assigned to kill one of the band members and just S: Is REALLY into the cover story S: Maybe turned on the people who hired her? S: Maybe about to kill the dude? S: Who knows S: Not even she does

J: Geddy lee from rush realizes she's trans, switches from bass to violin haha classic rock jokes that everyone else here definitely understands

R: Bad luck on a ship is her deal M: I'm gonna tell you this because I hope it'll just raise more questions: she's romantically involved with the ship R: PILOT R: SHIP FUCKER PILOT R: Or engineer S: Yeah I'll still go with my idea

P: I will second pilot P: Also despite being romantically involve with the ship she's somehow the proverbial straight man of the group M: Love how you've drawn the conclusion that everyone else is ridiculous just from these two pictures and the fact that I'm the one presenting them to you

O: Uh, clearly Fiddle here is the Necromancer

[Image of Raphaella La Cognizi singing into a microphone, two other indistinct figures behind her]

J: dlc fenyx dionysus-themed armor and wing skin

O: Hmm, alright so, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say... she's the singer :V M: Why do you assume there's one(1) singer M: (also like: ah yes, the pirate job of... The Singer) O: If One Piece has taught me anything, then yes :V

P: I'm gonna say she's the lookout, because having wings is very handy for getting to or leaving the crow's nest P: She's also the best fighter of the group P: Maybe also the treasurer? or w/e the pirate equivalent is P: Which is why she has fancy velvety clothes with gold decoration P: Actually no scratch that P: Its because her backstory is she ran away from her rich parents

[Image of Ashes O’Reilly playing their bass]

O: Captain, obviously S: Yeah, with that hat

P: Gunner P: Because cigar

R: Lesbian S: If anyone in this crew is cishet I'll bake an edible hat and eat it

[Image of Gunpowder Tim, dimly lit, playing his guitar. His hand is motion blurred and his guitar is dramatically angled toward the viewer]

J: the token bastard warforged S: he has goggles he must be the engineer

M: His last name is Tim J: First name Tiny

O: Goggles on hat are aesthetic. Goggles on forehead means madlad. Either Engineer or something something chemistry, alchemy, whatever. Something that can explode.

[Image of Ivy Alexandria, holding a book in one hand and her flute in the other.]

P: I'm gonna say tough love mom friend P: Probably the smartest one because book P: Maybe the cartographer?

O: I'm gonna say she is smart, but NOT the "meek scholar" type. More like, brains and brawn. People that know how smart she is are surprised by how strong and brutal she can be, those that only have seen her fight are surprised that she is so intelligent

S: She's the quartermaster

[Image of Jonny D’ville, with a hand on his holstered gun]

R: Home of sexual S: Your fav S: He's got a scar and some weird tech on his chest S: I'm guessing he's another fighty boi S: Gunslinger extrordinaire xP P: Trigger happy loose cannon trash boy P: Commonly drunk P: Causes at least half the crew's problems S: Reminds me of [Spades] Slick R: Wait no R: Omnisexual R: Crew omnisexual

O: Stowaway who snuck aboard

[Image of Marius Von Raum, squatting and holding his little claw thing.]

J: Gremlin J: In the sense of gremlins in the works J: Ship gremlin

P: He gambles P: that's his entire job I think he'd also be like, a spymaster of sorts? P: Knows how to get into places or how to chat up the right people to get that juicy gossip

O: That weird head thing makes me think of a doctor, so, I'm gonna say he's the ship doc P: Counter-point: the doctor really should not be carrying live ammunition around O: Counter-Counterpoint 1: Should not? Sure. Doesn't mean wouldn't Counter-Counterpoint 2: Also, Pirates R: Counter counterpoint 3: gunpowder can be used in emergencies to cauterize a wound :mspa:

S: Oh he's definitely a sharpshooter S: That monocle thing looks like a fantasy rangefinder S: Smug bastard energies S: Like S: 17 rogue/2 bard energy

[Image of the Toy Soldier, saluting cheerfully]

S: Conductor? S: Waiter? S: Avatar of the ship? O: Season One antagonist who used to hunt the crew but got defeated and disgraced and joined them to take revenge on its original boss S: If u combine that with my idea of it being the avatar of the ship then that makes for one hell of a TV show P: It does have an aura of not-pirateness about it P: I'm gonna say this is a recurring "antagonist" and is in fact still hunting the crew, except it kind of sucks at its job and is basically no match for these pirates But it keeps up a chipper attitude regardless

[som3thingcr3ative]

And I am Wanting

So, here it is...a slow burn, angsty, poly-amorous Geraskier fic. This beast is gonna be multiple parts, feature our boys Geralt the sass master and Jaskier the smol bean as well as an OC. 

It’s got canon-typical violence, respect women juice (tm) and everything else that goes with the beauty of the Witcher. 

Our story begins two months before Geralt meets Yennefer in a small town south of Rinde.

part one part two part three part four

Summary: Geralt seeks a bounty and finds something unusual waiting for him in the monster’s lair: Jaskier composes a song in honor of an unsung hero. 

Warnings: If you’ve watched the Witcher, you’re prepared. This gets a little more into Geralt’s feelings, but that’s about it. 

pairings: so far, mild Jaskier x OC, eventual Geraskier x OC. 

also, this is loooong. You’ve been warned. 

Word of a beast with a price on its head had come from a local town: the Lord of the town promised a room for any who dared attempt to slay the beast, food for three nights and a great ransom upon return of the creature’s severed head. Geralt was intrigued. The disgruntled highwayman who’d told him spoke also of the town’s vigilante, a man who ‘cleaned up the streets’. It’s a town without rapists or child-molesters, the man had said. The only murderer is the vigilante, and people are calling his work just. They honor him. Whores have professed their undying gratitude.

Geralt sips his ale and wonders what the vigilante would think of him. Across the tavern, Jaskier has started his third run-through of ‘fishmonger’s daughter’. The Witcher feels his eyes twitch. He downs the ale and motions for another from the hesitant bartender; it’s his sixth- or so, he’s not really counting. When the barkeep fills his mug once more, he slams it back and lets his stools’ legs scrape loudly against the slatted floor as he stands, making his exit. He spares only the briefest glances for Jaskier, who is surrounded by drunkards singing along with him. The bard’s cheeks are rosy from drink, his eyes sparkling in the low light with the attention of so many on him.

The Witcher waits outside the tavern, leaning against the hitching post Roach is tied to. He strokes a hand over her ear and murmurs lowly to her as he looks around; the town is quite large by rural standards, boasting three taverns and two brothels, a church with a monopoly on the religious sheep of the place, and a rather palatial estate overlooking the main street. This estate is where he needs to go- he takes the whole thing in, from the neatly trimmed rose bushes out front to the large barn to its left. There is a circular cobblestone path for horses and coaches, tall columns guarding the entrance.

Jaskier stumbles out of the tavern, a little tipsy and with a wide grin on his face. Geralt grunts, sending the bard a short glare before he turns his back, throwing the reins over Roach’s head and mounting up. Together, Jaskier telling Geralt in great detail how amazing having everyone singing his songs was, they make a steady pace for the estate.

~ 

The first thing Geralt notices as a servant leads him into the dining room is the beautiful woman sitting to the right of who he assumes is the Lord of the town. She’s stunning, her features refined as he’d come to expect of nobility, her long hair let loose in ringlets that spill over her shoulders in waves of auburn. Her posture is perfect, hands clasped in her lap over a flowing dress. Every inch of her screams wealth.

Geralt doesn’t have to force himself to look away. While she looks like she can afford the price on the beasts’ head, she doesn’t look like the type to get her hands dirty- in fact, even at dinner her hands and forearms are covered by black silk gloves. She’s far too prissy for his taste.

“Geralt of Rivia!” The Lord of the town booms, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin as he stands up. He spreads his long arms wide. “I’d heard you were in town. Have you come for the monster? Who am I kidding, of course you have! Welcome, welcome!”

The Witcher steps into the dining room, Jaskier just behind and to his left. He knows he’s out of place with his dual swords, his black leather armor, but he couldn’t give less of a damn. Money is money, and this man has plenty.

“Please, sit!” The Lord continues. “I’d like you to meet my daughter, Lani.” He motions to the auburn-haired woman beside him. She inclines her head with a small smile, properly polite. Geralt nearly scoffs. Instead, he takes a seat at the foot of the table, Jaskier placing himself beside the woman. He kisses the back of her hand, turning on the charm. Geralt watches them for a second, seeing her polite dismissal of the bard. Jaskier doesn’t seem deterred- he keeps talking to her despite her lack of interest.

“I head you have a pest.” Geralt says, ignoring the way the woman’s green eyes lock on him.

“Yes, a werewolf. There’s a mage who has gone rogue around here, and the werewolf seems to be her pet. It’s a creature born, if the pattern of attacks mean anything, and it’s killing our businesses. My businesses, really, since everything in this town is mine.” He laughs, self-confident to the point of cockiness. “I’ll pay you handsomely if you slay it.”

“When.” Geralt corrects, but the man doesn’t seem to notice.

“I can’t have it threatening my daughter, you see. No suitor will want her if the land she is to inherit is plagued with a monster.”

The daughter’s eyes narrow, but she quickly composes her face into an emotionless mask. Geralt notices the slip, though. It seems she’s not content to be married off.

“We have rooms prepared for you, Witcher. Your…friend can stay in the adjoining room. Please, help yourself to whatever food and drink you fancy while here. I can’t offer an advance payment, you see, or too many fakes would come through those doors, but I promise payment in full as soon as the task is complete and the wolf’s head- human or otherwise- crosses my threshold. And only the head, mind you.” He clears his throat. “Apologies, Lani sweet, for such coarse language.”

Lani tips her head to him, but her eyes are still focused on Geralt. He shifts an inch, starting to feel uncomfortable. Her stare isn’t obvious, but it is disconcerting, and with her careful mask, he can’t tell what she’s thinking or why she’s staring.

“Where?” Geralt questions.

“It’s sheltered in the mountain just south of here, at the base. There’s a cave system there, it’s hard to miss. Just follow the creek upstream.”

Geralt nods and stands, turning to leave the room without another word.

 ~

“Did you see how beautiful Lani is?” Jaskier babbles as he follows Roach up a sloping hill. “She looks like a princess, or a queen. Oh, I could write a song about her beauty! Should I? Do you think that would woo her to me?”

Geralt huffs, rolling his eyes. Roach is sure-footed on the rocks, but he can hear Jaskier slipping every so often behind him. Nevertheless, the bard keeps up his steady stream of talking. They’re an hour into the woods, following the creek as Lord Corro (He’d gleaned the name from a passing servant in the hall) had said. There are fresh hoofprints in the bits of sandy ground between rocks, and only in one direction. Whoever had gone hadn’t come back.

The Witcher holds up a hand. Jaskier stops with a huff. “Are we there yet?”

Geralt glares at him, but his attention is diverted; just over the crest of the hill he can see the very top of a cave mouth. Inside, echoing just loud enough for his highly tuned senses to pick up is the sound of a fight. He hears a shout, a roar, a scream- and then a thud as something- or someone- is thrown.

He nudges Roach into a canter over the path, finding that the ground levels out and becomes less rocky the closer they get to the cave. Outside the mouth of the cave, a large black horse grazes amongst bones strewn haphazardly on the ground. It lifts its head and whickers, puffing itself up to full height as it watches Roach canter in. Inside, the sounds of the fight have resumed. Geralt catches the scent of blood, of sweat and something else- wood smoke? He turns his mare and jumps off, rushing into the cave.

The inside of the cave is littered with full skeletons, half-eaten corpses and fresh blood. There are several human bodies among the dead, but sheep and goats far out number the people. He even spots a few cows, their skulls resting in odd positions. Closer now, he can hear each grunt the human fighter makes, each glance of their weapon over the werewolf’s hide. The monster screams, then roars. For a second there’s nothing.

Geralt skids to a stop at the entrance to the main lair. The werewolf lays dead, skewered through the neck by a silver-plated sword. Standing over the corpse with a leg over either shoulder is a black-clad figure whose face is obscured by a mask and a hood- but Geralt can see that the blood dripping from their hands to the sword’s hilt isn’t werewolf blood. It’s their own.

The figure collapses, falling just to the side of the werewolf’s massive body, curled in on itself. Is it the vigilante? Geralt thinks, blinking at the well-made sword, the man’s black doublet and thick leather pants. He sure did come prepared.

As he stalks toward the too-brave human, he takes stock of the fight scene. It had been brutal, this much he can tell; there is human blood smeared across the ceiling and directly below, too fresh to belong to anyone other than the vigilante.

“You shouldn’t have taken on a monster by yourself.” Geralt admonishes the panting, nearly-broken figure on the floor. “That’s what I’m here for.”

He doesn’t answer verbally, instead pushing himself up with both hands firmly planted on the ground. As soon as he gets his feet under him, he’s scrambling backwards, away from Geralt.

The Witcher holds his hands up, seeing the vigilante reach for a dagger belted to his waist. “No need.” He says. “I only hunt monsters, not humans.” Still, no response other than ragged breathing. The man presses a hand to his ribs, hunched over. Clearly injured. “You need help.” Geralt comments. “I can help you.”

He’s aware of Jaskier finally catching up; the bard stands in awe of the scene before him, jaw dropped. Then he sees the vigilante, and notices that both of Geralt’s swords are still strapped to his back- though there is a sword stuck in the werewolf.

“Geralt?” Jaskier questions, confused. “Did he kill the monster?”

The vigilante drops like dead weight. Geralt rushes over, taking the dagger from a limp hand. His fingers come away slick with blood. Up close, the man is smaller than most men he’d seen. He pushes back the hood, noting that the man wears a tight black knit cap that lines up perfectly with the mask. Blood seeps from below the mask, so Geralt takes it off carefully.

“Oh.” He murmurs, shocked. The man, the vigilante, slayer of the werewolf, isn’t a man at all.

Lying unconscious on the ground before him, her body battered, is Lani, Lord Corro’s daughter. Blood drips from the corner of her mouth, but her face is unmarred. Up close, Geralt notices a small scar over her right eyebrow, a tiny imperfection on her otherwise unmarked face. She groans, face scrunching, then gags, rolling over to spit up blood. For a second she seems to gather herself, then her eyes land on his.

She reaches up, feeling for the mask, but when her fingers touch only skin her eyes widen. “Don’t tell my father-“ She says, voice hoarse with the blood coating her throat. Geralt pats her back as she falls into a coughing fit, spitting up more blood. When she flops onto her back, she gives him a side-eye. “Don’t tell anyone.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You’re injured.”

Her hand lifts to her ribs and she winces. “I’ll be fine. Just…don’t tell.”

Geralt looks to Jaskier over his shoulder. The bard has a comical look of surprise on his face, so shocked that he can do nothing but blink. Huffing, he nods. “I won’t.” 

Lani closes her eyes, nose scrunching in pain. She pants through bared teeth as she tries to lift herself onto an elbow, but Geralt is quick to push her back down. “Stay.” he says. 

“M’lady?” A girl’s voice calls out from behind them. “Oh! Lani!” Geralt turns to see a woman the same size as Lani rushing towards her. She wears the outfit of a handmaiden in Lord Corro’s house, her mouse-brown hair done up in a braid. Without even bothering to glance at the witcher, she kneels beside Lani and cups her face in one hand. “This is going to leave a mark.” She says. 

“You knew about this?” Jaskier’s incredulous voice questions from just over Geralt’s shoulder. His face is bewildered, and Geralt thinks- not for the first time- that the bard lets too much of what he’s feeling show on his face. “You knew that she’s the vigilante?”

The handmaiden cuts Jaskier a look so cold that Geralt’s eyebrows raise. “Of course I did.” She growls, already feeling down Lani’s side for broken bones. “I knew I couldn’t stop her, so I decided to join her. I’m the only one who knows.”

“Not anymore.” Lani coughs, wiping at her mouth. She glances only briefly to the blood on her hand before she warily eyes Jaskier. “Don’t. Tell.”

“Her father would disown her.” The maid explains. “Some of the men she’s, ehem, stopped are men who work for Lord Corro. He’d kill me if he found out I helped her.” She cuts herself off, looking to Lani. They share a glance that clearly means something to the other. 

“You can say it.” Lani says, gritting her teeth past a fresh wave of pain. 

“Lani’s been playing a long game. Lord Corro is the most corrupt person in town, and she’s been taking out his pawns one by one until she can bring him down, but it’s dangerous. If she were to be found out…”

Geralt’s mind reels. This is not the woman who he’d seen sit so demurely at her father’s side. This woman is cunning. She’s an incredible actress, and far more than he’d given her credit for. “He’s your father.” The Witcher comments. “Not many people would dare take on their own family.”

She bares her teeth, her smile bloodied. “He doesn’t deserve what he has. No one should be that rich while others suffer.”

Behind him, Geralt swears he hears Jaskier whimper. The scent that always clings to the bard intensifies. He looks over his shoulder to find Jaskier making heart-eyes at the woman lying bleeding on the floor, broken but victorious. 

“We have to get you back.” The maid murmurs to Lani. “Can you move?”

“She shouldn’t walk on her own.” Geralt says, wondering at the sudden protective urge he has over the woman. “I’ll carry her.”

Lani scoffs, but he knows her pride won’t get her upright. She sets her jaw, eyeing him distrustfully, but when he only holds out a hand for her she seems to deflate. He waits until she nods before he scoops her up with an arm behind her back and one under her legs. She groans in pain, eyes squeezed shut, body trembling. “You’re not like the others, Witcher.” Lani grudgingly admits from behind clenched teeth. “Most men wouldn’t wait for permission.”

Geralt hums low in his chest, knowing she can hear it. He doesn’t bother to answer as he turns around, noting that Jaskier is still reeling from the surprises of the day. “Are you coming, bard?” He burrs, amused. Jaskier nods, glancing back to see the maid following them.

The Witcher places Lani as gently as he can on the black horses’ back, frowning when she still grimaces in pain despite his best efforts. She’s a tough woman, but those are serious injuries, he thinks to himself. “You take the bounty.” She says to him, not meeting his eyes. “As payment for keeping my secret.”

He nearly shakes his head. She’d almost been killed in the fight, the bounty was hers by rights- but the part of himself that remained from his lessons says that coin is coin, no matter how it is gotten. “You killed it.” He says instead. “It’s your bounty.”

“She won’t take it.” the maid replies when Lani clutches her ribs, her face scrunching up in pain. “She’s stubborn like that. Either you take the money or no one will.”

“He’ll take it.” Jaskier jumps in. “Or I will.” When Geralt gives him a short glare, he shrugs. “Living on the road is expensive. We need to pay for food somehow.” Geralt’s lips twitch in annoyance but he realizes the bard is right. It’s a waste of Lani’s blood if no one takes the bounty. 

“Where will you go?” He asks instead. 

“Home.” Lani breathes, pushing herself upright in the saddle. She takes a few shallow breaths past her bruised ribs. “I’ve gotten good at hiding my injuries.” Geralt sees the sadness in her maid’s expression and knows it’s all too true. “Ready, Loretta?” 

The maid nods, swinging up unassisted into the saddle behind her Lady. Lani turns the horse toward the town, giving Geralt a lingering look. “I’ll see you there, Witcher.” She says, gritting her teeth as she urges the horse into a rolling canter. 

Geralt huffs, muttering a low ‘fuck’ under his breath. He turns toward the cave where the werewolf’s dead body waits. Jaskier, behind him, is staring after the two riders with longing in his eyes. 

“I want to marry that woman.” Jaskier murmurs, his cheeks pink. “She’s so… perfect.”

The Witcher grunts. “She’s her own woman, Jask. Can’t be tied down.” He stomps into the cave, finding the monster exactly the way it had been left. The blood on his leather is Lani’s, but no one in town would know that, so he decides to leave it as a sign of the battle. With a savage yank, he pulls the sword from the werewolf’s spine and uses it to sever the head in two blows. When the head rolls alone on the stone floor of the cave, Geralt takes a closer look at the sword, humming in appreciation of the wonderful craftsmanship. If Lani left it, then she left it for a reason, so he decides to keep it though it is smaller than he likes. 

The sun is nearing its crest when Geralt walks out of the cave with a new sword in one hand and a werewolf’s head in the other. Jaskier waits, already strumming his lute to a new tune; one of the witcher, victorious in battle against yet another monster. 

Lani sits stiff as a board in her seat beside her father. Her ribs throb with every shallow breath, her entire right side is an amalgamation of black and blue bruises, but the sleeves of her dress and her black silk gloves cover everything. Behind her, Loretta frets. She can feel the handmaiden’s eyes boring into the back of her skull, watching and waiting for a sign that she’s had enough. 

She’s about to give up when the double doors to the dining room crash open and in strides Geralt, bloodied and carrying the head of the monster she herself slew. 

A good excuse, she thinks, feeling rather pale. She puts the back of one hand daintily to her forehead, sighing just enough that her father hears. “Oh my,” she murmurs. “Father, I feel quite faint. You must excuse me.”

And with that, she rises on unsteady feet, using the back of the chair as balance to leave. As soon as she’s out of eyesight of anyone, Loretta slips an arm around her waist and takes half of her weight, guiding them both to her room. 

Lani doesn’t see Geralt unceremoniously dump the head to the floor, or her father hand over a large bag of gold coins. She lays in bed, aching all over and so tired as Jaskier serenades the Lord with a song of Geralt’s triumph over the beast. She hears the revel thrown in Geralt’s honor, the revel that goes on for hours until there’s a shallow knock on her door. 

“My Lady Lani?” Jaskier’s voice calls, muffled through the door. 

Lani motions Loretta to open the door, too weak to do much more. Jaskier is quickly by her side, gingerly taking her hand in both of his. “How are you feeling?” The bard asks, and Lani can see genuine worry in his eyes. 

“Everything hurts.” she confesses, in too much pain to put on an act. “Did Geralt collect the bounty?”

“He did. I made a song about his victory over the beast, but I wanted you to hear the real one, the one I’ll only sing to him or you. Would you like that?”

She doesn’t know why there are tears suddenly at the back of her eyes, or why seeing his soft gaze breaks down the walls she’s built for so long. “Loretta,” She calls, and instantly her handmaiden is there, helping her sit up. Jaskier helps too, his hands warm on her shoulder and careful not to hurt her any more than she already is. The bard fluffs her pillows behind her without being asked. “Thank you, Jaskier. I’d love to hear your song.”

And so, with Loretta sitting comfortably on her bed beside her, she watches as Jaskier kneels and swings his lute over his chest, strumming a few careful notes. 

“This tale begins with a proper Lady whose beauty knows no bounds, whose courage is unmatched, whose honor is worth more than gold. 

Defender of her land, protector of her realm, she is unknown to all but one.

She fought minor beasts, men whose deeds made them wicked, defeated their demons and emerged victorious. 

So when true evil came to her land

When a monster stalked her people, 

She did as heroes do and she hunted the creature.

When no man would stand up and fight, when cowardice was proven, she asked no recompense, no quarter, for there could be no mercy either.

When no man would fight, she said ‘I am no man’ and she proved her worth.

She fought the creature with every breath, she slew the beast with the last of her strength

And though battered by the monster, she didn’t cry for help. This valiant, beautiful woman had proven herself worth more than fifty men and yet she asked to remain hidden.

And so it is that no one will know her name, the glory of battle goes to another, the spoils of victory hers to give but not taken. 

But let not her tale end here. 

Let it not end here, but let there be many more victories in her future.’

Loretta is crying when Lani glances over at her. Jaskier’s eyes are soft, but there’s something glimmering in them from his song, and Lani feels the effects of it long after the last note fades away, like some sort of spell. “That was beautiful.” She whispers to the bard. “Thank you.”

Jaskier smiles, a smile that lights up his whole face. Geralt never compliments his singing, and more often than not he’s boo-ed out of taverns. “No, thank you, M’lady. Today you proved that it doesn’t take a Witcher for all monsters. There may be hope for us yet.”

Lani laughs, but it quickly dissolves into a coughing fit. Jaskier is quick to help, rubbing her back soothingly as she coughs. She leans into him for a minute, weakened by the fit, and his heart threatens to burst. He’d always been one to trust too quickly, but even he knew that from the moment he first saw her that she was unlike the others. He sets her back against her pillows gently, pushing a lock of hair out of her face. Her eyes are as green as he remembers them being from first glance, though they are pain-dulled and tired. “Get some rest.” he says, kissing the back of her hand once more. He can feel her callouses from weaponry and realizes why she always wears gloves. “You deserve it.”

“Thank you, Jaskier.” She says as he stands, moving his lute onto his back. “And please tell Geralt thank you too.”

“I will.” He replies. “But you are the one we should both be thanking.”

TAG LIST (OPEN)

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #427

Top Ten Saddest Deaths in Star Wars

In retrospect, I should have swapped last week's list and this one; it feels more appropriate to do a Star Wars Day thing just before May 4th, rather than the better part of a week later. But ah well.

Loads of people die in Star Wars. Off the top of my head, Empire Strikes Back – which is meant to be the dark one! – is the only film without a major character death. Daughter #1 once told me she preferred Harry Potter because not as many people die (she was only up to Goblet of Fire, bless her). So right from the start Star Wars is synonymous with characters kicking it.

So this week, to celebrate Star Wars Day last Monday, I'm honouring not the most notable, not the most epic, but the most sadder deaths a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. There’s plenty to choose from; SW is often at its best when it's being overly emotional. There are a lot of “Nooooo!”s in the franchise. But in selecting these ten bucket-kickings, I was a bit surprised by which purchased farms did not make my entirely arbitrary cut. Basically, when I sat and thought about what I felt or feel when that character carks it, just how sad did I feel? The answers may surprise you.

I wanted to do something else to tie (fighter) in to the whole May the Fourth be With You of it all (or, indeed, the Revenge of the Fifth, which is like the hipster Star Wars Day). But to be honest I'm still reeling after the cavalcade of disappointments and banal decisions that plagued Rise of Skywalker. In fact, I was going to write a piece about how all the problems in the Sequel Trilogy could be traced to decisions made in The Force Awakens, which is supposed to be the one everyone likes; but it just kept sounding whiney and sensationalist, which wasn’t my intention. I think my emotions are still running a bit too high on the subject, which obviously would make me a crap Jedi. I even thought of doing “Ten Things I Love about the Sequel Trilogy” but it ran the risk of being ��the young cast” and then nine things that happen in The Last Jedi.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, people getting killed real good in a Star War. Oh, one final thing, before we commence the bloodbath: this is just the films. I've not seen nearly enough of the shows to include deaths from there too, even though The Mandalorian would definitely have featured here.

Right. Spoiler alert, natch. Don't fear the reaper.

K-2SO (Rogue One, 2016): the best droid in Star Wars dies a noble death, defending his friends, buying them enough time to complete their suicide mission, suffering multiple tragic blaster hits, proving his worth and his compassion. The Star Wars equivalent of Boromir defending the hobbits.

Han Solo (The Force Awakens, 2015): doomed from the moment he stepped onto the bridge, he risks everything to try one last time to bring his son back. Shockingly run through, his tender caress of Ben/Kylo’s cheek before his death plunge is heartbreaking.

Luke Skywalker (The Last Jedi, 2017): benefits from one hell of a twist and a superb Jedi power move, but Luke wistfully fading away beneath the image of twin suns, his legend restored and his heroism secure, after saving the Resistance and inspiring a new generation, is beautifully poetic. Pity the next film kinda made it redundant.

Padme Amidala (Revenge of the Sith, 2005): much is to be made of the failure of Star Wars’ obstetric medicine and the whole “dying of a broken heart” thing, but there is real tragedy in this superb woman – a leader, a warrior, a devoted wife – just expiring on a table having been thoroughly deceived and then abused by her husband. A darker death than the film is willing to address.

Yoda (Return of the Jedi, 1983): Yoda pretty much just dies of old age, fading into the Force before our eyes, a tired and sad-looking little figure. But even as his eyes drift closed and his voice becomes croaky, he’s still able to chastise Luke and offer tantalising hints to the future.

Owen & Beru Lars (A New Hope, 1977): they took Luke in and raised him like a son, despite the fact he was potentially dangerous. And then they’re unceremoniously killed, off-screen, and Luke barely mourns them! Tragic. But a dope pair of skeletons.

R4-P17 (Revenge of the Sith, 2005): many droids die in Star Wars, but R4’s gruesome demise – decapitated by buzz-droids during a space battle – sticks out as a nasty one. It’s made worse by Obi-Wan’s casual droid racism. He basically doesn’t care that she dies.

Aayla Secura (Revenge of the Sith, 2005): Secura is – in the films at least – essentially just a cool-looking nameless Jedi who crops up in crowd scenes and cutaways, and then dies during the “Order 66” montage. But her death is nasty. Shot in the back by the Clone Troopers she ostensibly commands is bad enough, but then her corpse is riddled with further blaster fire. Seriously grim.

Qui-Gon Jinn (The Phantom Menace, 1999): let’s face it, Qui-Gon’s fate seemed secured even before we all read the track listings on the back of the soundtrack CD. He fights valiantly against Darth Maul, but is run through, a shocked expression on his face. His sad, plaintive urgings of Obi-Wan to train Anakin have further tragic consequences.

That Ewok (Return of the Jedi, 1983): everyone bangs on about the Ewoks being silly or unrealistic or whatever, but I don’t wanna hear about it; they rock and they always will. Cute teddy bears who properly rip up the Empire? Here all day. But the moment when two of them are shot at, and one of them realises his friend isn’t getting up – will never get up­ – is really, really sad and a soft moment of quasi-naturalism among the laser fire. His friend’s resigned sinking into the earth is so touching. Kids will weep. Incidentally, Wookieepedia informs me that our deceased Ewok’s name is Nanta, and his bereaved mate is Romba. Never forget.

There we go, Star Wars’ cavalcade of tears. A litany of sadness to drown a fleet of weirdo Star Destroyers hidden in an ice planet, or whatever the hell was going on at the end of Rise of Skywalker. There are couple of Big Deaths here that I’m half-surprised I missed off; principally Leia’s sad expiration during Rise. But to be honest I was so annoyed by the film in general at that point, and the muddy nature of her death – complicated, I know, by Carrie Fisher’s tragic real-life unavailability – that it kinda rang a little hollow. I just didn’t feel it. Ditto for Ben Solo, whose death was even more stupid than his bizarre redemption. Sorry, this is turning into the sort of whiney post I was expressly trying to avoid.

Anyway, never mind. Star Wars is plenty sad already. And these are just the emotional deaths; there are all kind of cool and epic deaths, too, such as Admiral Holdo or Mace Windu or Boba Fett (falling in a hole, ha!). His dad, incidentally, nearly made the cut, because while his death is hilarious and stupid, the scene of Boba cradling Jango’s helmet (steady) is totes emosh.

That’s Star Wars, I guess: sad and silly all at the same time.

[queen-scribbles]

Hug Prompt

8-Group Hug for @risualto tumblr’s not letting me save changes to the draft, sooo here ya go 

Emiri had no gift for strategizing. Not surprising, given her background, and also usually not a major problem. Right now, though, it was turning into a major problem. For being a pirate, Brynlod and his crew were proving quite adept at fighting on dry land. And there were a lot of them. Having a plan beyond weeding out the weaker members first and working their way up would have been nice.

Ghosts of terrors from her past drifted through her mind’s eye, causing her strike to go wide, and Emiri glared at the Cipher-Captain even as her hands shook. She tightened her grip on hammer and dagger and forced the nascent terror from her mind.

Brynlod bared his teeth at his failure to overwhelm her and turned his attention to Pallegina and Kana, currently working in tandem to deal with a pair of pirate spellcasters; druids or wizards Emiri couldn’t tell from her vantage-

The sharp stinging draw of a blade against her arm gave her a painful reminder she needed to pay better attention. Emiri yelped and backhanded her hammer into the skull of the individual responsible. Worry about Kana later, yourself now. And she did need to worry about herself; in the time she’d been distracted, a trio of pirates had hemmed her off from the rest of the fray. Whether they thought she’d be easy pickings with no armor, or recognized her as a threat with abilities similar to their captain, the result was still three on one odds that cornered her against the broken-down wall of the mill behind her. It left her facing the uncomfortable reality she might have to use the abilities she didn’t like if she wanted to get out of this alive.

One of the pirates, armed with a pair of stilettos, made a feint at her injured side. Emiri moved to parry, and something electrical sparked from the hands of the second pirate as soon as her focus was committed.

She cried out in pain when the spell hit, arm spasming so badly she almost dropped her dagger.

“Emiri!”

I’m fine, Aloth. The fact she couldn’t even get the words out sort of belied them, but she still tried to press them into his mind. Surely he had his hands full even without swooping to her rescue. From somewhere around the other side of the ruined mill, Hiravias bellowed a curse, but it cut off in a way that made Emiri’s gut twist. Worry about him instead.

They needed to finish this. The longer it dragged on, the worse their odds would likely get. She shook off the lingering twitches from the lightning spell and swung her hammer at the pirate wizard. The third of the group, more heavily armored and wielding an estoc, stepped in between, and her hammer glanced off his pauldron. Emiri growled in frustration and followed through the motion to crank her elbow into the fighter’s jaw. She turned to handle the rogue first, at least remove one threat, just in time to see a pair of pinkish-orange bolts careen into his back.

Apparently Aloth hadn’t believed her.

He was already summoning another spell by the time his presence registered for the pirates and the fighter deviated from his focus on Emiri to deal with this new threat. He was faster that Emiri would have expected for a man his size, and had lunged close enough for his blade to reach while she was still grasping for a cipher trick to throw him off.

No, no, no! She settled for throwing a mental scream at him, but it wasn’t enough to deter him. Her throat closed up with terror as the gleaming estoc swung-

-And the blade cleaved through the double Aloth had just finished summoning rather than its intended target.

Emiri sighed in relief as the fighter stumbled through the empty space before her attention was reclaimed by a pair of magic bolts whistling past her head, one so close it grazed her halo. Right. She still had the rogue and the wizard to handle, so would have to trust Aloth knew what he was doing.

She could hear the wizard chanting another incantation, but the rogue had moved in too close for comfort, and Emiri cranked her hammer into his shoulder first. She heard and felt something break under the impact as the blow sent him stumbling to his knees. With a moment’s breathing room on that front, she could focus on the wizard.

Only, she didn’t need to–Edér had come to help at her pained cry as well. He slammed his shield into the wizard’s back, then as the pirate wheeled in surprise, slashed open his throat. The pirate dropped both spellbook and wand to instead grasp futilely at the gaping wound as he collapsed.

Alright, then, Emiri thought, and turned back to the rogue–

Just as Aloth–or was it Iselmyr, she couldn’t tell–hollered a warning and the rogue’s stiletto drove into the fleshy part of her already-injured bicep. His foot lodged behind her ankle, tumbling her to the ground. Emiri yelped as her wounded arm dragged against the rough stone wall on the way down. She tried to focus on making the man recall the pain of his likely-broken shoulder, but her own pain was too distracting, she couldn’t manage…

Edér charged past her as she struggled and ran the rogue through before Aloth could get a spell off, his sabre easily piercing the leather armor.

As she tried to regulate her breathing and fight through the pain in her arm, Emiri was dimly aware of the combat ruckus tapering off toward quiet. That was good; she was basically useless and Hiravias hadn’t sounded good and what about Pallegina and Kana–

“Miri.” Edér stood next to her, sabre sheathed and hand extended to help her up.

She took it gratefully and let him assist her undignified scramble back to her feet. “Thank you,” she murmured breathlessly, meaning for more than just the hand up, and pulled him into a hug with her good arm.

“‘S what I’m here for,” Edér chuckled, hugging her back. “You alright?”

“Thanks to you,” Emiri confirmed, glancing toward Aloth, who’d relaxed and moved closer to check on her with the battle winding down. “Both of you.” When the elven wizard was close enough, she dragged him into the hug with her other arm, muttering apologies for getting blood in his hair.

Careful of her injuries, Aloth circled an arm around her waist. “A small–and worthwhile–price to pay to be sure you’re alright,” he promised. “And not one I’d pay long, in any case, considering where we are.”

Emiri laughed and hugged the both of them tighter. “Good point.” Dyrford Crossing had no shortage of streams to choose from in the event you needed to wash out blood and grime. Which she was fairly certain all of them now did. She gave Aloth and Edér one final squeeze before letting go. “We should check on the others. And I need some sort of proof we killed Brynlod.”

“I’ll take care of that, Mir,” Edér offered with a wink. He headed for where Brynlod had fallen, leaving her free to make sure the rest of their group was alright, or at least alive.

Even that proved a near thing–Hiravias looked decidedly woozy when she’d circled enough of the wrecked mill to lay eyes on him, perched on a rock so Pallegina could examine the gash carved through the blood-matted fur over his good eye.

He grinned fiercely–if slightly dazed–when he saw her staring at him. “Watcher! One of these rot-brained thugs thought to relieve me of my other eye, but I showed her the folly of that decision-”

“Yes, by nearly skewering yourself on the same rocks that skewered her, and then promptly passing out from the effort,” Pallegina interrupted dryly, her hands moving from the gash to lightly grip his head. “Stop moving, postenago.”

“Don’t ruin my tale of heroism,” Hiravias groused good-naturedly. “And you try casting something that powerful with your face sliced open.”

“I stand corrected,” Pallegina deadpanned, then met Emiris gaze. “I am glad you are alright, Watcher”–her gaze drifted to the blood running down Emiri’s arm–”for the most part.”

“Oh, it would be much worse if not for Edér and Aloth’s intervention,” Emiri said. She glanced around, brow furrowing. “Where’s Kana?”

“He was worried for you, I believe,” Pallegina said, golden eyes gleaming with something that wasn’t quiet mirth before her attention returned to Hiravias. “We all heard you cry out, but were… occupied with the rest of the pirates, ac?”

“Oh.” Something in her chest squeezed. “Maybe I should-”

“Stay right here so the two of you don’t wind up chasing circles around what’s left of this mill,” Aloth finished for her as he joined them. “He’ll make it back here sooner or later. It’s not that big a building.”

“You’re right. Of course.” Of course that made more sense. Emiri wiped blood off her arm and examined the new slice through her sleeve. “If this keeps up, I’ll have to replace this shirt much sooner than planned.”

Aloth’s brow furrowed. “Usher’s scythe, Emiri, I didn’t realize…” He started to reach toward the bloody sleeve, then hesitated. “May I?”

“‘Course,” she nodded, and gingerly rolled up the sleeve, hissing when it stuck to her skin.

He winced at both the gash and the puncture just above it. “We should stop the bleeding, at least. Stitching these up may require a surgeon with more skill than any of us can claim.”

Edér appeared while they were in the process of using her ruined shirt to do just that, raised an eyebrow at Emiri in just her undershirt, and held out one hand toward her. “Only better proof’d be choppin’ off his head, an’ we have a little far to travel for me to wanna go that route.”

Emiri examined the sweat-stained leather cord hanging off his finger. The low end of its loop was weighted by an amateurly made pewter ring and decorated by a pair of feathers–cormorant or albatross if she remembered her sea birds.  “Lucky charm and his signet. I’d say that’ll do.” She held out her hand, palm up, and Edér lowered the talisman into her grasp. “Thank you.”

Just as her fingers closed around the leather cord and Aloth finished tying off the pressure bandages, there was a loud sigh of relief from back near the corner of the mill. “Hylea’s wings, there you are!”

Emiri half-twisted, her face heating a the fact she was sans shirt, and flashed him a smile. “Sorry, Kana. I came to check on you all, but Pallegina said you;d gone looking for me, and Aloth suggested staying here was better, ‘cause you would make your way back eventually-”

“And so I did,” Kana chuckled, his smile fading slightly when he caught sight of her shirt wrapped around her arm. “You’re hurt?”

“It looks worse than it is,” she assured him. “All this is just to make sure it stops bleeding until I can get it stitched up. I’m fine. Much better off than Hiravias, anyway.”

“Ah, if a stelgaer couldn’t do me in, a piddly little shit of a pirate sure won’t,” Hiravias retorted, squirming as Pallegina finished bandaging his wounds.

“You’re sure you’re alright?” Kana pressed, his gaze firmly on Emiri.

Her heart fluttered a little at the concern in his voice. “I am. Thanks to these two.” She pulled Aloth and Edér into another hug. The two of them hugged her back again their angles slightly awkward but still heartfelt.

“Just glad we were close enough to be a help,” Edér said, which Aloth seconded.

“And glad I am to hear it,” Kana smiled.

It didn’t take much longer to finish cleaning up, searching bodies for anything of value, and confirming all the pirates were, in fact, dead. Once everything was taken care of, they headed for Dyrford Village, in hopes of finding someone to stitch up Emiri and Hiravias, and certainty of a comfortable place to sleep.

Emiri’s gaze darted between her friends as they walked, silently thanking the gods for all of them, and that they’d all survived that fight, with how tough it had been. She knew sooner or later she’d lose them to adventures or duty, but for now, she was very grateful to have them around.

[kaelinaloveslomaris]

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

NOTE: This one is also not written by me, I'm again posting as a proxy for my friend, who may or may not get a Tumblr in the future. This is part one of three.

Summary: Three weeks after Bespin, Rogue Squadron has just escaped a run-in with the ferocious Lyleks of Onderon when an unexpected visitor shows up to claim his son. You can predict what happens next. Three-shot.

He can hardly stand with the agony pounding in his right wrist; he can hardly think, but still he must get away. As the wind blows and buffets him, a black-gloved hand is reaching for him. “Join me, Luke. It is your destiny.”

He tries to keep inching back, but there is nowhere else to go. “No—no, it’s—not true—“

He’d meant for his voice to be defiant, but it only sounds weak. He takes another step back, he can jump if he’s fast enough; but suddenly, he is being pulled closer—it’s the Force, damn the Force—and Vader seizes him with a hand around his bicep. He cries out, but there is no sound; his vocal cords don’t work.

The monster—his father, no it’s not true—looms ominously over him. “There is no escape. You are my son—you belong to me.”

With a jolt, Luke returned to consciousness, gasping for breath.

He was on the ground. At first he was confused; then he remembered: the giant, spider-like Lylek had knocked him down, and he had killed it with his blaster. He must have been out long enough to start dreaming...no, no, he couldn’t think about that, Vader was not here. There was no chance—

“Luke!” Wedge was calling his name. “Luke, we have to get outta here! Where are you?”

“Here!” Luke got to his feet and scrambled out of the undergrowth into a clearing. That Lylek had almost killed him; but the monster was definitely dead. He could see it, lying several meters away; it was huge, its tentacles and claws curled up (fortunately, the poisonous tentacles had never touched him). Resisting the urge to shudder, fighting off the memory of his nightmares, he joined his Second where he stood by Onderon’s main facility. “Wedge, they’re all dead!”

“That’s not it,” Wedge told him in a low voice. “Look out there.”

Luke followed Wedge’s gaze, and his heart stopped. On the horizon of the jungle planet were several TIE Fighters. Without warning, his heart began to race, he struggled to breathe, and he felt the beginnings of his panic start to return.

“Wedge,” he said carefully, ignoring the memories of Bespin that wanted to come roaring back, “that’s not—it’s not—“

“You know High Command would never’ve sent you on the mission if there were any chance of Vader being here.” Wedge gave him a reassuring smile, and Luke’s fear decreased marginally. “It’s barely been three weeks, Luke. You’re lucky they even sent you at all!”

“Well, wild Lyleks weren’t really what I had in mind,” Luke said, “but at least they’re dead. Come on, we’ve got time before they land, and by the look of it, everyone else has gotten to their ships. Let’s get out of here!”

But before he or Wedge could take a step, they heard the clatter of armor and the click of blasters behind them. Pulling his own blaster, Luke turned around to find himself face to face with at least two dozen Stormtroopers.

“We’ve been trapped,” Wedge said, sounding horrified. “One of the ships must’ve docked behind the facility...”

“Drop your blasters,” the commander ordered them. “Both of you. Now!”

Luke dropped his immediately, but Wedge crossed his arms defiantly, and Luke suddenly realized that there was only way that both of them were going to get off Onderon. And Wedge wasn’t going to like it.

“Wedge,” he muttered out of the corner of his mouth, “do as he says.”

“But—“ Wedge seemed to realize that he was refusing a direct order from his superior. “All right.” With a soft plup!, his blaster fell into the grass beside Luke’s.

Luke felt something wet on his face, and looked up to see the clouds gathering. Well, these weren’t ideal conditions for flying, but he’d experienced worse.

“And put your hands up!”

Slowly, as he and Wedge raised their hands behind their heads, Luke leaned over to whisper: “Get ready to run. The second I move.”

Wedge looked at him in horror. “Luke, no! You’ll—“

“I’ll follow you,” Luke said, “eventually. Don’t worry. Just make sure Artoo—“

The trooper took a step towards them. “Hey! What are you two whispering about?”

“Oh, never mind.” Before the trooper could move, Luke pulled his blaster into his hand with the Force and fired, once at the lead officer, then again at his companion. Chaos ensued. The Stormtroopers shouted in rage, Wedge took off, and Luke took down two more troopers before dropping to the ground and rolled behind the facility.

“Where is he?” A Stormtrooper with a vibroblade in his hand began searching, turning round and round several times before registering that his would-be prisoner had vanished. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, Luke might have laughed. “Find him!”

The Force must have been against him. Luke had barely relaxed when, against all odds, at least a half dozen troopers turned and walked toward the facility. They would find him; he had no choice but to run. As another drop fell on his face, he got to his feet, wincing as the cuts on his back and legs pulled, and sprinted out of the shelter of the facility and towards the jungle.

“There he is!”

A warning came from the Force; Luke jerked aside just in time to avoid a blaster bolt, but that simple change in direction sent him stumbling over a large rock that just happened to be there, of all places, and he dropped to the floor of the jungle. There was another warning, and he was almost too slow; he twisted aside, a half second late, and felt a blaster bolt scrape over his right arm. The pain would come later, he thought as he jumped up to run; for now, he could survive on adrenaline, shock, and the Force.

Yoda would kill me for thinking of the Force like that, he thought with a grin as he dove into the undergrowth and waited, his heart hammering in his chest.

The bushes rustled as the troopers walked past. Several more drops fell. It was raining in earnest now, and Luke tried not to shiver; that, more than anything, would give him away. He could see the tips of their white boots now, as they stopped in front of the place he was hiding...and then, suddenly, they started muttering to one another.

“Better get out of here,” one of them said. There was a rustle of leaves, and gradually Luke felt their presence in the Force vanish as they left him alone.

Well, that was weird.

Slowly, Luke sat up, trying to ignore all the pains that were coming back to him—the cuts on his back, the scratches on his legs and chest, all from the Lylek’s claws, the exhaustion that lingered just beyond his awareness, the pounding in his head from being knocked unconscious, and worst of all the new wound in his arm—and suddenly remembered Wedge. He’d promised him he’d escape! Wedge must be worried sick, and he might come back for Luke...

Luke could not let that happen; who knew where the Stormtroopers were? Seizing his blaster, he jumped to his feet and began running, out into the clearing. There was no sign of the Stormtroopers, but they could be anywhere. As long as he ran fast, he and Wedge could still escape...

Rain immediately pounded down on him, but he didn’t care; he’d be off the planet soon anyway. He shivered. The atmosphere was extremely cold, almost too cold for a jungle planet, but then again it was raining. He approached the facility—

And Darth Vader rounded the corner.

Luke stopped dead in his tracks, panic threatening to catch up to him again, and his mouth fell open. This couldn’t be real—this had to be some kind of hallucination—there had been no chance Vader would be here at all! But here he was, as real as everything else...

Or maybe not, he thought wildly; Vader still hadn’t spoken, maybe Luke was hallucinating—

“Were you escaping?” Vader’s booming voice dashed Luke’s remaining hopes. “How unfortunate for you.”

Besides all Luke’s other injuries, his right wrist now began to throb, almost painfully, as he took several steps back. The rain was making him dizzy; he had to focus on the Force to keep from stumbling. He felt his hands shaking, and clenched them into fists; but then he couldn’t get enough air. He needed to breathe—he couldn’t breathe—he couldn’t move—

Vader took a step closer, and the movement, more than anything else, made Luke’s decision for him. He turned around, ready to run to his ship—though now he could hardly see through the rain, which had thoroughly drenched him—and almost walked into the round end of a blaster.

Oh. So that was where the Stormtroopers had gone.

“Turn around, Rebel,” one of them said; he was the one with the vibroblade, Luke remembered.

Slowly, almost against his will, Luke did so...and then he looked at the ground. Vader seemed to tower over him. He couldn’t look at the man, couldn’t think about Bespin, couldn’t think about what Vader had told him—couldn’t think at all—

“Bring him into the facility,” Vader said at last. “We will take refuge from the storm there until my shuttle arrives.”

In the distance, one lone X-Wing could be seen taking off into the sky. As the Stormtroopers seized his arms, Luke allowed himself to slump into their grip; now he was sure, if he hadn’t been before, that he would not be able to escape the Empire.

[ask-ohmtoonz]

Ohmtoonz - Endless Ambition

chapter one: Zero

Ryan loved the kingdom outskirts, he loved comparing the vast and never sleeping town to the fresh and grassy fields that kept his home hidden from any other kingdom or rogue thieves. His home- The Todian Kingdom was safe and peaceful. He often remembered racing his older brother down the hills, seeing how far up he could go, before gravity forced him tumbling down to the city.

The hills surrounded the town almost perfectly, aside from the occasional smoke from a production line, the town was out of sight. Nobody new came in, not without the entire kingdom knowing. Especially the king.

The king was strict and calm, his two sons always tried to show off, trying to prove that they deserved to be the next rightful ruler to show that they were capable of leading the kingdom the same way as their father. The smaller prince, Prince Luke was agile, but also incredible at hand to hand combat, he often left those lucky to watch him spar, breathless.  He had the looks and the brain, he was charming and friendly to all those around him. Ryan believed he would be the heir to the throne.

The other prince, Prince Tyler was larger, standing at 6’1 with incredible muscle, he had been able to punch through rocks and not even flinch. He constantly helped anyone in the town, showing off by lifting up any object that was considered moderately heavy. He loved showing off to everyone about how powerful he was, he was short tempered, but definitely a loveable guy.

“Ryan, stop getting distracted,” his older brother scolded, nudging the smaller boy in front of him.

His older brother was rather short, blue eyes, black scruffy hair and a very faint stubble, he wore a dark blue hoodie and some baggy cargo pants.

Ryan nodded quickly and followed him, pulling his own, stolen, grey hoodie up. His jeans were ripped to hell, but at least they kept him warm.  

“Oi! stop drooling over the castle and get moving, we don't have all day.” His older brother- Jonathan reminded fimly, nudging his younger brother forward and out of the way to other townspeople.

Jonathan was a tall and muscular, he was taller than Ryan by a few feet and his muscles were noticeable in his rather tight shirt, at first glance, the brothers looked completely different, they had different skin tones, Ryan was as white as snow, while Jonathan had a type of olive skin. Ryan had soft hazel eyes while Jonathan had a set of piercing blue eyes. Jonathan was the better brother, Ryan knew that. His brother was going to leave a legacy that Ryan knew he wouldn’t be able to fulfill.

The two walked together quietly, the townspeople all rushed around besides them, but they didn’t mind. Jonathan stopped at an alley and headed down it, tossing a cloak at Ryan who caught it and put it on, immediately knowing what they were going to do.

The town often held public executions, trying to underline the fact that they would be punished. Yet, Ryan and Jonathan continued to steal, besides, it was only illegal if you were caught.

Ryan swiftly grabbed his brothers hand as the drew close to the gallows, he hated the idea of watching criminals reach for the thick rope crushing their windpipes, leaving permanent bruises that never got the chance to heal, the way they desperately squirmed and clawed at their necks was haunting. He could never understand which sadist thought that hanging people was a good idea. Especially with kids watching. It disgusted Ryan and he prayed that one of the princes would remove it once they got into power. “I hate this.” he muttered, hiding his head in his taller brothers shoulder as he heard choked breaths and the wooden frame creak, Jonathan just gave a curt nod, holding onto the smaller man’s hand and tugging him away from the gruesome scene, he knew a shortcut, but it meant they had to walk past the ‘chopping block’. Which was pretty self explanatory.

Jonathan knew his younger brother hated running past the guillotine, he hated it as well, but he knew he didn’t have the position to complain, it often came to survival to run past the guillotine, he even threw the decapitated heads at one of the guards so they were distracted and he could make it home.

The two continued to run, ignoring the cheer of the town people as the sharp blade sliced the man's head clean off, the head landed in the basket with a thud, which made Ryan flinch, his grip was impossibly tight on his older brothers hand, Jonathan kept tugging him along, forcing the smaller brother to keep running, they were almost out of the area, almost to their destination.

The crowd soon dispersed as Ryan and Jon made it out of the main city streets, the men panted and leaned against a wall. Ryan pressed two fingers to his neck, feeling his pulse, he sighed, his pulse was racing, yet stable, like his body was getting used to the sudden bursts of adrenaline. Jonathan smiled at his brother, pulling the hoodie way up over his eyes, “Come on Ohmie, Mask on,” He ordered, slipping his own mask on, which was just an old hockey mask.

Ryan stuck his tongue out and grabbed his blindfold from his pocket, before slipping it on over his eyes. Ryan was definitely more in touch with his sense, his hearing was incredible, so was his sense of touch and his ability to remain undetected. Jonathan was the best fighter he knew, he had troubles being quiet and often gave his position away, but that was a small price to pay when he could easily thrash anyone who got in his way. “Fuck you, Delirious,” He giggled.

Code names were often common around their friend group. Mainly because their tasks were incredibly illegal, as stealing tended to be. Delirious was a code name that the brother earned, it was for his “psychopathic laugh” but Ryan knew a different reason the name was given to him, it had something to do with his brother’s secret love life. Ryan didn't know how he got his nickname, but Ohm just suited him, yet whenever he asked anyone for a proper explanation, they just brushed him off and said, “You’ll know when you're older.”

Jonathan laughed and punched his brothers shoulder, “At least i know what my code name means,” He taunted, walking off without another word, leaving Ryan to whine and follow.

“As if it isn’t obvious! You and your boyfriend are ‘deliriously’ in love.” Ryan teased, jogging to his brother’s side. “You do know you can get executed for that, dude.” he said quietly, looking down.

Jonathan went silent, “As if, I’m the only one who knows what my boyfriend looks like, You don’t even know his name,” He chuckled, keeping his voice low as he started to walk again, heading down the empty street towards some abandoned buildings, the city was empty here, aside from the few thieves and tourists that were drawn to the mystery of the place, Ryan dreaded this part of their daily commute, he knew that getting through the public punishment was bad, but compared to the endless amount of climbing he had to do now was a pain in his ass.

The first part of the climb was to scale a building, the building had been half knocked down, so the bricks were sticking out, they definitely weren’t stable enough to climb, but it had to be done.

Or so they thought.

Just as they turned into the final alley before the climbing began, Jonathan tensed, he pushed Ryan back behind him as he stared at the tall Irishman in front of him, the man was wearing some thick armour, he was one of the kings knights, it was obvious because of the crown symbol above his heart on the chest plate, a loaded gun in his hand, however, the gun was doubled as a sword, it was sharp enough to pierce through someone completely, the gun aspect came into play for long distance fights.

“Well if it isn't me favourite commonplace thieves,” The knight spoke, his Irish accent thick as he spoke, making Jonathan visibly relax. “Oh thank fucking god, it’s just you,” Jonathan visibly relaxed, before hugging the taller man in a friendly gesture. “You had me scared for, half a second there, Daithi.” He laughed.

Daithi chuckled and precipitated the hug, rubbing the thief's back gently, before pulling away, “Ye should always be scared of me, especially since I got promoted,” He bragged.

“Really? That’s great! Good on you man!” Jonathan smiled brightly, pulling away, Ryan poked his head around the corner, just in time to watch Jonathan slip Daithi’s wallet into his pocket. “So whatcha doing here then?” He asked, trying to keep the kings-guard distracted.

Daithi smiled and waved at Ryan, “Oh, I’ve just gotta do some patrols,” He explained, “So. what are the thieves up to today?” he asked.

Jonathan grinned under his mask and pulled Daithi’s wallet out, “The usual.” Daithi gasped, his hands latched to his pockets, “What, Wha-?!” he squealed, snatching the wallet back and holding it to his chest, “Ye need to stop that!” he pouted, pocketing his wallet and folding his arms childishly.

Jonathan laughed and stuck his tongue out, “Maybe you should be more alert, Mr King's’ Knight,” He grinned, slipping past the knight and looking to his younger brother, “Come on, Ohm, we’ve got work to do,” He said calmly.

The knight rolled his eyes, “Be careful you two, I’m probably the only nice knight you’ll see for a while.” He warned as Ryan slipped past him, standing at his brother's side.

Jonathan smiled and nodded, “Yeah yeah, but we’ll be fine, it’s not like we’ve been doing this since our parents were alive.” Jon jokes, walking off and heading towards the beginning of the climb, Ryan went quiet at the mention of his parents, when he was born, the birth killed his mother, he didn’t really know much about his dad, other than he was incredibly quiet, maybe he was quiet to mourn his wife. Ryan didn’t know. Jon did, but never told him.

The two climbed in moderate silence, gripping the bricks of the large, demolished wall, he glanced up at his brother, watching the more flexible man scale the wall effortlessly, he climbed to the top and sat on the more stable part of the wall, accidentally kicking dust in his brothers face.

Ryan cringed at the dust and held back a sneeze, his mask was good at hiding his facial features, but not good at protecting him from dust or sand. “Thanks,” he muttered, holding onto the bricks tighter and turning to wipe his face on his shoulder, shaking his head for good measure, before continuing to climb up the wall.

Jonathan grinned at him, he looked around the surrounding area to make sure nobody was following him, when he was certain they were safe, he looked over to their location, which was a large warehouse covered by trees, he could already see some of his friends head into the building, some with their familiars, some with just their large shiny weapons and the occasional magician, flaunting off their magic to the bored thieves next to them, he smiled warmly, the thieves knew each other incredibly well, it was like a huge supportive family.

He looked back down at his brother and grabbed his wrist, pulling him the final way up, “We’re almost there, but we can take a break if you want,” He suggested, watching his brother wipe his hands on his hood.

Ryan shook his head, he grinned at Jon, “Why? Are you tired or something? Does my big brother need another nap?” he asked, he was secretly kinda tired, but he didn’t want to slow his brother down because of it.

Jonathan laughed, “As if, i used to have to do this with you on my back because you were scared of heights,” He teased, grabbing a rope from nearby and hooking it along a suspended hook, it was designed to make it easier for them to get back up and down the building to the warehouse.

The two finally made their way down the rope, Jonathan whined and complained about the slight burn in his non-gloved hands, Ryan simple laughed and flicked his older brother’s nose gently, before heading to the warehouse, more commonly referred to as “Zero.”

Just past a large fence, was Zero, Zero was absolutely packed with thieves, all ranging from different skill sets, some had incredible agility like Jonathan, while other could tank hits and deliver lethal blows that could often end a fight, Right there and then. Some thieves were incredibly rich, helping to keep Zero nice and stable with their wealth, which also gave shelter to the lower level thieves that didn't have anywhere to safely live. However Zero wasn’t just a thieves only haven, the place often had warriors and medics that struggled to find a stable job, magician's and abandoned hybrids were also welcomed with open arms. Zero was different since it had variety.

[just-jordie-things]

The Boxer - Stiles Stilinski

word count: 4497 warnings: swearing, I think that’s it a/n: based on this song

[ i am leaving, i am leaving // but the fighter still remains ]

Pack meetings were officially deemed the worst, in Stiles’ book anyways.  Not only did he always get talked over, and picked on, but his opinions were never taken seriously.  His arguments and decisions had no effect on the rest of the pack, and it was pointless for him to even try anymore.  But he was too stubborn to give up.

Currently everyone was using the empty Biology classroom as a place for an emergency meeting.

“This can’t be a serious threat” Malia scoffed disapprovingly.  “A pack of omegas? First of all, that’s redundant, even I know that” Lydia shrugged a shoulder and hummed in agreement with the coyote.

“She’s right” She said.  “We’ve handled an alpha pack, and that wasn’t even too difficult looking back.  What’re a bunch of omegas gonna do?”

“Need I remind you of that one who went rogue and tried killing Liam on the lacrosse field?” Stiles asked, crossing his arms over his chest in an irritated way.

“And the way (y/n) took care of it” Lydia said with an amused chuckle.  Then her eyes widened as an idea enlightened her.  “Oh my God, (y/n), that’s the answer”

“No!” Stiles shot down immediately, but the gears in the banshees mind were already turning.  “No no no no no.  No.  I forbid it-”

“Wait..” Scott cut off his friend.  “Lydia’s onto something here…”

“No!” Stiles whined desperately begging them not to go to (y/n).  Anyone but (y/n).

“I mean, if she can take down a werewolf, with no super strength, no claws no fangs…” Lydia began, looking around at everyone for any kind of sign that this was a good idea.  Malia was already grinning, excited about the idea.  “She could definitely do it again, backed up by us”

“No”

“Yeah” Scott said, nodding with a growing smile.  “She’s right”

“No!”

“I agree” Malia grinned.  “I’d love to kick ass with (y/n).  She’s hands down the coolest person in this whole school”

“Hurtful” Stiles muttered.  “But still no!”

“How about we vote?” Scott offered, but Stiles only rolled his eyes in response.

“Everyone else has already agreed, I’m the only one with any common sense around here!”

“All who votes we get (y/n) on our side for this?” Lydia called, raising her hand.  Everyone else, besides Stiles, put a hand in the air.  The boy grumbled and scowled at the banshee.

“Good luck trying” He snarked before grabbing his backpack and bolting out of the classroom.  Like she would ever agree to anyways.

(y/n) (y/l/n) was a badass by nature.  Meaning she was born into it, raised into it.  Her family being a renowned league of hunters, she knew a thing or two on how to get a job done quickly and efficiently.  She was the reason BHHS had started a boxing club, and she solely held every winning title, for the past three years.  The whole senior class knew she was a force to be reckoned with, especially after she beat up her first (and only) boyfriend in front of the entire cafeteria sophomore year.  No one had bothered her since.

But the McCall pack knew there was more to be known about her, behind the scenes.  She wasn’t just good at hand to hand combat and kickboxing, she was especially crafty with an array of weapons, typically used to hunt supernatural creatures.

The first time she’d stepped in on an incident was early last year.  She’d been on campus late that night, boxing practice and some light studying, but she hadn’t expected to see Scott McCall and his girlfriend fighting off a Berserker.  But with a hasty decision she joined in, seeing as they were losing terribly.  With the swiftness of a fox she unsheathed her ring dagger from her ankle holster and threw it straight into the beast’s skull.  Her peers, Kira Yukimura, Malia Tate, and Scott McCall himself, were baffled, not having known of her second life.

“This,” She’d spoken with an intense seriousness as she retrieved her weapon, “-this is a one time thing.  You keep this to yourselves” She had pointed the blade between the three of them, before sheathing it again and going home.

As soon as Scott had told Stiles of the altercation, he’d grown obsessively fascinated by the girl.  She’d always kept to herself, especially after her… boyfriend incident.  But he’d seen her as an intelligent girl, always assuming she was just a little shy.  But this was a game changer.

He’d gone to school asking questions, having a whole list of interrogating phrases in hopes of hearing her story.  But she wasn’t interested in answering his nosy questions, and didn’t care that he was trying to put together the puzzle that was her.  And after promptly telling him to fuck off, and denying that she had anything to do with the ‘story’ he was making up, Stiles left her alone.

Clearly, she wanted nothing to do with the pack.

But she’d helped them again, in a way.  When the Beast of Gevaudan had attacked innocent students in the library, she’d aided them, brought them to safety, hid Scott’s werewolf features from view, and not to mention, managed to figure out who it had been, Mason Hewitt.

Then she dropped out of their lives again, just like that.  There in desperate situations, and back the next day pretending she didn’t know a thing about Scott and his friends.

Until a week ago.  When Liam had been running laps on the lacrosse field, she’d been staying late as usual, training in the school’s weight room, where the punching bag was.  As she was heading to the parking lot, she’d heard the familiar sounds of werewolf growls, and at the last minute jumped in to save Liam’s life.

And now, she was back to ignoring them.  At this point trying to swear of the McCall pack for good.  All they did was got themselves into trouble, and the vendettas beasts seemed to hold against them only put the people of Beacon Hills into more danger.

So, (y/n) kept to herself.  Training during free periods and after school, getting her studies done at home, and keeping her earbuds in to avoid interaction.  There was no way she’d get involved with a group as reckless as them.

“I think I’ve made progress” Kira said as she sat down at the lunch table next to Scott.

“Oh really?” Stiles asked disbelievingly.  “And what do you think you’ve done?”

“I waved at (y/n) in the hall” The kitsune stated proudly.  “And she nodded back at me” Stiles scoffed, rolling his eyes.  Surely that didn’t count.

“I’m not sure that really....” Lydia trailed off with a wince, not wanting to admit that Kira’s moment didn’t exactly mean anything.  “I did follow her on instagram today, liked her three most recent photos, and left a nice comment on her recent”

“That doesn’t mean anything” Malia groaned.  “Who cares? That’s just regular teenage trashy stuff-”

“Easy” Lydia scolded as she frowned.  “Did you do anything?”

“I asked her to help us kill bad people” The coyote shrugged simply.  Everyone hung their heads and grumbled, except for Stiles who laughed bitterly.

“What did I say? She’s not just going to succumb to your pitiful attempts at making friends with her.  Trust me, I tried, she didn’t give a shit” He took a bite of his food before continuing.  “She can probably smell bullshit from a mile away anyways”

“He’s probably right” Scott sighed.  “All I did was sit next to her in Bio, and as soon as she saw me she picked up her things and went to a different table.  It was… uncomfortable” Stiles belted out a laugh again.

“You stand no chances.  I’m sure Liam just stared at her before walking away?” Stiles looked to the younger beta for confirmation, but Liam just ducked his head and silently ate his food.  “That’s what I thought” He said with a cocky attitude.  “Now, should we discuss my idea?”

“Have you tried?” Lydia questioned, before Stiles could voice his plan.

“What?” He muttered.

“Have you tried talking to her?” She clarified.  “That was the agreed upon plan, you know” The banshee spoke mischievously and Stiles knew she was already coming up with a scheme.

“Of course not” He said lowly.  “I was the one saying all along she wouldn’t listen to you-”

“Well we don’t know that she won’t listen to you” Kira piped up, only earning narrowed eyes from the skeptical boy.

“Yes, we do, last time I spoke to her? Got the middle finger and an accompanying message.  I don’t think she’d care for any further advancements on my part”

“Maybe,” Lydia shrugged.  “But maybe you’d already gotten a crack at her, and one more and she’ll break, and help-”

“No” Stiles shook his head.  “I’m not going to go pressure her to help us, we can do this on our own” He looked to Scott for backup, but the alpha winced.

“I mean… it’s worth a shot-”

“Scott!”

“She’s got great aim! What am I supposed to say?” Scott asked, raising his hands in surrender.  “I’m sorry it’s just… these things are always easier with…”

“-an experienced hunter” Lydia offered when Scott couldn’t finish.  Liam nodded his head in agreement.

“She did save my life…”

“And mine too” Scott said.

“Me too” Kira added softly.

“I hate you all” Stiles announced, though of course it wasn’t true.  “I guarantee when I talk to her I’m going to get socked in the face and wind up with a broken nose” But the pack smiled, glad he’d decided to try.

“Thank you, Stiles” Scott said, but his friend shook his head as he finished his food.

“I haven’t even done anything yet”

Stiles was standing in the hall outside the gym, tightly gripping the straps of his backpack and rocking on his feet.  He knew that was he was about to do was invasive, and that she wouldn’t take kindly to seeing him in her space.  But this was the only time he could think to speak to her privately.

When he walked through the gymnasium on his way to the weight room, he practiced in his head exactly what he wanted to say.

He took a deep breath before opening the door, all of his nerves spreading through his chest and all over his body he felt he was on fire.  Seeing (y/n) in the corner of the room, going to town on the swinging punching bag, heavy duty headphones preventing her from hearing him enter.

It was both relieving and anxiety inducing, seeing her.

“Uh, (y/n)?” He called, before hitting his own head out of stupidity.  Of course she couldn’t hear him.  So, he walked over closer, until he was in her peripheral vision, and waved his hand slightly to catch her attention.

(y/n), however, had felt the floor vibrate slightly when the door to the weight room door had shut behind Stiles.  She knew she wasn’t alone, but she didn’t think it was Stiles Stilinski who’d come in.

She knew for a fact he wasn’t here to work out either.

Casting him a side glance, she looked him up and down before going back to her workout.  Not giving him another ounce of attention.  Most things go away if you ignore them hard enough.

Stiles wasn’t one of those things.

Waving his hand again, he called her name and stepped closer than before.

Now she spun in place, pulling the headphones to rest around her neck on her shoulders, taking a large step towards him threateningly.

“Why are you here, Stilinski?” She asked, eyes penetrating his soul as she analyzed his every move.

“Uh- I-” Every rehearsed line Stiles had come up with vanished, suddenly his life seemed at stake.  “You wouldn’t kill me on school property, would you?” his words came out a nervous string, and (y/n) rolled her eyes, stepping away.

“Answer the question” She monotoned, hand reaching up to stop her punching bag from swinging.  “Here to make a move like the rest of your friends?”

“Kind of-”

“Get lost”

“You aren’t even going to hear me out?” He asked defeatedly, brows furrowing as he frowned.  (y/n) pursed her lips and shook her head.

“No” She stated simply.

“We need your help, (y/n)-”

“What don’t you understand by get lost?” She asked rhetorically, eyes widening and finger pointing towards the door.  But Stiles still didn’t leave.

“Let me finish” His annoyance began to shown through as he gritted his teeth.  “There’s a pack of omegas out there, that’s why Liam was attacked, and we need your help.  You’ve been the key to a few problems now and we think that with you on our side on this that it can be offer before it’s even an issue”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” She said, feigning ignorance with ease.  Lying was a key aspect to being a huntress.  “I don’t need new friends, Stilinski, you can go now”

“Pretending it doesn’t exist won’t make it go away” Stiles said, starting to really test (y/n’s) nerves.  “Will you even consider it? Give us a chance?” She stared at him with narrowed eyes, lips parting slightly as a small smile formed.  Her tongue darted out to wet them before speaking again.

“Like I said, Stilinski, I don’t know a damn thing you’re babbling about,” She whispered as if there were other people there to keep hidden from, but they had the whole weight room to themselves.  “So, unless you’re about to start lifting weights, get.  Lost.  Got it?” Her voice was so soft as she spoke quietly, but somehow he felt threatened by her words again.

“I knew it.  Of course you won’t acknowledge it at all.  I told them” Stiles said, making (y/n) press her mouth into a straight line as her jaw set in irritation.  “If they ask, tell them I tried, but you’re still a stuck up, lying, badass”

He shook his head as he walked out of the room, the door slamming behind him.  Leaving (y/n) confused and angry, punching the bag out of pure frustration.  How dare he come in here and try to pry her open like that, guilt her into helping his pack of animals.  They could handle this on their own, they have before.

But his words stuck with her hauntingly.

The next day when (y/n) came to school, she practically crashed right into Lydia Martin, who was waiting for her to do just that.  The banshee had a knack for predicting things after all.

“Oh, so sorry about that (y/n)” Lydia apologized, resting a gentle hand on the girl’s arm to show her sympathy.

“It’s fine” (y/n) muttered back quickly, already trying to walk away.

“So look, I was thinking,” Lydia continued, her hand on her arm firm and keeping her there with her.  “If you could do my friends and I this one, simple, tiny favor?” Her eyes bore into (y/n’s), round and hopeful, trying to come across as pleading.

“I don’t think I owe you any favors” She shot back, yanking her arm away.  “Never touch me again”

“Alright, fair, that was rude of me” Lydia apologized again, falling into step with the boxer as she tried to walk away.  “Maybe this can be more of an… I owe you situation then?”

“I don’t think so” (y/n) said instantly.  “Leave me alone, now” She added, sharply turning a corner to get away.

What was it with these people trying so hard to get her to crack? It wasn’t happening, they could threaten her with her life and she still wouldn’t help them.  

After wandering back around the halls towards her class, she’d caught sight of a certain tall boy who’d interrogated her just the other day.  And without hesitation she’d grabbed him by the wrist, spinning him around before pinning him against the lockers, arm across his collarbone as she snarled at him.  Just her luck, everyone else had scattered, leaving them alone again.

“Get your friends to back the fuck off of me” She muttered up to him.  “All of you, even the sweet one, need to leave me the hell alone”

Stiles, though winded from the sudden predicament (y/n) had put him in, managed to smirk down at her.

“Don’t think that’s gonna happen, sweetheart” He taunted, which only fueled her frustration.  “See, they’ve come to the consensus that, without you, we’re dying.  All of us, Lydia supposes”

“I already told you, I don’t know what you want from me-”

“Oh cut the shit, (y/n), you have no secrets left, we know you’re a hunter” Stiles spat out.  “What’s the real reason you aren’t helping? Went back to your natural ways? Simply don’t give a shit about casualties?” She pressed her arm harder against his chest.

“Of course not” She practically growled out.  “I don’t owe any of you anything, you don’t get to use me just because it’s convenient for you”

Stiles pushed her off now, catching her by surprise that he even could.

“We aren’t using you, (y/n)!” He hissed.  “We’re on the same side here! You don’t want to get killed, and neither do we!”

“Yes you are! Just cause I have weapons and I know how to use them!” She snarked, an accusatory finger pointing up at him.  “I’m not some prize to help win a war, I’m not going through that bullshit again.  Now leave me alone”

She was going to head to class for certain this time, but was dragged back by Stiles.  What was it with these people grabbing her?

“Don’t touch me” She uttered, pulling her arm out of his hold.

“We aren’t using you, (y/n)” He repeated, but kinder this time.  “We need you, okay? There’s no way we’re getting through this one without your help.  Yeah, you know how to do what you do, and you do it really fucking well, alright? We need that”

(y/n) didn’t say anything at first, just stared at him as she took in his words.  She didn’t want to get caught up in another supernatural versus hunter war like she had earlier this year, but Stiles didn’t make it seem like that at all.  And he was right, her life was at stake because of her interference with Liam and that stray omega the other night.

“Okay” She eventually hummed.

“Okay? As in okay you’ll do it?” He asked, suddenly ecstatic that he’d gotten her to cave.

“Meet me in the library after school.  Tell me everything.  I’ll decide then” She told him, before walking off.

She wondered if this was even worth it.

“I told you! I knew she’d cave to you!” Lydia exclaimed with happiness at the lunch table, making Stiles roll his eyes.  “Didn’t I say? Didn’t I tell you he’d have the best of luck? And I thought I ruined all chances this morning”

“I’m surprised I didn’t” Stiles said.  “Thought she was gonna beat me up or something” He shook his head as he recalled the way she had glared at him when he was pinned to the wall of lockers.  “But she agreed to meet after school-”

“That’s great!” Kira chirped.

“-with just me” Stiles finished, causing everyone to share suspicious glances with one another.  “I really think that we need to just ease her into the idea of helping if we want her to stick around-”

“This can’t possibly work” Malia cut in.  “If she’s only going to talk to you then how the hell is she an ally to the rest of us?” She asked, but no one responded.  “Am I wrong?”

“I’ll come with you” Scott decided.  “It makes sense that I do, at least maybe she can get used to being around me too”

“I don’t know…” Stiles hesitated.  “She’s seriously not good with new people, I’ not kidding I thought I was gonna die-”

“You’re dramatic” Lydia rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand.  “Let Scott go, you guys can figure out a plan, and then we’ll figure out what to do from there”

Stiles looked to Scott unsurely, but the alpha seemed to agree that it wasn’t a bad idea.  

“Fine” He muttered.  “But if she backs out, it’s on you”

“What’s he doing here?” Was (y/n’s) immediate reaction when Stiles and Scott sat down across from her at a secluded table in the library.  Stiles had turned and given Scott a smug look before answering her.

“He didn’t give me a choice” He sighed.  “So, are you in or out?”

“Stiles,” Scott muttered, “It’s not a heist” (y/n) snorted at the comment, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back comfortably in her chair.  If she was being honest, she quite liked the way they were desperate for her help.

“Just a reminder, that your life is at stake here too” Stiles said before she could back out right away.  “They’re trying to track down hunters, they just don’t care if a few others get taken out along the way”

“Is that supposed to threaten me?” She asked, quirking a brow.  “You think nothing’s tried to already?”

“Well… I guess but-”

“I think I can handle a few omegas” She stated confidently.

“Yeah? Well Liam couldn’t handle the one on his own.  You think you’re good enough to?” Stiles snapped, earning a rough pat on the shoulder from Scott to get him to shut up.  “What? I’m just saying, you think you’re top notch? Then take care of it yourself”

“Stiles,” Scott hissed, sure that he was about to drive away they’re only hope.

“Alright,” (y/n) shrugged with a grin on her lips.  “I’m in”

“See, look what you- wait what?” Scott caught himself as he processed what she’d actually said.  “You’re in?”

“Yeah” She nodded, packing up her things.

“Why?” Scott asked.  “I mean, if you wanted to help why haven’t you?”

“Because you’re obviously desperate” She said simply.  “You’ve all been stalking me for the past two days.  And you,” She nodded to Stiles.  “You’re an annoying prick, I’d like to see you try to fight a werewolf on your own” She laughed to herself at the idea while Stiles squinted in annoyance.

“Thank you” He uttered out, but she just smiled and winked with a click of her tongue before putting her backpack on to leave.

“I have training to get to” She stated.  “Let me know when you’re in dire need of my help”

And with that, she’d taken off out of the library.  Leaving Stiles annoyed and Scott  relieved.

“She’s great” Scott said, getting his own things together to head home.  “I can’t believe she said yes, this is great news”

“Yeah.  She’s just wonderful” Stiles responded bitterly.

“Come on, even you have to see the opportunities here.  An alliance? Maybe even friendship? Who knows, this is a whole new avenue and I just can’t believe she’s on our side-”

“Alright! I get it” Stiles mumbled the second half and grabbed his bag to leave.  “I’ll call you later, I have homework” He grumbled.

Stiles knew that (y/n) (y/l/n) was perfection at it’s finest, he knew there was no way anyone could ever taint her image.  But he also knew she was a cocky asshole that was about to use everything against him.

He knew that she knew that he owed her.  And he didn’t like owing people.  So, he planned to make it up to her before she could ask any insane favors.

Using his detective skills he found her insta handle -from Lydia- he stalked her for a while before coming up with some decent ideas on how to make it up to her.

The following morning he started his plan, by bringing her breakfast.  (y/n) spent her morning time in the library, seeing as no one can really bother anybody there.  But when Stiles showed up with a bag of a donut and a bagel, along with the same coffee she was certain she’d posted a picture of on her instagram, she was surprised, to say the least.

“What… is this?” She asked, hesitantly taking the items, hoping he wouldn’t sit at the table with her.

“Breakfast, duh” Stiles played dumb, pulling out a chair and sitting across from her.

“Oh… you’re sitting” She sighed quietly to herself.

“Most important meal of the day you know.  Wasn’t sure if you liked bagels or donuts so  picked one of each”

(y/n) nodded, peeking in the bag and if she was being honest, both sounded great right about now.

“Where’s yours then?” She asked, quirking a brow at his lack of a meal.

“Oh, I ate at home” Stiles said simply.

“As in you ate, went out, bought me breakfast, stalked me to find a coffee-”

“I did not!”

“-and then came into my space- again- to give me the breakfast you creepily bought for me?” Stiles looked like a deer caught in headlights.  She stared at him impatiently for his response.

“I mean- I’m trying to be nice, we’re going to friends here on out so-”

“No” (y/n) shook her head.  “We aren’t friends, Stiles.  You think that you owe me, and you’re trying to make it up with food”

“What-”

“Stiles.  You don’t have to do that” She spoke like it irritated her.  “In fact, please just repay me by letting me have my peace and quiet back, please” She asked him this carefully, hoping he’d just take the hint and leave her alone unless she was needed.  The boy sighed, standing up from his seat.

“Fine” He grumbled.  “But my number is on the receipt in the bag.  You’ll probably need it for werewolf stuff” She nodded, waiting for him to head off.  He hesitated for a moment, but turned to leave.

As soon as she thought she  was going to be alone to have this breakfast, he turned back around.

“But you know what- yeah I’m trying to pay off my debt, but you don’t have to shut everyone out of your life just because you’re trying to stay a badass.  You can kick ass and still have friends.  We do it all the time.  So maybe learn to just suck it up, and make friends for the time being?”

She didn’t say anything, just stared at him in surprise with her hands wrapped around the plastic coffee cup.

“I’m tracing their steps tonight with Malia,” He informed her.  “If you decide you want to come, you have the number”

And then he left.

She wasn’t exactly sure what that was all about, but enjoyed the breakfast nonetheless.  It was kind of sweet after all.

part two coming soon :)

taglist: @the-crime-fighting-spider @socially-awkward-nerd  @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone @lovelynerdytraveler @writings-and-stuff @jurassicpork @black-tights-black-heart @piper-x-lee  @catcrown21  @anabundanceoftrash @dylxnob @barryallenplease for those whose tags won’t work, message me to figure out the issue

xoxo ~ jordie

[dndeed]

Critical Role Miniature Rollout C2E51

With Andrew Harshman

An archive and review of the minis used on Critical Role.

This episode feels like when you’re playing a CRPG and you stumble into an area that’s too high a level for your character. Maybe the Mighty Nein should just go back through the underground load screen and return in a few levels. 

Try not to get upstaged when you move upstage, it’s time for Critical Role Miniature Rollout Campaign 2 Episode 51!

The List

Dungeons and Dragons Condition Markers by thelukec

Dwarven Forge Stone Ruins Add-On Pack

Dwarven Forge Mountain Cliff Pack

Dwarven Forge Mountain Mountain Floor Pack

Dwarven Forge Caverns Stalagmite Pack

Dwarven Forge Mountain Peak Pack

SteamForged Games Log

Steamforged Games Critical Role Miniatures

Prototype Steamforged Games Critical Role Miniatures

HeroForge Jester Duplicity Miniature

Archfiends #52 Gnoll Archer

Modified Reaper Miniatures Red Mantis Assassin

Elemental Evil #022 Gnoll Fighter

Blood War #46 Demonic Gnoll Priestess

Rage of Demons #023 Drow Archmage

Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes Set 5 Adowyn, Human Hunter

Desert of Desolation #44 Bar-Lgur

Waterdeep Dragon Heist #016b Spy

Archfiends #02 Dalelands Militia

Tomb of Annihilation #022 Artus Cimber

Dragoneye #28 Baaz Draconian

Human Ranger Epic Level Starter Set

Rusty Dragon Inn #009 Cutpurse

Invisible Lightfoot Halfling Rogue Epic Level Starter Set

Waterdeep Dragon Heist #002 Darkling

Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes Set 2 Harsk, Iconic Ranger

Archfiends #16 Graycloak Ranger

Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica #015 Duskmantle Assassin

Dungeons & Dragons Spell Effects: Wall of Fire & Wall of Ice

Tomb of Annihilation #040i Minsc & Boo (Invisible)

Tomb of Annihilation #018i Valindra Shadowmantle (Invisible)

Axe N Shield Single Flyer Risers - Clear Mithril

Desert of Desolation #32 Rot Scarab Swarm

Custom Lollipop Spiritual Weapon

Suspected Aquarium Decorations

Leafless Model Train Style Trees

Possible Model Train Boulders

The NPCs

The Mudmen Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes Set 5 Adowyn, Human Hunter,  Waterdeep Dragon Heist #016b Spy,  Dragoneye #28 Baaz Draconian, Human Ranger Epic Level Starter Set, Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica #015 Duskmantle Assassin, Archfiends #16 Graycloak Ranger, and Rusty Dragon Inn #009 Cutpurse

A handful of Mudfolk are represented by previously discussed minis. But there are quite a few new figures here, so let us get through them in a timely fashion. Start the clock.

Pathfinder Battles Iconic Heroes Set 5 Adowyn, Human Hunter

This ranger looks like she dressed by tripping into a pile of discount shag carpet samples. I like this mini, it’s a well executed classic archer pose.

Waterdeep Dragon Heist #016b Spy

This guy looks like a henchman from an alternate history martial arts film in which Chuck Norris fights pilgrim ninjas. Reasonably nice miniature, but the alternate sculpt is a practically indistinguishable waste of time (the knife is facing the other direction).

Dragoneye #28 Baaz Draconian

This figure looks like a bladesmith who loves violating the Geneva Convention and hates pants. Solid detail and wins the award for best value dragonborn mini.

Human Ranger Epic Level Starter Set

This character looks like an adventurer who doesn’t realize you need to use both hands to operation a bow and arrow. Good figure with a dramatic standing pose.

Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica #015 Duskmantle Assassin

This Magic the Gathering miniature looks like the cloak has gained sentience and is trying to fly away, taking the person’s head with it. Neat animated pose, but the head is too high up and the mini looks weird in-person.

Archfiends #16 Graycloak Ranger

This archer looks like he’s recoiling at the thought of being part of a terribly named group like “The Muck Men.” An unfortunately simple paint job on a crisp sculpt.

Rusty Dragon Inn #009 Cutpurse

This miniature looks like a rogue posing in the mirror unable to decide which sword to bring to work. Weird proportions, the arms are too long, still a good rogue though.

The Villains

Kryn Caster Rage of Demons #023 Drow Archmage

In my post last week I was hoping to see some drow. But I was looking forward to some old Hasbro prepainted drow, not the current Wizkids produced drow. There are only a handful of them and they range from unremarkable to kinda crummy. 

This is likely the best of the Wizkids drow figures, so I was prepared to write a fairly positive review. But after taking a closer look I found a lot to dislike about the Drow Archmage. From across a game table this mini is fine, it just doesn’t stand up to much scrutiny. 

Drow are known for having some killer fashion. This dude is rocking a neato spider staff, underdark stompin’ boots, and a sorta armored fanny pack thing. He has drow looking attire on most everywhere say for some place. All he has on his torso is a detail-less generic garment. It looks like he’s wearing a stuffy dad sweater. It’s as if he was on his way out the door clad in typical drow armor and his partner stopped him to give a reminder of the schlubby sweater his kid gave him for drow father’s day. Compounding these clothing troubles is an uncomfortable pose, craned neck posture, and strange torso proportions. This mini looks good on the CR stream, just don’t zoom in too far.

Oh also his ears are literally painted on! They aren’t part of the sculpt at all.

Kryn Warrior Modified Reaper Miniatures Red Mantis Assassin

A smart modification to make this miniature look unique. The classic Pathfinder Red Mantis color is red. Giving this Kryn Warrior the stygian black treatment makes it hardly recognizable, almost looks like a wholly unique design. There are a good number of Red Mantis Pathfinder figures at this point, I look forward to seeing more of them in upcoming episodes. I like this miniature, bonus points for looking like one of Gengi’s alt skins. 

The Monsters

Gnolls Archfiends #52 Gnoll Archer and Blood War #46 Demonic Gnoll Priestess

Two great minis that show both ends of the gnoll spectrum. The wiry ranged scavenger in the Gnoll Archer and the melee muscled brute in the Demonic Gnoll.

Gnoll Archer is an early Hasbro D&D Miniatures Game figure with pretty simple but effective paint. There is enough detail in the scupt’s fur that a simple two level effect of brown atop black looks quite good for how basic the paint is. The model resolution is high enough that you can make out the individual buckles on the archer’s fairly stylized gear. 

Demonic Gnoll Priestess is a serious business gnoll. This sculpt is legitimately intimidating. It is awesome in the old testament sense of the word. It’s a shame that it appears so briefly. The two gnolls using this mini basically get killed off immediately. 

Going back to the Gnoll Archer quickly, this character has a series of ponytails running along their head and back. I had previously commented on miniatures in Episode 34 and 35 with very specific haircuts. I have jokingly begun to theorize that this ponytail plus shaved sides of head hairdo is a current hair trend in Tal'dorei canon. So I’m wondering if this gnoll is sporting the Xhorhas gnoll version. Check it out:

Closing Remarks and Predictions

I’m thinking we’ll see some more drow and the introduction of Pathfinder Battles series Red Mantis figures. And I would appreciate the reuse of some Demonic Gnoll Priestesses.

It feels like the campaign has taken a difficulty escalation turn. I fear for the character’s lives. Let us collectively beseech the Traveler for favorable rolls.

#criticalroleminiaturerollout

[kaironlokethor]

“Have you ever even seen snow?”

< LAST FIRST NEXT>

We have: Tiefling rogue (Kairon), his wife tiefling warlock (Mur’deth), Dragonborn fighter (Dragon), his fiancee Changling Fighter (Nox), Changling druid/warlock (Lucious) and his wife Bertha, and Half-elf Rogue (Shadow) and his wife Aarakocra Ranger (Ali). We also have a bunch of random NPCs....and our house butlers Rex (Kairon’s minotaur butler) and Randolphus (Lucious’ dwarven butler).  It’s important to note, our DM is Canadian, and so are Kairon and Dragon. Lucious is from northern US and Shadow is from California.

We are planning a revolution, we are super close. We were supposed to be going to a dwarven city like two sessions ago but then Kairon put on a spooky ring and Shadow cut off his arm so we essentially fucked around for 2 sessions, Kairon was more than ready to get going to the Dwarven city. 

---

DM: Okay, so you all wake up.  Kairon: I am going to Lucious’ house and we are going to talk about this fucking dwarven city! DM: Okay, before that, does anyone need to go anywhere? Lucious: Actually, I think I might go out for the day Kairon: I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF OMFG Lucious: Joking! 

---

-We all discuss the plan for the Dwarven City- Kairon: I am going to go back to my house and pack a bag so we aren’t totally unprepared I guess DM: Mur’deth gets your attention and says Rex already packed one for you Kairon: Then I am going to go home and get it DM: When you get home, Rex explains there are clothes, money, potions, and...unmentionables Kairon: Lingerie? DM: No, just things you can’t legally carry across the boarder Kairon: I am going to take a peek DM: You see mushrooms and some powder Kairon: REX GAVE ME DRUGS WTF? DM: They’re “Legal” drugs just not legal to carry them over the boarder Kairon: -whispers- whyyyyyy DM: To sell, or take, or use as bargaining chips. Up to you

---

-We are going towards the dwarven city and stop for a while to rest Kairon goes to the black market to identify the drugs. He ends up running into someone from his backstory who he hadn’t seen since he was a toddler, his primary care-taker, Mama Toa’s, sister so his “Auntie”.- DM: She smiles at you “So how is Mama anyway?” Kairon: She’s dead. Lucious OOC: WOAH Shadow OOC: A bit blunt wasn’t it? Kairon OOC: It’s been a year and a half, how does she not know? She literally just said word passes fast among thieves Lucious OOC: It must have been more than a year an a half at this point Kairon OOC: IT’S MY BACKSTORY FUCK YOU! DM: "It’s my backstory fuck you”. I need that on a t-shirt.

---

-Kairon finally finds someone to identify the drugs for him- DM: He said one mushroom makes you see things, one makes you hear things, one makes you sleepy. The blue powder lets you see the aethral plane but it makes you extremely hungry-- Kairon: Oh so basically weed DM: --For human flesh Lucious OOC: NOT WEED Kairon: Bathsalts?

---

-We get to the Dwarven City. Before we left, Randolphus gave Lucious a letter of introduction so we can get into the highly guarded Dwarven city.- DM: So, you walk up to the front gate and hear CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK and as you look up you see every guard has their crossbows trained on your heads. A dwarf walks up to you and she kind of glares. “Quickly tell me why you dare walk up to my gate before I give them the order to fire” Kairon: Lucious, the letter Lucious: What letter Kairon: LUCIOUS, THE LETTER. HAND HER THE LETTER Lucious: The....OH! Right, the letter! 

---

DM: So, she lets you in, and you walk down this long corridor into a reception area. She tells you to wait Kairon OOC: And so starts the elevator music Lucious OOC: -he starts singing the Wii Plaza music- DM: Actually, yeah

-For this entire interaction of like an hour we just had Wii Plaza music playing in the background. Every time someone was explaining something important, Wii Plaza music. Every time there is an awkward silence, Wii Plaza music. It was comedy gold-

---

DM: So as she takes you to the castle, you see some familiar buildings. Armour shop, some shady looking people who might be criminal contacts, a prison Dragon: Well, Lucious is going to get NICE AND COZY there in a few days! Shadow: Wait, is there a brothel? Kairon: YES. IS THERE A BROTHEL?????? DM: Uh, fuck it. The module doesn’t say no, so sure. There’s a very sizable brothel that, instead of looking run down and sleezy like you had expected, looks prim and polished. You see some very rich looking folk going in and out. Kairon: Wow, there is something here for everyone.  Dragon: Kairon, focus. You can go to the brothel AFTER our negotiations

---

DM: As you enter the palace, the sight is breathtaking. The floor is made purely from emeralds. There are jade pillars. As you look up to the ceiling, you see it is 100% sapphire.  Dragon: KAIRON KEEP YOUR HANDS IN YOUR POCKETS Kairon: Wh-- They’re built directly into the walls and ceiling!  Lucious: You could find a way to steal one Kairon: True. I do like rocks -I put my hands in my pockets-

---

-part of our negotiations apparently included an orgy. It was a weird war negotiation. The dwarves end up swearing fealty to us, so it all worked out! As we are planning what to do next (Kairon wants to go to Ice Vale to get the snow tieflings to help us and the rest want to go to Cromer to start preparing our troops) we get word that Bertha has been kidmapped by the Kings men- DM: So, the dwarf starts getting dressed and shouts to her guards that they are going to help you. Kairon: I don’t wanna get dressed tho DM: They won’t wait! Dragon: You probably should get dressed DM: No, if he doesn’t want to, that’s fine. So the Dwarven queen holds up her hand, and you all teleport. MOST of the part goes to Cromer. Kairon, you end up in Ice Vale. Naked. It is snowing and looks like a Blizzard is about to pick up Kairon: Nice.

---

DM: You are just walking in the snow and see no sign of anyone, and then all of a sudden a huge club comes down on your head. Roll const Kairon: Nat? DM: 1? Kairon: 20. DM: Ah. So you’re in pain but still concious. You go to turn around to see what hit you but it comes down on your head again Kairon: 3? DM: Yah, you out cold. When you wake up you are surrounded by Tieflings who are a PALE pink, almost pure white Kairon: Yo. DM: One looks at you. “How did you get here?” Kairon: I walked DM: “No one can find our camp. How did you find us?” Kairon: You brought me here? WAIT MAYBE I SHOULDN’T SASS THE VICIOUS, HAVE-NO-MERCY TAKE-NO-PRISONER SNOW TIEFLING TRIBE! Lucious: Uhh, ya think? DM: Yeah, not a good idea.

---

-while I’m in Ice Vale, everyone else is preparing for war- DM: So, you know there isn’t much time before the Empire starts sending troops after you in Cromer Dragon: We should work on our defenses Shadow: We could set some traps. You guys ever hear of spider holes? DM: Yeah, I don’t think that will work Kairon OOC: I don’t know war tactics? -They explain to me what they are: holes dug in the ground covered with leaves for an ambush- Kairon OOC: Yeah I don’t think that will work either Shadow: Yes, it should! We have some assassins and archers that would be perfect DM: Cromer isn’t very far from Ice Vale Shadow: And? DM: Ice Vale has two seasons: Snowing and Blizzarding. They are under snow 365 days of the year Shadow: Yeah? DM: Do I need to spell it out for you? Cromer is currently under snow. It is snowing Shadow: So sticks and leaves won’t work. Maybe we could use snow! Kairon OOC: So, assuming the ground ISN’T frozen and you CAN dig a hole, how would we use snow? Shadow: Like, lay the snow over the hole and cover the hole like we would with the leaves but with snow instead -We are all silent for a minute- Shadow: That would work, right? Lucious OOC: Have you ever seen snow? Kairon OOC: OH SHIT SHADOW’S FROM CALI! Shadow: yeah..........I’ve seen snow like once. Dragon: Snow is fluffy Shadow: We can pack it, like a snow man and lay it over Kairon OOC: That would be way too heavy and you wouldn’t be able to shoot up through it Shadow: What if we lay sticks over in a grid and lay the snow on top of the sticks? Kairon OOC: You would either have to pack it down again and, again, it would be too heavy to move and probably suffocate everyone. Or the snow would need to be fluffy and fall through the grid so you MIGHT end up with a stick grid with snow on it and holes. It would be too obvious Shadow: But what if we like build it up around? and have like... DM: Like an Igloo? No, that wouldn’t work, sorry. Besides, you can’t dig. The ground is frozen ---

-So, Kairon returns with a tribe of snow tieflings, and we prepare our troops. we manage to fight our way to the Capitol and fight our way to the King. He is standing alone in a room cackling to himself, holding Bertha with a dagger to her throat. We get Bertha away from him and Lucious puts him in a hold person- DM: So, Kairon, with your Left Eye of Magnus, you see his crown shimmer Kairon: Oooh magic item. Mine! I am going to grab it off his head! DM: Is that your action? Kairon: Hell yeah! Magic crown! DM: The moment you pick it up, it starts whispering to you Kairon: ....what? DM: It is talking to you Kairon: Can I use my bonus action to drop the crown? Lucious: I thought you wanted the crown Kairon: The last time something talked to me I turned into a DEMON  Dragon: Yeah, he learned his lesson about just putting on random magic items the hard way

Dragon: I want to grab his dagger out of his hand and use it to stab him in the neck DM: Ah. Okay. Yeah, you can do that. Roll -Dragon beats the King’s AC- Yeah, so you slice right into his neck, a right good gash. The only problem is you notice pain in your neck as well Dragon: Oh no... DM: Yeah, so it was a magic dagger that whenever the person wielding it does damage, they take the same damage Dragon: Great.... DM: You are bleeding profusely from your neck. If you don’t take care of this you will start having disadvantages in a few rounds Kairon: Can we cauterize it? DM: If you had fire, yes Kairon: DRAGON! PUNCH ME! Dragon: I think I see where this is going...can I use my bonus action to punch him? DM: No, but you can use an action surge Dragon: Yeah, I’ll do that DM: Okay, roll Kairon: Oh shit. I didn’t think this through. Don’t crit on me, please!  Dragon: No promises....18? Kairon: Yeah, it hits. How much damage? Dragon: 6 Kairon: Okay, damage taken. I am going to use an action, Hellish Rebuke! Dex saving through of 17 or higher! Dragon: 18 -I roll damage- Kairon: So...Does it work? DM: Odds or evens? Kairon: Odds DM: -rolls D4- yeah, it worked. Dragon, you’re a bit singed, but the wound is cauterized. It will scar BADLY, though, and you will never grow scales there again Dragon: Eh, it can match the rest of my scars!

DM: Anyway, so when you do damage to the King, you see flames burst from his fingers and climb up his arms. Kairon: Oh, so he’s on FIRE now Lucious: And our only non-fire-resistant party-member is RIGHT beside him Kairon: SHADOW! GET OUT OF THERE! DM: As the fire climbs his arms, the floor starts rumbling and cracking beneath you. You don’t know how long you have, but you know this castle is falling to the ground. The fire moves up to his shoulders and pieces of the floor start to fall away. the ceiling starts crumbling as well Shadow: Yeah, I am going to run, and then bonus action dash..... -Kairon and Shadow get Bertha to safety and Dragon moves as far to the door as he can- DM: Lucious, your turn. You want to just run back as well? Lucious: I am going to move 5 feet forward Kairon: LUCIOUS WTF Lucious: And I am going to hit him with my scimitar of speed and my other scimitar -we are all silent for a minute- Kairon: Lucious what the fuck DM: Okay, roll -they both hit, and he rolls damage I watch the DM pick up her d10 and move it from the 9 facing upwards and turn it so the 1 was facing upwards- DM: You all have 1 turn to get out of there.  Kairon: LUCIOUSSSSS  -We all end up getting out of there safely, thankfully! and successfully destroyed the castle! BUT We usurped the king and now we are leaders of the kingdom!-

[ghosthierophant]

omg d’rask is a rogue too kergfrerfghngrgfthn this party is too powerful now

what the fuck was that

hellebore: that sounded like my sister

pinchy: your sister... screeches? 

chaotic magicks you say?

hellebore: it’s hippies / people go crazy for this shit 

(victor climbs da wall)

(logan tries to climb himself LMAO)

6: he cannot do this

dash: can i help you up there Please

logan: since you’re so insistent, Sure

(logan dying on the other side of the tree bc his back went off)

hellebore’s stitches monka

dash and d’rask: you go first you go first you go

SMALLER ARMS D’RASK REFUSES HELP, GETS A 10, SLOWLY CLIMBS

victor: so did they send us the weakest one?

hellebore: feel free to punch victor he deserves it

victor: do that and i’ll kill you

hellebore: he can’t kill you all he knows is eldritch blast

victor: yes?

.

not now shifting and falling rocks; not now giant rock toad creature about to collide with the party and is now blocking the way; NOT NOW GIANT ROCK TOAD SLAMMING THE BRIDGE

D’rask with the Deadly Bloodied Dagger

NOT NOW, OTHER ELEMENTAL GRAVELER 

LOGAN FUCKIN SNIPES AND KILLS THAT MFER WITH ONE SHOT

monka the graveler do the big damdage

I END MY TURN

NOT NOW, LITTLE HIPPIE KOBOLDS

oh my god it has the high ground OH MY GOD IT’S ACCURATE AF AND HAS HUNTER’S MARK

HE’S UNCANNY DODGING- no nevermind he cannot see he cannot see the damage

wait it just jumped down to victor wait it has action surge WAIT IT’S ACCURATE AF TOO

WAIT IT’S FUCKING TEMP HPING THE REST OF THEM THIS FUCKING SUCKS

........ eli got hit with a rock for 25 

eli’s got 3 attacks now let’s fucking GO... he missed 2 of them BUT WHATEVER WE STILL LOVE IT

VICTOR’S DREADING I’M POGGING I SHOULD’VE PUT THAT ON THE BINGO

d’rask, very loudly: what the fuck

VICTOR’S USING HIS BLADE TOO LET’S FUCKING GOOOO omg the booming blade to mobile feat is SO GOOD

everyone: IT’S HIS TUMMY HANDS JUST DON’T LOOK AT HIM

Wisdom Save: 1

MY BOY GUNNA FEAST TODAY

...... logan hit for another 25 and he goes down

should’ve put DOWNED ON THE BINGO TOO AAAAAA

omg that bleed function is SO STRONG D’RASK

D’RASK IS A SWASHBUCKLER LET’S FUCKING GOOO

NOOOO VICTOR GOT RID OF HIS ELDRITCH BLAST MOVEMENT

PINCHY FUCKING CRIT THE FIGHTER LET’S GOOOO AND HE THROWS THE CORPSE OFF THE CLIFF INTO THE RAPIDS AND HE FINISHES OFF  THE ROCK LET’S GOOO

COMMON PINCHY W

chat: what no corndogs does to a mfer

omg brett is rolling the body drifting in the rapids UIOJGKTFRUIEJKGTHNGTRGF +1

jesse to snake: WHY AREN’T YOU THE DM?!?!?1/

gioujkrerfgbfghb

(dash intercepts for the prot-hater)

D’RASK BLED THAT MFER JFC

(remaining kobolds jumps for the rapids, actually makes it across) goddamn

eli with the max eel let’s go

(pat gets on eli’s back) alright then

VICTOR GOES STRAIGHT TO THE EDGE TO KILL THE KOBOLD LET’S FCKING GO RIGOTUJKRETG

33 damage and now drowning Pog Pog Pog Pog

d’rask: nice man

(victor’s head shifts back like an owl): thank you (goes into normal form, buttons up shirt)

PHASE 3 THREAD!!!! 

[screamingtofu]

d&d session 10 - Get your rocks off

After a ... brief 3ish week drought because  of dm sickness and a few other things we’re back at it again. Unfortunately our fighters player, pete can’t make it because of a scheduling conflict so Olgum is very quiet this session ... Well, more quiet than he usually is. 

After a night of heavy drinking, everyone grabs some breakfast, Draccus tried to get a bounty on a rogue PC that had to leave and inadvertently insulted everyone who works for the mayor of the town and also happens TO RUNS THE THIEVES GUILD ... so nothing really new there. Eridol made a quick map of the outpost we just came back from pointing out where the traps and things were just in case he wanted to send people to go check it out and mentions that there’s no chance the pranks are going to stop, but if there’s any rules he wants to lay down, now would be the time.  Rorstad, the town leader takes us up to a vantage point and gets out a super fancy telescope to check something before handing it to Draccus to confirm what he was looking at. He informs us that one of his informants had gone to investigate a weird shimmering field a few hours from town and hadn’t come back yesterday and he wanted us to go check it out, mostly to find his guy, but also because it’s a weird shimmery field close to town and he wants that checked and if you’ve got bad arse adventurers at hand, why the hell not. As he walks away and we make our way down to town to take care of some stuff in town before we leave Draccus pulls the telescope out and grins ... It’s not stealing if he just forgot to ask for it back, right? Really living up to that lawful good paladin image. Draccus goes to the armorsmith to sell some weapons and a full set of Orog plate mail we got in the last battle and then to just chill out outside the town while Eridol took Merla to go see our resident tall as fuck creepy skin guy, Sven. Personally I love Sven, Eridol thinks he’s just the creepiest dude in existence but damn he does good work and oh shit, he’s actually got a sign and he cleaned up and added a bunch of awesome taxidermy animals in DYNAMIC POSES!!! I mention I’m glad the shop appears to be going well and Merla, our halfling barbarian pulls out all the charm to get him to make her a fire resistant helmet out of a red dragon wing and a bunch of scales we picked up last session, Eridol kind of stands back until she’s done and I pull out a second dragon wing and ask if he could also make a normal sized fire resistant cloak for our fighter as well and just for funsies I give him a dark mantle corpse that’s just been hanging in the bag since last session because I like to give the strange man cool things.

Everyone meets back outside town and we start our next epic level 4 quest! We travel the few hours to find the shimmery bubble and a half elf’s lanky butt coming out of it. So of course we approached this as diplomatically as possible with Merla throwing a spear into his back and Eridol getting freaked out when this dude seemingly make no sound at getting a spear to the kidney. In reality he was screaming in agony, we just couldn’t hear it from this side of the bubble. He turns around to face us wanting to know who threw the spear. Eridol immediately points at Draccus and the fact that he is obviously a man of god and as tall as a small child wins the new comer over and he throws the spear at Draccus, misses horribly and we all start talking about how we were sent by Rorstad to see what the heck was up with our new friend and by extension, this nefarious shimmering looking bubble. We learn his name is Ivallios and he’d been sent by Rorstad to check this out but was still having issues because he was trying to figure out the bubble and because there were 3 gargoyles and a giant clay dude just hanging out inside under a floating orb.  Merla busts inside the bubble while we’re all trying to figure out what to do and after we realise we can’t see or hear through it and she could be getting killed we all wander in. It also may have been due to her throwing rocks at us and that needed to be stopped. As we take everything in, we notice the floating mystic orb in the sky which seems important. Draccus starts wandering towards the gargoyles as a giant fucking boulder basically comes to life and starts speaking in Terran, which our new elf buddy can understand after a wiggle of his fingers and this thing is wanting to know our intentions and before anyone can react, Merla pulls a flower from a tree and offers it to the galeb duhr. He seems to accept this as an initial offering and we get to talk. We find out that his master had left him here many days and nights ago and told him to protect his cart, which was broken down next to the clay golem and that he couldn’t really move with the gargoyles boxing him in, he also told us that his master made the clay golem and that if anyone gets too close to the cart the golem will attack us.  We ask if the galeb duhr would like us to get rid of the gargoyles, if he lets us ask some questions. He says yes and we all spread out to focus fire on one of the gargoyles. Out of the 5 attacks, 1 hits. The gargoyles don’t really like this, one gets into a melee with Merla, Olgum and Draccus while Ivallios and Eridol have a spell off with another gargoyle and the last one ends up fighting the giant rock dude, The melee fighters are having a ball, all except for Merla who hadn’t gotten to hit anything and was dangerously close to losing her rage, after a decent amount of damage from Ivallios to our gargoyle with a barrage of magic missiles Eridol gets the idea to use the wand of magic missiles so he can also be a cool guy and lets off 6 charges, 5 towards our gargoyle and one streaking towards Merla so she can stay in the fight

2 gargoyles go down and Draccus moves to get into melee range with the last one, unfortunately he goes right between the Galeb duhr and the cart which means our giant clay buddy is up takes out the final gargoyle and into the fray and takes a massive swing at Draccus that takes out half his health. This continues for a few rounds as no one can damage the damn thing but it keeps nearly downing Draccus (The DM got soooo close so many times) After a while we defeat the golem and get to work asking the galeb duhr some questions and working to get a closer look at the floating orb. Olgum and Ivellios go about fixing the cart and Draccus, Merla and Eridol shimmy up a tree to grab the orb … and by grab the orb, I mean everyone agreed the best option was to put this thing directly into the bag of holding without telling me, the dude holding the bag of holding. (I’m very protective over this bag, mostly because we’re very lucky the DM gave us one so early and I didn’t know what the fuck that orb would do if anything magical touched it, so I was against it but didn’t want to be that guy, so I gave in) We get the orb in the bag which drops the invisibility bubble that was around the area and make our way down as the cart is fixed and Merla decided she has a thing for taking wings and ripped 2 out of the gargoyles. Eridol made her a little harness so she could wear them and flap them if she really wanted to.

Purely in the name of science and wanting to know how it works, Eridol puts his hand in the thinks real hard about the orb and it flies out of the bag and hovers 30 feet about the ground and the shimmery bubble reappears … Everyone is obviously thrilled that they have to climb the tree again and get it. But hey, now we know we’ve got a deployable invisibility bubble. Back on the ground we find out the direction the galeb duhr’s master went off and knowing that the galeb duhn is very literal in it’s following of protecting the cart. So we took the cart and the galeb durh came with us to make sure no one hurt it. As we headed back towards town, I decided to ride ahead and warn the guards and guess who’s on guard duty? Why it’s my favourite red headed unnamed guard that I love to fuck with. I mention maybe let people know there’s a giant boulder monster coming … a cool one that you shouldn’t attack and for the love of all that is holy don’t touch the cart. Weirdly he doesn’t believe me. I ask what it would take for him to go tell the others to not do anything when everyone else gets here “You need to promise your group won’t mess with me or my friend anymore” … well, that just won’t do. How can I get around this? After a beat I respond “How about this, I won’t mess with you when I’m coming into town now can you please go tell everyone else” He seems pleased with that and wanders off to let the others know. After he returns with a smirk on his face because he can’t believe he’s getting off scot free over such a shitty prank the galeb duhr and everyone crashes through the forest and wipes that smirk right off his face.

We get close and Rorstad comes to meet us and we let him know what happened and he agrees to let the galeb duhr stay in one of the stables for the night while we figure out what to do. As we enter the city, Draccus mentions it’d cause a panic if any of the towns folk saw this so we should really post a guard as well … a specific red headed guard. Rorstad smiles and agrees to have the kid guard the galeb duhr for the night. The group splits with Draccus and Eridol agreeing that extra security would be a good thing and they would stay in the stables with the red headed guard while Merla, Olgum and Ivellios went off to drink and be merry. They end up in one of the taverns we went to last time we were here day drinking and found one of the barmaids in tears. Merla consolation mode activates and she hops up onto the bar with a bottle of wine and a bowl of strawberries to help … weirdly the wings do not help with this, but eventually Merla finds out that that the barmaids child has gone missing. After a few drinks, Olgum and Ivellios go to bed and Merla wanders back to the stables where … things have happened.

Draccus and Eridol managed to trick the guard into taking a swig of beer directly from the alchemy jug so he got drenched. In the confusion I cast light on his pants and everyone starts freaking out like it’s the work of some demon so he’s now pantsless and yelling that I said I wouldn’t mess with him anymore, I corrected him saying that I agreed not to mess with him coming into the city, we were already in the city. Realising he got conned he slumps against the wall and I give him a biiig cup of booze as an apology and we start trying to get the galeb duhr drunk which kind of works. Merla takes an immediate liking to the red head and they end up falling asleep. Merla being the big spoon. Now begins step 2 of Eridols plan to mess with the guard. As soon as they fall asleep, Eridol grabs the pants from nearby and wanders off with Draccus. Eridol mentions they should throw the pants onto a roof for fun. Draccus takes this as “Throw Eridol and the pants onto a roof for fun” Which admittedly works, Eridol and the pants end up on a roof of a 2 storey house … which Eridol promptly crashes through because his armor weighs more than ne does. Him and the pants land directly next to a sleeping couple. They scream, Eridol screams, the pants do nothing. Eridol drunkenly apologises, drops the pants and dives out of a window, aiming for where Draccus was so he could catch him. That doesn’t happen and Eridol somehow doesn’t end up on his arse and they run like hell back to the stable and Eridol jumps into a bale of hay to hide and falls asleep.

And that’s the end of the session. Only took me like 4 weeks to write this one up so that’s something.

[heartslogos]

send the morning [23]

“This can’t be too hard, it’s like sword fighting but with a little tiny sword, right?” Maxwell says, weighing Herah’s dagger in his hands.

Edric turns to Malika, “This is terrible and he’s going to kill himself on accident.”

“Why do you always jump to the worst conclusion first? I mean, I’d have to ask Ellana or Dagna to do the numbers for that but you’re probably right, but we don’t know that this will turn out terrible,” Malika says, “Maxwell’s a competent fighter.”

“Oh you flatterer, you,” Maxwell says, raising the dagger up to his face to stare down it. Herah quickly takes the dagger.

“Pointy side away from the face, Trevelyan,” Herah says, “I’m pretty sure gouging out your own eye on accident wouldn’t make you look better to the Seeker.”

“False because Cassandra sees people for who they are not what they look like,” Maxwell replies. “Anyway, let’s get this show started and remind me why I’m doing this?”

“Because you volunteered to learn with me when I asked Herah to teach me how to knife fight like a rogue,” Malika says. “I mean, I’m alright at it - Carta, duh - but I’d like to be better at it and you said that if we did it together then at least I wouldn’t be the worst one because it’s you.”

“Sounds like me,” Maxwell says after a moment, “Now remind me why Mahanon is sleeping in the tree above us?”

“We tried to ask him to help teach you,” Herah says, “He said no but he’s here to watch.”

“To step in in case we need help?”

“To point out exactly where things go wrong when we have to report any incidents back to the Commander and your cousin.”

-

“I was told that you were the one who took my clothes and tailored them for me,” Evelyn says, nervous as she tries not to fidget in front of Lavellan.

He’s unnerving. Mostly because he doesn’t really talk to anyone, least of all Evelyn. But she thinks that he isn’t a bad person. He’s patient around his sister and according to what the others told her, he volunteered to help hunt and gather supplies for the Inquisition. He’s one of their main food and hide resources. Evelyn hasn’t really seen him interact with anyone, but she hasn’t heard of him causing any incidents either.

The man says nothing, just continues to make arrows.

“And that you’re the one who caught the hares to sew the lining onto them. Thank you. You didn’t have to.”

“Nor did you,” The man replies, shrugging, reaching over to a stack of wood. He picks up a long stick and examines it, pulling out a knife and begins making an arrow shaft.

“Pardon?”

Lavellan looks up at her, “You do not have to be kind to my sister. But you are. Thank you.”

“Oh,” Evelyn blinks. “You don’t have to thank me for that. Kindness doesn’t hurt anyone, and your sister is plenty easy to be kind to.”

He shakes his head, looking down at his work. Evelyn cautiously takes a seat on one of the rocks next to him.

“Kindness is not easy,” Lavellan says, and then reaches to the side and hands her a small sack of feathers and string. Evelyn supposes she’s being put to work. She begins to sort and group fletching. He watches her hands for a moment then nods in approval. “Kindness is not easy. it is a choice.. And it is difficult to choose to be kind to the unfamiliar and unknown, the strange. My sister is all three to you. To many. There are not many who would be kind to her. There are many who are not. You chose otherwise. We acknowledge it. We appreciate it. We will repay it.”

“Kindness shouldn’t be something you need to repay, Lavellan.”

“Mahanon,” Lavellan says, “You can call me Mahanon.”

“And you can call me Evelyn, Mahanon,” She says, “Forgive me if I’m over stepping, but - debts of kindness and affection and support are not things to be paid between friends.”

Mahanon hums, eyebrow raising, “And is that what we are to be, Herald of Andraste?”

Evelyn grimaces, but when she rotates her wrists she can feel the soft and carefully added lining of the fur along the insides of her sleeves. “I would very much like to be your and Ellana’s friend, Mahanon. As Evelyn, rather than whatever and whoever it is the others think I might be.”

“I cannot say that I have much experience in friends, Evelyn Trevelyan,” Mahanon says, “I think this once I would gamble on it. I cannot speak for my sister - thought I think her mind is already made up about you - but I suppose I will call you friend. And as your friend I am going to tell you that your cousin is probably going to lose a finger if you let him practice archery with Sera.”

Evelyn looks up, drops the fletching - “Maxwell, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Are you on fire?”

-

“Is it racist to give dwarves nugs?” Kaaras asks.

“I wouldn’t be able to say,” Cullen replies, “Why?”

“Evelyn has nugalopes,” Kaaras answers.

Cullen stares at him. “We aren’t paying Dennet nearly enough.”

“I agree without even knowing the figures,” Kaaras says, “But anyway I think Evelyn wanted to give one to Edric. She said something about its face made her think of him whenever he looks at a fight.”

“Resigned to his fate but solemnly determined to try not to die while living through it?” Cullen asks.

“Droopy was the word she used but I don’t think you’re wrong, either,” Kaaras says. “But since dwarves and nugs tend to be associated with each other because nugs normally come from the Deep Roads would it be culturally insensitive of her to do that?”

“Again, I wouldn’t be able to say since I, myself, am not a dwarf and have no real knowledge of their culture,” Cullen says. “When did we get nugalopes? How did we get nugalopes?”

“How did we get over seven types of deer?” Kaaras replies.

Cullen looks baffled, “Ellana? Again? How is she doing it? Where does she find them?”

“I meant more of a like - it’s a mystery sort of thing,” Kaaras says. “I’m pretty sure this one had something to do with a golden nug statue that Maxwell bought as a gift for Leliana.”

“Maxwell bought a golden nug statue for Leliana?”

“I think he’s hoping to get on her good side for tips on how to court Cassandra.”  

[myriadimagines]

I’m Not Giving You A Choice

Star Wars (Rogue One) One Shot

Characters: [MALE] Reader x Jyn Erso

Warnings: Violence, character death

Request: “could you do a jyn erso male jedi reader/three part and could I leave the details up you and Jyn survives the mission” - ravuswolf

Word Count: 2,358

A/N: I feel like the timeline of this might not add up, I just chose Mandalore as the planet because it was under the rule of the Empire, but just for the sake of this imagine let’s pretend this all adds up. THIS IS THE LONGEST FRICKEN ONE SHOT I’VE WRITTEN SO FAR ! Hope this lives up to what you requested! 

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PART 1 - I’M GOING IF YOU’RE GOING

The rebels were assembled around a holographic image of Mandalore. There was a small map with a circle highlighting the location of a small undercover Rebellion base. The planet was ruled by the Empire, however the Rebellion base was growing.

“Now is the time to begin liberating Mandalore.” Mon Mothma announced, and the rebels cheered in response. You were positioned behind Mon, your arms crossed and expression neutral. Although you wished you could share the excitement the rebels were feeling, you knew this would not be an easily won battle. The planet had a history of wars and conflict.

“Why are you looking so serious?” a gentle voice came up next to you, and you turned to see your girlfriend, Jyn. She was about half a head shorter than you, so she had to look up to meet your eyes. She was smiling reassuringly, and you attempted to return the smile.

“This will not be an easy fight.” you told her, and she looped her arm in yours.

“Have a little faith!” she responded, laughing lightly. Seeing your serious expression, she tiptoed to whisper in your ear. “You’re a Jedi, y/n, people look up to you. So for the sake of the rebels, be a little more confident.” you sighed, knowing she was right. Many of the rebels relied on you to be a leader. Speaking of leaders, Mon was gesturing to you now.

“y/n will be the head of the mission, he is the most capable leader we have.” the rebels all nodded at you with respect, and you returned the nod.

“We will leave at daybreak,” you stepped closer to the hologram. “Prepare your ships and weapons, and prepare for a fight. Dismissed.” The rebels began to scatter towards their respective stations, an air of defiance lingered. Mon wandered towards General Bail, whispering something to him. You turned back to Jyn, who rocked on the balls of her feet, looking at you expectantly.

“No.” you said immediately.

“I’m not giving you a choice, y/n, I’m going.” she came up closer to you, and loosely wrapped her arms around you.

“I’m not giving you a choice either, Jyn, you’re not going.” you replied, running your hands through her hair, and she laughed. The both of you often joked about not giving each other a choice, seeing as the both of you could be extremely stubborn.

“I’m a rebel, aren’t I?” she challenged you, and you rolled you eyes. “You can’t be such an overprotective boyfriend, y/n. I may be your girlfriend, but I am still a fighter.” You appreciated that about her. She was an incredibly driven woman, but you feared she would take it too far one day and get herself killed. Her transmitter suddenly beeped, and she reached down to speak into it. Afterwards, she looked up at you.

“I need to check something with our ship.” she clarified. She began to walk towards the hangar, but you quickly pulled her in. You gently kissed her, and you could feel her smiling against your lips.

“That’s not going to convince me to stay.” she said when you broke apart. “I’m going if you’re going, and I know you’re definitely going.”

“Oh Jyn,” you sighed as she began walking away again. “Can’t you just listen to me, for once, and stay behind?”

“I’ll think about it next mission!” she called back, before she disappeared around the corner. You shook your head, but you couldn’t help but smile. You slowly made your way to your quarters that you shared with Jyn. Unlike the others, you didn’t have much to prepare. As a Jedi, all you needed was your lightsaber and the Force, both of which you had with you all the time. You swiped open the door to you room and lay down on your bed, using the Force to move around a metal ball that you played with when you were distressed. You became so engrossed in thought you barely heard the door open as Jyn came in.

“Finished with the ship already?” you asked, lowering the ball and sitting up.

“It’s been at least 3 hours.”

“Already?” you raised your eyebrows in surprise, and looked out your window and saw that night had fallen. Jyn flopped down next to you, closing her eyes.

“Yeah, we should get some rest before daybreak.” she mumbled, and you smiled at her sleeping face. Settling down next to her, you wrapped you arms around her and she buried her face into her chest. You listened to the sound of her gentle breathing for a long time before you finally succumbed to sleep.

PART 2 - THE MISSION

Your squadron had been dropped of in a seemingly quiet part of the city. 4 groups had successfully passed the Imperial blockade, disguised as cargo ships, and landed in various points. The ship was waiting back at a landing pad in case of emergencies.

You quietly crept around the street and peered around the corner. The advantages of the Mandalore cities were that they provided plenty of spaces to hide, but it was incredibly cramped. Nevertheless, you looked down the street to see a tank approaching. Turning back to the small group of rebels you were leading, you held your hand up.

“Don’t fire until my command.” you whispered. Jyn was right behind you, and she drew her blaster.

“Squadron B, C and D, ready on my command.” you continued into your radio.

“We’re in position,” the other commanders chirped back in response, and you stole another glance at the upcoming tank. The Rebellion fight was to be carried out by small Rebellion squadrons all over the city, slowly pushing towards the capital. Your squadron was ambushing a group of stormtroopers that were the farthest away.

You pulled a grenade from your belt and pushed the activation button. Taking aim, you slid it silently under the tank. Taking out your lightsaber, you watched as the light began to rapidly blink.

The explosion took the stormtroopers completely by surprise. The tank was swallowed in flames, and troops desperately filed out.

“Squadrons, go!” you yelled into your radio and you gestured for the rebels behind you to advance. Gunfire ensued from both sides as the rebels pushing forward. You could hear explosions from various points in the city, signalling to you the other squadrons had begun their ambush. You watched as the rebels pushed forward, forcing the troops back towards the capital. Jyn was in the lead, taking down a few stormtroopers. Turning on your lightsaber, you jumped into the battle.

All seemed to be going well at first. The stormtroopers were slowly losing to your rebel troops, but then you spotted a stormtrooper speaking into a radio. He had orange markings on his helmet, symbolising that he was a commander of some sort. You were just about to use the Force against him when the sounds of yelling distracted you.

“Look out from behind!” you turned around just in time to see a rebel soldier getting shot. At least 2 more squads of stormtroopers came around the bend you had just come from, corning your squadron. Both sides began closing in on you group, and more and more rebel soldiers fell.

“We have to order a retreat!” you instructed Jyn, and out of the corner of your eyes you could see her fumbling with her radio.

“Communications are blocked! I can’t get to anyone from here, we have to go back to the ship!” she shouted in response. You looked around desperately, but you were surrounded. There was no way the Rebellion would be able to liberate Mandalore today. You knew that if your group — who was the most experienced — was struggling, the mission would not succeed. That was the plan: all 4 groups had to successfully meet at the capital, but you knew you were unable to. You had to order a retreat, or else all other remaining rebels would be killed.

Suddenly, the thud of a grenade distracted you. It had landed next to Jyn.

PART 3 - AWRY

“Jyn!” you yelled, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her away and down behind the now abandoned tank. You covered her body with yours and wrapped your arms around her head just as you heard the explosion behind you. You felt the debris fall on your back, and the explosion rang in your ears. You unfolded your body from hers and stood up, activating your lightsaber to deflect a few more blaster bolts.

The mission had gone completely wrong. You were overrun.

Jyn wearily sat up again, and you see her reaching for her gun. She unsteadily stood up again and fired a few shots, before collapsing from exhaustion. You knew she could not fight anymore, although she was trying, but the look in her eyes told you she was tired. You did not want to allow her to accept defeat that easily, but you did not see any escape and you were close to feeling defeat as well.

A group of three stormtroopers headed towards you on speeder bikes. Effortlessly, you used the Force and threw them off. The bikes drifted to a halt inches away from your feet. Looking at Jyn, you suddenly realised how you could get her out of here.

“Soldier!” you shouted at a nearby rebel, who was hiding behind a wall with a shattered window. “I want you get on the speeder with Jyn and get out of here!”

“No!” Jyn immediately protested, and you crouched down next to her, holding her face in your hands. She tried to push your hands away to stand up, but you firmly held her down. The soldier was already making his way over to you and the bike, firing a few shots as he ran. You didn’t have much time left.

“Get on the bike, Jyn.” you instructed her, and she shook her head in response. You could see tears beginning to form in her eyes, and she continued to shake her head. “Jyn, listen to me! You have to, I’ll hold them off long enough for you to escape.”

“There’s two other bikes, take one of them!” she desperately tried to reason, but you shook your head and gestured for the last few remaining rebels to take the bikes.

“I’m not leaving you, y/n, I’m not going t-” she was holding your arms now, and she had turned her face into your hands.

“I’m not giving you a choice, Jyn!” you tried to replace the heartbroken feeling that was developing inside of you with anger. It tore you apart to use words that you once used so lightly in such a demanding tone.

“I can’t go with you, someone needs to hold them back, or they’ll just catch up and kill us all. You have to get out of here and order a retreat, for the sake of the Rebellion.” you could see the conflict in her eyes, but her reasoning was overwhelm by emotion. She began to shake her head again, but you gestured for the soldier to come and take her. Although every cell in your body wanted to hold onto her, you forced yourself to let go as the soldier grabbed Jyn to bring her to the bike. As the soldier passed you, you grabbed his arm and whispered harshly in his ear.

“Don’t you dare turn back, no matter what she tells you.” he nodded in response. You tried not to look at Jyn, who’s body was shaking with sobs, but you couldn’t help it. You turned away momentarily to deflect more blasters away, and you sliced at some of the stormtroopers who were getting closer.

“y/n!” Jyn’s voice yelled again, and you turned around just in time to see her break free from the soldier and run back to you. She angrily fired at a few stormtroopers behind you, before you grabbed her to duck behind the tank again.

“You’re putting yourself and the solder in danger Jyn, I’m not going to tell you again-”

“I love you.” she was crying, but her voice was steady. You did you best to suppress your own tears back, and you brought her closer to you and kissed her. She held on to you desperately, but you had to pull away.

“I will always love you, no matter where I am.” you responded. “But please, get out of here, for my sake.” you were pleading her now, and she knew she had to go. Peeling herself away, she ran towards the speeder, where the soldier was already waiting. The two of them paused for a moment, as if there was a chance you would change your mind, but you shook your head.

“Go!” the soldier revved the bike and turned sharply as Jyn fired at the nearby stormtroopers. You used the Force to clear a path, knocking the blasters out of the stormtrooper’s hands and pushing them all to the side. Your eyes connected with Jyn’s one last time, before the bikes zoomed away, one filing after another.

Your back was against the cool metal of the tank, and you took a deep breath in. You could hear the gunfire getting closer, and you knew there was very little chance of making it out alive. But the Force was telling you Jyn was going to be safe, and that was all you wanted. Turning on your lightsaber, you jumped on top of the tank and continued fighting. The stormtroopers were closing in, and you already felt the singeing pain of blaster bolts that you were unable to deflect away from you. Your vision began to darken, and you used the Force to push back the stormtroopers in front of you. But as you lowered your lightsaber, you felt your chest burning from a shot.

You doubled over in pain, and the last thing you could think about was Jyn’s smiling face. Smiling to yourself, you could almost hear her saying she loved you before the world slipped away from you and everything went black.