#like the timeline of events is literally so easy to research

[likelylarks]

xx

[comically-blu]

What if shermie goes to the portal

Ooo, good question– funny enough, I was actually thinking about this next to one *canon event* between him, Ford, and a certain yellow triangle that may lead to other alternate timelines made! But that’ll be explored sometime outside this answer I’ll give hehe

The short answer would be that Shermie definitely survives. He becomes a rather different man than he was, going by a similar route to Ford’s. There also would be tons of trouble for not only Shermie outside the portal, but also tons of (not literally) trouble for the Pines on Earth. Absolute complicated disaster happens.

Long explanation of answer here:

In the main Pinewoods lore, Shermie was already in the military instead of just being veteran in the Vietnam War like that one theory— he actually started serving when he was about 18 while Stan and Ford were kids. Just like the twins, there’s also his combat & self-defense skills he learnt in the past due to… Filbrick’s influence. So he’ll know his way with weapons, tech, and all sorts of skills.

Going by timeline, the portal is built when Ford was in his 30s. This time, Shermie had gotten used to his prosthetic leg already from a proper recovery that he returned to full duty and his usual physical routine.

When he gets to be the one flung out in the portal, Shermie will immediately prioritize the goal of surviving just so he could learn to get back home for his family once again.

- He would be learning about his surroundings and creatures within (he won’t be doing his info in a research way)

- He would be throwing away his morals; stealing scraps, essentials, and weapons. That makes him a criminal. Still, he keeps his nice side.

- Mental issues worsens + homesickness. He works on keeping himself together

- very careful with his own mobility, tries to not lose his prosthetic. Probably would’ve needed to get a new one at some point.

The troubles? He gets Bill on his trail at the start since Bill already knows about his relation with Ford. Bill wouldn’t care if he gains him dead than alive as long he figured out a way to dangle control over Ford.

Now outside of the portal… Ford will feel more terrible but he definitely wouldn’t be opening the portal out of fear of Bill while he would be mourning over Shermie. If Stan were there, he would be fighting with Ford to work on bringing him back no matter the risks. Not only Shermie is their older brother, he keeps them both in check after all, so he means a lot to them.

Regardless, Shermie’s disappearance isn’t easy to cover up. He’s a soldier of the military, so his fellow commanders would be searching for him. The life with Shermie’s wife and his son, aka Mr. pines, would be greatly affected. They be greatly upset and suspicious about Shermie’s sudden disappearance.

[getvalentined]

We may have discussed this before but my brain is a sieve - re: Vincent being assigned to Nibelheim because Gast wanted to honor Grimoire's memory via Vincent - does this mean that Veld may have known that Vincent could/would end up contributing to Gast's work? Or do you headcanon that Gast just asked specifically for Vincent, and Veld went along with it for reasons of his own?

My headcanon for this is recently updated based on the newly clarified timeline of events related to Veld's backstory—since we know Kalm burned in 1997 and Felicia is therefore around Zack's age rather than Sephiroth's, I've shuffled this quite a bit! The end result is still the same as it was, but the means of getting there are slightly different.

Veld had no idea that Vincent had been selected for use in the Jenova Project. He knew the basics of what was going on in the project itself, given that Project G was on the verge of being shelved at that point and the Turks would be required for a fair amount of cleanup when that occurred, but he wasn't aware that the Turks had been selected for use in the project as breeding stock. Veld himself had already been unwittingly used in Project G in a similar fashion several months prior, although his contribution didn't necessitate he be on-site and was instead acquired via an invasive but company-standard physical exam at Shinra headquarters.

Gast's request for Vincent to oversee security on the project came down the pipe to Veld with an admission that it was strictly sentimental, since Project S would be carried out in the same facility where Grimoire had done his last research project. He'd been dead for around a year at that point, but Gast asserted that he just thought it would be nice to have a Valentine on the premises while everyone fully adjusted to Grimoire's eternal absence. Veld thought this was a bit silly, but that seemed to be the norm for most academics in Veld's experience, so he didn't see a reason to reject it.

He and Vincent's relationship had been a bit rocky since Grimoire died, so Veld hoped the assignment might give Vincent some perspective, if not some much-needed closure. Regardless of whatever led Vincent to distance himself from his father, he hadn't handled the loss well, taking a month off to make arrangements back home—trust funds and scholarships and memorials, ongoing management of the estate and long-term agreements with the university, long talks with old people in high places. Upon his return, Vincent threw himself into work in a way that would be most politely described as "burning the candle at both ends," but more accurately described as "driven like a man possessed."

At least, that would be the case for literally anyone else, but Vincent Valentine hadn't been given the title Turk of Turks for nothing. In his case, the most obvious results of his insane workload were that he was usually exhausted enough to sleep through the night, he drank more coffee than usual throughout the day, and he didn't go nearly as easy on rookies as he used to.

The fact that Vincent could intentionally put himself through twenty hour shifts multiple times a week for months on end rekindled old frustrations and insecurities on Veld's part, mostly regarding Vincent being in the department in the first place—everyone knew he was too good for the Turks, and those several months of stellar, almost machine-like performance proved it. This lingering sentiment had been lurking in the back of Veld's mind for years, since Vincent first tested into the department; with the reminder of where Vincent came from fresh in his mind after Grimoire's death, Veld found himself ruminating on it constantly.

Vincent, for his part, rejected the assignment outright. As vice director at the time, this was technically within his right, but the refusal to even contemplate the prospect set Veld off like nothing else, leading to a huge argument. Veld said a lot of things he would live to regret, Vincent almost certainly decked him, and Veld told him that he would either take the assignment or he'd be kicked from the department and sent back where he belonged.

"...I thought I belonged with you."

"We both know you're way too smart to be that fucking clueless about where people like you belong."

Veld had no idea that Vincent had been requested as part of the experiment just starting up in Nibelheim. He sent him because it was where he was meant to be from the beginning: in a big old mansion, far away from the Turks, surrounded by people just as smart as he was who knew where he came from and what he should have been doing with his life.

Maybe Veld would figure out how to apologize by the time Vincent finally got back.

(He didn't.)

[ultra-raging-ghost]

I'm not really good at conveying my thoughts on this but based on a couple of ideas you said and a little research I got an idea.

Mouse is the queen of hell, and sometimes called Satan. Based on the timeline of Mouse coming into existences around the dark ages, she would've likely been old enough to possibly start a cult following by the middle ages. Since she's also known for being a pretty charismatic demon this was probably easy for her. Even around this time, Satanist cults became kinda popular. Seeing as she's satan, she could've created these cults herself as a safe space. Either where demons could live better or getting a better reputation as queen. Basically, her own cults could've been the reason why she's so proud to be a demon

Sorry if this doesn't make sense or doesn't fit with her lore, just ideas :]

This is perfect timing actually, i just finished watching her lore videos!

From what i can gather of her lore, she's one of a couple thousand who were created at the beginning of the universe, was cast out of heaven, spent a while in isolation, became queen of hell and then came to earth itself when the internet was already a thing. Earth was existing separately in this timeline, but with the existence of in-universe cults and rifts that transcend multiverses, whos to say she hasnt been to earth a couple times?

From what i could see, rifts were easily made and easily traveled, and she seemed to have some prior knowledge of earth before moving there permanently. She does have a following since in-universe she is a vtuber/streamer from what ive gathered? I have a couple thoughts about that but my first one is i think it would be funny if a couple thousand years ago she was the idol of a satanic cult, left, and then showed back up as a vtuber to gain yet another cult following, thats absolutely hilarious to me.

My other thought, qsmp related, is that in her time on quesadilla island, if we go by her vtuber lore, has been streamed this whole time which is interesting. Like shes literally walking around with a camera, capturing all this on tape so her cult following could have entertainment and feed her!!! Cucuruchos gotta know, right? You think hes an ironmouse fan???/j i think its interesting to think about how in-universe we are her audience and her main source of food, and not only are we watching the events of the qsmp as a documented thing, we're also watching her play games while on the goddamn island!!! She brought her PC and shes slaying valorant and five nights at freddys while eggs run around her gaming chair!!!! thats absolutely delightful!!!

Also a very interesting take, as opposed to the other character's whos audiences are voices in their head or ghosts or critters or imaginary characters, hers are just her literal cult who feed her by watching her stream! I cant help but imagine she got that train ticket, advertised about it, and then did a vlog stream on the train and on the island. Her (/rp) PR team must've had a field day with that! And i can imagine her flitting around the island talking into the mic in her ear, having to adjust the settings in front of the person shes talking to, etc. Absolutely delightful to me

[slightly-gay-pogohammer]

Is SCPs one of those things you're able to explain in a sentence, or is it like Homestuck where you couldn't explain it in a decade. Because every time I start to think I understand about keeping the monsters in the silly cages I always hear about something else and now I doubt everything I know... I'll think everything's fine, then I hear about SCP 27.4 the Goopy Gooper, and everyone who sees him gets Gooped and by perspective will be utterly swayed on whether this is supposed to be horror, or some kind of paranormal series, or just people having a silly time? Is there one guy who makes everything up or is it community driven? Is there a Mr SCP, CEO of the canon? It's so scary.

dare i say that homestuck isnt that hard to explain? like theres a lot of nonsense going on but it's easy

like. everything is easy to explain...... SCP is like. a big group of people containing and studying anomalies in the world, that can go from a half cat (literally a cat but just half of it) to an eldritch god to a night light that summons satan to a guy who appears during celebrations for Bad Reasons.

it's one of the biggest, if not THE biggest "group project" on the internet, where everyone goes to the site to add their new funny anomaly, researcher or event to the list, and since so many people work on it there's multiple timelines, and you can decide if every single thing that happened is canon or pick and choose your favorites

i think the SCP iceberg is a good introduction to the whole thing except for like, a pair of now outdated infos ( SCP-166 had a heavy canon change that makes her LEAGUES better now ), and in general i like to look for either SCP podcasts or animated explainations on YT to keep in the background instead of reading the entries on the site since. as much as i really like how they're written they're also A Lot and having someone narrate them to me is much easier ;u;

[transfemlogan]

plz teach me how to start writing smth /silly

i want to write a fic but idk how to start lol

-rauberrauber

I WILL TELL U MY WRITING PROCESS (BADLY EXPLAINED) @rauberrauber

STEP ONE: THE IDEA PHASE !!!

Come up w/ an idea & then write it down like. Halfassedly. Like my current fic was written down as "Logan transforms in2 a wolf on a full moon & virgil stays w/ him & makes a potion or whatever 2 keep the pain away & then he just turns in2 a dogy" (exact quote) & then was added onto 2 make my outline

This is my current outline (censored just so you guys dont. Get spoiled 4 everything that happens in the fic HEHDKDN) its just a lot of like rambling, trying 2 get everything in ordsr

REVYS TIP: MAKE SURE YOU ARE DAY DREAMING ABOUT YOUR IDEA NONSTOP. /silly whenever I try to write something when I haven't thought about how it'll go while I'm doing a chore or listening to music or falling asleep, the idea will never ever come out bcuz I have no idea what I'm even trying to do.

STEP TWO: THE PLANNING PHASE !!

Start planning ! I use Notion 2 organise everything, but i used 2 use my notes app 4 the longest time (& sometimes still do if I am too lazy to open my computer).

I write down a basic summary of my plot, how many chapters there are if its a chaptered fic, the characters & relationships, a timeline if its needed, a to-do list (ex. Research [insert thing], give the characters last names, create the timeline, etc), a list of what I need 2 research (& then keeping track of everything I research), title ideas, world building, etc etc

My planning phase is like... A Lot of work bcuz i really like to plan! It is my favourite part of any creative work i do, bcuz there is something wrong w/ me /j /silly.

This is sort of what my notion page looks like for "To The Tune Of Your Death". I also have a page for character info, like pronouns & ages & genders & races & relationships w/ each other, & two separate timelines with exact years and days (bcuz it is very much needed 4 this entire au). One for the main fic timeline (like when Janus dies and when Logan and Virgil start dating) AND one for background information (like their parents divorces, bcuz it unforrunately relates to the fic)

REVYS TIP: DO NOT GET SCARED BY HOW MUCH PLANNING I DO. it is entirely a me thing. I have yet to meet anyone who plans as much as I do & enjoys it like I do.

STEP THREE: THE WRITING PHASE !!

Note: the writing & planning phase overlay each other A Lot. You are going to start writing & then pause 2 keep planning or u will be planning & realise you need to start writing to Continue to plan. This is very normal, esp if ur researching for a disability or a race— you will not do research One Time & know everything immediately.

START WRITING!!! I always have like 7-10 drafts & I'm usually rewriting as I write. I use CalmyWriter to write on my computer and then I transfer it to discord so I can have it on my phone. I also use my notes apps a lot of the time! Bcuz its easy to just write on my phone anywhere than wait 2 use my laptop. I avoid google docs, simply bcuz i absolutely hate google docs (& it usually lags real bad 4 me)

(I do however transfer everything to google docs once I am done, bcuz i like 2 share my fics w/ ppl who want 2 beta!)

When I start my first draft (which u will always have a first draft) I am not at all focused on grammar, spelling, or "good writing", I'm focused on getting the idea down & the basic flow of events & following my outline (unless it needs to be revised). Literally my first drafts are so awful & thats the point.

Its usually very like (example): Virgil walked to the store and he bought this. [Insert what he bought as it relates to what he will be doing later] logan said hi to him he is blushing & gay. They arw talking. [Skip kissing scene] janus dies yayyy yippee

Thats what my 1st drafts r like. & then either once I am done, or while I am writing, I'll start revising. I will go back and rewrite scenes or add scenes in or move stuff around. Sometimes I have my 1st draft side by side with my revision & sometimes I go off memory

& once I am done w/ my revision... I do it all over again. & then again. & then I keep doing that until its finished.

I always keep my sketchbook & a pen/pencil by me while I am writing, incase I need to make a quick note of something for later or if I need to sketch out a layout of somehing (for example, I stopped to layout Virgil's witchcraft/office room while writing tge analogical fic)

STEP FOUR: UM. THE REST... OF IT ALL PHASE !!

I title my fic (if it hasnt been titled already), I create a summary for AO3, I send it out for my friends who want to beta, I reread it like 50 times & go "wow I am so good at writing", I create drafts on tumblr & ao3 and make sure its tagged correctly & the correct ppl r @ ed if i had a taglist of some sort etc etc

Any of my fics (or art) that you see get posted, were 100% in my drafts for like 3 hrs b4 they were posted bcuz i kept going through it and making sure everything is good (esp bcuz i cross post on tumblr & ao3)

& that is... pretty much my entire writing process broken down.

I think one of the scariest parts of starting to write for me personally was the first draft part. I always felt like it needed to be good IMMEDIATELY or else i wasnt being a "good writer". But most, if not all, writers dont start off "writing good", they start off with a shitty rough draft. & then keep revising & rewriting.

The best advice i have ever seen was "just start it", bcuz if ur so caught up on writing well, nothing will ever get done. Just GO START IT RIGHT NOW GO QUICKLY RUN!!!!!! RUN !!!!!!!!!!!!! WRITE !!!!!!!!

[natrome]

ok now that i for real know what my writing commitments are going to be for the next, like, year, at least the majority of them, here is the actual for real i s2g hold me to this writing schedule

Fic in a Box - due 10/15

1 assignment of 2k words remains, write it this saturday

Five Figure Fanworks Exchange - check in 11/11, due 1/20

i expect this will take about a week to finish, and ideally i'll have it done prior to check-in.

Yuletide - works due 12/18

UNLESS i get an assignment that i want to go hogwild on, which i should be prevented from doing, i should be able to finish this the week of 11/26 and not work on it outside of that.

galactic santas - est. due 12/25

my fave event of the year lol, the logh secret santa exchange. uh anyway this one is usually due around christmas and also is the easiest thing on this list by a mile and a half. i'm 0% worried about this one.

tomorrow ye will get your pay - aka the whale novel. - first draft due 3/1, physical product due for display 4/1

this is an extremely short timeline, and while it's not "drop everything else" level short, it is going to have to be my #1 writing priority for a long time.

my plan is as follows

spend the remainder of october getting situated w/ the research i'm going to have to do, figuring out who i need to talk to, etc. as well as put together a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline

nov/dec i'm assuming will be eaten by SMST and other commitments, but get research done and essentially braindump into document

jan/feb, just write as much as possible, take time off of work/quit job if i need to

if possible confine edits to the first 2 weeks of march, get books printed; deliver final product by last week of march.

god this schedule is miserable. well i signed up for it! i did this entirely to myself! lmfao.

anyway i'm going to bracket in that it's a 20 chapter novel, which seems like a reasonable number of chapters. i essentially have ~10 weeks to write this book. this is totally normal and fine, i have written longer books with less of a solid outline in shorter amounts of time. if i can just sit my ass in a chair and hammer out 2.5k words/day i will EASILY make this deadline and have time for editing. the issue will be making myself do that. but having a deadline and like professional accountability should majorly help. esp if i quit my stupid fucking job lol

serpent's mouth, serpent's teeth - due 12/31

i have four chapters left on SMST. i do not think they will be EASY to write but I do think that I'm CAPABLE of getting them done before the end of the year. at the very least i've sworn until i was blue in the face that i would finish this book by the end of the year. i need this book to stop haunting my waking nightmares lmfao. i estimate ~50-60k words remain, but we'll see what it actually ends up shaking out as. hopefully it's not more than that.

anyway this is another just "ass in chair" moment. though if i could have made myself do that months ago, this book would have been finished sometime this summer lol

every link was freedom's name - aka the fucking. arle heinessen play. no due date.

this is my yay you finished all the obligations you had now you get to do something deeply deeply stupid and entertaining only to a tiny number of people project. lyric play about arle heinessen. book of exodus pastiche. probably not that long. estimate it'll take me as long as POD did, so a month and a half? but i won't stress it. aim to finish it mid may?

new constellations - aka the logh rarepairs exchange i run

I'm planning to run signups in late march, with works due mid may. this is slightly earlier than last year but due to my own personal schedule i don't want it to overlap with...

heart attack exchange - works due 6/2

yeah you literally only get 2 weeks to work on this one so it kinda is what it is lol.

life out of balance rewrite. no particular due date.

i expect this will take me 3-4 months to complete. finish by september?

lighting out for the territories augmentation. no particular due date.

i'd like to think that i can get this done in 2 months but i don't actually have a plan for what i need to do to it. so who tf knows lol. assume it'll take me the rest of the year.

every hateful instrument - no firm date

this will likely take between 6-8 months to finish, but it's another thing that i really want to stop having hanging over me. i'll either work on it before the LOFTT stuff or after

WIAW phezzan novella - ultimate TBD

to be completed immediately before starting LL/SS, probably

other misc nonsense

there are other small exchanges that i like to do (space swap, unsent letters, we die like fen) so as those pop up i probably will sign up for them. i'm not going to look up/prognosticate when they will happen at this moment in time

god i owe so many people gifts for birthdays and holidays and stuff >.> you may or may not get them. lean towards may not b/c what the fuck is this writing schedule. i'm so sorry lmao

i've now gotten back around to "oh this goes up to the end of the year again, so the end of the year exchanges (yuletide, fffx, fiab, galactic santas) should be on this schedule" but down that road lies only pain and horror lol

this list has gotten incredibly vague as things have gone on. the last part of this year and the first part of next year are pretty set in stone though, and i just need to like, get myself to the starting block and then start running

literally so funny that i was like "i should relax and take a break from writing before starting LL/SS" lmfao. lmfao.

obviously some of these things could be deleted from the schedule. i don't have to do a bunch of exchanges (but i liiiiiike them) and i don't have to write a stupid play (but i wannnnnnt to), and i don't have to do any rewrites to the early parts of WIAW (but they're a mess). so it's like. idk. maybe none of this is real and i'm just making lists b/c i like making lists lol

[system-architect]

its easy to miss if you didnt do the achievements for it especially as it was kind of unfolding live but what it is is that a bunch of the awakened that were traveling through the portal from fahranur to rata primus during the instant the commander destroyed rata primus sort of got turned into fractals. like literally.

it builds off of what we already knew from fractals + mistlock sanctuary + wvw (yes) that the mists loves creating 'ripples' of things that touch it, which it'll near infinitely spit out repeated echo copies of, and so the awakened that were going through that portal when the destination become lost basically hit the mists so hard that it kind of instantly obliterated them and replaced them with mists clones of themselves. on top of that, they just get launched through rifts into places at random because this is what happens when gates get damaged, and this actually happens to braham and the commander at the end of A Bug In The System as well-- we just don't get turned into fractal copies because the gate was damaged as opposed to destroyed. yay!

what's also neat to me, though, is that as opposed to the fractals* we are familiar with, the fractal awakened are actively decaying. (*this includes mistlock sanctuary and wvw and revenant legends, which are also all fractals or things functionally similar. wahoo!)

here's the bits from ninn's journal about it that i really like:

Comparisons against archived golem scans indicate that the Awakened observed have significant degradation consistent with extraplanar overexposure. Left unopposed, they degenerate after a period of minutes into undifferentiated material. ---- The collapse of portal integrity, in the abscence[sic] of a stable endpoint, caused a phenomena inversion, obliterating the Awakened and trapping their remnants in an interstitial state. See related studies attached [clearance check]. The current attacks are created by this Mist-based repetition phenomenon, similar to the research submitted by [clearance check]. The attacks do not represent a new strategy on the part of Awakened command and do not pose tactical or political challenge to existing Peacemaker forces in their areas. The repetition phenomenon will decay until attacks case in approximately [clearance check] years.

what this sort of implies and what makes sense with the current mists lore we have is that, as i mentioned with the ripples, the 'seize onto something and constantly make rippled echo fractal copies of it' thing is something the mists just sort of... does. it's just a gigantic magic pond and everything that touches it ripples across it.

what sets the actual Fractals of the Mists Dungeon apart, as well as mistlock, is that dessa invented machines that basically grab onto these ripples and force them to constantly repeat themselves ad infinitum (Ha Ha) with a sort of forced hard timeline reset so that she can study them without them decaying

what's Also neat and horrifying about it is that we know from both SOTO and the mistlock sanctuary npcs that the people who live within fractals *are* real people-- presumably part of why dessa makes the fractals loop is to preserve the purity of the fractals/the original events within, otherwise the people inside would just begin making their own decisions as they slowly faded away. the SOTO fractal islands are sort of functionally different, but they are not forced to flow in a loop and can leave the islands without it being a problem, so they get to live out their lives. the fractalized awakened are not being stabilized by any sort of mechanism, but also cannot leave, which means that even though they're sort of 'walking ghosts' who are only pale copies of their original selves, they are both fully sentient and have awareness! potentially even an awareness that something is wrong! neat stuff!

the awakened portal incursion event/storyline is actually an intensely fascinating bit of lore and it both ties together a bunch of mists lore and adds kind of new angles on it and i think everyone should appreciate it with me

[jarchaeology]

genuine questions because i’m curious - do you thoroughly read the magazines cover to cover or just extract what you need and file them away? what are you gonna do with them and other items or photos you’ve found if/when you retire from jarchaeology? what sparked this whole hunt in the first place, did jensen’s career history fascinate you and things just snowballed?

btw i told my mom about your college trash bag story because it made me cry and she had the same reaction that’s so funny dude i’m sorry.

ahhh sorry this took so long to respond to! that always happens when i get a message that i really like. i hope you see this!

i don't read the magazines cover-to-cover, but i do skim every word. these magazines each had a consistent format that makes it easy to identify the relevant sections. if it's clearly not about jensen, i still skim it for events that i know he attended or industry specifics. i'm also always interested in the creatives behind the show, because that can provide a lot of context for the business jensen was in.

and if it's an article that is about jensen? i still skim it lol. it's easy to spot what's different when you've read 400 articles about eric brady already. i do pay really close attention to the photos, the event details, and the photographer credits. that stuff is like gold to me.

i wish i did this process only once, but it happens a few times for each magazine. i catalog the pages he's on and what kind of content i need for my spreadsheets and scans. and i also reference these issues a lot when i'm looking into "new" events to add to the timeline. he may not be advertised as attending, but if i find proof later that he did, i can look through the issues that came out around that time and find the details.

what am i going to do with all of this when i'm done with jarchaeology? idk! i've been considering selling on ebay eventually. i've spent some stupid money on this stuff so it would be nice to get a little of it back. but that's not anytime soon. i'm still here. the fixation hasn't begun to fade.

why this specific focus on jensen's early career? just kinda happened. a silly night of research that grew into something more. it's becoming clearer to me lately that this was the perfect puzzle for me to put together because the soap opera fandom was already so great at archiving their own history. you can't track every little detail from his time on dawson's creek, but you can for his time on soaps. the fans had their shit together. they still do. i can research this stuff because they've already put so much energy and care into their interests! soap operas are questionable (affectionate), but the fans are actually pretty dope. there are some striking similarities to the spn fandom tbh.

also, lol i love that you told your mom about the time i accidentally threw all my clothes away. what makes it worse is that it was a 400-mile drive home in the california summer sun. i came home from college with literal hot garbage instead of my vintage dresses. 😭

[thebigpapilio]

I saw your submission for the “Kwami Wheel” AU over at Justanotherpersonsuniverse.

I would like to hear more about it please.

Ooh, I’m so glad you asked!

Before that, apologies to @justanotherpersonsuniverse​ for pushing on what I presume are your rules. I should have done my research... I’m sorry for it all.

Other than Ladybug!Nath/Kid Crimson (as he ages, he goes simply by Crimson; there’s probably a yo mama joke in the future that goes something like Yo mama so old she knew Kid Crimson) & Black Cat!Kagami/Kuro Neko, here are the other wielders.

Moth!Marc Anciel/Indigo: Like Kid Crimson and Kuro Neko, he’s given his Miraculous at the beginning; his Miraculous and Duusu’s (which we’ll get to) are safe in Fu’s hands. He doesn’t have comphet like KC & KN so much as he has severe anxiety... in any case, he ends up with Nath.

Fox!Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Foxy Lady: TBH, the name needs work, but I don’t wanna go with Húlí, either... she’s shipped with Kagami, BTW.

Turtle!Max Kante/Plastron: I’m pretty proud of this name... I know I usually HC Alix as aro-ace, but this time I ship Alix, Max and...

Bee!Kim Le Chien/Con Ong: There is a Miracle Queen equivalent, but nobody betrays KC. He also doesn’t reveal his identity to anybody, having no reason to impress Audrey Bourgeois.

Luka Couffaine/Phantom P: Can you tell I like the concept of Gentleman Rogue!Luka? For a while, the heroes only stick around for akumas and any important events of the like, but it’s Phantom P who inspires them to address more world issues than that of magical problems. Oh, and I ship him with...

Horse!Chloe Bourgeois/Trailblazer: She gets a genuine redemption arc in this AU. It’s not an easy path, obviously, but she gets there. I’m considering that she’s already in the middle of a redemption arc, but the villain attacks and the reappearance of her mother threaten relapses.

Rabbit!Sabrina Raincomprix/Chronométreur: My favorite Rabbit alias for such a sweet girl (it literally means Timehopper)... rarepair time: Alyabrina is the ship for this fic!

Rooster!Alya Cesaire/Cocorica: She still runs the Ladyblog equivalent (IDK the name RN... give me some pitches if y’all want). Cocorica is a probably-nongrammatical form of Cocorico, the French word for cock-a-doodle-doo.

Pig!Alix/Truix: Truie is French for sow. Again, she’s shipped with Kim and Max... though now I’m wondering if I should ship her with Alya & Sabrina instead...

Dragon!Ivan Bruel/Wyvern: One of my favorite Dragon aliases... I think there ought to be some exploration of his career paths beyond Kitty Section.

Dog!Mylene Haprele/Dachshund: Here be Myvan... 

Snake!Rose Lavillant/Pythonelle: Timeline trauma time~!

Monkey!Juleka Couffaine/Hurleuse: Hurleuse means Howler in French, apparently. Julerose all the way!

Mouse!Nino Lahiffe/Jerboa: Not too much to say about most of the rest other than their ships. Adrinino here!

Ox!Adrien Agreste/Stampede: Most of what I have to say about him revolves around his home-life. Emilie is alive, but her and Gabriel’s relationship is strained regardless. He’s still a douchebag, and a manipulator at that. Adrien has a lot more freedom bc of Emilie canceling out some of Gabriel’s commands. That said, it was at Gabriel’s insistence that Adrien be homeschooled, and... well, enough about that for now.

Importantly, Gabriel isn’t Hawkmoth, nor does Nathalie work for him (nor is she Mayura). Instead...

Tiger!Tomoe Tsurugi/Tiger Queen: Tomoe is not a good parent. There are some sympathetic moments, as is par for the course, but... 

Goat!Nathalie Sancoeur/She-Goat: Like with Marinette, I think the name needs work. I was trying to parody She-Ra and She-Hulk, TBH. Oh, and Nathalie works for Tomoe in this AU.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! If anyone wants to write or draw anything, plz let me know first!

Valete,

TheBigPapilio

[kissinginkitchens]

You Bring Me Home — Chapter One: Flightless Bird, American Mouth

a/n: I've been working on this story for mooonths now and I'm so excited to finally share it with the world! It's heavily inspired by Harry's Behind the Album mini doc, except I changed the setting to Hawai'i because I've personally spent some time there and as they say, write what you know! YBMH takes place in the period between One Direction's hiatus and Harry's first album/tour, but with that being said, this is entirely a work of fiction and some events don't follow the true timeline. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little story, I hope you love it as much as I do! It will be updated every Friday at 5 PM PST. My inbox is open, so feel free to talk to me once you've finished reading! I'd love to hear from you :) Much love, Mel <3

Pairing: Hawai'i!Harry x Original Character

Warnings: swearing

Word Count: 5.5k

May, 2016

Harry watches LAX get smaller through the airplane window and visualizes all of his worries stuck at the terminal gate, their magnitude also diminishing as he takes flight. He sinks lower in his seat and skims through playlists on his phone when a nagging feeling at the back of his mind pulls his attention away from the screen. Looking up from the song choices, he spots a cell phone quickly lowered from his line of vision and a girl with flushed cheeks who quickly averts her gaze. Harry shoots a tight-lipped smile in her direction and goes back to his phone with a sigh. The days when he could roam the streets freely without fear of recognition—or worse, harassment—feel like an entirely different lifetime. He sometimes imagines that he’ll wake up back in his childhood bed as if the past five years had all been a dream, but he never does. In fact, his privacy and anonymity seem to dwindle with each minute of radio play that One Direction receives. It’s a bittersweet pill to swallow, but one he hopes will go down easier with some time in the Hawaiian sun.

His close friend and new manager, Jeff Azoff, had suggested the vacation as soon as the band privately agreed to take a hiatus.

“You’ll go home for a few weeks,” his voice had crackled through the speakers of Harry’s phone. “Visit your mom and Gem, lay low for a while until the smoke blows over,”

Harry mulled it over in his mind, eyes flickering over the rolling landscape outside of the tour bus window.

“Then what?”

“Then you go for a little vacation. The label offered to cover a house in Hawaii so you can start working on the album,”

“Alone?”

Jeff chuckled lightly on the other end before responding. “I mean, if that’s what you want,”

“No,” Harry corrected. “You and Tom should come. Mitch and Bhasker, too,”

“The dream team,”

“And there’ll be a studio there?”

“Yes,” Jeff started, almost hesitant. “But I don’t want you to think about that too much,”

“But you said the label—"

“I also said vacation. Look, Rob said ‘it will all happen in due time,' did he not?”

Harry twisted the rose ring around his finger, tracing over the silver petals and thinking back to his conversation with the CEO of Sony Music, Rob Stringer. Upon the proposal of his debut solo album, Rob had told him that the most important ingredient for a successful debut would be patience. The singer had agreed in the moment, but every day not spent in the studio felt like a test he hadn’t studied hard enough for.

“Yeah.”

“So you take the free vacation,” Jeff suggested. “You go out, live, get some writing material. Maybe mess around with some tunes. And then we come back to L.A. and get to work. But until then, I just want you to focus on taking it easy.”

So take it easy he had. Or at least he had tried to when he was back home in England. Harry quickly grew restless after what felt like the millionth awkward conversation with past friends and acquaintances, all of which eventually led to the topic of One Direction and it’s unexpected hiatus. After one month at home, his mind and journal were full of ideas for songs, things that he wanted to say before he lost his nerve. One night as he tossed and turned in bed, he shot Jeff a text, just two words that would kick off a three month getaway to the Big Island of Hawai'i:

I’m ready.

********

“Sounds great, I'll go put in your order.” Alani offers sweetly, trying not to overdo it with the customer service voice. After waiting on the family at her designated table, she heads back to the kitchen and finds her younger sister, Pua, crouched in the corner taking what appears to be a serious phone call.

“I don’t know, I just saw it!” Her sister cries in a hushed tone. “Where do you think he’s going?”

“Is everything okay?” Alani cuts in with concern.

Pua whispers into the speaker before bringing the phone to her shoulder.

“Harry Styles was just spotted on a plane this morning,”

“Who?”

“The guy from One Direction,” her sister explains with a hint of irritation in her voice. “The band who sings that song you secretly like, ‘Fireproof,'”

Alani vaguely recalls the melody, but she waits expectantly for Pua to elaborate. “And this is news because…”

“Because the band just broke up, so where could he possibly be going?”

"The unemployment office?”

Pua rolls her eyes and returns to her phone call while Alani envelops her in a tight hug.

“I’m just kidding!” Alani apologizes, squeezing tighter despite her sister’s attempts to break free. “I’m sure he’ll be living off of royalty checks until he’s, like, eighty,”

“Get off me, freak!” Pua cries out, finally breaking the embrace.

Alani clutches her chest and pulls out an invisible knife. “Ouch. I’m telling Harry you said that,”

“This is exactly why I don’t tell you things.” the younger sister huffs, storming out of the kitchen through the employee entrance where Alani’s best friend, Maleah, has just arrived.

“Looks like someone forgot to eat their Cheerios today,” she remarks, tying her curls into a high ponytail.

Alani shrugs and leans against the counter. “She’s going through something. Just discovered that boys in pop bands are, in fact, just regular boys.”

“Poor thing,” Maleah frowns. “We all have to learn eventually.”

********

The sky is a blend of cotton candy pink and burnt orange when Alani returns home from the café with a strawberry smoothie in tow. She empties the mailbox and sorts through the various bills and advertisements, but her stomach drops when she sees a familiar return address label. After a quick greeting to her excited dog who waits at the door, Alani bolts up the stairs and quietly shuts the bedroom door behind her. Breathe, she reminds herself before tearing into the envelope and discarding it onto the wooden floor.

Dear Ms. Hale,

We are very grateful to have received your submission to Rolling Stone magazine. However, we regret to inform you—

She doesn’t read the rest, slumping to the floor in defeat. The sixth rejection letter from Rolling Stone lies crumpled at Alani’s feet and she kicks it across the room with a frustrated grunt. She had worked for over two months perfecting her analysis of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi and its allusions to the environmental impact of urban development in Hawaii. As part of her initial research, Alani had even traveled to both the Royal Hawaiian hotel in Honolulu, which is the famous Pink Hotel mentioned in the song, and Foster Botanical Garden that Mitchell referred to as “the tree museum.” She was certain that her effort and persistence would result in at least a consideration. The second third time's the charm! Maleah had joked watching Alani submit the piece. Six articles in the span of two years, each one facing the same rejection despite the increased effort Alani had put in over time. The fact that the rejection letter hadn’t changed over the course of the two years brings an incredulous smile to her face, and her stomach turns when she considers that the editors probably hadn’t even read her work, anyway. All that effort, she thinks to herself, all that time, for nothing.

“It will take time,” her favorite professor, Dr. Hudson, had reassured her three months after the Joni Mitchell article was submitted. “Every great writer faced countless rejection until that one piece. Yours will come. Keep your eyes open and your pen ready.”

Alani sighs and lifts herself off the floor, choosing to crawl into her unmade bed instead of slumping onto the hardwood. She hears a soft scratching at the door before her King Charles Spaniel, Freddie, pads into the room.

“Come here, bubs,” Alani whispers. He obeys and burrows into the duvet, giving her temple a gentle lick before nuzzling into the nape of her neck.

“You still love me, right?” she asks, voice cracking. “Even if I’m a failure?”

Freddie sniffs her ear in response.

********

“Right,” Harry says, his tongue peeking from the corner of his mouth as he reads the map. “No, left, sorry,”

“Do you actually know how to read a map?” Jeff teases, correcting the turn.

Harry pouts in response, his brows furrowing. “In my defense, we’re literally in the middle of fucking nowhere,”

“There are worse places to be,” Mitch pipes up from the back seat. “England, for example, where they say things like ‘litchrally’,”

“Very well said, Mitchell,” Jeff Bhasker adds with a fake British accent of his own.

Harry turns to his friends in the back seat with a finger pointed like an agitated mother. “If you lot don’t shut up, I’m gonna lead us to a volcano and push you in,”

“Where are we even going? I forgot,” Tom complains.

“To get food,” his manager responds from the driver’s seat. “I think,”

“Why can’t we just stop there?” Mitch asks pointing to a café pulling up on their right.

Jeff merges into the turning lane quickly without a second thought. “Good enough for me, I’m starving.”

“Sorry, H.” Mitch pats his friend on the shoulder.

Harry scoffs. “You’re the one who wanted poke.”

The Aloha Nui Loa Café is much more spacious than the exterior suggests, yet it still feels cozy. The walls are painted sage green and adorned with various local art pieces, as described by the plaques that accompany them. A skylight fills the center of the room with plenty of warm lighting, leaving the space along the walls in a bit more shade for an intimate feel. In one corner, a hanging disco ball leaves freckles of sparkling light along the walls where the sunlight hits, making the whole image very idyllic in Harry’s mind. As if he couldn’t enjoy the setting more, he hears the beginning of an Otis Redding song that he’s had stuck in his head drift through the restaurant speakers.

“Welcome in!” a voice calls, which pulls him from his survey of the room. His head whips to the source—a girl around his age with wavy, dark hair and honey skin. “For here or to go?”

Harry takes a hesitant step up to the counter. “For here,”

She smiles warmly and pulls some menus from under the counter. “How many in your party?”

“Five.”

“Great, follow me.”

Harry and his friends follow the waitress to the corner of the room under the disco ball and take their seats at the round table.

“My name is Alani,” she introduces herself, setting the menus down. “I’ll be serving you today. Can I get you started with some drinks?”

Harry continues scanning the restaurant while his group orders. His eyes land on the shirt that Alani is wearing, a white tee with the words “Enjoy Health, Eat Your Honey” in blue lettering that surrounds a picture of a cartoon bee.

“Harry,” Jeff says gently, catching his drifting attention.

The singer turns to his manager, who nods to Alani waiting with a pen pressed to her notepad. Harry feels a rush of embarrassment creep across his cheeks and he clears his throat to cover it.

“Just water,” he says, eyes glued to the menu. “Thanks.”

“You got it.” Alani nods, flashing a toothy grin at the rest of the group before turning back to the kitchen. Harry. Her mind repeats, finding a hint of familiarity, though she doesn’t know why.

When Alani arrives at the drink station, she finds her sister staring at her, mouth agape, while Maleah unsuccessfully conceals her laughter.

“What?” she questions, checking herself for any embarrassing stains or smells.

“You were—and he—” Pua stammers. “He was—and then he—”

“That’s Harry Styles,” Maleah translates, her voice hushed as she peers over her friend's shoulder.

Alani turns to steal a glance at the table she just seated, but Pua and Maleah latch onto her and shake their heads frantically.

“Don’t look!” her sister hisses.

Alani smirks, amused at their reactions. “No shit. That’s One Direction?”

Maleah snorts, clasping a hand over her mouth as Pua huffs. “No, dumbass! It’s just Harry. I don’t know who the other guys are,”

“But the blonde guy? That’s not—?”

“No!” Pua and Maleah giggle in unison.

“Okay, geez,” Alani relents. She manages to steal a quick glance at the table over her shoulder, immediately searching for Harry. Her eyes scan over the long, curly hair kept out of his face by a pair of white sunglasses that she had seen on Kurt Cobain once. All of his features are sharp and striking, from his pointed nose and defined jawline to the bright blue eyes. Or maybe they were grey? Alani wonders, trying to remember the exact shade. He doesn’t look anything like the fresh-faced teeny bopper she’d had in mind, the one from a music video her sister had shown her a long time ago. She would have never guessed that the What Makes You Beautiful singer had so much dark ink trailing down his bicep and forearm, though her knowledge of One Direction was very limited.

“What did he order?” Pua questions, her eyes wide.

Alani quickly snaps back to reality and resumes filling the drinks. “A water,”

“Oh my god,” Maleah swoons. “I’m never drinking anything else ever again,”

“I didn’t even know you liked him,” Alani teases with an eyebrow raised.

Maleah sneaks another peek at the table and catches her lower lip between her teeth. “I mean, I didn’t really think so either but look at him. What a fucking dream,”

Harry was objectively handsome, this Alani could admit, but she personally didn’t see the appeal and had a strong feeling that he was just like every other male celebrity. The fact that he hadn’t even bothered to make eye contact with her only served as further proof of what she knew to be true.

“Okay, well, your dreamboat is waiting for his water. So excuse me,” Alani winks, making her way back to the table.

The singer spots Alani returning out of the corner of his eye and the sight of her causes a strange flutter in the pit of his stomach that makes him want to duck for cover. Instead, he pulls his phone from his back pocket and pretends to be occupied with something on the screen.

“Okay,” she greets, setting the drink tray down. “I have a Blue Hawaii, a Mango Mama, two Loco Cocos, and a water,”

The group graciously accepts their drinks with a chorus of “thank you," but the only one under Alani’s scrutiny is Harry. He still doesn’t meet her almond eyes, and though she figured he wouldn’t, she can’t help the inkling of disappointment that washes over her. After taking their meal orders, Alani heads back to the kitchen, checking on her other customers along the way. Harry’s eyes follow her and he observes the way customers light up at her presence, indulging her conversation with laughter. He watches as she lingers by the jukebox in one corner of the room, a detail he had missed in his initial scan, and waits anxiously to see what song she chooses. Baby I’m-a Want You begins softly and Harry feels the corner of his lip curl ever so slightly. Good choice, he thinks.

********

“He’s still here,” Pua muses, peering through the tiny window in the kitchen door. It had been nearly two hours and the five men were still seated around their table cracking jokes and doing a lot of talking with their hands.

Alani doesn’t look up from her bowl of sliced kiwis, offering a hum in response. “And what do you want me to do about that?”

“Nothing,” Pua shoots back. “Don’t bother him,”

“What kind of girls do you think he’s into?” Maleah asks, attempting to peek through the window.

Alani shrugs, bored of the conversation and of thinking about Harry. “I don’t know, but I’ll bet he’s a real sucker for the ones who stalk him while he’s eating,”

“How does he make eating a salad look hot?”

“Can we talk about something else now?” Alani whines, poking holes in a lone kiwi with her fork.

Pua tosses a wet dish rag in her sister’s direction and cheers when it lands in her face. “Go see if he wants more water, he looks thirsty.”

“I already refilled it,” Alani defends. “Twenty minutes ago. I’ve refilled it a hundred times, I’m surprised he hasn’t peed his pants.”

I’m gonna piss myself. Harry thinks, his right leg bouncing to distract himself. He really wasn’t all that thirsty, but he couldn’t stop himself from finishing each glass of water that Alani placed in front of him. He really wasn’t all that thirsty, but he couldn’t stop himself from finishing each glass of water that Alani placed in front of him. Like clockwork, she would return to fill his glass almost as soon as the last drop had been drained, and so what began as a little experiment slowly turned into a bladder hazard. But if the trend was to be trusted, she would be back any minute and he wasn’t going to miss it; afterall, there were only so many ways to casually linger in a small café without making it weird. Unable to bear it any longer, he heads to the restroom and hopes that Alani doesn’t clear their table before he has a chance to see her again.

Harry pads down the back hallway with his eyes cast down at the floor, which proves to be a mistake when he walks directly into another person.

“Sorry!” they both apologize quickly, Harry’s palm taking purchase on the other person’s upper arm.

“I wasn’t paying attention,” he offers, finally meeting the dark, mocha eyes already looking back at him.

Alani presses her lips into a tight smile. “Me either,”

Harry’s heartbeat picks up when he realizes it’s her, and he isn’t aware of how close they’re standing until he detects the faint scent of kiwi on her breath. He takes a step back and rakes a hand through his hair.

“So I guess I’ll just—”

“Yeah, sure.”

Green. Alani notes to herself. His eyes are green.

********

Shortly after Harry returned from the restroom, him and his friends settled their bill and headed out. Alani cleared their table and her eyes nearly fell out of her head when she saw the hefty tip left behind. The word mahalo was also left behind on the receipt, underlined twice, and she wondered if it was his handwriting.

Later that night, she settled into bed with her laptop and hesitantly typed his name into Google. As she expected, countless articles about the split of One Direction emerged, most of them speculating what was next for each member. To her surprise, however, Harry’s name seemed to be mentioned more than his fellow bandmates as various sources labeled him “the next Justin Timberlake” and rising star of the group. Upon further investigation, she learned that the demand for information about the elusive Harry Styles was high, especially concerning any possible solo music. No news had yet been confirmed by Styles himself, nor anyone claiming to represent him, but she still wondered if his presence in Hawaii had anything to do with a possible solo project. Almost as soon as she thought it, Alani dismissed the theory in favor of the idea that he was most likely just taking a vacation. And from the buzz that she saw surrounding the news about One Direction, she couldn’t blame him.

The more Alani read, the more she wanted to know, and something deep down told her that his was a story worth telling. Of course, the only problem was that she had hardly talked to him, and there were only so many things she could say about the fifteen glasses of water he downed. There was no way of knowing if she would ever see him again, either, or if he was merely stopping in Hilo on his way to another island or somewhere else entirely. Alani sighed, thinking back to her most recent rejection from Rolling Stone. She knew that there was no possible way she would ever see or talk to Harry ever again, and even if she did, why would he bare his entire soul to a stranger? Still, she let her mind wander through the possibility.

Dear Ms. Hale, the letter would read, we are very grateful to have received your submission to Rolling Stone magazine and are pleased to inform you that your piece on Harry Styles will be featured in next month’s issue. Additionally, we would be honored to have you on staff, effective immediately.

It was far-fetched, Alani knew this, but she dozed off that night with endless ideas swimming in her head.

********

By the third day after his visit, the only trace of Harry is in Alani’s search history. She would have completely forgotten about him if it weren’t for her sister’s constant reminiscing and multiple attempts to rename the house salad to the “Harry Special.” As a result, a part of Alani’s thoughts periodically linger back to that day and the subsequent hours spent on Google that she’d rationalized as research instead of stalking. Somehow the knowledge that she’ll never see him again only adds fuel to the questions still burning in her mind, but a customer clearing their throat while she sorts menus below the hostess podium interrupts her thoughts.

“Welcome in!” She calls, standing. “What can I—”

She stops in her tracks, unable to believe her eyes. Harry blinks and waits for her to continue.

“What can I get started for you?” Alani tries again, hoping that he hadn’t noticed her shock. Luckily for her, Harry had been too focused on choosing his next words to register her mistake.

“What’s in the Honu smoothie?” he asks, mentally kicking himself for asking such a stupid question when the menu just inches above her head clearly spells it out.

Alani hums, thinking back to the times she had made the smoothie herself. “Kiwis, spinach, mango, avocado, and a hint of lime,”

“I’ll take one of those,” Harry says, reaching for his wallet.

Alani punches in the order with trembling fingers and nods. “For here or to go?”

“To go,”

Disappointment fills her chest. Sure, she hadn’t planned on seeing him ever again, but the fact that she did felt like a sign. If she wanted to take the chance, she’d have to do it fast.

“Anything else?” she asks, weighing her options while he skims the menu.

“No thanks.”

Alani makes the smoothie quickly, head spinning. She had spent most of the night after their initial meeting planning out exactly the type of questions she hoped to ask him and what kind of article she would write. She was used to writing about what she knew—artists and music she’d admired for years— but she figured that starting fresh with someone she hardly knew would be a good challenge. Not to mention that it seemed like just the thing Rolling Stone would jump for. Alani finally works up the courage as she finishes his smoothie, but when she returns to hand it to him and hopefully strike up a conversation, his ear is pressed to his cell phone. She holds out the drink and he graciously accepts, giving her a small nod as a “thank you” and rushing out of the restaurant.

Two days later he returns and is seated at the counter, typing away on his phone. Alani feels both a rush of optimism and annoyance at the universe for dangling his presence so unexpectedly. She starts heading over to him, but Maleah cuts in.

“Trade me?” she proposes, eyes wide.

Alani blinks. “Oh, I would but I—”

“Please,” her best friend pouts. “I’m leaving to see my grandparents in stupid California for two months. Who knows when I’ll get the chance to see him again?”

Alani sighs, but gives in, reluctantly exchanging Harry for the family of four seated by the window. A strange feeling settles into the pit of his stomach when he sees that she heads in the opposite direction after a hushed conversation with another waitress. He doesn’t know why she traded him for a different customer, but he takes the hint.

A week goes by without another sighting of Harry and Alani has permanently taken on the role of greeting hostess in hopes of seeing him again. Her heartbeat temporarily speeds up when she sees a long haired customer approach the door, but her spirits quickly fall when the face doesn’t match his.

Another week brings another disappointing realization that Harry might be gone for good. One rainy morning when the restaurant is quiet and only two customers huddle together in a booth near the back, Alani hunches over the hostess podium and doodles on a stray receipt— a sunflower, a crescent moon, and two hearts. The bell above the door jingles but she doesn’t look up, too absorbed in her scribbles.

“Do you serve coffee?”

The familiar accented voice stops Alani’s pen dead in its tracks. She lifts her eyes first to confirm, and then straightens up when she sees that her ears haven’t deceived her.

“Yes,” she swallows.

“Great. I’ll take it to go,”

She slightly deflates, but Harry thinks he’s reading too much into it.

“Actually,” he corrects anyway, just in case he isn’t. “I think I’ll stay for a while,”

Alani flashes a warm smile and nods in the direction of the counter. “Right this way,”

Harry sheds his windbreaker onto the back of the seat, revealing a black and white Rolling Stones t-shirt that makes Alani’s blood pressure rise. A sign, she thinks.

“What do you want in your coffee?” she questions carefully.

“Nothing,” he responds, shaking out his damp hair gently. “Or actually, uh, butter...if you have some,”

Alani blinks, not sure if she’d heard correctly or if there had been some transatlantic miscommunication.

“Butter?”

“Yeah,”

“Like the—”

“Spread, yeah,” Harry confirms. “It’s weird, I know,”

She lets out a light-hearted laugh and nods. “It’s a...unique request,”

“I thought the same thing at first,” Harry confides. “It’s not bad, actually. But maybe I’ve just been in L.A. for too long.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

She offers a polite smile and heads to the kitchen where the cook and two other waiters talk amongst each other. Alani is grateful that the restaurant is slow this morning because she knows that it means minimal interruptions to her time with Harry. To ensure this, though, she asks one of the other waiters to cover the podium and returns to Harry with his coffee.

“One butter coffee, free of judgement,” the waitress announces, setting it down.

Harry grins softly, stirring the drink with the spoon Alani provided. “You can judge, it’s alright,”

“I just wanna know why,”

The coffee had been part of a fad diet while on tour in order to boost Harry’s energy on stage and stay trim for the hundreds of photo-ops he would be a part of. He doesn’t know how to communicate all of this to Alani, however, not sure how much she knows about that part of him, so he shrugs and tells a simplified version of the truth.

“I read about this trend a while back, it's called bulletproof coffee. Supposed to get your energy up and I needed it for my job,”

“Which is…” Alani trails off, downplaying the knowledge that she had acquired from Google.

“I make music,” is all Harry says and he takes a sip of the drink to avoid elaborating.

“Anything I would have heard?”

He swallows hard and listens to the faint rumbling of thunder outside before replying. “Possibly,”

“Try me,” Alani challenges.

He narrows his eyes and takes another sip of coffee. “Why don’t you tell me something about yourself first?”

“What do you wanna know?”

Everything, Harry responds internally, though he reigns it in. “How you got into waitressing,”

Alani sighs, resting her elbows on the counter across from him. “There’s not much to tell, it’s a family business. What I really wanna do is write,”

“Music?”

“Articles. I’m studying Journalism at UH,”

Harry hums in response, filing the detail away in the back of his mind. “Sounds interesting. You ever publish anything?”

“Not yet,” Alani shakes her head gently, toying with the sleeves of her green University of Hawaii crewneck. “Hopefully soon, though,”

Harry racks his brain for something else to say, but before he can, Alani speaks up again.

“Is it my turn to ask something now?”

He offers a curt nod and stirs his coffee.

“What kind of music do you write?”

Harry chooses to be vague again. “Different stuff. Pop, usually. Been messing with some classic rock, though,”

“Explains the shirt,”

He peers down at the design on his tee and agrees. “Yeah, I guess so,”

“Do you like it?” Alani asks, her eyes begging to make contact with his again. “Writing music, I mean,”

“Yeah,” Harry confirms, tapping his spoon against the rim of the mug. “I really do,”

Alani’s heart pounds. This is her chance, a moment to finally secure her breakthrough piece. She doesn’t know how to approach it, so she opts to dive right in without looking back. The worst he can say is no.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“That’s cheating,” Harry teases lightly. “It's my turn,”

She pouts playfully, but obliges. “Fire away,”

Harry doesn’t know which question to ask first, but when he glances down at the crescent moon inked on her wrist, he decides to start there.

“What’s with the moon tattoo?”

Alani isn’t sure what she expected him to ask and wonders what purpose such a detail could possibly serve him, but she answers anyway.

“Oh, well,” she begins, tracing her index finger over the outline. “It’s kinda the meaning of my full name. It’s Mahealani, Hawaiian for ‘heavenly moon,'”

Fitting, Harry comments to himself. Every detail he learns about her makes him want to learn that much more, from her favorite foods to the last thing she thinks about before falling asleep. Studying her expectant eyes, he suddenly remembers that it’s his turn to respond.

“That’s cool,” is all he says.

Alani doesn’t know what to make of the faraway look in his eye, but she decides to pose her most burning question while he appears to be in good spirits.

“I know this is gonna sound totally out of the blue,” she starts, working past the lump in her throat. “But when you mentioned how you write music, I was just reminded of this assignment I’m working on in my class,”

Harry waits for her to continue, nursing his now lukewarm coffee.

“I’m supposed to write a piece about someone who I don’t know that well,” she continues. “You know, to practice our interviewing skills. And, well, I was just kind of wondering if you might be interested in helping me out—being the subject, I mean,”

Alani had every intention of telling Harry the truth, about how she really planned to submit the article to Rolling Stone in hopes of securing an internship before her college graduation next Spring. But as she started speaking, she quickly realized how it would come off: a complete stranger asking for personal information to submit to a well-known publication. She knew that there was a chance he would shut down and never return, so she lowered the stakes and hoped that this route would be less risky. Was it ethical? Alani hadn’t decided yet, but she would work out the details later. After six failed articles and two years of rejection, she saw a ray of hope and wasn’t going to let it slip away.

Harry ponders her offer for a moment, which confirms that she had recognized him. Normally he would be off-put by such a request, and to a certain extent he is, but there is something sincere in her voice that he trusts deep down. Before he agrees, however, he decides to fish around a bit to test her reaction.

“You know who I am,” he says gently. “Don’t you?”

Alani’s heart drops into the pit of her stomach, not sure what to say next. She hopes with every fiber of her being that she hasn’t upset him, or worse, ruined her chances, so she decides to offer some truth to throw him off her scent.

“My sister recognized you,” she explains. “That day you came in with your friends. I thought they were your bandmates at first,”

This lets Harry know that she isn’t a total stalker, which is comforting, but he wouldn’t have been minded if she were a fan simply engaging in conversation.

“Oh,” he laughs weakly.

“I totally understand if you say no,” Alani offers quickly, trying to smooth things over. “I just thought it was worth a shot. And that it might be more interesting than interviewing our produce guy,”

Harry decides to give her one last scan for any sign of insincerity. He’d always felt that his gut instinct was strong and it hadn’t led him astray thus far.

“An interview?” he clarifies.

“Just one,” Alani promises. “An hour, tops. And you can proofread all of it once I’ve finished, too.”

Harry waits a beat, already knowing his reply, but he wants to see how she will react to his silence. She doesn’t budge, almond eyes set and determined.

“Okay.”

next chapter

[kryptsune]

Souly Damned Saturdays!~

🌼 Hello everyone! Welcome to another SD Saturday! Today is going to be another character profile, a timeline, and some info on one of the stories within the world! As always if you are interested in my original work please reach out! I love answering questions about all this work. Let’s get into it! 

~Prince Profile:~

True Name: Saketh Alias Names: Costello Nicknames: N/A (he usually rarely even uses his true name as he prefers Costello far more) Soul Flower Type: Rose in Full bloom          Color Type: Fire Gold mix with Burnt edges Infernal Hierarchy: Crowned Prince of Lust Age Order: 2nd Oldest Familiar Form: (Raven) - A large black feathered bird with eyes and talons of golden fire. True Form Appearance Description:          ~Skeletal in appearance          ~Prominent fangs (spiked teeth in true form)          ~White horns similar to an antelope (more twisted)          ~Fingers with black clawed tips          ~Golden eyes          ~Pointed gold tongue          ~ Stereotypical spaded tail with a black to white gradient          ~ Two sets of wings                          ~White to black gradient and edged with blue fire                     ~When in enraged they are fully engulfed in blue fire

Human Form Physical Description:       ~Hair Color: warm tone Platinum Blonde       ~Hair Style: Short, falls to ears, whip dip       ~Glasses or Contacts: From time to time, more Rectangular frames       ~Eye Color: Fire Gold       ~Skin Tone: Pale       ~Contract symbol mark placement: His left side, junction between neck                                                                        and shoulder.       ~Height -- 6’3”

Special Abilities or Powers --

        ~Mind reading         ~Can pull out deepest desire            ~Dream walking         ~Veritas (forces those under his influence to tell the truth)         ~Trust (will gain the trust of those touched)          ~Mental Suggestion         ~Lust Touch            ~Levitation          ~Teleportation         ~Fire/Dark element         ~Conjuration (more below cut!)

~SD Q AND A (These are all questions from you! Specifically those in my server):~

1. What was Costello like before he became an infernal?

💛 Costello used to be a Celestial of love just like Val. If you split love into two separate entities it would be the passionate romantic side and the side that is all about protection and devotion. These types also reflect in both Costello’s and Val’s Infernal sides. Costello is more about seduction and Val is about possession and obsession. As brothers they tend to work together in their celestial sides. When they fell they split a bit.

2. When he isn't busy what does he do in his spare time?

💛 Oh thats easy! During his time in the Mortal Realm he spent a fair amount of time in the 1920′s era. It is where his style comes from mainly and why the Lust kingdom appears to have that kind of influence within it. He used to be a charismatic bartender during prohibition and that has kind of stuck with him. He enjoys crafting new drinks both for mortals and Infernals (since they can’t get drunk off regular alcohol). He is also an avid reader.

3. What kind of stuff does he read?

💛 Hilariously he enjoys supernatural romance novels because they fascinate him. Why would mortals be interested in a being that could literally end their life easily? As one such being he finds it both amusing and curious. He also reading them to see what mortals are uh... "into". Other than that he likes reading anything supernatural/gothic fantasy based for “research”.

4. Does Costello share the same view on humans as Val?

💛 Val and he at one point help similar enjoyments fo mortal kind. They found that they were were entertaining and rather sweet to observe when falling in love. When they fell all they saw was darkness not just from mortals but also themselves. How lust overwhelms your thoughts and drives you to commit certain acts. Their opinions grew apart when Val was corrupted by their father, Darrius. They only were both brought back due to their brother Nas and the mortal they meet later in time, Evelyn Rodgers. Their nickname for her is Starlight.

5. Does Costello like animals?

💛 Yes he does! He has a specific affinity for the raven. 

6. Does Costello have a favorite drink? Alcoholic and non alcoholic.

💛 He enjoys most drinks but specifically a Galaxy Cocktail but with an Infernal twist. When it comes to non-alcoholic I would say that he is more of a coffee connoisseur so things like Mocha. He enjoys sweet things but not to the level that Val does. (btw that cocktail looks like this)

7. Would Costello be willing to befriend humans?

💛 Before the fall, absolutely but after the Fall and before Eve? No. Humans are just tools for his amusement and entertainment. I should mention that Costello while his father is in power goes off the rails... and is extraordinarily dangerous only when Nas pulls him back from that does he mellow out. During the 1920's he still has a superiority mindset and a master of emotional manipulation. He is however far...FAR more mellowed out at this time which is why he humors Eve the first time they meet.

8. What are Costello’s responsibilities in his kingdom? 💛 It really depends on when in the timeline you are asking about. If we're talking before Nas ascends to the throne of the realm? Then Costello's duties were much less. He assisted Nas who was High Prince of Lust at the time. He studied and learned, ready to take over for Nas if the other needed to leave or otherwise. Now that he is High Prince himself? His duties include the hefty amounts of paperwork ensuring every soul is accounted for. New souls that hold purity to fall under Nas' new ruling, getting where they need to go if they landed in his kingdom. He also handles some punishments for the wicked. He has to run the entirety of Lust kingdom. Valentine... yanno... somewhere... X’D (trust me he probably isn’t the best one to ask)

~Souly Damned Timeline~

Creation of the Realms: The Celestial, Infernal, and First Mortal Realm come into being. The Infernal realm is closed off leaving the Celestials to guide and shape humanity. There are intermittent wars with the Infernal beasts and Imps when they manage to break their gates. The garden of Paradise was also created at this time which houses those most loyal to their “gods”. It is also a fact that the Celestial blooded creatures were created at this time (unicorns are a good example, light fantasy creatures). They were placed in the Garden.  

The Celestial Civil War: Darrius and his sons rebel against the ways of the Silver City only to be stricken to the Infernal Realm. After this event the gates to the Celestial Realm are shut and mortals are forced to fend for themselves. 

The Rise of the 12 Princes: The now fallen Celestials begin to corrupt the souls of the mortals present being known as the Seven Deadly Sins. The mortals are easily swayed by their new rulers dubbing them King and Princes. Each one with its own people and territory to preside over. In this time the Princes begin to succumb more deeply to their darker sides, now shunning their once Celestial blood. 

Blood Moon: A period of time in between the rule of the Princes in the First Mortal Realm where 4 Princes began to experiment cruelly with their own corrupted blood and the mortal soul. The Infernal blooded hybrids come from this part of the timeline such as vampires, werewolves, and the fae.

The Vinculum Infernalis (Witches/Warlocks): With the Celestials gone the mortals were now forced to fend for themselves. In desperation they plead with their Fallen overlords to aid them. A blood binding contract was struck between them giving them magical abilities and a new tie to the Infernal Realm. This was also the creation of the first covens.

Maintaining the Balance (Hunters): Enraged by the tilt of the balance of the universe in Infernal favor the Celestials decide to form a similar bond with mortals creating the first Celestial blooded humans. They would eventually be called the Hunters as their “divine” task was to eradicate the First Mortal Realm of the Infernal Blooded abominations now that the Princes favored the newly created realm.

Long Live the King no more: After millenia of creating havoc and bloodshed without consequences the Princes begin to doubt the leadership of their father. They have slowly changed their mindsets about mortals all together after so much time. Instead of destroying everything in sight and soaking the earth with blood they begin to have an attachment. Their fathers' ways are despotic so in response to this Nasaros, the eldest, usurps his throne.  A second war is waged between those of Infernal and Celestial blood turning the First Mortal Realm into an almost apocalyptic wasteland filled to the brim with monsters and ruins. The Princes lose the war doing substantial damage to the Celestial Realm. It was no longer habitable and so a new balanced realm was created for the mortals to live in peace without fear of Celestial driven war or demonic influences.  

The Locking of the Gates: The gates of the three Realms are shut and locked in the beginning of the birth of the New Mortal Realm. The Princes are forced to make a new Kingdom within the Infernal Realm to which they have been banished. This forms “Hell” in which the decisions of a mortal's life determine where they go. If they revel in the original 7 sins then they are placed in the kingdom in which they over indulged in. The silver City was once again open to those of virtue but only after death. With no direct interference from either side the humans evolved and advanced on their own. This is what we know as the world today while the First Mortal Realm was now labeled as an in between realm. One that would eventually be called Purgatory, the realm of beasts, monsters, and the supernatural.

Bloodswap: A story set after the time frame of Blood Moon and the creation of the Hunters. It is about 2 brothers that become infected with a vampiric blood that is now turning their town to shambles. The gates have been sealed and those forced to live in Purgatory struggling to survive. The mortals have progressed slowly despite being an older realm. They are currently in what we would consider the middle ages with the help of Celestial technology. Once the gates are unsealed for the New Mortal Realm a new world order begins to form. (Crimson would be proud of his new vampiric race that has slowly taken over Purgatory, now more civilized as the rulers).

The New Mortal Realm and Purgatory: Purgatory remains in ruins though there are mortals that live in this apocalyptic wasteland of a world. That also includes monsters and hunters. Over the Centuries cracks within this forgotten realm have released some of its inhabitants into the New Mortal Realm (NMR). The original bloodline of the first covens also were able to make it into this new world fleeing from Purgatory with the help of their Infernal masters. The Mortal Realm is now in the modern day where many of the Infernal or Celestial blooded mortals or beasts hide in plain sight. Even some of the most vicious have adapted to this new apparently “magic-less” world.

Note: The gates are no longer locked indefinitely for either of the two main realms; this is why demons are able to make contracts with foolish mortals. The Celestials have been forbidden from interfering for fear of repeating the past but that does not mean that they do not do so. It is rumored that around the world are organizations created to combat in secret those Infernal blooded that lurk in the dark. Meanwhile the covens are more focused on their own material pursuits having been persecuted for centuries (Salem Witch Trials as an example).

Ossibus Inferni (1920’s; NMR):

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

Main Plot Synopsis: During the era of the 1920’s a young lady named Evelyn Rodgers finds herself thrown into a Hellish Civil War. She is a small PI (Private Investigator) hurting for cash and jobs in a place wrought with problems. In an effort to make a better name for herself she begins to investigate the rise of crime and strange occurrences happening in her city. There are suspicious disappearances, missing persons reports, and extra violence that couldn’t be missed by human eyes, right? It just does not seem to add up. Determined and with nothing to lose she is able to put together a series of connections by using some none to savory contacts. 

She finds out that the potential epicenter of these events are tied to owners of one of the swankiest and popular clubs in town. It is suspected that it is a speakeasy but that is not what has drawn her attention. It would appear that the family running the place have been a mystery to nearly everyone even though they have been around longer than they can recall. No one knows what the owners look like due to usually having their signature fedoras on. Ones that she can place all around the city through various photographs. It could be anyone, right?

Regardless of the information that she has collected she decides to go undercover to the club, Ossibus Ignem (Fire and Bone), in order to confirm her suspicions. She decides that auditioning for one of their most prized gigs is a good way to get into their inner circle and perhaps get a glimpse of her potential employers. Eve wants the truth and nothing but the truth though this plan is incredibly risky. Even if the brothers, as she finds out later, are not the cause of these events they could still be nefarious. No one likes a spy, especially one that’s gained their trust.

As she enters she realizes that it is packed like the rumors have told her. She does not get out much due to her job but she is dressed to the 9s in a beautiful dress of the time ready to put her plan into effect. Instead of waiting around she heads to the bar where she is spotted by the seemingly charismatic bartender which she manages to strike up a conversation with. She tries to pick his brain over a drink that he generously slides her way. It would seem that the establishment is already breaking the laws of Prohibition. That much is already confirmed.

He seems like the friendly sort, platinum blonde hair and a dazzling smile. Eve being a PI calls into question how perfect he actually looks but puts the thought off. She could have sworn his eyes were far more vibrant than what was humanly possible too. When she glances at him again however they appear to be a light brown instead. Things are already strange as she continues to speak with him only to find out that he is in fact one of the brothers that work at the club. It turns out to be a family business. He introduces himself as Costello -. 

Eventually their conversation is cut short by Costello taking her to the back of the house where presumably his brother is waiting for her to do her little gig. She paces back and forth nervously in her dressing room only to not watch where she is going, running into a tall individual. His pinstripe suit, fedora, and bright red tie cause her to pause only to be greeted with a shiny golden toothed smile. The strange thing about it is that it is shaped into a fang/ canine tooth. It is a little off putting but the stranger introduces himself as the younger brother of the group, Valentine -.

This is someone that she had no doubt is in all the photographs that she had collected. Ultimately he seems nice enough telling her that if she needs anything to let him know and to take her time with her audition. He does appear to have a mischievous flirty side to him especially with her which she tries to distance herself from. He does not make that easy as she can tell he has already taken a special interest in her. 

She performs and it would seem that she has a pretty singing voice that leaves the entire crowd roaring in applause. This obviously catches the eyes of the brothers and she gets the gig. Other than a few of the accidental slip ups the boys seem fine with her being around them. She doesn’t pose any threat. After all, she is only human. 

Eve begins to enjoy her undercover position but finds herself slipping further and further away from her original objective. The - family puts her up in the loft above the club and treats her well. She learns more about them and more about the family itself. They are pretty open with what they do not even hiding the crime lord status that they are under. Being associated with the brothers is dangerous and therefore they want to make sure she understands what it means to be under the name of -. 

She is surprised by their honesty and immediately they gain her trust and vice versa. That is until she realizes why she is there in the first place. After one of her performances she manages to get into Valentine’s room, snooping around. Only to find something she wasn’t expecting of a bunch of crime mafiosos. Instead she finds arcane symbols, tomes, and various other occult items that would lead her to the conclusion that they are in fact dealing with something far beyond the mortal realm. At least that is what she thinks. 

The concern only grows when she finds a secret room with even more devilish items. One such item is a series of documents showing the various victims she had been investigating. On top of that information she finds even darker dealings then she suspected and papers scrawled with a script she has never seen before. As she turns to leave the room she freezes to hear Valentine’s voice. He is none too thrilled as he interrogates her but she can’t see his face. All she can feel are skeletal like claws at her shoulders. It’s all in her head right?

When he turns her around she is faced with him looking quite human explaining to her the predicament she now finds herself in. As her confusion grows he keeps her cornered only to be given two choices. One is that she binds her soul to him in the form of a contract and the other, death. Obviously she chooses to live. After this event she is able to see the true forms of all the Infernals in the club, having a panic moment seeing them mingling so easily with unsuspecting humans. Valentine, Luciano, and Costello are the most terrifying in form as they are skeleton looking Infernals. From then on she works in the club learning more and more about their true selves.

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[stuckinapatriarchalbullshitland]

Hi - Ciao - Hola

Hi, guys. I’m back. I’m the Italian Anon. F Anon. I didn’t know my username wasn’t going to show up in my super long post. I think only Mari saw it (can I call you Mari?). As I said, I’m new in the Tumblr world and I’m still trying to figure out how it all works. I’m a woman and you can call me Faby. Nice to meet all of you guys.

First, I wanted to thank everyone for appreciating my post. I’m honestly overwhelmed. I really wasn’t expecting this, and you have no idea how happy this makes me. I want to thank Mari especially for posting it. I’ve read the comments from you guys, and if that’s okay with you, Mari, I’d like to keep responding to anyone who wants to talk to me through you.

To the Anon who asked if it’s possible to hack an I-Cloud:

Yes. It’s very possible. You can access iMessages by simply logging into someone else’s iCloud on a new iPhone. iClouds are one of the easiest things to hack. But when I said Caminah were hacked, I didn’t mean by ordinary people. I actually meant Epic’s IT department (who had access to all their phones so it wasn’t a fully-fledged hacking) and the ordinary people who they used and most likely paid to spread everything.

From Dinah’s phone, they managed to leak a provisional tracklist of the concert, a personal phone number, and a snippet of 5H’s song ‘Goodbye’. These are things I saw with my own eyes, but it’s rumored that there were also some of her pictures in which she was only wearing underwear, and some in which she was naked, of which, however, they covered her private parts because she was a minor. I’ve personally never seen them, so I don’t know, and I honestly don’t think that’s true.

To @omagadd:

I don’t have Twitter, sorry, Jane. I also already said this at the beginning of my post. I don’t like Twitter. Too many toxic people, too much inconsistency, too much hate, and I don’t have time for that shit. Since it can be done without being registered, I go on Twitter only if I need to see something that is there. We can have that conversation here through Mari, assuming that she’s okay with this.

To the Anon who said I’m acting like Lauren:

No, Anon, I didn’t, and I’m sorry you felt that way. I don’t put all the CS in the same box. I know there are super-smart fans. I know there are reeaally talented fans. I know there are fans from the very beginning. These are all things I said. My post was dedicated to all the CS who were giving up. I tried to remind them of past events. I literally tried to bring light into their moment of darkness. The message I tried to send them with my post is one of hope. I don’t want them to give up. That’s all. Again, I’m sorry if you (or anyone else who has read it) felt ‘attacked’ by my words. Maybe you can go read my post again and see that it wasn’t my intention at all.

For all those who have questions for me, and I repeat for the umpteenth time, only if Mari agrees, you can ask them through her. As I already said, I’ve been working on a fanfiction for over two years, and this fanfiction, it’s based on their lives, on real events. So, in order to be able to write it, I did research on research on research. I know dates. I know names. I know enough things (in a let’s say a bit stalkerish way, lol). This, is to tell you that I have the entire timeline. [I don’t know if you noticed the detailed way I put the dates and other stuff.] Like many of you, I also have proofs, and, of course, I have my theories. In my original post, there were also pictures/proofs, such as, for example, the screenshot of the conversation between Luckiest VIVIN C (for those who don’t know, VIVIN C is a medicinal product) and Nicole’s mom. I decided to leave only the text simply because I don’t want people from other fandoms to come to store them. I don’t want our truth to be taken and manipulated as they please. So I apologize already in advance if someone in the future will ask me something with proofs and I won’t want to post it.

To show you that I’m not lying, this is the example I gave a moment ago: file:///C:/Users/FabyV/Downloads/Lucy_NicoleCartolano_smom.webp  (I repeat, I don’t know if I’m gonna post any more proof in the future)

I send you a virtual hug. Always with love, Faby.

Mari, I’m about to go check your message, don’t worry. Love u.

___

Hey Faby! I am very happy to have you back in my inbox. The truth is that you have caused a lot of controversy, but a good one. The one that gives a lot of hope to the fandom and I really wanted to thank you for the time and work you have dedicated to telling us all this. And yes, you can call me Mari. And you can also use my inbox to answer the anons who will surely want to ask you many things. It’s open to you, Faby. You can use it. What you say about the hacking and the girls is crazy. I remember reading a story where Fetty’s iCloud had been hacked (I don’t remember his name, but he’s the rapper that appears in the Flex MV) and that he had information about the girls or something like that, I have a post from the I talked about it and yeah, I know Apple Clouds are easy to hack (Thank goodness I don’t have that shit). But it’s gross. That is already crossing the line and committing a crime. Even if it comes from the same industry, those bastards. I don’t think you have to apologize for not wanting to show evidence because clowns do that in advance. I think your words and your story can show that we have evidence and that it is searchable because it is public. Thank you very much Faby. Thank you for giving us what you have given us and continuing to support us. A kiss and a hug, and good luck.

[marshmallowprotection]

Btw I agree with V's AE Saeran being Ray! I kind of think of him to be like...like how SE Saeran is the same alter that Unknown is but SE is just after some time, the same way V's AE Saeran is Ray after figuring out some things too. I also agree that Unknown, Suit, whoever the other alter we see on V's route is - whom I once called the fetus Unknown thanks to him using that name while being younger than THE Unknown from OS - he also still exists in V's AE. No clue what exactly he's up to though. Maybe if he also had some time to think about his relationship with Saeyoung (and V) and Mint Eye's brainwashing, he might be a little like SE Saeran is, who knows. He'll definitely have to sort some things out though.

I think GE Saeran is something that can really only "become a thing" on his own route, after everything they go through with MC and all.

On another note, I also like to headcanon that on his own route or more like after that, Ray and Suit are still there and present in his system instead of GE quite literally being them at the same time or/and being a merged alter. Like I tend to think that those two can still front sometimes, and GE is someone who was born into the system as a third alter alongside them. A big portion of my headcanoning is based on how GE keeps referring to them both as still being present (like in the AE, and on day 10 of his route he refers to both of them thinking/saying something to him or just being there).

Though I acknowledge that in the end this is just my HC. To me who also headcanons that he has DID, it feels more realistic than him suddenly having just one alter, because it'd make it seem like his DID is magically "cured" and it doesn't really work like that, so I like to think that the one we know as GE or Saeray is just an entirely new alter who has some traits from both Ray and Suit, as well as the new host👉👈

Haha, see and I don’t see Suit Saeran and Unknown as the same person. I know that’s just me in most cases, but I’ve always treated them differently because their actions are so sharply different. 

But, that’s for another theory post that I’ve written a dozen times before. I just feel like Unknown was a split with Suit Saeran that occurred during the time-gap between AS and SE. That’s just because I’m a loon that connects a chunk of Another Story events to the Deep and Casual Routes. 

I do know that Suit does exist within the confines of V’s AE, it’s just that it’s hit or miss with what he must be feeling in that timeline. I know that he’s angrier and will need Saeyoung to prove himself, and I know that he would need Jihyun to prove himself, too. That’s not going to be easy. I love exploring that idea, tbh, as he needs more foundation than Ray does sometimes. I’d love to write more about that. 

And, yeah, Unknown and SE Saeran are the same person, just pre-and-post their actions. I can’t believe how many times I’ve had to explain that one to some people. 

It wasn’t magically “cured” but I can understand how it reads that way to some people, for sure. The events of the game happen over 11 days, and realistically, if it were happening over the course of a few months, it would make a lot more in the way of sense that occurs with how fusion and integration can work. 

For a lot of systems, integration is not the goal, nor is fusion. There will be times when it can happen all of a sudden like this, or when it’s mutual in terms of the agreement from both parties that connect and interlock over time. There’s no right or wrong way to read into the system, that’s for sure. 

I appreciate hearing people who view it a little differently than myself because I’m always interested in learning how they came to that conclusion. Like, I see how you came to that conclusion and I’m like, “Huh. I read that and interpreted that a bit differently. Interesting.” 

For example, the reason why I’m someone in the camp of saying that Saeray is who he is stems from the fact similarly from his confrontation of Rika and the talk that we have from in the garden. That post is where I sort of go over how I feel about Saeray and how I came to the conclusion that he is a fusion, using what we get in the AE as well. 

When Saeray comes to rescue you on the 10th Day, you can ask, “Saeran?” or “Ray?” or like [Panic.] I pick Saeran each time because that was the last person that we spoke to and we have no way of knowing who is in the front at that time so it was the easiest gauge, but when you say “Saeran?”

Saeray simply says: That’s right. And, I’m also Ray.

He accepts being called either name. He’s a budding fusion and he’s struggling to know who he is because there’s a flood of memories from both sides all of a sudden. This disconnection that he once felt for his own health was suddenly all gone and he’s been given a lot of memories and experiences. He can’t feel quite where Ray begins or where Suit Saeran ends. He just knows that he’s not going to stay in Mint Eye any more and that he loves you. That he wants to live freely with you. 

The fusion occurred when they were sleeping and came to an agreement that they would be stronger together, and it just sort of happened. Fusion can be like that, believe it or not. It doesn’t mean that Ray is gone, or Suit Saeran is gone and I know the idea that they’re not “There” can really seem sad, but they’re not really gone, at least, in my opinion here given I stand with the fusion theory, they both became Saeray and are the person that you love tenfold. 

I’m no expert, haha, but I’ve spent a lot of time researching and putting care into how I characterize Saeran, Ray, Suit, Unknown, and even SE Saeran. It’s for my writing, as well as the fact that I want to be a good partner for my fiancé cause’ he has DID as well and made sure that his system and everyone that I love over there knows that I care for them and that I’m doing my best even if I have a few hiccups now and again means a lot. 

I just enjoy hearing different perspectives about, frankly. It’s interesting to see this!

[terramythos]

TerraMythos 2021 Reading Challenge - Book 16 of 26

Title: Tales From Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle #5) (2001)

Author: Ursula K. Le Guin

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Short Story Collection, Novella, Third-Person, Female Protagonist 

Rating: 8/10 (note: this is an average)

Date Began: 7/2/2021

Date Finished: 7/6/2021

Tales From Earthsea is a collection of five short stories and novellas which take place in the Earthsea universe. In addition, there’s a supplementary timeline of Earthsea’s history, tradition, and cultural details of note. The last story in the collection, Dragonfly, serves as a bridge between Tehanu (#4) and The Other Wind (#6), the final book in the series. 

Of the five stories, my favorites (both 10/10s) were The Finder and On The High Marsh.

The way one does research into nonexistent history is to tell the story and find out what happened. I believe this isn’t very different from what historians of the so-called real world do. Even if we are present at some historic event, do we comprehend it— can we even remember it— until we can tell it in a story? 

Content warnings, individual ratings/commentary, and spoilers below the cut.

Content warnings for the book: Death and violence, child abuse (including implied sexual abuse), police brutality, slavery, reference to torture and execution, brief reference to inc*st, misogyny, animal cruelty, mild body horror, very brief implied mind control via a "love charm" (it doesn't work).

#1 - The Finder (10/10)

In The Dark Time, magic is widely mistrusted. Petty tyrants use the once noble art in pursuit of power and glory. Medra, the son of a shipwright in Havnor, has magical talents honed in secret. One day, he curses a ship built for a warlord’s fleet. Unfortunately, he gets caught and sent to a prison camp. There he is forced to use finding magic to locate veins of cinnabar.

The prison exists to refine quicksilver, a substance the most powerful mage on the island believes will turn him into a god. While in the refinery, Medra feels a spiritual connection to a dying slave, a young woman named Anieb. The two of them devise a plan to kill the mage and escape. Medra’s journey eventually takes him to the island of Roke and the founding of its prestigious wizard school. 

‘The dead are dead. The great and mighty go their way unchecked. All the hope left in the world is in the people of no account.’ 

I really enjoyed this novella. The Dark Time is largely unexplored in the stories of Earthsea, so it was interesting to read about it here. I get the feeling that we’re approaching or in the middle of one such time in the real world, so seeing a version of it on the page is depressing yet hopeful. The story is dark; mass feudal warfare, a literal concentration camp in the opening half, widespread enslavement, and abuse of power. But it also offers hope and the promise of change. The story also explores the integral role of women in not only the preservation of magic in a bleak age of humanity, but the very foundation of Roke. 

Medra’s story spoke to me; how he resists the despotic powers-that-be, his connection with Anieb even after her tragic death, and how despite his disillusionment with humanity, he ultimately fights to create a better world. I also thought Gelluk was a horrifying villain. He’s characterized as a soft-spoken, almost kindly man who loves children and animals— yet his narrative thoughts involve burning hundreds of slaves alive in order to better fuel the quicksilver refinery. “Nice doesn’t mean good” taken to an extreme, and a mirror of many villains in the real world. 

Le Guin was anti-capitalist, but that way of thinking seems peripheral in the Earthsea series. The Finder, however, definitely has a Marxist reading in it. A recurring theme is the disenfranchised rising up against the powerful. Indeed both antagonists, who are despotic wizards of great power, are soundly defeated by groups of people they consider powerless. Magic is only considered relevant for the value and power it produces, an idea antithetical to the rest of the series. The quicksilver refinery also embraces anti-capitalist rhetoric; this section focuses on how mass enslavement and death is used to manufacture a meaningless commodity only one person “benefits” from. That’s not even getting into the prison-industrial complex. 

I dunno. This story slaps. It’s not at all what I expected from a Roke origin story.

#2 - Diamond and Darkrose (5/10)

Diamond, the son of a prosperous lumber merchant, struggles to find his true calling in life. His father disapproves of almost everything he does, including his close friendship with the local witch’s daughter Rose. While he loves music, his father derides his talents and forces him to abandon the pursuit. When Diamond shows some  promise in magic, he travels to a neighboring town to serve as the local wizard’s apprentice. But when this path estranges him from Rose, he grows disillusioned.

Rose had looked after herself from an early age; and this was one of the reasons Diamond loved her. With her, he knew what freedom was. Without her, he could attain it only when he was hearing and singing and playing music.

I did not like this story very much. I gave Diamond and Darkrose a 5/10 because it’s competently written (duh), and the protagonist has a character arc not entirely dependent on the central romance. But that’s about all I can say for it.

None of the characters are especially appealing. Diamond’s mentor figures are all extremely narrow-minded. Rose, supposedly his true love since childhood, drops him the moment things become difficult. And Diamond himself is a pushover who only grows a spine and pursues his dreams at the end of the story. I understand that’s his character flaw and his arc is about overcoming that. But due to all these factors, I was annoyed by every major character. The only person I didn’t dislike was Diamond’s mother, who only shows up for a couple of scenes.

Someone please tell me there are love stories out there where the romantic tension is NOT based on a fucking MISUNDERSTANDING. That shit drives me up a wall! It’s so overdone and painful to read.

#3 - The Bones of the Earth (8/10)

Dulse is an aging wizard on the island of Gont, reflecting on his life and relationship with his former apprentice, a young man he calls Silence. But he senses something amiss on the island; a massive earthquake poised to destroy a nearby port town and its inhabitants. To avert disaster, Dulse realizes he must turn to an ancient form of magic taught to him long ago— and he needs Silence’s help to save the town.

In there he knew he should hurry, that the bones of the earth ached to move, and that he must become them to guide them, but he could not hurry. There was on him the bewilderment of any transformation. He had in his day been fox, and bull, and dragonfly, and knew what it was to change being. But this was different, this slow enlargement. I am vastening, he thought.

So I’ve always liked Ogion in the main series; I love the idea of an immensely powerful wizard who lives an unassuming life of silence, contemplation, and appreciation of the natural world. In The Bones of the Earth, we get a glimpse of Ogion through his mentor’s eyes. Ogion’s heroism and how he stopped the earthquake is mentioned several times in the main series, but this is our first look at what actually happened.

Dulse is an unexpected and fascinating perspective character. It would be so easy to tell this story wholly from Ogion’s perspective, but I think making Dulse the protagonist was the right call. In particular, Dulse’s mind is starting to go. Le Guin presents this by utilizing flashbacks and connecting them to the present. This technique conveys Dulse’s disorientation and confusion so the reader experiences it alongside him... it’s hard to describe without actually reading the story. I also loved the little twist at the end regarding where Dulse learned the ancient magic that saves the island. There’s also a strong thematic connection to The Farthest Shore; death and becoming one with the rest of the world.

#4 - On The High Marsh (10/10)

A half-mad wanderer named Irioth comes upon a small settlement on the volcanic, marshy island of Semel. A murrain has been devastating the local cattle population, and Irioth offers his powers as a curer to heal the animals. He settles into a calm rural life with Gift, a widow working a small dairy. Though Gift likes Irioth, and the animals instinctively trust him, she senses something amiss with the man. Soon, Irioth’s dark past threatens to return and disturb the peace.

“Oh, yes,” Irioth said. “It was my fault.” But she forgave, and the grey cat was pressed up against his thigh, dreaming. The cat’s dreams came into his mind, in the low fields where he spoke with the animals, the dusky places. The cat leapt there, and then there was milk, and the deep soft thrilling. There was no fault, only the great innocence. No need for words. They would not find him here. He was not here to find. There was no need to speak any name. There was nobody but her, and the cat dreaming, and the fire flickering. He had come over the dead mountain on black roads, but here the streams ran slow among the pastures.

This story is a banger. It has a Western vibe— a stranger coming into a cattle town haunted by a mysterious past. Also cowboys. It’s an atmospheric story, and I think hits on the “small rural town” vibe better than Tehanu did. But there were several writing choices I especially liked.

We don’t learn Irioth’s name until a little while into the story; his physical description, temperament, and ability to immediately identify Gift’s true name just by looking at her makes one assume he’s Ged. He’s also got an interesting redemption arc, because it’s presented in a reverse order. We see Irioth’s genuine desire to do good, and his gentle and patient manner with animals and other people. He doesn’t even consider asking for payment for curing the murrain until Gift tells him he should. But there’s a sense that something is off; he’s paranoid, clearly running from something. The use-name he picks is Otak, a fictional ferret-like creature— which Gift asserts looks nice, but has sharp teeth.

Near the end, Ged actually does show up and explain what happened to Irioth. They have pretty similar backstories; both were powerful, arrogant young mages who messed with forces  they shouldn’t have, then went through great personal sacrifice to right the wrong (oh god the initial deception was intentional they’re narrative foils oh god). Ged embraced the darkest aspects of himself to avert calamity. Irioth came to Semel to escape Roke and atone by helping others. One detail I especially liked was that Irioth once considered healing beneath him, but now he takes a deep joy in using it to help. 

#5 - Dragonfly (8/10)

Irian lives a solitary life-- her father is a drunkard living in the ruins of their family’s once prosperous estate. Her closest relationship is with the local village witch, who named her in secret in the dead of night.  When a disgraced young wizard named Ivory comes to town, he sees Irian as a potential conquest. To gain power over her, he hatches a scheme; disguise Irian as a man, travel to Roke, and sneak her into the male-only wizard school— humiliating the great Masters.

But Irian is restless. She knows she has power, but her true nature is a mystery even to her. Irian sees Ivory’s plan as an opportunity to find answers from the most powerful wizards in the world. When the Doorkeeper actually lets her into the school, she finds herself in a magical and political conflict over the future of Roke— and discovers what exactly she is.

“Dark is bad,” said the Patterner. “Eh?”

Irian drew a deep breath and looked at him eye to eye as they sat there. “Only in dark the light,” she said.

This is one of those stories that has a rocky start, but a great second half. The first part of the novella felt dry to me; I’ve read plenty of tales about social outcasts with weird, unexplainable powers. On top of this, a chunk of the early narration is from Ivory’s POV, and he’s a complete tool. That can be a fun perspective to take, and I like the fact that he thinks he’s manipulating Irian when she’s the one pulling the strings. But since he’s an irrelevant character who disappears from the story halfway through, it feels like a waste to devote a huge chunk of the story to him.

However, once Irian arrives at Roke, the story gets much more interesting. Her presence at Roke causes a huge scandal that divides the Masters. Women being forbidden from Roke is a Series Thing at this point, but Earthsea is in an era of change (although I DO question that she’s the first woman to try it). The Finder demonstrated that women were pivotal in the foundation of Roke, something largely erased from history. Barring women stems from a power hungry bigot codifying it into tradition.

Irian finds some unexpected allies--minor characters in the previous books. The Doorkeeper continues to be the coolest motherfucker there. The Patterner is a major character in this story; he was in just one scene in The Farthest Shore, so I liked learning more about him. The Namer is the kind of guy you’d expect to be a stodgy traditionalist, so him siding with Irian is surprising. The Summoner, a heroic figure in previous books and stories, is a sinister villain here. As for the ending, well… if you didn’t see it coming, I’d wonder if you even read Tehanu. The same hints are there.

There were little particulars I liked, such as Irian moving into a decrepit hut that’s definitely Medra’s old home. My favorite detail is that this story has a parallel scene with The Finder. In The Finder, there’s a scene where an antagonist, Early, invades Roke in the form of a dragon. He lands on Roke Knoll, a site of power that reveals one’s true form. It turns him back into a human, leaving him defenseless when the residents of Roke attack him and repel his invasion. The reversal happens in Dragonfly. Irian gets attacked by one of the Masters while at Roke Knoll — and its magic turns her into her true form, a dragon. Props to whoever picked the cover design, since it references both scenes.

#6 - A Description of Earthsea

I’m not rating this since it’s basically a lore dump. It’s a deep dive into Earthsea’s history, languages, cultures, and other relevant world details. It’s the kind of bonus info a lot of fantasy series tack on as reference material.  According to Le Guin, she wrote this to get some idea of the timeline on each of these stories.

As a series, Earthsea has relatively little worldbuilding exposition. Sometimes characters reference legends or historical events, but usually the reader lacks the context to fully understand them. The focus is more on the lives of the characters and their personal experience of the world. I think something like A Description of Earthsea has benefits and drawbacks for the reader. On one hand it's nice to have some definitive information to tie things together. On the other, this does represent a loss of some of the mystery in the story.

I think this is the first thing in the series that even mentions homosexuality, so props for that I guess?

Closing Thoughts

A short story collection is always going to have high and low points. I tend to look at each story individually and score that way, but an average is always misleading. Diamond and Darkrose dragged the score down since there were only five stories total. But I enjoyed the majority of them. I am interested to see where the human/dragon subplot goes in the final installment; I assume Irian will show up at some point? We’ll see.

[swanandphoenixsong]

Aliit - Ao3

Chapter 3: Mandalorian History

Series: Part 2 of the Star Wars - Nouveau AU series

Chapter Summary: Here I will provide a history lesson, with Bo-Katan first, then with the cadets. With both parties, their perspectives are subjective, so keep that in mind.

In my version of events, Duke Adonai Kryze united the Mandalorian Clans on Kalevala as a faithful Mandalorian warrior, before adopting the New Mandalorians’ ideals (and becoming the Duke of the Mandalore sector) during Satine and Bo-Katan’s childhoods.

I’m adding Deputy Minister Jerec and Prince/Senator Tal Merrik to Satine’s family. Jerec will be Duke Adonai’s brother, and Tal Merrik would be related to Satine’s mother, who I’ve named Mirlia Merrik. Tal Merrik won’t show up too much yet, as I don’t know how to characterize him, but considering his title, I figured he had to have some relation Satine or Jerec.

Notes: With Kalevala, I wanted to bring back some diversity to Mandalorian culture (and their demographics/ethnicities). Specifically, I’m drawing from Maori & Oceanic cultures (from Boba & Jango Fett’s actor, Temuera Morrison, and Clan Ordo in KOTOR I & II and SWTOR) and Sámi & Finnish/Karelian culture (as the name Kalevala comes from a Finnish/Karelian epic). I’ve attempted to be respectful when reaching for inspiration but I can guarantee it’s not perfect. Please let me know if there’s anything that stands out glaringly.

I also researched the Mandalorians, the Ba’jurne Kyr’stad Mando’ad, and Jango Fett "Open Seasons" through Wookieepedia, but having not read the comics, I know my version of events may not match up, especially to fit in with Clone Wars canon, so try to keep that in mind. Also, the characters don’t know the full story, as the New Mandalorians have censored their history and Death Watch’s version of events has never been wholly accurate.

With the cadets, just wanted to address that I gave Soniee back her cybernetic visor and Korkie his ginger hair. You’ll see more of their characterizations here, along with my version of Bo-Katan and Korkie’s backstories. Keep in mind that the information may be skewed slightly, as for Korkie, he’s getting it secondarily from Satine and what Bo-Katan told him when he was still a child.

See my "Set-up" work for a full timeline of events prior to 19 BBY. archiveofourown.org/works/31826422/chapters/78866083

Translations of Mando’a: *Cabur’ade – protectors or guardians, Kalevalan militia similar to the Journeyman Protectors of Concord Dawn alor’ad – captain *Kaleval’ade – Mando’a term for Kalevalan chakaar – thief, petty criminal, scumbag; literally: "grave robber"; general term of abuse gar serim – you’re right, that’s it Ne shab’rud’ni . . . – "Don't mess with me..."; extremely strong warning likely to be followed by violence *k’susulu – (command) listen Kyr’tsad – Mando’a name for Death Watch; literally: "Death Society" *vod’ad – niece or nephew, or child of my friend ori’buyce, kih’kovid – "All helmet, no head." –Mandalorian insult for someone with an overdeveloped sense of authority ori’haat – I swear it, no bull udesii – "calm down" or "take it easy" or’dinii – moron or fool *ka’rta be’cabur – heart of a protector, guardian nu kyr’adyc, shi taab’echaaj’la – not gone, merely marching far away; a Mandalorian belief about death or afterlife ret’urcye mhi – may we meet again ner – my *ka’rta’ad – child of heart or soul, foundling, adoptive child beskad – beskar short-saber

– –

19 BBY – Esplanade, Kalevala, before Death Watch has fully set up camp on Zanbar

Bo-Katan may have been born on Mandalore, but Kalevala was home.

It was just as beautiful as she remembered it. Snow-peaked mountains to the north, bordering the grassy lakelands that met the gleaming oceans to the south. The evening market of Esplanade sparkled with hanging lanterns and strings of lights, the sound of drinking songs wafting in from docked ships or the bustling cantina. And the people– their wide demographics were much more diverse than they had been in Sundari. There were still pale-faced blondes and freckled gingers among them, but there were just as many with umber, tawny, ochre, and in-between brown shades of skin, with varied lengths of hair in curls, braids, or tussled waves from black, to mahogany, to russet, as well as lighter colors.

This, the rich diversity of Mandalorian culture, is what she had sorely missed during her days at the Academy.

While Pre Vizsla and most of Death Watch were setting up camp on Zanbar, Bo-Katan and her Nite Owls had traveled throughout the Mandalore sector, running recon, gathering resources, and recruiting more Mandalorians to their cause.

They had landed at the Merrik estate, just between the Sisu mountain range and the Fadno lakelands, and headed to Koha Bay’s coast to meet with civilians as well as members of the Cabur’ade, the local militia of Kalevala. They met in a dimly lit warehouse near the docks, giving the usual speech and handing out manifesto pamphlets to their audience. After, they gathered around tables and shared stories, building a rapport with their potential recruits.

Bo-Katan and her closest lieutenant, Ursa of Clan Wren on Krownest, sat at a table with Alor’ad Toa Ordo and his second-in-command, Lani Varad. Varad’s daughter, Kalei, closer in age to Bo-Katan and Ursa, stood at their side. The Varads had brown skin, a shade of dark bronze, and coarse umber waves tied back. In contrast, Ordo looked more beige, like a typical Sundari resident, but his skin was tanned and freckled from navigating under the sun. Like many Kalevalan locals, they were calloused and hardy, experienced in sailing the seas, harvesting the lakes, and hunting on the mountains. Many warriors of Mandalore had once been trained on Kalevala, before the New Mandalorians outlawed their old traditions.

Ordo set aside his drink and regarded Bo-Katan with his seasoned gaze. His voice echoed, surely overheard by nearby tables. He spoke with a voyager’s accent, the manner of his voice commanding respect. “I understand your plight. Many Mandalorians would appreciate the return of the old ways. But it was not long ago that Kalevala was a target of Death Watch’s schemes.”

Bo-Katan knew he spoke of the attack that killed Deputy Minister Jerec Kryze, just around two years ago, shortly after Senator and Prince Tal Merrik of Kalevala had been revealed as loyal to Death Watch and eliminated for threatening Duchess Satine and the passengers aboard the Coronet. Death Watch had orchestrated the attack on Kalevala in order to obtain recordings of Minister Jerec to be sent to Coruscant with Vizsla’s former second-in-command. After the assassin had failed their mission and the true recording had been shown in the Senate, Death Watch had lost favor with Count Dooku and the Separatists.

“However,” Ordo continued, “I do not speak for everyone here. Some Kaleval’ade already joined your cause when Merrik’s loyalty was revealed, while others were rightly upset by Jerec’s death and how the Separatists attempted to use his words for their own gain.”

“And what’s your view?” Bo-Katan asked, watching the other tables with her helmet’s HUD, measuring how they listened in to her and the captain’s conversation.

He looked her over, pausing at the Nite Owl and Clan Kryze sigils on her armor. “How’d you end up with Death Watch, anyway?” He asked instead, avoiding her question.

Bo-Katan barely managed not to sigh with contempt, and was glad that her vocoder didn’t pick up the stifled sound. She disliked sharing her personal history with recruits, but she understood that it helped to gain their trust. She just hoped they were worth the trouble.

“I was educated at the Royal Academy of Government on Mandalore. I had known Governor Vizsla of Concordia for most of my life.”

Although he hadn’t known of her personal history until a year ago.

“Why am I not surprised,” the elder Varad interrupted gruffly, “that sneaky chakaar would prey on naïve children to fill his ranks.”

Bo-Katan grit her teeth. “I was no naïve child when I joined. I grew up watching how the New Mandalorians stamped out anyone who disagreed with their views. I know what happened to the exiled warriors on Concordia, and how their sympathizers, regardless of their origins, suffered the same fate.”

Varad looked ready to argue, but Ordo held up a hand, asserting his authority. “That is true. But I wonder how much you know of what’s really been going on for the past forty years. I assume you know that the former Duke and his family were originally from Kalevala?” Bo-Katan nodded. “Are you also aware that Duke Adonai Kryze was once a warlord, and not a New Mandalorian pacifist?”

“Gar serim, he was exactly the faithful warrior that any Mandalorian should aspire to be. The New Mandalorians converted him and his allies to their cowardly beliefs.”

Ordo hummed. “That’s not entirely true.” He paused for a long moment, a faint glimmer in his eyes. “I actually knew Adonai, more than professionally. We were childhood friends, and fierce rivals as gangly teenagers. It was an honor to spar with him, and we trusted each other with our lives. When he united Kalevalan clans, my family was the first to ally with him. When he declared his intentions to marry the princess of House Merrik, I was the one who endorsed his character. He was a faithful Mandalorian warrior, through and through.”

Bo-Katan furrowed her eyebrows beneath her visor. “But he changed–”

“Not at first. That came later, after his children were born.” He refilled his drink and knocked it back. “Before then, before he united the clans, there were turf wars in our region. Another, much smaller, clan got caught in between them. We were young and reckless, so we ran towards the danger, and they were just as afraid of us. We didn’t know the damage the enemy had caused, it ended up poisoning their lands. We were hardy and strong, and although we tried to help them, the weakest among their families suffered. We watched them die, and could do nothing.” He shook his head, clearly haunted by the memories. “When we united the clans against the thugs, it was in honor of that clan. It was our vengeance, and our duty.

“But after he was married, after he had a family of his own, he didn’t want their future to be of blood and war. So the Kryze and Merrik clans joined the New Mandalorians, and together promoted diplomacy and nonviolence, further advanced the technology of Sundari, and earned sovereignty over the Mandalore Sector.”

Bo-Katan tipped her head knowingly. “And what of Clan Ordo? What of the Kalevalan clans he left behind?”

Ordo shrugged. “I respected his choices. I did not agree with them, but I understood. Others did not.”

“And those others fought back. They protested against the New Mandalorians, and he ignored their pleas. Do you know how bad it was in Aloriya before the Civil War broke out?”

Aloriya had been a former capital of Mandalore, years before Sundari came to prosper. The city had suffered over time, exploited for labor in manufacturing the technology that went into Sundari, and the New Mandalorians had neglected to remedy the pollution they caused.

His gaze narrowed. “I do. The year before the Civil War, there were disastrous storms and earthquakes on Kalevala, ruining homes and infrastructure, and our resources were unable to fully meet the expectations of Mandalore. Princess Satine wasn’t just sent to Coruscant to learn diplomacy. She was sent to learn of the Republic and determine if they were capable of sending aid without exploiting our vulnerability. The Mandalore Sector has been neutral and independent, separate from the Republic, for centuries, and for good reason.”

Bo-Katan slammed her fist on the table. “You’re ignoring a crucial detail, just as the New Mandalorians did. Aloriya was starving, and the Duke’s administration deliberately turned a blind eye toward their suffering. They would not share their resources with them, just because they were outsiders.”

Many members of Aloriya’s clans had been of diverse heritage or were non-humans, thus victims of discrimination and bigotry, which he would know, if he was as well-informed as he implied.

Ordo sighed heavily. “You are correct in that. But there is something more you do not understand. The administration was not wholly his.” His expression grew even darker than before. “The New Mandalorians have a long history of corruption and deceit. They are prejudiced against any offworlder, especially non-humans. Adonai had hoped to change them from the inside. He underestimated their biases, and often held his tongue when he should have challenged their reforms. In the end, any power he had, came from them.”

“If you knew this,” Bo-Katan spat, “then why couldn’t you convince him of the truth?”

Ordo shook his head. “Those fifteen years had changed him. He was in too deep and wouldn’t listen to reason. Just the same as you.”

“Ne shab’rud’ni . . .”

“K’susulu,” Toa whispered, and gestured for her to come closer, “Adonai was just one man in a game that’s been going on for centuries. And the New Mandalorians aren’t the only enemy here. Do you know the history of your beloved Death Watch?”

Bo-Katan grit her teeth and waited for him to continue.

“The Kyr’tsad has existed for far longer than you know. And they are just as prejudiced as the New Mandalorians. Do you know what part they played in the Battle of Galidraan?”

There was a beat of silence. This was something Bo-Katan did not know, and she was loath to admit it.

“How about this– do you know the names Tor Vizsla and Jaster Mereel?”

She did not.

“What of Jango Fett?”

That one she did know. Pre had said he was a common bounty hunter, and had no right to the armor he wore.

Ordo smirked, as if he knew that he had caught her. He took one last drink. “I know this is a battle I’ve already lost. You’re in a cult, vod’ad, and your sister has been groomed for her role since she was a child. It will take more than simple words for you to realize that. Come back when you’re willing to listen.”

Bo-Katan was baffled, and utterly seething. How dare he claim to know her story, or her identity as Satine’s sister? Her chair fell over with a deafening clack! when she stood too quickly. He was dismissing her like an unruly child, and part of her certainly wanted to react like one. But she knew all their efforts would go to waste if she threatened their captain, and so she simply left, her head held high and her back stiff.

She felt like a coward.

Wren and the others soon followed. They would find out tomorrow whether they had made any progress.

In the morning, they gained six recruits, and surprisingly, Kalei Varad was among them.

“Can I trust you?” Bo-Katan demanded, once she had cornered her in the hangar.

Kalei chuckled darkly. “You can trust me not to put a knife in your back. I use a rifle.”

Bo shoved her, not amused.

She laughed again. “What? I’m joking. I want to join you. I listened to what you said last night. Toa and my mother have higher priorities, they can’t leave the Cabur’ade. But I have no such responsibilities. And if we’re being honest, I think they respected what you said, much more than you realize. I know I did. Just don’t ask me to show Vizsla the same respect.”

“And why is that?”

“Ori’buyce, kih’kovid. You both have a talent for grand speeches. But on Kalevala, trust is earned with actions, not words.”

“And so I ask again,” Bo insisted, “can I trust you?”

Varad held up a hand with a smirk. “Ori’haat. Let me prove my loyalty with my actions. If I fail, you’re free to just shoot me.”

“I’m seriously contemplating it right now.”

She laughed again, and Bo was honestly annoyed. What is her game? She wondered wordlessly.

“C’mon, Princess, udesii. You’re the one that recruited me, remember?”

“I could revoke my invitation, specifically for you.”

“Naw, you want me around. Remember what Ordo said, that it was an honor to spar with Adonai?” Bo-Katan cocked her head minutely, and Varad grinned wider. “I think it’d be my privilege to spar with you.”

“You enjoy getting your ass kicked by a princess?”

“As I said, it would be my privilege.”

Bo-Katan shook her head with exasperation. “C’mon then, let’s get you some armor, or’dinii.”

“As you wish, Princess.”

– –        

19 BBY – Sundari, Mandalore, a few days before Maul executes Pre Vizsla

Korkie and the cadets had taken refuge in the safehouse the night of the first attack of the crime families. He knew the coordinates from years ago, as it had been a safe refuge during his childhood. He now shared it with his closest friends: Amis, Soniee, and Lagos, fellow cadets at the academy.

“So, what is this place?” Soniee had asked, flipping through holo-images on her wrist-display as they moved down to the lower level.

“It’s a safehouse of Auntie Satine’s. She and our family hid here whenever her position was threatened, but she hasn’t used it for a while now. I come here whenever she’s away on Coruscant, just as a precaution.”

The others continued on, Lagos making tea, Amis going to check the storage, and Soniee researching Death Watch and the crime syndicates at his side. Korkie sat at the dining table, scratching at his stiff neck, still uncomfortable with returning here.

Amis rejoined them a few minutes later, carrying a small crate. His eyes never left the short-saber hilt poking through the pile of family mementos and holo-images. “There’s a couple crates full of this stuff. Why did your aunt it keep them here, instead of at the palace? Looks personal.”

“Maybe it is personal,” Lagos said, setting down the tea.

Korkie took a cup gratefully, cherishing the warmth before he answered. “She didn’t want it in the palace, just in case.”

“In case someone found it?” Amis asked.

“In case she was killed.” Korkie corrected, taking one of the family portraits from the pile. “She wanted her family’s things to survive, even if her life was forfeit.” The portrait was of her family on Kalevala, about two years before the Mandalorian Civil War. At the back was her father, Duke Adonai Kryze, and his wife, Duchess Mirlia of House Merrik. Alongside them was Deputy Minister Jerec Kryze, and Mirlia’s younger sister, Lady Bes’laar Merrik. In front of them stood Jerec’s twin teenage daughters, Yaim and Arum, and between them, were adolescents Prince Tal Merrik and Princess Satine.

“Who’s that?” Amis asked, pointing to the toddler Satine held.

Korkie sighed again. Perhaps Satine had hidden this here, just to avoid questions like these. “It’s a long story, Amis. But I suppose I have the time to share it, as much of it that I know, anyway.” He dug deeper and found one of Satine’s old journals, turning to the page bookmarked with a metal hairpin, resembling a mandalorum lily. “Soniee?”

“On it.” She had lowered her visor slightly, probably letting her tech hack into the databases while they talked. She closed her research and set down her pack, taking out her tablet. She set it on the table and projected the New Mandalorians’ recent history, just under thirty years ago.

“Auntie Satine had a younger sister, Bo-Katan. She was born about six years before the most recent Mandalorian Civil War. Before their time, Satine and Bo-Katan’s father, Adonai Kryze, was essentially a warlord, attempting to unite the clans of Kalevala and Mandalore. After he married Princess Mirlia Merrik and started his family, he became a changed man. During Satine’s childhood, he converted to the New Mandalorians’ ways of pacifism and neutrality. A few years later, he had been appointed as ruler of the Mandalore sector.”

Amis frowned. “Mandalore has changed a lot in the last thirty years.”

Korkie nodded. “The New Mandalorians had been steadily growing in number and power over the past several centuries, but even more so now, in the twenty-three years since Satine became Duchess and the former warriors were exiled to Concordia. Clan traditions, warrior training, religious practices, they were all thrown by the wayside. What do you all know about your clan history?”

“Soniee probably knows the most.” Lagos said, taking a sip of tea as she sat across from Korkie. “My family is loyal to the New Mandalorians, and we idolize your aunt.” She ran a hand through her hair, probably missing the mandalorum lilies she used to wear. “They never taught me much of clan history, but I know our ancestors were as much brave Mandalorians as anyone else’s.”

Soniee placed her hand on her shoulder. “My family is similar, but I’ve done more research, of course. My family has kept old records dating back almost a century, and we may have more data off-world. They tried to keep it secret, but it was nothing my tech couldn’t handle. Clan Dochek was known for our inventive tactics, linguistic charisma, and technological adaptability.”

Amis snickered. “Something you inherited.” He looked up, locking eyes with Korkie. “Clan Ordo were faithful Mandalorians of Kalevala, before the recent Civil War, just like Clan Kryze.” He turned toward the crate, taking out the sheathed short-saber, almost cradling it in his hands. “My family and I were invited to visit my uncle on Kalevala, after we exposed Almec’s corruption. He showed me how to wield one of these. He said I may have the mind of a student, but I also had a ka'rta be’cabur. I told him I didn’t know what that meant, and he taught me everything he could in the short time we were there. I haven’t heard from him since we left, as he and my parents had a falling out. They won’t talk about him anymore. They probably think he joined Death Watch, but I doubt it.”

Korkie nodded. “Like you said, Clan Kryze were faithful Mandalorians once, but things changed. According to Auntie Satine, her father had seen the destruction and suffering of his people, and he wanted to bring peace. He took up pacifism and became a part of the New Mandalorians, as did many within his clan. His assassination is what started the most recent Mandalorian Civil War. At the time, Auntie Satine was on Coruscant, training in diplomacy. The Galactic Senate had her escorted back to Mandalore, protected by the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“I’ve heard of him,” Soniee brought up some records, showing the well-known Jedi Knights. “He more recently protected Satine during the Death Watch assassination attempts on Mandalore, the Coronet, and Coruscant.”

“Yes, Satine hadn’t seen Kenobi since they retook Mandalore, a year after the deaths of her parents.”

“It took them a year to get to here?” Lagos asked. “Must’ve been an eventful escort mission.”

Korkie smiled, skipping over pages in his Aunt’s journal. “It was. She hasn’t told me all of it, but I know she and Obi-Wan grew close, during that time. He’s been a good friend to her since then, especially when Deputy Minister Jerec died.”

Korkie looked up again, seeing Amis frown as he tightly gripped the sheathed saber. “My uncle told me about the bombing on Kalevala and how the Senate tried to twist Jerec’s words after his death. He was livid about it, even if he didn’t agree with the Minister’s pacifist ideals.”

Korkie nodded. “When Satine and the Jedi finally got to Mandalore, those same ideals had been tested. After assassinating the royalty and seizing resources for their people, the warrior clans fell into civil war, causing chaos within Sundari and Aloriya. Satine’s twin cousins, young adult daughters of Minister Jerec, were here too, as they were responsible for watching over Bo-Katan. By the time Satine and the Jedi rallied the New Mandalorians, one of the twins, Arum, had been killed. Clan Sharratt, who had orchestrated the assassinations and the war, had taken the remaining twin, Yaim, and Bo-Katan as hostages in Aloriya. Led by Satine and the Jedi, the New Mandalorians took siege of Aloriya and liberated her family, and Satine claimed her rightful mantle as Duchess, bringing an end to the War.”

The room went quiet, the others solemn. Soniee brought up the records of Satine’s homecoming and subsequent coronation. “There were calls for executions of the attackers.”

“Aunt Satine refused,” Korkie told them, “She wanted to honor her father’s wishes and spare their lives, despite all that they had done. Instead, they were exiled to Concordia, and Mandalorian Space was fully reformed with a more diplomatic government, disbanding the clan traditions of our ancestors. With Satine’s administration they established Sundari into the beacon it is today. But not everyone thought that was a good idea.”

Soniee brought up the star map of Mandalorian Space. “So, some of the warriors likely survived on Concordia, planting the seeds of Death Watch. Did Vizsla always sympathize with them, or was he converted? And what about Tal Merrik from Kalevala?”

“I don’t know,” said Korkie, “they had deceived Satine, while she believed everyone in her administration with staunch conviction. The last two years have weighed heavily upon her shoulders.”

“And what about Bo-Katan?” Lagos asked, “What happened to her and the cousin, Yaim, was it?”

Korkie sighed, looking back down at the journal. “Yaim stayed here with Satine and Bo-Katan, so that they could grow together, as a family, although they would make visits to Deputy Minister Jerec, as well as Lady Merrik and her family during Kalevala’s midsummer and midwinter holidays. Satine had established the Mandalorian royal guard, to protect her family’s lives as much as her own. Satine had her ethics and ideals as her driving force, wanting nothing more than to establish peace and neutrality, as her parents’ legacy. But Yaim and Bo-Katan were kept out of the spotlight, as they were traumatized by what they had witnessed in Sundari and Aloriya, and just wanted to be left alone. They didn’t always get along with Satine. This safehouse, and their trips to Kalevala, served as a refuge for them, away from politics and responsibilities.

“Yaim ended up meeting someone, on one of those visits to Kalevala, a couple years after the War. Their relationship helped her find happiness again, and Bo-Katan grew attached to both of them. Auntie thought that, for Bo-Katan, it was like having parents again.”

Korkie lifted the metal hairpin to show them, caressing its mended fractures. “This was Arum’s, before she died. It was Yaim’s most treasured possession, even though it had been broken by the tribal warriors. Yaim’s paramour, Arpat, repaired it with beskar as part of their marriage vows, about three years after they met, during the midsummer holiday. While Auntie Satine and Bo-Katan returned to Mandalore, she stayed behind on Kalevala.”

He passed the hairpin to Lagos and continued, “But there were secrets between Yaim, Arpat, and Bo-Katan.” Korkie looked to Amis again, focusing on the beskar saber he held. “Satine didn’t know much of it at the time, but she drew her suspicions together over the years. In secret, Yaim and Bo-Katan practiced old Mandalorian traditions and beliefs. Preserving the traditions gave Yaim closure for Arum’s death, and she shared that with Bo-Katan.

“Arpat had conflicting beliefs as well, having experienced the transition from clan traditions on Kalevala, rather than on Mandalore, the epicenter of the New Mandalorians’ administration. In the years before their marriage, Arpat and Yaim had taught Bo-Katan the archaic language of Mando’a, as well as the warrior culture, of armor and weaponry. Bo-Katan latched onto their teachings whole-heartedly, idolizing the ancient ways of our ancestors.

“During Satine and Bo-Katan’s next return for midwinter holiday, Yaim had discovered she was pregnant. When they discussed their future family, Arpat wanted Bo-Katan to stay with them on Kalevala. Yaim didn’t know if she could willingly separate Bo-Katan from her sister. Satine and Bo-Katan overheard them arguing about it and intervened. Satine and Arpat both said things they didn’t mean, and Bo-Katan, well–”

“She wanted to stay with them, didn’t she?” Amis interrupted, his voice shaky, but his gaze was tight, “If she thought of them as family, she would’ve– and it was what, five years after the War, right? So, she was like, eleven?”

Korkie nodded. “Yeah. She would be enrolling at the Royal Academy of Government the next year. Her relationship with Satine, during Bo’s early adolescence, was tense, to say the least.”

“I can imagine,” Soniee said, bringing up Kalevala on her tablet, “with knowing about Mandalorian traditions in secret, she probably resented her New Mandalorian education, as well as the time she spent away from Kalevala.”

“It was her lifeline,” Lagos whispered, setting down the hairpin. “If she was like Yaim, then Mandalorian traditions and beliefs were her connection to everything she had lost. Her parents and cousin Arum were all part of her life before the War, and with the reforms put in place by Duchess Satine and Deputy Minister Jerec, she was cut off from all that she had known. If she hadn’t had Yaim and Arpat preserving that culture, she would’ve lost it all.”

“Yes, and at the time,” Korkie continued, “Satine hadn’t discovered their secrets, as far as they knew. So, the argument was the climax of everything that had transpired without Satine’s knowledge. It only ended when Minister Jerec and the royal guard were alerted by their shouting. He made the decision for them, believing it was safer for Bo-Katan with the royal guard, and that it’d be better to continue her education on Mandalore.”

Korkie reached inside the crate, picking up another family portrait, “I was born within the next year, given the Kryze name to carry on the family legacy. Satine and Bo-Katan became my honorary aunts.” The portrait, as he showed to the others, was of his parents holding him as an infant, and Grandpa Jerec, Auntie Satine, and Bo-Katan standing around them. Yaim looked like her father, with ginger hair and high cheekbones, which Korkie inherited. But he would have Arpat’s nose and ears, which Bo-Katan had teased him about, as he grew up. She had been like an older sister to him, once upon a time.  

“Bo-Katan and Satine grew closer during her years at the Academy, especially when they stayed here at the safehouse. Despite Bo’s resentment toward the New Mandalorian ways, she could confide in Satine, missing Yaim and Arpat, and reminiscing about their lost family members. It was during this time that Satine had gleaned the truth. There would be things that Bo-Katan would say, things she couldn’t have remembered or couldn’t have learned in her education. However, even when three years had passed since the climactic argument, she delayed confronting anyone about it, not wanting to upset her family.

“During the next midwinter holiday on Kalevala, while Jerec, Satine, and Bo-Katan watched over me, my parents had planned a few nights alone together in the mountains. There was a tempestuous blizzard, causing an avalanche down the mountainside.”

Korkie went silent, his throat sore from more than just talking. His hands shook slightly around his teacup, the ceramic having cooled during their conversation. Lagos steadied his hand, and Soniee sat next to him, leaning against his shoulder. Amis set down the saber and leaned over the table, his gaze communicating sympathy.

“Auntie Satine became my guardian, and I went to live with her and Bo-Katan here on Mandalore. Auntie Satine forgot about Bo’s secrets for a while, as raising me became the focus of their lives.”

“But that wasn’t the end of it.” Amis said knowingly.

“No,” Korkie replied. “Once I was old enough to understand, Bo-Katan shared with me the same comforts that Yaim had given her after the War.”

“Nu kyr’adyc, shi taab’echaaj’la,” Amis recited reverently.

"Not gone, merely marching far away," Soniee translated.

Lagos looked away from them, still cradling the metal hairpin in her other hand.

“Every holiday on Kalevala,” Korkie continued, “or when we were alone at this safehouse, she taught me more about the history of Clan Kryze and the old Mandalorians. For the most part, it was fun, sneaking around to keep our secret from Auntie Satine and Grandpa Jerec.”

Korkie looked over at the beskar saber. “That blade once belonged to Duke Adonai. Yaim had recovered it in secret, along with other weapons and armor, from House Kryze on Kalevala, before the New Mandalorians had finished clearing out everything else. She and Arpat showed Bo-Katan how to use it when she was old enough, and then Bo passed it on to me, almost ten years ago.

“When she did, she swore to me ‘ret’urcye mhi, ner ka’rta’ad.’”

“May we meet again, my foundling.” Amis translated.

Korkie nodded. “The morning after, Bo-Katan was gone, along with everything that she and my parents had hidden here, away from Auntie Satine. That hairpin is all she had left behind. Auntie Satine comforted me and revealed she had known the truth for a long time, but never had the courage to face it. Neither of us had any idea why Bo-Katan had disappeared so suddenly, or where she had gone.

“In the ten years that have passed, I depended upon Aunt Satine and have come to understand why she had left behind the old traditions. Before she became Duchess, she and her parents had seen the Mandalorian clans wage war against each other, spewing hate and discord, and when her father unified them and turned toward pacifism, they responded with violence, executing her parents and killing innocents. Even after she ushered in years of peace and prosperity, those old beliefs festered resentment and tore apart her family.

“When Auntie Satine returned from Coruscant, after Vizsla was exposed and Death Watch had made attempts upon her life, Satine confided in me, here at the safehouse. With the involvement of Tal Merrik and the death of Minister Jerec, she suspected that Death Watch had recruited someone who was accustomed to Kalevala’s terrain and had intimate knowledge of the dynamics of the royal family, in order to strike where she was most vulnerable.”

“It was Bo-Katan,” Soniee said with deafening finality, “she had betrayed her family.”

“That is what we concluded, although she and Death Watch would likely claim Satine, Jerec, and the New Mandalorians were traitors first, having abandoned the ancient traditions. But she is still complicit in the violence and destruction, the death of innocents, the murder of my grandfather, and attempting to kill her own sister.”

“And yet,” Lagos interjected, “despite all of that, and with the Confederacy, the Clone Wars, the corruption among her administration and in the Republic, Duchess Satine’s resolve for neutrality and preserving all life has never been stronger.”

Amis agreed, “If Death Watch had ever wanted to unite our people and undermine the beliefs of New Mandalorians, then they have failed.”

“But the public won’t see it that way.” Soniee brought up the footage of the crime syndicates’ attack on the shipping docks, from only hours ago, followed by how Death Watch arrested the criminals. “Why did the crime families attack, and how did Death Watch know to intervene? It can’t be a coincidence.”

Korkie looked up towards her. “Keep trying to hack into whatever databases you have access to, and record everything you find. Someone is playing with Mandalore’s future, and we have to figure out who.”

Soniee nodded, taking up her tablet and checking in on her visor.

He turned toward Lagos and Amis. “Keep what resources we use to a minimum and pack up the rest. Strategize for defense and mobility; Bo-Katan knows about this place and we have to be ready if she comes here.” Korkie stood, repacking his aunt’s journal and the portraits. “I’ll sort through what else is in those crates.”

Lagos gathered up their mugs and Soniee followed her to the kitchenette. Amis stood by Korkie, placing a hand on his shoulder. “What do we do when Bo-Katan inevitably does show up here?”

Korkie looked to the Duke’s saber, his expression grim. “We do what we must and defend our way of life.” He lifted the sheathed beskad and offered it to Amis, “You have more recent training with it than I do. Be prepared to use it.”

Amis nodded, fastening the scabbard on his belt, then looking back up at Korkie, “When we have the time, I can show you and the others what my uncle taught me. You might be surprised by how much you remember.”

Korkie gave a hint of a smile, “I hope so. I have a feeling this won’t end peacefully. If we have to contact to the Republic, the Clone Wars will be on our doorstep.”

Amis agreed, “Then the time for neutrality may be over.”

Endnotes: Varad said “I’m gonna flirt with the princess,” and I didn’t have the strength to hold her back. For Lani Varad, I drew inspiration from Shae Vizla of SWTOR.