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mothiepixie · 1 year

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Uhhhh, idk I kinda indulged in how Motti met Pirate Nightmare

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From the time Motti was of age to marry, she had many suitors. One right after the other, her parents would arrange an engagement and Motti personally made it her mission to sabotage every last one.

In the beginning it was merely setting up the suitors to look poorly amongst the peers. That worked for a while until Motti's father was starting to get suspicious, and so Motti had to get more creative.

Tars and feathers in their luggage.

Pretending to have smallpox.

Croaking like a toad when asked to sing.

All of which was only done in front of the suitor or behind closed doors.

Motti refused to be married off as if she was property. Which in hindsight, she might as well have been. In her father's eyes she was a well bred dog. Prim and groomed to the highest pedigree.

At least that is what he hoped.

Motti was as wild as her wavy red hair. Being an only child, her Father did not want Motti to fall short of any subject. However, his wishes fell on death's doors when he poured all his resources and Motti only chose to excel in the Arts, Archery and shooting sports.

Motti showed great talent being a sharpshooter and was often taken on hunts with her Father. At least, until he deemed Motti needing to be more ladylike the older she got.

But now, Motti found herself going on fewer hunts. Fewer days where she felt her Father cared for her anymore as his child and not a coin to be bargained for.

Agitated and feeling dehumanized that her value of a person was whittling down each year because of failed engagements.

And so when Motti heard the gossip of another suitor coming to the manor to seek her hand, she was ready to set course of her usual plans to ruin it. However, the name of the man had a reputation for being cruel and vile all the while mysteriously losing three spouses to influenza.

Motti wasn't a fool. She could be rash, excitable and sometimes naive, sure. But deep inside her soul when she heard his name, Motti knew that if she married him, she would become the fourth spouse who died of mysterious circumstances.

On the day of his arrival, Motti waited patiently for the maids to leave her quarters just long enough for her to strip out of her fine gown and into something easier to move about in.

She strapped her pistol to her thigh and hid it under her skirt. Her hair usually kept up, she braided her hair to run along her back. She tried her best to look as much as a commoner as possible and giving a once over in the mirror, she resolved herself to continue out.

She snuck out from the second floor window and clambered down the vines and made her way out of the estate. With only a sack of shillings and the clothes on her back, Motti was determined to never return to the manor.

There was a sort of exhilaration that swarmed the inside of Motti's chest the further she got from the manor and into the dirty town just before the ports.

Dusk was already beginning to settle by the time she hit the center of the dingy and muck filled streets. Motti continued forth, just far enough to head to the cheapest Inn to reside in for the night. This Inn being where she knew that her Father wouldn't even think to step inside in fear of contracting a disease just by breathing in commoners' air.

She ignored the many cat calls from drunken sailors, regular men and monsters. She kept her wits about her from pickpockets. It wasn't the first time she had snuck away, in all her years, she knew this town like the back of her hand.

And yet as she rounded a corner, she came across a quarrel. Four men surrounding a large monster. The monster looked like a skeleton made from tar, underneath his bones and joints glowed a brilliant aquamarine just like his singular eyelight. His clothing definitely indicated he was a pirate, a handsome one at that, Motti mused to herself.

There was a part of her wanted to walk away, he could handle himself, right? She tried to wander onwards, but she could barely take two steps. What kind of person would she be if she clearly left? She didn't find it fair that there were four against one. She could be backup… if needed, right? Perhaps foolish, she told herself, she couldn't lose her life over someone she didn't know.

Just as she was about to walk away the skeleton monster chuckled a chuckle so deep that it reverberated within Motti's chest. It felt like her soul was set aflame and her head felt incredibly light.

However, his baritone chuckle only seemed to enrage the others, unlike her.

"A fine night, gentlemen." His grin stretched across his face, peering down at the much smaller beings. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The four men bristled but held their ground. "Ya know what we fuckin' came for, ya fuckin' jipped us. Stole ta whole pool with fake die, ya cesspool!" One of the men barked, his fat mead belly jiggling as he yelled.

"Ah." The skeleton monster hummed almost joyously as the men's rage grew. Leaning back, the monster held his large belt, "How do ye know it was fake?"

Another man with one eye threw the die down to the cobbled floor. It landed perfectly on 6s. He kicked it and it once again landed perfectly on 6s.

The pirate's grin grew as if holding back from the worst joke he only found funny. "Oops."

The men shook with rage and each drew out knives or swords and held it to his neck. The pirate's looked more thrilled by the second and as one of the men went to take a stab just when gunshot went off.

The mead belly man stumbled, looking down at his heart. Blood began to pool under his shirt and he slowly, and clumsily, turned around to spot Motti holding her pistol.

The grungy man fell to the ground and it took another moment for the other men to shake out of their stun state, which Motti took advantage of. Faster than they could comprehend, she shot the three men between the eyes.

They ceremoniously fell one right after the other and surrounded the skeleton monster like a bleeding threshold.

There was a loud silence that befell the remaining two in this alley. At least just before the skeleton monster let out a howling laughter. Motti was once again overcome with the deep tones of his laugh.

The pirate stepped on the dead men as he made his way to Motti. She took note of their height differences and it made her stomach do jumps.

She put away her pistol as he finally approached. He noticed. "Not an ounce of fear in ye, huh? Quite intriguing. A pretty little pistol for a pretty little lass. Where didja get such expensive weaponry?" He went to run one of his fingers along her chin and Motti stepped back.

"It's not polite to touch a lady." Motti jested, smirking, "Especially to one that just saved yer hide." She held out her hand in a teasing gesture, "A proper introduction for yer savior? Then maybe this little lass will tell."

He barked out another deep laugh, but grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. A shiver ran along her arm up into her shoulder before it jittered across her body. She noticed he paused too, a slight quirk in his boney brow. Perhaps he felt that too?

Not once letting go of her hand, his deep voice spoke, "Shan't disgrace me savior, indeed. Do me the pleasure of calling me Nightmare."

"Nightmare?" Motti spoke incredulously, "What kind of name is that?"

Nightmare smirked, his fingers curling around her smaller hand as he leaned closer to her face,"Perhaps if me savior gives their name, I'll tell her how I got it."

It was Motti's turn to laugh, "Fair point." She huffed between laughs, "Name's Motti."

"What kind of name is that?" He jest, standing up to peer down at her from his nose.

She rolled her eyes, "Supposed I walked into that one."

"Ye really did."

Motti burst another laugh before shaking her head. "It has been quite nice to meet ya, Nightmare. It was good timing when I arrived."

He cocked his head to the side, "Yer not at all concerned ya just did away with four men?"

"Can't have much pity for those who already wanted to kill." She knitted her brows, "Ain't a fair fight, four against one."

He gave Motti a long look before he leaned down nose to nose. "I think I've taken a likin' to ya, little lass."

"Is that so?" Motti's breath nearly hitched at the close proximity. "Perhaps, we shall see each other again?"

Nightmare smirked, "Aye. Sooner than ye think. As for now," His hands reached for her face and brushed the back of his joints against her cheeks before sliding down her neck and behind her.

With a quick swipe of his sharp phalanges, he lopped off her braid. Motti gasped as he stood back up and she grabbed at the back of her head. He brought the braid up to his maxilla and lightly brushed it against like a kiss. Motti didn't know whether to feel flustered or angry.

He chuckled again, his eyes lowering and drinking in her flustered state, "A momento from me savior and a reminder that I owe ye me life." His tone was playful, and heavy with implications.

Motti wasn't sure if she really was owed such a thing since it was all out of instinct and her own morals, but her inside was swarmed with butterflies that she couldn't really think much into it.

Nightmare braided the chopped off end of her braid and tightened it with rope. He then tied it to his belt and patted it like a job well done. He stepped around her and she followed.

"Ah-" Motti began, but felt her tongue fail her. She stilled her resolve, "T-than I should have something of fair trade."

Nightmare paused mid step and looked over his shoulder, "Throw upon light on me, lass."

Motti held out her hand with a stern look, "A momento from the one I saved." Her cheeks flushed, feeling foolish, but when would she ever see him again? "Something that ties ye to me. S-so we will meet again."

"Ties, ya say?" He parroted, turning on his heel and once again making Motti take him in at how much larger this monster was compared to her. He stood just centimeters from her and gave her a once over before he ran a hand down her left arm and picked her hand up to his teeth.

Taking her fourth finger and biting it just enough it breached skin, Motti gasped and seethed, instinctively trying to pull her hand away. Nightmare had a firm grip and clasped his hand to envelop hers. He squeezed and Motti could feel a burning sensation that instantly cooled.

During the whole ordeal, he never broke eye contact. Motti took her hand back, a little flabbergasted. This pirate not only cut her hair but now bit her like a wild animal.

She would have been upset if some part of her wasn't enthralled by it. Looking down at her hand, her fourth finger now adorned what looked like a black ring that wrapped around her finger to look like a crescent moon.

She couldn't help but notice that some of the intricate details looked like a part of her skin, but he didn't give her much time to think as he lifted her chin to look at him.

"Satisfied, Savior?" He smirked. His thumb flicked across her bottom lip. "Like I said, lass. I taken' a likin' to ye." He stood tall, gave one last smirk at her flustered state and turned on his heel, he waved over his shoulder, "Get yer belongings and meet me back here in the morn."

"W-what?" Motti blinked, fingers running over her new ring absent-mindedly.

Without turning back to face her, his deep voice reverberated in her chest, "Got to make preparations for me savior." And with that he was out of view.

Motti's heart drummed against her ribcage, feelings swirling about. Exhilaration, confusion, and a bit of fear but excitement. Although the interaction left her with less hair and new jewelry, part of her basked in the thrill.

#mothie talks #mothie fics #The Eclipse Crew #oneshot ig????#idk just felt like writing #pirate au #Nighmare x motti

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zeldurz · 1 year

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Being a house cat means a lot of time to ponder. I am familiar with your fic as it relates to Pellaeon/Thrawn, henceforth, referred to as Prawn. Lately, I have noticed that you have shifted away from this pairing into unfamiliar territory for me, mainly Firmus Piett/Maximilian Veers & Tiaan Jerjerrod/Conan Antonio Motti. Since I am firmly ensconced in my tiny corner of the fandom, I had to ask around, who are these guys?

Now it’s time to ask you. Welcome to my little corner at the Asker’s Studio™️ (don’t mind the ferocious Mini-Panther🐈‍⬛)

Where I go in the fandoms is determined by where ‘my’ authors go, thus, I often find myself in unfamiliar territory. I got my start with Harry Potter, moved on to Gargoyles, enjoyed a long visit with Thrawn, and currently I happily reside in TNG. As person who merely comments, it’s easy to jump around, but as an author, I would think that it would be more complicated.

What made you decide to branch out to these new pairings/fandom? While they are still Star Wars, I view them far enough away from Thrawn to consider them a different fandom (as it is an enormous departure from the Thrawn universe to the Original Trilogy)

I admit that my only knowledge of your new pairings (newer to your fic) is what Wookeepedia tells me, and what more experienced fandom inhabitants add to that. It makes me want to go back to the OT and watch it through a different lens.

What is it that you would want new readers to know about these ancillary characters?

What characteristics do you admire or dislike about them?

Do you see any parallels to characters that you have written about in the past?

I am behind on my Fic reading, but know that I have been enormously entertained by your Whatever it Takes, and I hope to see additional updates sometime in the near future.

Ahhh thank you for having me back on Asker’s Studio, it’s always a pleasure to be here. I will put this under a cut to make everyone's life a little bit easier

I have indeed shifted my preferences into the adjacent world of OT Imperials, at least for the moment. While I can firmly say that this is all the wonderful @alexx-dax’s fault – since I started following him on tumblr and was left with many similar questions to those you have posed to me: who are these men? How can I tell them apart? Why should I even care? – the question of “why” still remains, and for that, my answer is two-fold.

I would say that the jump from Thrawn to the OT Imps is not as far as it looks on the surface – much of the internal politics and settings aboard a Star Destroyer in Thrawn’s time (be it in Canon before the Battle at Lothal or in Legends aboard the Chimaera) remain the same. This makes it both easier to write (as I already have an idea of The Empire and how it operates) and easier to integrate characters that are still very near and dear to my heart – in fact, while I have yet to make full use of it in a fic, the fact that Grand Admiral Thrawn was the one that recommended a then Corporal Veers to Darth Vader for his Death Squadron has a lot of room for potential. I also think it helps that the Imps have a much less wide-reaching fandom – there’s a very small, very enthusiastic community that has made me feel very welcome as I undertake my studies into Background Men, and I really appreciate that.

Without going into too much detail, I would also be remiss if I did not touch on the issue of Writer Burnout and how that has contributed to my step away from writing Thrawn. I have the curse of non-functioning executives (aka ADHD/autism), and writing something that isn’t the topic du jour is a painful and tedious process for me (astute readers will also recognize this is why I rarely do outlines/planning and why I almost never edit/proofread my fics before posting them). For every fic that reaches AO3, there are 8-10 more that are half finished on my google drive, and I tend to lose creative steam on things very, very quickly. Between a bunch of stuff IRL and the rise of people discussing Thrawn and his characterization in fandom spaces(1), I’m having a very hard time getting my ‘voice’ for Thrawn back (it doesn’t help that my largest and most popular fic has spiraled into something much, much larger than I had originally planned, and I’m very much struggling to figure out how to tie it off in a satisfying way lol).

But back to these new guys. Who are they and why should you care?

First of all, if you wish to join me in my corner with my dolls, I would actually recommend watching the OT again but considering the perspectives of the Imps – in particular, Ken Colley’s portrayal of Piett in Empire Strikes back and Michael Pennington’s Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi(2) give a lot of depth to the characters that we often just see as “bad guy henchmen”. People have written many things about these characters over the years (some of which I agree with and some of which I do not), but I always come back to Piett’s expression as he watches Admiral Ozzel choke to death beside him; these characters are Imperials, yes, but they are not all Tarkin or Palpatine – that is, they are not simply evil for the sake of being evil. Veteran Thrawn fans will know that writing from the perspective of the antagonists can be a lot of fun – and for my brand of fic (ie the hurt/comfort), there are a lot of Rebel Victories that bring pain that’s worth exploring (not unlike Bilbringi in the HTTE Trilogy).

I have spoken a lot about the Imperials as a collective, so now it’s time to get into the individuals. While I will touch a little bit on my favourite ships (Piett/Veers and Motti/Jerjerrod), I think that another fun part about writing these particular characters is that they work well in many different pairings, depending on the vibe you’re going for (I will spare you the chart, but I do have one). Anyway, without further ado and in no particular order, the incomplete summary of Imps:

Firmus Piett (ESB, ROTJ):

Piett is the character that got me hooked on the imperials in the first place – his “goddammit I’m just trying to do my job and not get murdered” energy combined with his otherness (in that unlike most other high-ranking officers, he is neither from a core world nor upper class). His days fighting in the Axxilian anti-pirate fleet only add to this vibe, and much of his characterization (that I go off of, anyway) centers around him being scrappy and resourceful – useful where other, snobbier officers might not be.

As with all things Fanfiction and particularly with the Imperials (as there is comparatively little material to work with), there will always be flavours of characters depending on who is writing them, but I enjoy Piett’s potential for a found family, along with his biting snark and ability to survive only on caf and spite.

Maximilian Veers (ESB):

Veers has the distinction of being in the Imperial Army, rather than the Navy, which automatically gives him a different flavour than the others. It’s my understanding that there’s a rivalry between the Army and the Navy, which lends itself well to a back and forth banter that is easily one of my favourite things in an Imp fic. Veers is also the strong and stoic character – he’s not intimidated by Vader, and he’s going to do his damn job, no matter what.

I’m a big sap for the “hard on the outside soft on the inside” trope, and Veers is perfect for this. He protects his Herd with a fierce loyalty, and is a proven competent leader, but he’s also the sort of guy who teases his partner and loves physical affection. Veers is a giant, blond puppy, and I love that about him. His vibe works especially well with Piett, since they have the whole "tol and smol"/Army-Navy/slowly opening up to one another vibe that I love.

Tiaan Jerjerrod (ROTJ):

Listed as a “cold technocrat” on every official description, Tiaan is another one of those characters that has many layers to him. He is the rich snob from the core, but he’s also an extremely competent engineer who was hand picked to handle some of the Empire’s biggest projects. He’s also comparatively young (a full fifteen years younger than Pellaeon, and ten years younger than Veers, if Wookieepedia is to be believed), and yet has made his way to the top of the top. Tiaan also has the distinction that (at least in the deleted scenes) we see him hesitate – even when given an order, he is conflicted about firing the Death Star II at Endor, given the number of Imperials still on the moon.

Tiaan is usually characterized as being neurotic and anxious – a sort of wet-cat energy that contrasts well with the competence he is known for. His background – a rich aristocrat coming from a long line of decorated Naval Officers from a conservative planet – only adds to this effect, and I’m a big fan of stories that explore how he navigates (or doesn’t) the enormous pressures he faces.

Conan Antonio Motti (ANH):

Loud, Obnoxious, and American, Motti stands out among the Joint Chiefs in the one scene he is in. He has the balls to challenge Vader, and the gusto to back it up – he’s also quite young, having risen to be commander of the DS-I in his early 30s (based on his actor’s age, Wookieepedia does not have a birthday for him). While there are scant few other canon appearances for him, it’s also worth noting that one of them is him writing a letter to HR regarding Vader’s Force Choke, and another is a passage from the Death Star Novel about how he works out in only a speed-strap juggling balls in heavy gravity.

Motti can be summed up as the “Go Big or Go Home” guy who is crass, loud, and gets in everyone’s face. He can be a lot of fun to read and write because he’s so obnoxious, and that makes him fun to include even if the story is primarily about someone else. He pairs well with Jerjerrod because they have similar backstories (young, wealthy) but wildly different personalities, although I have been enjoying the Motti-Thrawn friendship lately (that would give Pellaeon a migraine)

Overall, each of these characters (and Captain Lorth Needa, of course, everyone’s favourite Dad Friend and holder of the single brain cell) has a unique vibe that they bring to the table, and it’s fun to see how they interact with both each other and the Situations they find themselves in. I also find them to be very relatable – every author pours a little bit of their heart and soul into the characters they write, but for me personally, there is a lot I can draw from my own experiences (not unlike how I have written a very few very personal Thrawn fics).

With that being said, I do struggle sometimes to hit the right notes and strike a balance between “canon”, “fanon” and the story I want to tell. While Thrawn has (for the most part) been consistently written and it is easy enough to see a through-line for his story, that is absolutely not the case here. There are many examples I could speak to (Needa as “ruthless”, Veers refusing prosthetics due to stigma or Jerjerrod “loving war”), but for the sake of brevity I will only touch on one: Piett as a schemer who sought to deliberately have Ozzel killed.

While this is… an interpretation of the source material (IE Empire Strikes Back) and has since been made canon by From Another Point of View, it disregards the intentions of Ken Colley in playing the character. He wanted Piett to come off as more relatable to the audience, to give depth to the Empire as more than just a faceless monolith, and I would argue that he is quite successful in doing so(3). Undermining this (and his backstory notes about being an underdog within the Empire) take away some of the aspects of his character that I really enjoy – but does it make my Piett OOC if he wouldn’t do something like that? Does it matter?

Anyway almost two thousand words and three footnotes, it’s very much time for me to wrap this up (as bad as I am at writing endings). Suffice it to say that I find the Imps to be an excellent sandbox with which to play in, and I appreciate both the time you’ve taken to ask me about them and the time it’s taken to read through this essay of sorts.

I’m hoping I’ll get back to Whatever it Takes sooner or later, but I would rather wait for inspiration to strike me than to keep beating my head against a metaphorical wall until an ending falls out. Until next time, thank you again for the ask and all the wonderful comments you have left for me 😊

(1)I should note that this isn’t targeted at any group in particular and isn’t meant to be a negative statement – just that the Thrawn fandom continues to grow, and with the upcoming Ashoka Show, there are a lot of people with a lot of different opinions about the character, and for someone who isn’t particularly adept at navigating the sea of fandom, it can be extremely overwhelming.

(2)If you are able to watch the deleted scenes from ROTJ, that’s even better – there are some excellent Jerjerrod scenes that did not make the final cut

(3)I do own two Piett action figures and haven’t read Another Point of View yet, so I could be a little bit biased

#my inbox

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