#our fighters could learn to be more dramatic in death like her

[blueflyingturtleontheway]

Now then let's go with... oh 21 and 37

What's funny is that I didn't even plan to take this ask game XD

But those questions are too good to pass up, so let's go:

21. What’s one secret of theirs that could potentially ruin a relationship they have?

This question is perfect for Aleksandr... Because it already happened to him. We've already said that he was responsible for Stanislaw's (temporary) death and kept it a secret for many (around 27) years, so maybe I'll tell a little more about the effects of when his secret got revealed.

What's important is that he told Lyudmila himself (which kinda made it better? But not really x)) and at that moment she was too shaken to say anything more than just to get out. But her next thought was to bring him back and just execute him without court, with only Stanislaw to stop her from that. Obviously Aleksandr lived but Lyudmila took away almost all of his titles and privileges, he got cast out from the capital and forbidden from ever take any official roles again - and that's quite a downgrade from being the closest person to the knyaz with the exception of her literal husband.

Though Lyudmila's actions might seem drastic (they were) given how long ago it happened and, Stanislaw being alive again and the fact that Aleksandr spent all those years serving her and the kingdom, but from her perspective? She just learned that her best friend who majorly helped her put herself back together after her love's death and whom she has trust with his life many times later, was the same man WHO KILLED HIM. And it felt to her as if their whole friendship was built on a lie, as if Aleksandr not only killed Stanislaw but also used it to get closer to her. And she really trusted him like no one else, she thought they had no secrets before each other but he's been keeping such a major one for such a long time?! Lyudmila is also a very lawful person (as the ruler she literally is the law to some degree) and this also put doubt on him not only as her friend but as her right hand man too, how can she trust him with national matters if he might be hiding other murderous secrets? If he lies to his ruler?

She judged him for what she could and tried to just cut him out of her life, but to some degree the worst punishment came from other people. Because of Lyudmila's violent reaction, an avalanche of gossip erupted and some of them were even worse than the actual crime Aleksandr committed, pushing him even further into his solitude and ruining the life of his son as well...

37. What’s their favorite thing about their significant other, if they have one?

You didn't specify which pair this refers to, so we'll just tell about both XD

For Stanislaw he definitely admires Lyudmila's passion and dedication, how she puts everything into ruling the kingdom, caring about her family and basically everything she does without exhausting herself, whereas Lyudmila loves how open he is, both in terms of honesty and a kind of simpleness he still carries in his life.

Michał and Maria are actually quite different from each other, which makes it both easier and more difficult to answer, but Michał admires her bravery, both in the physical sense that Maria isn't a fighter but she isn't a coward and she's ready to protect herself and people she cares about (this is kinda what made him fall in love with her in the first place) and also in the way that she isn't afraid to speak her mind and back her words with actions. What Maria admires in Michał is, surprisingly, his sincerity. At first he appeared to be really pompous (I mean he kinda is) and fake, willing to do everything for attention or his personal gain, but in time she realized that he actually has a very strong sense of justice and even if he can be dramatic he never plays with people's emotions to hurt them and at the end of the day he always strives for honesty and truth.

Thank you for those (unexpected) questions and letting me babble about our beloved Lachians a little more ^^

Ask game

[sca-nerd]

OKAY BUT I WISH I HAD TAKEN VIDEO OF THIS!

So Hidden Mountain does a great job with their children and youth. Like - I am always super impressed with the time and effort they put into activities and boffer and things. I wish I liked other people’s little kids enough to do the things that they do.

Before the tournaments on Saturday, they had youth combat. There were, I think, maybe five or six kids in armor competing (one of ours forgot his cup and the other one I don’t think even brought his armor). One of the combatants was a little girl named Willow. I think Willow is around 6. Willow is now my hero and inspiration.

For those of you who haven’t watched youth combat - you should. It’s so much fun watching THEM have fun, and it really reminds you that what we do is a game and it’s meant to bring you joy. Willow brought a whole lot of people joy.

In one of her matches, when the Marshal called lay on, she proceeded to scream and rush her opponent. It was a battle cry to end all battle cries and should be a ringtone. Watching this tiny, armor clad warrior scream and rush into combat was adorable, hilarious, and empowering. Especially when her opponent back peddled a couple of steps.

And then she died. But this little girl didn’t JUST die. She D.I.E.D. When she lost her fight, she dramatically flung both her shield and sword into the air and collapsed to the ground with an equally impressive death-rattle. I wasn’t sure which she enjoyed more - the fighting or the dramatic demises. Spectators appreciated both.

At one point during the Rapier tournament, one of the fighters looked at his opponent and proceeded to scream in a very Willow-esque way. “What? It was adorable when she did it.” He reasoned.

It was. It really, really was.

[carryonthroughtheages]

Hello everyone!

Another year of Carry On Through The Ages is over and done! We have emotions and exhaustion, but we're so happy that this year had the hype and excitement that it did.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to all of the AMAZING creators who spent the last several months working away at their historical content!

Thank you also to the hard-working mods: @bazzybelle, @giishu, @palimpsessed, and @xivz . This fest would not have been as successful as it has been without you!

We encourage everyone to look under the page break for all the fics and art. They're all fantastic!

Here is the link to the AO3 Collection: Carry On Through The Ages 2021!

Thank you all, and until next year! 🧡🧡🧡

MONDAY:

1) sun on the sea (T) - @trenchcoat-moth : AO3 // Tumblr

Tensions run high in England, and Malcolm decides it's for the best he sends Baz to live with Fiona, where he'll be safer.

That is, until Baz's ship is attacked.

2) The Words I Long To Say (M) - @bazzybelle : AO3 // Tumblr

Simon Snow was dead.

Baz Pitch was sure of it. Simon had gone away seven years ago to fight a war in the jungle and he hadn't come home.

So, when Simon shows up in Baz's club, investigating a string of brutal murders, all Baz wants to do is hold him close and never let him go.

But these aren't the same boys from 1960 and Baz has a lot of processing to do before he's ready to believe in Simon again.

3) we are slaves to gods, whatever gods are (M) - @wellbelesbian : AO3 // Tumblr

I don’t fully understand what plagues him, but I know it’s bad, and I know it goes deeper than guilt. He didn’t want to kill his father, not really, but we were instructed to do so by Apollo. Cleanse the house of its sins, dispose of a murderer to set things right. It was only right that I join him; he was avenging my mother as much as his. Clearly, Apollo didn’t seem to consider that such an act would make Simon a murderer in his father’s place. It seems I got off fine, but as far as Simon is concerned, the vengeful spirits that once spun and danced on the roof of the palace now hunt him down, determined not to stop until he rids the world of himself.

4) World War II Era Art - @stardustasincocaine : Tumblr

TUESDAY:

1) the art of loving you (E) - @one-more-offbeat-anthem : AO3 // Tumblr

1955. London. Young love.

Forbidden love.

A year ago, starving artist Simon Snow met Baz Pitch, son of a wealthy art patron, at a party, and their days (and nights) together have been a wonderful secret.

But Simon is tired of being a secret and knows it's time for things to end.

(Baz has other ideas.)

2) Reliquary of an Arsonist (T) - @tea-brigade : AO3 // Tumblr

Simon Snow grew up a ward of Watford Abbey, but when his magic manifested in an explosive accident as a child, he became the Abbey’s anchorite—never to leave Watford’s walls, for his own protection. That is, until Abbot David sends him on an important errand…

Basilton Pitch paints portraits for his patron, Lord Grimm. But he’s never forgotten the magic he learned from his mother—nor the men who condemned her to death as a heretic. When Simon arrives and offers Baz a commission from Watford Abbey, he sees his chance to avenge his mother once and for all...and he’s willing to burn down everything in his path to that end.

But it was no coincidence that pulled these two unlikely souls together. Something more sinister is underway at Watford Abbey, and only Simon and Baz can uncover the truth before everything goes up in flames.

3) Westward Son (E) - @aristocratic-otter : AO3 // Tumblr

Simon and Baz have found each other again, but there's nowhere in Brooklyn or Virginia where they can safely be together. So now, they venture the hazards and struggles of the Oregon trail, to perhaps find a little homestead in Oregon of their own.

4) A Way Out (T) - @lying-on-the-sofa : AO3

I frown at him..“You don’t know me.”

He offers his hand. “Simon.”

Simon. I feel the name around in my mind and assign it to his face. Simon. I don’t shake his hand. They’ve still got my arms pinned. “Basilton.”

Simon nods at me. “Now we know each other. Let him go.” Very casually, he takes his other hand from behind his back. A sword, flashing. He leans on it and smiles invitingly. “Let him go.”

This time, they listen.

--

Simon Snow has been trained for years to become a tribute—one of the fighters Athens sends every ninth year into the Minotaur’s labyrinth. He wants to know the way out, if only for Penny’s sake. Luckily for him, Prince Basilton of Crete also wants a way out—off the island, where no one will know he’s the half-brother of the Minotaur.

Unluckily for both of them, they don’t exactly form the most agreeable pair.

WEDNESDAY

1) long is the road the leads me home (G) - @wellbelesbian : AO3 (Version 1) (Version 2) // Tumblr

Baz has a rather unremarkable life, and he's fine with that. Running his late mother's beloved inn with his temperamental aunt, estranged from his father and step-siblings, he's successfully convinced himself that he's better off without attachments.

Then Simon barrels into his life, guns blazing and rapier drawn, and Baz is swept up in dramatic plot he never bargained for.

Worse still, he finds he quite likes the thrill.

2) New Romantics (T) - @ninemagicks : AO3 // Tumblr

Basilton Pitch, twenty-two years old and a famed poet of the Romantic era, has fled to the countryside. In Mummers House, the fabled haunt of literary greats, he sulks himself into oblivion and awaits a sad, disappointing end to his brief years of brilliance. The cause of his downfall? None other than Simon Snow, the so-called “bad boy of English poetry”, breaker of rules and eternal thorn in his side. Baz hopes that Mummers House might mean an escape from London, from Snow and his increasingly virulent popularity... but the rain that comes has other ideas.

3) thnétos (T) - @snowybank : AO3 // Tumblr

thnétos: subject to death, mortal

a retelling of Apollo and Hyacinthus

4) A Medieval AU art piece - @thewriterxj : Tumblr

THURSDAY

1) From Eden (E) - @orange-peony : AO3 // Tumblr

I wonder if his skin is warm or cold to the touch. I tell myself it’s simple curiosity, that I’m an artist and capturing things on paper or canvas is my way to make sense of the world. That drawing him feels so natural, so I should just follow my instincts. Ebb used to say it all the time. Follow your heart. It knows where you’re supposed to go.

I wish I could. I wish I had enough money and freedom to just draw what I want. To paint him in his unattainable beauty. To draw him the way I want to. Naked and vulnerable, raw. Without frills and expensive suits.

Just Baz on paper, my fingers tracing his delicate and beautiful lines with simple charcoal.

2) Slings and Eros (M) - @palimpsessed : AO3 // Tumblr

Young god of love Simonides is tasked by his father, the god of war, to bring about the ruin of a mortal prince to punish his blasphemy. However, once Simonides sees his intended victim, he begins to have misgivings. Prince Tyrannus might have offended the gods with his very existence, but all Simonides can see is how beautiful and lonely he is.

Or, a very loose interpretation of the Eros and Psyche myth.

3) I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire (M) - @knitbelove : AO3 // Tumblr

September 1940: Going back to Watford feels different this year, and not just because England is at the brink of war with Germany and Italy. Penelope seems unsettled by everything, and Agatha is distant, and Baz is … simply not here.

What if Carry On but during the Blitz?? Yeah.

4) A Fool's Oath (M) - @thewriterxj : AO3 // Tumblr

A simple soldier is invited to join the ranks of the royal guard. He and his appointed mage arrive at the royal city to find themselves at the mercy of an unmerciful court. As he struggles to find his place in this foreign environment, he also finds himself entranced by music that only he seems to hear that floats out about the city. He makes an oath to wed whoever makes such beautiful music.

Too bad that person is the crown prince.

FRIDAY

1) Stranger Tides (T) - @tea-brigade & @xivz : AO3 // Tumblr

“If some god shall wreck me in the wine-dark deep, even so I will endure…” Captain Simon Snow of the Chosen One is many things—cunning, handsome, ruthless. Greedy. It’s no surprise that Snow finds a way to piss off the God of the Sea, he always manages to get himself into some type of trouble. This time, however, he’s not the only one who will suffer the consequences. Poseidon promises to not stop his pursuit until Snow and all of his men are dead.

Enter Basilton Pitch—rich, beautiful, mysterious. Suspicious. He offers the crew of the Chosen One a hefty sum to take him back to Europe from the Caribbean. And who is Captain Snow to refuse so much coin? After all, Greek gods aren’t real.

Right?

2) The wayward heir [comic] (M) - @letraspal : AO3 // Tumblr

Like a folk song, our love will be passed on. Simon Snow wants to be an artist. He used to live in Fiesole where he worked in the wool shop of his good friend Ebeneza Petty. He has now chosen to return to his native Florence in order to participate in an art contest hosted by the Pitch family, the most important bankers in all the three continents and Simon’s last chance for an art patronage. No matter how much he hates them.

But being back in Florence also brings back the memories Simon wanted to leave behind : his days as an orphan, the mystery about his mother, and once more being under the inquisitive eyes of his godfather, the new archbishop Davy. The archbishop is very same man who would never forgive him for dropping out the priesthood and ruining his secret plans against the Pitches.

The last thing Simon needed was an unbearably handsome jerk getting him into trouble on his very first day in Florence. How can focus when this man is the most annoying person he has ever met and yet his major source of inspiration.

3) Prohibition Blues (T) - @heyyyandrea : AO3

Simon Snow is a baker and aspiring playwright in Prohibition Era New York City. When he meets a handsome man at Shepherd's speakeasy who is interested in his work, he can't help but think it feels too good to be true.

4) Earth Below & Sky Above (M) - @phoxphyre : AO3 // Tumblr

In the depth of the palace of King Minos of Crete lurks a creature known as the Minotaur.

Baz, prince of Athens and chosen of the god Poseidon, has heard the stories. And now he’s volunteered to come to Crete as one of the annual tributes—to dance with the king’s bulls and fulfill his destiny. He just wants to survive the bulls, protect his people, and go home.

But what if the Minotaur isn’t a monster—but just a boy? And what if instead of slaying him, Baz fell in love with him?

A Carry On retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, set in Bronze Age Crete.

5) A 1980s AU Art piece by @stardustasincocaine : Tumblr // Instagram (Slightly NSFW)

[tommysparker]

Never Forget You [Chapter 3]

Obi-Wan Kenobi x Jedi!Reader

A/N: hey y’all! thank you for your patience with this chapter. enjoy!! :) [also totally didn’t have this in my drafts then forget to post earlier pfftttt whaaaatt?]

Warnings: angst with a tiny amount of fluff. anakin finally makes his debut in this series. it gets better just stay with me. long italic paragraphs = flashbacks

Anakin Skywalker had witnessed many things over the years. 

Giant beasts? At least once a week. Sith Lords? Becoming too common. Droid armies? All year long. Looking death in the eye? Simply another day in the life of a Jedi. 

Nothing could ever have prepared him for the sight he was currently witnessing. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi, his Master, The Negotiator, the Jedi Council’s most prized Jedi…sulking.

It has been a full week since You returned to the Jedi Temple and Anakin couldn’t help to think his former Master’s mood and your arrival were connected. He was vaguely aware of your past friendship, only hearing bits and pieces of the adventures you had together as Padawans. 

During his days under Obi-Wan’s apprenticeship he would often hear about how “a wise Jedi I once knew” would do certain things. He wanted to know more about this oh-so-great Jedi, however, any time the young boy asked his Master would always brush him off with a mournful look in his eyes.  

He didn’t understand at the time but now he’s beginning to piece together that perhaps there was something more between the two of you. 

“You think Master Y/l/n and Master Kenobi were courting?” 

“Keep your voice down, Snips,” Anakin hushed.

“Sorry, sorry. But Master,” Ahsoka lowers her voice, “what led you to that conclusion? I’ve hardly seen them together since Master Y/l/n came back. What makes you think they could be lovers?” 

“That’s just it, Ahoska. They’ve been avoiding each other like the Rakghoul plague. Obi-Wan told me they were such good friends, and now that they’re back they can’t stand to be in the same room as each other? I don’t buy it.” Anakin looked back to where Obi-Wan sat with Commander Cody, no doubt brainstorming new battle tactics and liberation plans. 

“So what do you suppose we do? Set them up or something?” The look her Master gave her made her regret her words the moment they left her mouth. 

“Come on, Snips. It’s a good idea. We get them to stay in the same room so they have no choice but to confront each other and talk things out! It’s genius.” Anakin smiled, his eyes still on his former Master. He had a feeling if Obi-Wan were to find out about this plan he would be in for a major lecture but he couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment. He couldn’t stand to see the old man look so miserable, not if he can do anything about it. 

Ahsoka crossed her arms and followed her Master’s gaze. Something was clearly different about her Grand-Master. He had put his full attention into ending the war, which wasn’t new. However, she could tell something was off. He no longer came out to the landing zone to greet returning fighters, stayed away from the meditation and training centers as well as the Jedi Archives which was the most off-putting observation considering that was where he spent most of his time.

Anytime someone needed to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, the first place they would check was the ancient history section of the Jedi Archives. 

“I don’t know why you find so much interest in these old books Y/n/n,” Obi-Wan complained from across the table. “Can’t we go practice our lightsaber skills instead?” 

You smiled. “Nuh uh, mister. If I won the wager you promised to sit with me during my reading time. Now shush, and read.” You pushed the unopened textbook toward the pouting Padawan. “Maybe you’ll actually learn something.” 

Obi-Wan stuck his tongue out in a childish manner, sighing dramatically when you gave him a certain look and reluctantly opened the cover and began to read Tales of The Old Republic. 

Safe to say from that point onward, Obi-Wan would join your daily Archive visits with zero complaints. 

You close the book, careful to make sure no pages fell out and gently push it back into its place on the shelf. Using the force, you carefully push the ladder you were currently standing on over to the next column and begin nitpicking through the array of old texts. 

It took a few days for you to settle in and readjust to the Jedi Temple life. Once you had, however, things quickly took a turn. 

Master Yoda requested that you help train some of the younglings who were having trouble advancing into the next stages of becoming a Jedi. In all honesty, you much rather have had the freedom to roam for at least one more week, but the new role presented an excuse to not be around a certain blue-eyed Jedi. 

“Looking for something?” 

The voice startled you, causing you to jump and lose your balance on the ladder. You yelp as you begin to fall towards the ground, bracing yourself for the hash impact and the bruises that would add to the collection on your side still currently healing.  

Instead, you feel a pair of arms catch you, one under your back and the other behind your knees in a classic bridal style. The hold felt secure instantly, and you instinctively clung to the tunic of your savior. You look up to thank the person for preventing any injuries, but the blue eyes staring back at you made your mind go blank. 

Obi-Wan stared back, unsure of what to say. This was the closest he has been to you since you left a decade ago. He longed to have you in his arms, to hug you, to regain that safety net you provided he knew he could always fall back on.

“Um...thank you, General.” It came out as more of a question, your mind still reeling from almost falling and also the fact that the man who you had been actively avoiding just happened to be in the same place you spent hours of your youth together. 

“Obi-Wan, please. No need for formalities, darling.” The old nickname slipped out, and he was about to apologize when he noticed the light blush that spread across your face. Perhaps not everything about you has changed. 

“Right...Obi-Wan. Well, I’ll be on my way then,” You rushed, trying to pass by him but he stopped you once again by the call of your name. 

“Y/n/n’s wait. Whatever game you’re playing, frankly I am not a fan of it.” Obi-Wan crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. 

“What are you talking about?” You turned around and looked at him confused. 

“You were the one who summoned me here,” he stretched his arms out, “here I am and now you’re trying to run away again. I hardly think that’s fair.” He was beginning to get frustrated. He came in with his heart on his sleeve, ready to finally talk to you after so long and find out why you’ve been keeping your distance. Now, all he felt was betrayal and irritation at the ongoing dance you insist on doing around each other. 

He preferred to dance like you did in your youth, but alas this was nothing but another sign he needs to get mind out of the past.  

You scoffed lightly. “Again? What is that supposed to mean exactly?” You knew exactly what he meant, but you didn’t want to admit it. You’ve been denying it for ten years and Force be damned if you’d admit it now. 

“You’ve been avoiding me since your return--” You open your mouth to protest but he ignores you and continues “--and then you send the youngling to bring me here, only to try to flee upon my arrival,” He frowns, lifting his elbow and resting it on his remaining crossed arm. “I know our history can make things...difficult in the present time,” He glanced around cautiously as he spoke,”but I would appreciate it if we make an agreement simply to not speak from now on. No more games.” 

You blinked, head tilting slightly as you waited for him to finish. “Obi-Wan, I didn’t ask for you to come here. Nor would I ever involve younglings in personal matters.” He should know that, you thought. But should he really? 

His face fell from annoyance to embarrassment, his arms falling to his sides. “Oh.” He wasn’t sure what to do now. It was his own fault for getting his hopes up. I should have known better. 

You purse your lips and nodded slowly. “Well, I’m glad we at least came to an agreement. Goodbye, General Kenobi.” You took your leave, forcing yourself not to look back as you felt his eyes watching your figure. 

Obi-Wan let out a frustrated sigh, knowing he just ruined any and all changes of reconnecting with you. In his defense, however, you were the one avoiding his attempts at friendly conversation and refusing to meet and make up for lost time.  

Still, something didn’t feel right about this. 

“What the kriff was that?” 

Ah, there’s that something. “Anakin, please tell me this was not your doing.” 

Anakin smiled guilty, Ahsoka coming out from behind the bookshelf to stand next to her Master. 

“It was Snips' idea.” Anakin shrugged, flinching when he felt her punch his arm. “Ow!”

“You were the one who came up with the plan, and now look! Master Y/l/n and Master Kenobi will never get together--” Ahoska stops herself, realizing she said too much. “Oh no.” 

“I beg your pardon?” Obi-Wan looks at them both incredulously. “First of all, Master Y/l/n and I are simply…” he wanted to say friends, but even that was a reach at this point, “acquaintances. We knew each other in the past, and in the past our friendship shall stay. As for ‘getting together’, you both know very well any implication of that goes directly against the Jedi Code.” He crossed his arms tightly as he scolded. 

“I can tell you harbour feelings for them, Obi-Wan. You don’t need to lie to us.” 

“Whatever feelings I may or may not have for Y/n are unrelated. You must understand your responsibilities as a Jedi. No matter what emotional sacrifice we must make.” He made a point to look at Anakin at the end, knowing he won’t follow the implication but at least hoping he’ll get the message.     

“We’re sorry, Master.” Ahsoka looked down in shame not at what they had tried to achieve, but at the cost and clear damage they caused. 

Obi-Wan sighed, running a hand over his beard before resting it on her shoulder. “It’s alright young one. You meant no harm. Perhaps some things are better left forgotten.” 

Oh, if only it were that simple. 

A Padawan approached the three of them quickly. “Excuse me, Master Yoda sent me to tell you he and Master Y/l/n are waiting for you all in the council room.” 

Of course, these things never are. 

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heres a box to put your heart pieces in  -> []  :) 

Taglist: @queenariesofnarnia @dwarfplanet69 @katsukink @blondekel77 @generousrunawaydonut @fandomtrashwhore @fortheloveofaqueenfan @mrskenobi19 @mellowstatesmanhandsempath @hotleaf-juice @emiijemii @neji85 @doctor-warthrop @ayamenimthiriel @lizzy-95 @lovelylostminds 

[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High: The Seven Ep 6

Bitches Be Shopping

What is up y’all. A little late but let’s jump in with episode six of The Seven where our girls have just received a LOT of information, Sam most of all who got put into a little vision coma that she’s just now waking up from.

She explains the vision to her friends (as she interprets it, the other Eidolons didn’t die, just became part of the natural forces of the world) and then the bear that Penny made on a whim last episode (who is Russian, named Koda, and somehow a trained circus bear) gets into a fight with Katja with their friends buffing the two to make things more interesting because these are still idiot teens, life or death situation or no. Yelle decides to be the adult and tells them to knock it off and get back on mission.

That means Katja needs to call her dad since he’s knows the guy who’s the best lead to getting to TK ( Talcidimir Tallbreeze who I’ll call Tal). She actually manages to get her dad this time who is inside a giant snake on his hell mission. Katja asks what he knows about TK and he says she’s a sorcerer but also has a spell book so maybe she’s multiclassed. Sam and Ant desperately want to know if they boned and Katja absolutely is not interested in that knowledge. Yelle decides to just ask which makes her dad a little annoyed since he’s kind of in the middle of something (literally) and that annoys Ant, Ost, and Sam who--respectively, accuse him of gaslighting Kat, cast Command on him, and cast Bane on him to aid the Command spell. 

Mr. Cleaver fails the save and Ost commands him to tell Katja the truth. He admits that he did hook up with TK and he regrets it (note: it wasn’t like he cheated. It was just a casual hookup that wasn’t fulfilling it seems). Ost demands he apologize for not being there for Kat and Sam berates him for being at the top of the world and not lifting up his daughter too. For his part, Kat’s dad seems genuinely apologetic and promises to do better. 

“You don’t need to be the best father, you just need to be there,” Katja says, making her dad break down crying. 

Yelle, who has no daddy issues, is a bit less aggro and says that everyone makes mistakes and he can start making it up right now by helping with the Tal situation. She also gives them the tip that a cold spell will probably get them out of the snake lickety split.  She is on the money with the snake tip and Mr. Cleaver gets them all invites to a masquerade ball Tal is hosting. It’s being held on the Rumbosa which is this city-sized leisure ship. Mr. Cleaver says he’ll be back as soon as he can and, in the meantime, she should take care of her friends, “even the first 2 that were terrifying to me.”

The girls give Katja the axe they took as a birthday present (it was apparently her birthday the day before which Rekha just decided and Ost/Izzy refuses to accept without a fight because she *knows* Kat’s bday) which is identified as the Axe of Sundering (it can shatter objects, people, and sometimes concepts like halving movement). The two unnamed potions Yelle found are also ID’d as a Potion of Fly and a Potion of Gaseous Form. She distributes the Heath Potions to people without heals. Ant’s new arrows bypass some resistances and let her treat whatever she hits with the first one like it’s her favored enemy. 

According to their invites, the ship they need is docking in the city of Gravalvia soon (a very old city in the Baronies) so they need to figure out a plan. They have some downtime, during which:

Zelda tries to hype up the team.

Zelda tries to see if Ost is OK wrt dad stuff and Ost has a Full Breakdown after badly pretending she’s fine. 

While Zelda, Ost, and Penny are being Emotional and Sam is trying to literally cool them down with her powers, Ant and Yelle keep watch and experience emotional stability as the Adults Of The Party 

Anyway, after a night of rest, they head to the golden city of Gravalvia which is this very cool, very pretty city with mosaics and fountains and I assume columns. They get there and there’s a dramatic fight happening in the square which is halted when one of the fighters realizes that the country he’s fighting for doesn’t exist anymore. And now, it’s time for what we’ve all been waiting for. Shopping Montage! Let’s go girl by girl.

Katja and Ost

Kat asks for help from Ost with getting fancy for this gala since she’s never really done anything dressy before (and she had no mom to help--Kaaaat) and Ost is happy to oblige, dressing them both like “Jersey trash”. Kat, of course, still wears her Khakis underneath.

Antiope

Ant decides to get a vibe for what people here wear and picks something that will blend in but be forgettable so she can be stealthy. Classy blue dress and mask.

Penny

Penny...OK, I absolutely cannot describe what happens here in any way that will do justice to the scene. I am going to tell you what matters to the plot. You have to watch this yourself if you want to see the entire table have a collective breakdown. 

While looking for a costume, Penny runs into a halfling who is a member of the Society of Shadows--Laertes. He wants to know why she hasn’t responded to their invitation yet. She says she’s really eager to join, she just wasn’t sure how to respond (and also, she’s kind of in the middle of something). He says she can join by just messaging back and then her loved ones just have to sign waivers to have their memories wiped of her and she’s good to go. Say what now? asks Penny. She didn’t realize this was like a full Men in Black situation. 

He says it’s ultimately her decision and leaves.

Of course, I left out the parts where he ate a handful of Candy Heart’s remains, became violently ill, almost projectile vomited into Penny’s mouth, and she tried to kiss him despite him being a full adult. It’s A Lot, ok?

Also, we don’t find out until later but Penny picks a sexy duck costume for reasons that make more sense if you watch the scene but not *much* more sense. She also burns one of the healing potions on this dude as he is bar

Danielle

Danielle tries to get some info on the guests at the party and gets the names Lawrence LaDuc, Princess Autumn, and Duston who is the playboy cousin of Tal. She also hears some dude saying some colonize and plunder the earth BS and casts Heat Metal on him, fully mercing the dude. Ice cold. 

She tries to play it off like it’s the Curse of the Forest and when that doesn’t work and people start coming for her, she wildshapes into a dragon wyrmling and starts roasting people, killing 1 and dropping 2 to zero. 

Unfortunately, one of her party members is a known dragon hater and uses her new arrows to snipe her right out of the sky. Ant is horrified once she realizes what she’s done but Yelle says it’s all good. It’s NOT all good, says Ant, I STABBED YOU. You’re allowed to be mad! Yelle says she’s just really good at compartmentalizing but what Ant’s getting here is that Yelle doesn’t really believe that her feelings matter which echo the fears of her moms. 

Sam

Sam uses a combination of Mantle of Inspiration, glamour magic, performance, and good old flirting to get herself some killer clothes and also start a spontaneous musical number Giselle style.  

Brennan says she looks resplendent and, honestly, when does she not?

They reconvene, Zelda in a classic hoop skirt. Yelle realizes she never got a costume and just whips out a Met Gala level, autumn themed, Queen Mab-esque costume with Druidcraft which she could have done this whole time so I guess that’s why she was cool spending her shopping time getting gossip and playing Poison Ivy. 

They get to the ship and the way this works, everyone has to make an entrance and the really rich people (including Tal) are on a dais up top watching everyone come in. They all have to give fake names for the night since it’s a masquerade and they have to do Performance or Persuasion checks to see how impressive they look going in. 

Before they go in, they plan a little. Penny wants to look for TK. Sam wants to find Dunston. Ost wants to talk to the bouncers. Yelle wants to see if there are plants she can manipulate (there are btw) and for any exits. 

A quick rundown of how these all go:

Katja aka Mere (which means both mom and horse): 16 

Ant aka Midnight Huntress: 18 

Penny aka Penny Duckstone: 13

Zelda aka Madame Goodparty: 2 (Poor Zelda)

Sam aka Songbird: 22 (but she takes a hit to entrance save Zelda from totally flaming out)

Ost aka Stanley Gucci: 13

And Danielle, who never hogs the spotlight and is embarrassed to admit that maybe she does want to be the center of attention for once in her life with a Natural 20, gets a 29, absolutely bringing down the house as Empress Anima. As she walks forward she feels a voice say to her, “You got this. I love the name. You wear it well.”

Tal seems very impressed by her and a lady in a rabbit mask (Coeliabranca who I’ll call Coel if she comes up more) comes down to bring her up to the top with the high rollers. As she leaves, Sam casts Fly on her, just in case and holds the Concentration. 

Ost and Kat go talk to the bouncers and Kat decides to pretend to be her mom to get access to the area Yelle is. She rolls low and is told, “Hey, aren’t you already up there?” Kat is like, fuck and Ost saves her by using her charm earrings to get an entourage of guards who will let them through and do what she says. Once up there, Kat doesn’t see her mom which I can imagine she has mixed feelings about. 

Sam finds Dunston who is talking about Fantasy Bitcoin and seems like a real “Step on me mommy” type you know? Like, I feel like he’s into findom. Anyway, Sam charms him and his hangers on and learns about a procedure called a Phlebectomy that involves something going into their nose and then they feel better. Sam is rightfully horrified because, as I said, she is Most Likely To Survive A Horror Movie and can sense BS when she sees is. It’s apparently all the rage with the rich people here which is, como de dice, concerning seeing as they’re surrounded by them but we’ll get to that. Sam takes advantage of Dunston’s proclivities and gets him alone, knocks him out, steals him clothes, and pretends to be him (a *very* good scene by Sephie). 

Penny sees a gnome gnome boy (Lysander Higgins) shining shoes and finds out from him that there is a copper earth genasi woman here. In a very Cinderella move, she asks what shoes she was wearing. Then, she makes out with him which like, sure. At least it’s not a grown adult man this time. Before she gets her kisses in, she does tell the group what she learned. 

Up with the rich people, Yelle is introduced to Tal’s friend who is into Eidolons because of the name she chose. Between the shoes and her knowledge, they confirm that it’s TK! Yelle asks what she knows about Eidolons and she says that 7 is a very powerful number.

We cut to Ant who is patrolling the room as the sun sets and she suddenly hears a little beeping. It’s coming from a small crystal that was in Preston’s shirt (which she still has on her because???). Guests start dripping goo from their noses and transforming into monsters. Ant realizes that some kind of spell is happening triggered by midnight and this beeping. Hope these costumes are battle ready cause it’s fight time baybee!

Superlatives 

Danielle: Most Likely to Be on The News for Murdering Fantasy Jeff Bezos

I cannot imagine what was running through Yelle’s head when she decided that, having just rolled into a foreign country, her next move was to start using lethal force on anti-environmentalist colonizing capitalists. Like, she’s not *wrong* per se but she is wild--in all senses of the word.  

Random Thoughts

Kat keeps saying yesterday was her birthday which Ost/Izzy (and the rest of the group to a less vocal degree) are simply not having because maybe her dad would forget her birthday but her girls absolutely would not.

“You’re great because you stayed,” is the other killshot Kat line to her dad.

At a certain point Sam says, “This is so unhealthy,” to I think Yelle and like, if SAM is telling you your coping mechanisms are unhealthy, get thee to therapy.

OK, so someone, presumably Anima’s spirit, talks to Yelle as she makes her grand entrance which seems like info they should get to Talura ASAP, right? Cause that’s evidence they’re not dead-dead, just changed in form. But also Anima, girl. Don’t talk to Yelle. Talk to your rampaging sister!

"That's my secret, I stay in initiative."

Just a process note, notes are taken for the next ep and I am working on getting that recap up ASAP. As a battle ep, it will be in the abbreviated style that I did for last battle ep. 

In this episode, Penny rolls a Nat 1 (which she rerolls) and one of Brennan’s NPCs rolls a Nat 1. Ant rolls 2 Nat 20s, Yelle rolls 1, and Brennan says that one of his NPCs gets a 20 which sweeps him entirely into Sam’s dance number. 

[cocobittiebites]

Hello!! This is my 2nd ask.. I just wanted a Scenario when Hisoka is being Saved by a extremely Powerful Woman who has a very cold Appearance... This Woman saved him during the fight of Chrollo.. Sorry for my Second Ask.. I'm just really loved him.. By the way I'm very satisfied on your blogs😊😊😊😊😘😘😘😘❤️❤️❤️❤️

TELL ME WHY I FORGOT I WROTE THIS A COUPLE DAYS AGO???? LIKE FR THIS WAS DONE ON THURSDAY- talk about forgetfulness 🧍🏻‍♀️

Some things that I added cuz creative liberty and all that jazz: y/n is apart of the main four (well it’s five now on my blog ig), I just love found family ok. Also it gives her depth and a decent reason how she knows Hisoka. Her nen ability was based off of my favorite six of crows character, Nina Zenik (who i also probably based her personality off of)

Also fair warning I can barley understand Nen and how is works whenever it’s explained so yeah here is me bullsh*ting it 🧍🏻‍♀️ I tried for y’all though...

Hisoka x fem!reader

TW: Hisoka being Hisoka, mentions of blood and gore (not that much but still), really this is pretty tame compaired to a lot of things on this app, y/n has strong opinions

Why did she have to get tangled up with this clown yet again? No amount of money is worth dealing with this.

At least she had the intuition to view the fight from her room at Heaven’s arena. From the looks of this the two fighters completely disregarded the sanctity of common courtesy as they brought the audience in their petty quarrel. 

Men and their egos.

The hypocrisy of the situation never ceased to amaze her.

He’s mad that Hisoka sold out the troupe and had a hand in the death of their members? Really? After they probably done far worse? 

She watched up on the screen as the audience members began flying towards the aforementioned clown, internally jerking back as Hisoka’s arm was completely severed.

Just like his fight with Kastro.

But it wasn’t like his fight against Kastro. This was a fight against the leader of the Phantom Troupe and this Chrollo guy….he was no joke. At least in his fight against Kastro it was like a game in his favor. Here though, he was the prey and this Chrollo guy seems vengeful. 

As she focuses on the magician, the situation seemed to hit Hisoka.

It was all incredibly dramatic.

And incredibly stupid.

A huge explosion erupted. Bodies piled up. Chrollo’s the last man standing. 

Hisoka is dead.

Hisoka is dead.

Hisoka is dead.

The words chant in her head like a sour requiem. A feeling of dread washes over her psyche. A wave, a panic arises. Her body moves involuntarily and she runs out the door towards the arena. Once she’s there she stills and takes a breath.

Stop being dramatic….This situation is exactly why he asked you to be here.

As a manipulator she could control a person’s hearts. If she was ever caught in a fight she could practically stop an opponent and give them an artificial cardiac arrest, not that she couldn’t fight her way out without her ability. With this ability she was also able to slow someone's heart rate, either calming them or putting them to sleep. The downside of it was that she had to be within a fifteen foot radius of whoever she’s using it on and there needs to have been a point of contact with the other person within an hour's time frame. 

Aura is all around the body you see, and the core of it is the heart. If it was any other organ, like the brain for example, without a modifier like needles, her nen ability would not be possible. Call it her individuality complex, but something about modifiers made her equate it to people like Illumi Zoldyck. It left a bad taste in her mouth. 

There also was a chance that if she overexerted herself, say stopping more than 3 peoples hearts at a time, she could overwork her heart rate and die. Then again, there are downsides to everything. 

Really it was an ability she was particularly proud of. Well she did develop her nen faster than the others. When she showed Gon and Killua her ability they started bombarding her with endless questions. Though there wasn’t a name for it yet. Leorio and his ever present doctor knowledge just kept spewing out heart-related medical terms.

Cardiac is a good name though. 

God. She really missed her friends.

At least you get to see Kurapika when this is all over.

Back to the matter at hand. Hisoka is dead and before he died he asked her to restart his heart to bring him back to life. After much harassment from him against her and her friends, she was bound to say no, however fifty-million jenny is fifty million jenny. A bag is a bag, could you blame her?

Schooling her face she enters the ‘arena’, if you could call it that. The place was completely decimated. The ceiling was ready to crumble completely. Dead bodies littered the entire room. The iron smell of blood wafed up her nose, cringing internally.  In the middle lies Hisoka, face mauled, a missing nose, and several severed limbs. 

Geez, it's like he wants to make her job difficult. 

Peering over to the entrance on the other side she spots a certain pink-haired spider. Machi stands above Hisoka as she uses her nen stitches to put his limbs back together. 

Oh so this is his plan.

She takes no precaution in disguising herself through Zetsu, as she pulls her face into a stony exterior. It works as the pink-haired woman senses her presence and turns up in arms towards her. 

“You” Machi spits out.

“Me” she says mockingly.

“What are you doing here.”

Pointing to the man himself, “The clown wanted me to restart his heart,” sauntering over to where Hisoka’s body laid there, “a fail-safe, if you will.” 

Machi rolls her eyes, “I thought a goodie-goodie like you wouldn’t help a guy like him?”

Shrugging her shoulders she walks up to the spider and brushes Machi’s hair behind her ears, “Fifty-million jenny is fifty million jenny.”

Machi doesn’t say anything. Paying no mind the girl kneels down to the magenta magician. His face, once handsome, now bashed and torn up. She wouldn’t admit it to him but she felt a small pang in her heart at the sight of him. 

You shouldn’t feel bad. He’s the cause of his own ruination. 

Placing both hands on his chest she feels for signs of where his heart is. Once finding it she focuses her aura into her hands and into his heart. Raising her connected hands once she pushes down roughly, in turn restarting his heart. Hopefully he still had some blood flow still lingering in the brain. 

It took a minute but after a while of pumping his heart herself she felt his breath even, indicating that he would be fine on his own for now. In a moment of relief she watched his eyes flutter open. 

His eyes focused, slightly dazed and disoriented, but surprised that he is seeing at all. Still he sees her towering over him, as icy as fresh fallen snow. Her expression is blank, devoid of any hatred or fondness. Still she’s ethereal like this. Light shrouded her like a halo, as if she was an angel of death. For a moment he thought he had died and entered a Heaven he did not deserve. 

What a welcome sight <3, he thought.

Machi looked at the pair stunned. So that’s what her nen ability is. Chrollo isn’t going to be happy about this. Slipping past the pair, she left the room to tell her boss about this new development. 

“What a coincidence Y/N, I didn’t know you cared about me this much,” his signature smirk marring his face. She watches as he fills his gapping nose with bungee gum and covers it with his texture surprise. 

Vain as usual.

She scowls at him, “I care about your wallet,” saying it as coldly as possible. 

“Ouch that hurts~” 

“You literally just died.” 

“So now your concerned, hmm~” 

Rolling her eyes she asked, “Well, I hope you learned something from this experience.” Raising her hand she checks his pulse, “What are you going to do about Chrollo and his gaggle of arachne?” 

“This was a sort of wake up call so to say~,” he sits up moving closer to her face, eyes darting towards her petaled lips. He reaches over to caress her face, but she swats his hand and glares, “From now on I won’t give my opponents a choice when and where we fight, it makes things more...interesting.” The magician reveals at the thought. 

Oh how magnificent our fight will be, Y/N

“As for the troupe, I plan on hunting them down,” he moves closer to her ear and then whispers, like a promise between two lovers, “one. by. one.” 

Leaning back to see her cold exterior crumble was a sight to see. Her eyes, wide and shocked, looked like a doe in headlights. Her mouth, deliciously agape, felt tempting to touch. There he was, powerful and sadistic Hisoka, toying with whether he should worship the woman in front of him or break her. 

Decision, decisions. 

“Either way I’m going to need someone to rip their hearts out with.” 

Oh~, this is where the fun begins <3

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | The Street Fighter (Ozawa, 1974)

After the death of Bruce Lee, there was an attempt to market Sonny Chiba as his successor, yet comparing Lee's work to The Street Fighter and its sequels, their presences couldn't be more different. Lee's characters carried themselves with a certain dignity and swagger. Chiba's protagonist is brusque at the best of times, animalistic when he goes to work. Lee as a fighter was graceful, measured. Chiba, as the American poster for The Street Fighter suggests, fights dirty. When you see Lee in the climaxes of Enter the Dragon and The Way of the Dragon, you can see how storytelling, mise en scene, philosophy and choreography come together. Chiba in combat is a man possessed, an instrument of violence. If Klaus Kinski could do karate, one expects it would look like this. Both of their films have their share of blood, but Chiba relishes any opportunity for additional brutality.

And I think that gets to the fundamental difference between the characters they played. Lee's heroes are just that: heroes. There's a reason he's been an aspirational figure for decades. In these movies, Chiba's character is at best morally compromised and at times capable of evil. When The Street Fighter opens, Chiba rescues a death row inmate from execution. But after the inmate's brother and sister are unable to pay up, Chiba gets in a fight that leads to the brother's gruesome death (Chiba's culpability is questionable as the brother accidentally leaps out the window) and then sells the sister into sexual slavery (Chiba's culpability is undeniable in this case). This is supposed to be our hero? But as the movie progresses, we learn that Chiba himself was once the victim of great cruelty, his father having killed by Japanese occupying forces in China after being suspected of espionage. The movie brings this up not to excuse him but to frame him as an arguably tragic figure. He metes out cruelty because it is all he knows.

All of this creates a certain amount of poignancy in his efforts to do noble deeds, which frequently end in tragedy, although a certain patronizing quality does emerge in Chiba's treatment of the female characters. The second movie, The Return of the Street Fighter, has him warm up to a denim-clad orphan whom he tries to keep at an arm's length, while the last movie, The Street Fighter's Last Revenge, has him pushing away an interested suitor, telling her "You're not the girl for Dracula." (He then puts on a mask with fangs, and at several other points dramatically removes his mask Mission: Impossible style.) He also turns down a request to take another mercenary played by Etsuko Shihomi under his wing, with this amusing but also offensive exchange.

"You fight well for a woman." "So what if I'm a woman? I'm Huo Fong, a fire bird from Taiwan. A lone wolf killer like you." "I don't care if you're a fire bird or a grilled chicken." "What?" "You're ten years too early to fight against me. Put on your makeup and start husband hunting. You're not too bad actually."

Shihomi also played the woman who was sold into sexual slavery in the first movie, and no, this isn't the same character. Shihomi and Chiba reunite in Sister Street Fighter, and while I don't recall their character names, I'd wager they played different ones there too, because if they were the same, Shihomi's character would have had a superhuman ability to turn the other cheek.

I think a political dimension can be read into the movies as well. The first movie has Chiba face off against an international crime syndicate, the second one brings in a sort of non-aligned movement of karate clubs in different countries, and the third has a political corruption plot. How coherent this is in terms of a left-right spectrum I cannot say, but it evoke a certain disaffection that might have been felt in Japan at that time. In that context, Chiba's perverse professional code comes into focus. If you pay him, he will do the job, no matter how dirty. If you try to rip him off, watch out!

But ultimately these movies are an excuse to watch Chiba fuck people's shit up, and in that sense, they're quite diverting. These are '70s Toei productions and as a result feature some very handsome widescreen cinematography, which makes the violence more startling. Chiba throws his opponents against the cramped edges of the frame in the rough and tumble fight scenes, which are punctuated with bursts of ultraviolence (an x-ray shot of a crushed skull, eyes popped out by a punch to the back of the head, other assorted Fulcian eye trauma, castration, ripped throats and more). In that sense, the first film is the best as it metes out the gore with the most frequency and gusto. (It was famously slapped with an X rating for violence alone.) The climax, drenched in rain for added dramatic flair, has Chiba tearing out his opponent's throat and holding it up to the camera in a flourish that imitates 3-D. Folks, this is what we go to the movies for.

[angelfireeast]

Dc Stargirl 2x13

s2 final showing all the other superhero shows THIS HOW YOU DO IT! This show tell a tight story, powerful villian, lots of characters, high stakes, don't undercut anyone, power of love/light, cool fight scenes, great characters, and fantastic final episode👏👏👏

Let the final battle of s2 begun:

Not Beth's parents being trapped by Eclipso 😱 their greatest fears and darkness is their daughter saying she hates them.

Not everyone falling for illusion Eclipso created

Rick has no super strenght I'm worried

Grundy is dead! Damn!

Cindy and Courtney fighting together was epic😆

Okay let one Dr Midnight stay with the hurt people and let the other go out to tell fighters what is real. Come on there is two of them!

Mike finally got to drive S.T.R.I.P.E and he was doing a good job. Not S.T.R.I.P.E shaking his ass😂

The Shade is back and in full sass! I simply love him and love his swagger.

Poor Chuck was like "but I was griving you" and Shade was too busy enjoying the drama of it all😂 Shade faked his death to be dramatic ho. Loving it!

Double dose of Dr. Midnight😭👏😭

Chuck took the time to tell Beth's parents they should be proud😭😭😭 He's a good dude and everything Beth deserves.

When Evil wants you to tell you that you hate something NEVER do it!

Cindy listened to Yolanda. Deep down part of her doesn't really want to kill Courtney after she saved her.

Yes Cindy learned from the light being the answer!!

Starman! Starman beliving in Courtney was the best thing ever! I was worried he might charge in and take over but no he worked with Court.

Artemis got her parents to deal with Eclipso. Smart Girl!

Crusher took the time to say hit to Pat his bestie😂

Artemis got her parents to deal with Eclipso. Smart Girl!

I knew he was gonna turn him into actul toast soon as Jakeem said it 😭

What a ending for Eclipso 👏👏👏 New JSA, old JSA and ISA and old ISA all together. Perfect ending!

Chuck is leaving I'm so upset. At least he's alive and hopefully can come back or stay in connact with Beth. I'm glad he going to have a son but heartbreaking he lost 10 years with him. What if his wife remarried.

“What happens if the world needs Dr. Mid-Nite again?” “They have one" 🔦 passed!

Everyone but Chuck had plot point returning them in s3. Jennie and Grundy both are hinted to return. Shade, Starman & Crooks are staying. Cindy wants to stay. Court is getting a mentor. Everyone but Beth gets someone to stay. Not fair.

Starman is already a bad influence and undercutting Pat about superheros not needing school. 🤭 I can see how s3 is going play out.

Cindy saying "you got pass so I should get a pass" girl you don't get it. Redemptionis demanded it's earned. Maybe one day you get it will since this was a step in the right dirtection.

I wish Beth's parents sudden attention wasn't framed like "your a superhero which is exciting so now this going have our full attention" and more "we saw you hated us and we realized we could lose you". Hopefully s3 will go into that. Hopefully the excitement is covering some of their pain. They went through thinking someone was wrong with Beth & saw her yelling she hated them and blamed them. Over compensating in reaction makes sense.

Beth's parents are helping her make her suit!

Mr Bones looking awesome!

[itsclydebitches]

Remember when this half was billed as when things get serious? Yet every time things started ramping up something threw the breaks on the tension. Salem is attacking? Sits around waiting for the cane nuke. Ironwood is going to bomb mantle? Convenient defections allows him to be defeated in about a minute. Penny will self-destruct! LMAO, make her a "real-girl". Only with one episode left are people actually in any appreciable danger and the main cast aren't dealing with the sideshows.

I don’t think RWBY gets that consequences needs to both occur and influence the narrative for a significant length of time, if not the rest of the story. As you say, anon, the vast majority of our big problems have been solved both too easily and with no downsides: Salem and the whale are blown up, Ironwood is stopped, Penny is saved. This just leaves minor consequences, all of which, while fulfilling that first requirement of existing, don’t impact the story in any meaningful way: 

Nora does scar herself helping Penny. I think that’s the best RWBY has managed this volume (potentially excluding the finale right now for obvious reasons), but the problem is that Nora is still precisely the same Nora after this event. Is Nora inconvenienced in any way? No, she’s able to hope right back into the fight as soon as she’s fully conscious. Has she learned anything? No, because Ren reassures her that she did everything she should have. They don’t even talk about the scars past this generic reassurance, instead focusing on how Ren was supposedly a bad friend and Nora wants space  — a relationship conflict that may or may not develop further. What have these scars achieved? If they don’t change our character in any way, or change those around them, if they’re not a catalyst for something (notably, something other than giving the group an excuse to stay safe in the mansion considering the show never framed that as an excuse)... then they’re purely cosmetic filler. It’s just a more dramatic version of Nora getting a haircut like Blake and Jaune last volume. She has scars now, new character model! That’s it. 

Penny becoming human. Same as everything above. Has a second near death experience and being given a human body changed Penny in any way? Doesn’t seem like it. Has it changed her battle style? No. Has it changed her goals, desires, outlook, or the challenges she faces? Again, not that we’ve seen. It’s cosmetic. Penny is precisely the same Penny she was prior to the change and I don’t mean that in a, “Penny was always herself” way, I mean it in a “Penny’s arc could be removed entirely from the story and it wouldn’t matter.” 

We learn of a consequence from long ago in the form of Summer likely becoming a grimm servant of Salem. This is immediately dropped because there’s everything else to deal with. 

We learn that Oscar used up a large portion of a magical weapon and automatically we don’t care because no one  — characters or audience  — knew that weapon existed to attach expectations to. But then this is also immediately dropped even though this is a limitation that should be a major concern of the cast. 

Yang falls into a void. Everyone watching knows that she didn’t die. Maybe she’ll come out of this changed in some way... but based on everything above, it’s unlikely. 

Cinder, as of the latest episode, has had the most development lately thanks to failure and consequences. 

But RWBY’s main characters are incredibly static. No one has developed since Volume 6. No one has learned anything outside of objective info. Did they realize the horrible mistakes they made regarding Ozpin and learned to apologize? No, he apologized again, just as he did three volumes ago. Did they come to a better understanding of why their “We will make things perfect” mentality is dangerous? No, Ruby sat around in a mansion until the “perfect” answer came to her and she proceeded to ignore all the damage she caused in waiting around for it. Did Ren come to a better understanding of himself and help the group acknowledge their flaws? No, he was told he was wrong until he reverted to precisely who he’d been before: quiet and agreeable. Did Nora learn not to try to solve everything by hitting it really hard? No, she did precisely that, got injured, and was reassured that she could keep that up because it’s who she is. Did Yang likewise ever learn not to run into dangerous situations without thinking? No, she just repeated her actions from Volume 3, once again getting grievously injured. Have the bees made any progress in their relationship? No, they’re still at the forehead touch stage. Does Oscar have to work through anything after being physically and magically tortured for multiple episodes? No, he shrugs it off entirely and, once his aura comes back, the magicked away bruises tell the audience to forget it too. Has Oscar become a different person as the merge takes hold? Not unless we count his body language changing a little bit. The show keeps saying the merge is speeding up and that it’s this big, existential threat... but their dynamic is exactly what it was in Volume 4. 

RWBY thinks of change in terms of things like, “Ren can randomly see emotions now,” not “Ren acknowledges something about their behavior and helps the group come to a better understanding of their actions, growing as people, not just fighters.” I don’t think the writers actually want the characters to change, not in any meaningful sense. Unless I’m proven incredibly wrong with Yang (here’s hoping) I suspect that our end volume crew will look exactly like they did in Volume 6, with the exception of some souped-up powers and, if we’re lucky, confirmation that sometimes they kiss their partner. That’s it. Regarding everything else, the characters will inevitably regress, or they’ll never be given the chance to develop in the first place, and that’s in large part because all of the stakes in the show now  — world-wide and personal  — are inevitably magicked away with the wand the show claims the characters don’t possess, but absolutely do. 

[zargsnake]

Knightkiller: Anakin and Obi-Wan’s First Adventure

Chapter 10: Gafia Chumpi

Word Count: 1493 Links: Chapter 1, Table of Contents

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With all five lightsabers hidden in a case, Zlinky takes Jane up the elevator from the bottom floor to the arena floor. There is another crony already in the elevator, a Devaronian, whose horns poke out of poorly-broken holes in his helmet. He looks at Jane with unease, but addresses Zlinky in a friendly tone.

“Did you get any fried fluunies?”

“Uh... I'm allergic,” she replies.

“Oh. Okay. Sorry about that.”

“It's not your fault.”

“Right, I know, I meant ‘sorry’ as in, uh, I'm sympathetic.”

“Er, okay.”

“Not, as in, uh, I'm guilty.”

“Yeah.”

“Great. Uh. Sorry.”

The elevator door opens and Zlinky turns toward the arena -- then she pivots and walks with the crony instead, against the tide of people. They've already got a conversation going; she might as well get some information out of him.

“Hey!” she calls.

“Ah! Uh, hello.”

“What's your name, anyway? I'm new here.”

“Oh, um, I'm Gafia Chumpi. What's yours?”

“Zliiiiiiisl Watl.”

“Zlisl Watl?”

“Uh huh.”

“Oh. You must be very new. I haven't heard of you at all.”

“I am. So!” Zlinky clears her throat. “Uh, what made you go into the, uh, Jedi-killing business?”

“Oh, uh, well, I never really meant to. It's not that great a story.”

“Tell me.” She practices her mind-trick; against this guy, it’s fairly easy.

“Uh...well, I aged out of an orphanage on the fifty-thousand-ish-layer of Coruscant. It’s about in the middle. And I had a kinda hard time finding a job there. Plus, it's really not that great a planet, if you're not on the top layer.”

“Oh, I know. I'm from Coruscant too.”

“Really? Where?”

“You first!”

“Er, okay. Well. So I got a ticket offworld, to a place called Dantooine. Cuz I read a book, once, about some guys who, uh, sort of, herded kath-hounds there, and they had these great hats in the illustrations, and I thought, ‘Well, hey! I could do that!’”

“Uh huh,” says Zlinky.

This is nothing. I should go... 

Gafia can tell he's boring her. “Uh… Well…” He speaks faster. “So, I got to Dantooine, which is a really nice place to live, but uh, unfortunately, I wasn't really that great at kath-herding either. Still, I was set on getting that hat. So I was staring at this one hat in the store window, wondering how I would ever afford it, when these big goon-type guys approached me and asked if I wanted to make some money. Uh… That's, I guess, when things really started to go downhill.”

“Well. There's a universe where you said no, and then there's this one.”

“Huh?”

“Nevermind,” Zlinky mumbles.

“Er. Yeah. Uh. -- Well apparently, and I didn't really figure this all out until later, but they picked me out cuz I'm a Devaronian, and at the time I looked a lot like this other Devaronian, who was a Padawan at the Dantooine Temple. So they gave me a script and made me record this holo, saying I was in big trouble and all this stuff. And they sent the holo to the Padawan’s Jedi Master to lure her out, and I hid in this cave, and when she came to, uh, quote-unquote ‘rescue’ me, the whole cave turned out to be a ship and they blasted all of us off into space. Which … hadn't, really, been part of my plan. Such that I had one…”

“What happened to the Padawan Devaronian and his master?”

Gafia starts to turn into a busier hall, but Zlinky turns more confidently into an empty one, so he follows her.

“Well, I think the Padawan Devaronian is still on Dantooine. But her master ... I mean, Knightkiller gets what she wants, doesn't she?”

“I thought she only had the Lollian, the human, and their Padawans.”

“Huh? Oh, well, for the tournament, yeah, those are the only knights we've rounded up so far. But before that. Before Senator Dinv of Raktu gave us his sponsorship, and we got this big and legitimate.”

“This is hardly legitimate.”

“I mean, compared to what it was.”

“What was it like?”

“I've only been here, like, a year -- er, I guess, two years -- three, almost -- eesh -- but back before we got this station, we had a real dinky ship, a Corellian something-something with a big warehouse glued on top for fighting. Knightkiller would go toe-to-toe with any Jedi we could find for her. She used to do all the fighting herself. We went all around the galaxy to avoid detection, but that also made it harder to, uh, advertise, of course. I mean, those in the know, were uh... in the know. But that was only the top two-percent of death-match fans, the people who go to every game, who devote their lives to it. To casual fans, we were really unknown. We did get a bit of extra income from selling the lightsabers.”

Zlinky feels like there is ice in her heart. “How many Jedi have died?”

“...Er... I'm not... a hundred percent sure... usually we couldn't get a real Jedi; usually we'd just dress someone up, and give them a lightsaber, if we hadn’t had to sell it yet... How many real Jedi? ... Ten, I think...Twelve? Since I've been here.”

“How can you stand it? How can you do this?”

Gafia stops in his tracks and stares at her. “Well how can you stand it? You work here, too.”

“I -- I didn't know how awful it would be. I -- I had nowhere else to go.”

“... Well... Same with me, sister.”

She holds his arm. “We should both run away.”

“Run away? We can't. No one will forgive us. Everyone loves the Jedi.”

“Not everyone.”

“The courts certainly do. We'll be executed.”

“But maybe that's the right thing to do. We turn ourselves in, accept the consequences -- but we help the authorities track down this awful station and stop this awful sport.”

“...This sport is a lot bigger than you think it is, Zlisl,” Gafia says, more solemnly, taking his arm from her. “That's the first thing you learn in the biz. We can bring down one station, but it'll continue somewhere else. The corporations who sponsor these fighters -- they're household names.”

“But this--” Zlinky points at the ground, “-- is the only death match station killing Jedi.”

“Er ... As far as I know, yeah.”

“Why? Why's Glag-- I mean -- why's Knightkiller doing this? What's she got against Jedi?”

“That's the big question, isn't it? You wanna ask her?”

“Yes, in fact, I do.”

“Well, you won't. She'll kill you before you open your mouth. She can read insolent thoughts.”

“Why do you think she's doing this?”

“I…”

“You must have a guess. Tell me!”

“Alright, alright.” He keeps walking and speaks quietly. “Uh, well the rumor among us guards is that she used to be one. One of our lightsabers, we never sell. The rumor is, it's hers.”

“She never uses it?” Zlinky walks close beside him.

“Never.”

“But what happened?”

“Nobody knows.”

Zlinky grits her teeth. “Yeah, I get that. But what's the rumor?”

“Er... Well, they must have wronged her, right? Maybe they kicked her out. Or maybe she just got sick of their stupid rules.”

“Our rules are sacred.”

Gafia freezes, lifts up his comlink and presses a button. Zlinky can’t see his face under his helmet, but she senses his anger at being tricked.

“Jane!” says Zlinky.

With a loud cranking sound, Jane aims her arm-blaster at Gafia’s chest and neutralizes him.

Zlinky had led Gafia far from the crowd; the few people nearby stop and stare at the scene.

“Death match business! Carry on!” Zlinky insists in her deepest voice. She waves at them to continue walking, then she picks open the closest broom closet with her trusty screwdriver and drags the Devaronian inside. She checks his pulse; it isn't exactly steady, but it isn't completely still.

“I really, really need to talk to Tila...”

“ᴀᴍ ɪ ꜱᴇʀᴠɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ���ᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴀᴛɪꜱꜰᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ?”

Zlinky pats Jane’s tall shoulder plate. “You're doing a great job, Jane. I'm sorry you're still missing parts.” She props up Gafia and takes off his helmet so he can more easily breathe. He’s very handsome, which affects her more than it should. “I’m missing parts, too,” she says and instantly regrets how dramatic that sounds.

“ɪ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀɴ ɪɴꜱɪɢɴɪꜰɪᴄᴀɴᴛ ꜱᴘᴇᴄᴋ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴍᴇᴀɴɪɴɢʟᴇꜱꜱ ᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴘᴜʀᴘᴏꜱᴇ ᴏʀ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ,” says Jane, with no such compunction.

Zlinky pats her shoulder again. “The Force connects everything.”

“ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ?”

“The... Look, you're not going to remember, so I'll just explain later. You've got a purpose now, anyway, you're protecting me. I'm sure I'd be dead without you.”

“ᴇʜʜʜʜʀr҉r҉r҉g҉g̴̣͆̀̔g̴̨̭̗̠̱̩̖̙̽̓̈́̒͝,” Jane says, unsatisfied and anxious.

Zlinky reaches up, grabs Jane’s face, and pulls it down so they are eye to eye. Jane's neck moves with a clicking sound.

“Thank you,” Zlinky says earnestly.

“ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ, ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ.”

“It's Zlinky.”

“ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴀʀᴇʟʏ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴊᴀɴᴇ, ꜱᴏ ᴇxᴄᴜꜱᴇ ᴍᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘʀɪᴏʀɪᴛɪᴢɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.”

“You're excused. Come on. My master is in that arena. I'm gonna try to get her lightsaber to her. The human in the tan armor -- that's the other Jedi. And Anakin is somewhere, too…”

“ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴄᴀᴘᴀᴄɪᴛʏ: ꜰᴜʟʟ.”

“Nevermind. Just follow me and do what I say.”

They head toward the arena. Zlinky's mind races for a way to get the lightsabers to the two Jedi masters. It's the only real goal she has right now. The only purpose, as Jane would say. After that ... the real knights can figure out something.

Chapter 11: Revenge

[rainofaugustsith]

SWTOR and Companion Death

So. Some thoughts about companion deaths in SWTOR in general.

I'm not a fan.

SPOILERS FOR KOTFE ONWARD.

I do know the name of the franchise is Star WARS, and people die in wars. It would probably be extremely unrealistic if we had a scenario where our characters spent literally 17 years of their lives (and counting...well, 12 if we don't count carbonite) fighting and nobody around them died.

However, in SWTOR I think that most of the deaths could been avoided. I don't think they benefit the story. I think that all they really do, in the end, is deprive the audience of a lot of interesting characters. 

I do think there are occasions when a player's character may wish to reject or kill a companion, but I also feel that there are ways to write so that it is an exception, and not commonplace.

And we have not even gotten to the NPC deaths. It has been a bloodbath for years with SWTOR and the writers show no signs of stopping it. Nathema - the body count from Nathema has taken almost twenty NPCs out of the main story. Onslaught? Yeah. Many more. It's become more unusual for an NPC to actually survive for the duration than to have a kill option.

I feel there are better ways to write than to take a Game of Thrones approach and kill everyone. When you eliminate everyone's beloved characters, and you leave the player with nothing more than a rotating cast of strangers, it's quite difficult to get into the story after a while.

Going through the companion deaths from KOTFE to Iokath:

Tanno Vik: The voiceover artist who played Tanno Vik died several years ago, and apparently the devs decided not to make the character recruitable in KOTFE because of that. I can understand this one. It seems that Tanno may die regardless of your choices, too. If you spare him during your meeting, he may not have survived the attack on Asylum, especially if the PC chose to use Valkorion's power.

HK-55: Yes, we get it, you wanted to show everyone that Arcann is a big old monster. The "thrown into carbonite," "slaughtering the Scions" “subjugating both the Republic and Empire” and "ruling as a harsh dictator" plot points didn't get it across quite enough. Dramatic. Yes. And they do bring HK-55 back

My objection to this death is not that they did it - because it actually does fit, even if it's a little extreme - is that they didn't make HK-55's return available to all in the actual main story of the game. I can understand making Shroud of Memory a bonus, because it's cute and funny but doesn't tie super directly into the main plot. But Arma Rasa? I think that should have been for everyone. Yes, I know you can buy it now - and I did - but I still think it should have been main story. If it were, we could have enjoyed HK-55's commentary in the rest of KOTFE and KOTET.

Kaliyo Djannis, Aric Jorgan: Fan service. But it makes no fucking sense. What exactly are you killing them for? They didn't listen, after they tried to compensate and salvage a mission that had gone south? They were left in the lurch because your PC was mission critical and went on a hallucinogenic hiking trip and didn't show up? There's literally nothing you can do to make the mission go right. It always fails, no matter who is in charge or what you tell them to do.

In Kaliyo's case, I really question why the devs thought that she, of all people, would be the character that most players would just love to spend an entire chapter with in one-on-one quality time in KOTFE. I think her kill option was a response to that - "yes, we forced you to play a chapter with this character but look, you can let her go now." Or perhaps it was a response to the frustration some players had with not being able to kill or reject her in the class story.

I think the class story could have sustained a branch where Kaliyo was asked to leave after the Wheezer incident. I think it's reasonable that a player's Agent may not have wanted to continue associating with her at that point. There were four other characters who could have taken her dialogue in the class story missions. But to do it years later? Eh.

In Aric's case, I have no idea what they were thinking. I've never had the feeling he's a character that is widely disliked. They needed to give an option to kill someone along with Kaliyo. I don't know. But it's weird and doesn't make sense IMHO.

Senya: So she's saved her boy. We get it. But considering that Senya also spent several chapters insisting that her children needed to be brought to justice, and was fully willing to engage Vaylin in combat if not kill her - the change of heart was confusing. I think Senya's fate was attached to Arcann's simply to give Arcann greater odds of survival. It seems that people like Senya even if they don't like Arcann. If the two had been separated, I really think less people would have saved Arcann.

Koth: Fan service. Nothing but fucking fan service. I'm sure it had nothing to do with Koth being a LGBTQ+ Black man who actually protested the player's actions and didn't let them off the hook. No, nothing to worry about here with that. That;s sarcasm in case I need to clarify. If things get to the point where Koth has left, your character literally works with him to save the ship and then can kill him while Lana stands there and watches and not a single person protests. After Koth has hijacked the ship and planted a bomb on it. The ship he adores. I can’t even. They could have done so much with this character and they just...did this instead. And then chose to completely ignore him even if he remained in the player's story. I still am salty, years later, that he didn't even get a cameo in the Nathema story. It's not as though the Gravestone's fate would have bothered him at all, amirite?

SCORPIO: One of the few kill options that actually might be justifiable, but the larger question is why she was trusted so much to begin with. And why the game feels it's light side to let her merge with a planet that keeps a necropolis of billions of organics it has slaughtered as research subjects.

Arcann: I feel Arcann should be handled and considered separately because he was not established first as a companion. He was framed and written as an adversary for all of KOTFE. But here we are forced to choose between "let Arcann live and become your new BFF who takes over Lana and Theron's place of trust with no punishment for his crimes" or "kill him on live television! I'm sure I'll be an Instagram Influencer now! Follow me at AllianceCommanderOdesssen uwu!"

Vette; Torian: Completely unnecessary. You have an Alliance that is so large that fighters are literally on the cliffs and in the trees helping you as you progress through the chapter. The Gravestone's taken to the skies. And yet nobody is available to swing by Torian or Vette's position to help them. You and Lana/Theron or Senya/Arcann are literally THE ONLY PEOPLE EVER who can do that. Oh, and the super-smart Hutt scientist in charge of your Research and Development team has given Vette an assault cannon for this huge battle against strong, skilled forces, despite the fact she's only operated an assault cannon...once? For a few minutes? *thumbs up, Oggurobb!*

I feel this was simply done to try to evoke emotion and to erase any sympathy the player may have had for Vaylin, since it immediately follows the Nathema sanitarium visit.

If they really felt the need to go with this, I feel they could have tied it to player actions earlier in the game. Did you do a lot of Alliance Alerts? Did you raise the Specialists' influence above 10? Did you do some of those veteran Star Fortresses and pick up a few extra companions? Then maybe you have enough extra personnel to save both. Quinn: More fan service, served up for those who would have liked to kill or reject Quinn all those years ago in the class story.

Just like Kaliyo - and Skadge, and Tanno Vik - I think the class story could have gone on without him if the Sith Warrior had been allowed to reject him after the Quinncident. I would have rejected him at that point. The writing in the class story could have sustained it. They could have given the healer role to one of the others. And then you'd get a branch where if Quinn was present, he'd show up on Iokath. If not, it would be someone else from the Sith class story, like one of the many Moffs the Warrior meets. Maybe the dude from Ilum, since he doesn't die. Or Hesker.

Theron: Now, here's the issue. The story sets up a scenario where asking Theron to leave because you no longer trust him is understandable. But I plead the case that it never should have gotten to that point. The entire betrayal story was completely unnecessary. Theron NEEDED to go undercover like that? He had a secret language he and Lana developed and just never used it to tip everyone off? He thought frying the Commander on Iokath or throwing her out the train window would be fun? After working so hard for peace, he literally sparked the next galactic war by tipping off everyone about Iokath and manipulating them all into going there so they could learn lots of fun new ways to kill each other?

Come. On. It doesn't make sense. Even in a spy game, I don't think Theron would have really thought that prodding the Empire and Republic to war with each other and the Alliance would have been worth it.

I feel like they could have done so many other things with the Order of Zildrog, and even had the same flashpoints, without making Theron appear to betray the Alliance. 

DS Jaesa: *sigh* So she saw the Commander on the Holonet, never thought of coming to Odessen and instead went to Iokath to slaughter Alliance troops. Oh, and threaten to kill Lana, who may be the player’s partner. Again, it sets up a scenario where it makes sense that a player might kill her, but why was that even necessary? The scenario itself doesn't make sense. If you have Master Ranos, she says that Jaesa was spotted hunting for artifacts, I think? Maybe just maybe they could have worked with that?

Xalek: You're killing Xalek for...um...terrorizing miners...and...yeah. Okay. Dude was in the class story for about five minutes so I don't think anyone knows what is going on here.

Broonmark: Yes, he's basically a cold-blooded killer. But he's going after this Wookiee senator because he's allying with the Republic? Or getting some Talz to be allies? The Talz already seem to be aligned Republic. He's a bit late to that party. Why is it that I don't think Broonmark would be into politics or watching the news and would not care about this?

Rusk: Um, yeah, Bey'wan, about that guy you wanted me to recruit, he's, um, dead. Because I decided to sell him out to a Black Sun gang leader. Don't be mad?

Skadge: One of the few kill options I think most could agree is...not that bad. Your mission with Rusk is to kill him. He was an adversary in the game. My headcanon for my bounty hunters is that he never gets on the ship after Belsavis. There’s no way they would have ever brought him along. Another case of correcting something from the class story?

[the-ipre]

what's the defiance if you dont mind me asking?

hello! welcome to the infodump :3 

short answer: the crew of star wars ocs made by me, @leenik-matagot, @not-from-the-absence-of-violence, and @drowninginstarlights. they’re a rebellion punk rock band and a found family, and star wars now belongs to us basically /lh. here’s an art dump!

longer answer:

the crew!

Cres J’ones, later Cres Defiance (she/they), is my oc. Cres is the drummer, the medic, the slicer, the general jack of all trades and master of none. She’s the heart of the crew, the weed friend, one of many who is allergic to vulnerability and bonds with people through physical contact and Not Talking About It.

Marlo Shenn (he/him) is Liam’s oc. Ex empire kid, he’s a bassist and pilot and self sacrificing protector. All of his hair (including chest and beard) has been dyed blue, because him and Cres make excellent decisions, and he needs to know who he is when he looks in the mirror. 

Nova Dillman (he/she/they) is Nico’s oc. Born and raised rebel, she’s the lead singer and guitarist and captain of the ship. Life is a performance and he knows that well, but along the way she makes genuine emotional connections even so. They definitely need therapy, but he keeps killing or seducing or cucking his therapists, so.

Dash Halcard (he/him) is Jack’s oc! Yet another ex empire kid, he’s the newest addition to the crew and plays tambourine and sings harmony, and later takes over bass from Marlo for a bit. He’s been running for so long and he finally gets to stay, the missing piece that they never knew they needed. Has a gay sex tattoo (a wampa and a rancor in a heart). They’re t4t.

Longest answer! under the cut because many thoughts head full <3

Relationships:

Marlo and Cres are Best Friends™, love each other to the point of self sacrifice, will never lose each other. They’ve made a promise that they’re the only ones allowed to kill each other, and surely that won’t come back for any dramatic irony :). Genuinely though, for people who have known so little love in their pasts, choosing each other time and time again, holding on and building their friendship from the ground up and one day realizing that they don’t ever want to let go. They watch shitty holos together! They paint each others nails! They’re best friends!

Marlo and Blue (yes from Campaign Star Wars, he’s ours now) are husbands! Good for them <3. They were childhood friends, then fuckbuddies, and then they caught feelings! Uh oh!

Nova and Blue are in a QPR that started off as just fuckbuddies (because this entire universe was made because Nico and Will wanted to kiss Blue <3 gay wrongs). Blue caught feelings (uh oh!) but Nova is aro and also terrified of commitment so ! times were tough for a while! But they worked things out and it’s excellent. Nova will not give anyone a straight answer on their relationship but he made out with Blue at his and Marlo’s wedding and also Blue has ‘boytoy’ embroidered on his capelet, so.

Even outside of all that the crew of the Defiance are friends, they’re family, Dash is Marlo’s hands when his are broken and Nova and Cres are gamers and together they’re all a family, on purpose, time and time again. Life commitment! Even after the war, they stick together, they tour the galaxy, they go back to their home planets, but they always come back to one another because they’re here, alive, defiant.

Backstories:

Cres grew up as the youngest of a bunch of siblings, never the best at anything and never all that important in the grand scheme of things. When she was eighteen she left home and her planet, went to go follow rock bands around the galaxy. They met a rebel named X who seemed larger than life, finally something so real that Cres could imagine she was real right back. They started being a part of the rebellion and it was fun, it was something, they were finally a part of something, and then in a single empire attack they lost X and their leg. After that, they travelled around the rock music circuit for a couple more years, ignoring the rebellion until they broke into the same ship as two other fools.

Marlo was an empire kid, second son who took all of the hits and punishments for his older brother. He was not allowed to exist for himself, and when he tried to, falling in love and getting engaged and able to finally imagine making a life, his family killed his fiance. Marlo finally left, a ring tucked away as the only remnant of his love. His brother tried to stop him, leaving a scar over his eye, and Marlo took the lightsaber he used and made it his, finally running. [Note from Will: ‘Marlo ‘idk what platonic love is until i’m at least 19′ Shenn’]

Nova’s parents were rebels from before he was born, struggles on their home planet giving way to the galaxy wide war. She never got to be a child, always aware of the rebellion as their parents were commanders. He and his friend K’ris share a kiss before a battle that feels like a broken promise when K’ris is killed and Nova loses a part of themself to the fight, bringing destruction down against their enemy. She stays with the rebellion and her family for a few more years before leaving and becoming an independent agent, still acting as a rebel but learning how to do so outside of his parent’s immediate gaze. 

Dash grew up as an ever observed empire child, never as good at playing the role as his twin sister, Nicali. His childhood friend, Rilis, ended up leaving him behind with no warning, and he had to face the fact that they had made the choice to go without him. He acted out to the point of getting naked at an Empire gala (good for him), which was the last straw before he left. He reinvented himself as a smuggler, jumping between crews for whatever jobs there were to be had, and found himself following the music scenes more and more, looking for Rilis all the while. He found himself drawn to the Defiance, breaking onto their ship and stowing away. Good for him!

AUs:

Evil AU:

Marlo and Dash never left the empire, Marlo (Valkai in this, never having become Marlo in the first place) becoming an Inquisitor and Dash his personal fighter (and boytoy). Nova’s destruction went a bit too far at K’ris’s death in this and she left home to be a bounty hunter, working more and more for the empire. Tragedy from the inside, comedy from the outside, absolute buckets of homoeroticism, blood, and toxic polycule. Good for them!

(Cres never left home, never became anything, stayed numb and surviving and dull. A quiet desperate tragedy that she would not do anything to change. Why try to run when at the end of the day, you’re still you?)

Bad End AU:

Original Flavor- After Marlo gets kidnapped, he goes sith, loses himself to the death and bloodshed and cuts himself off from his family. When the others find him again, Cres reaches out, still sure that he’s him in there, and Valkai drives his lightsaber through their gut. She dies in his arms and he begs Nova to kill him, and they do. Dash runs, and never stops running, and Nova goes home, tells the rebellion that her friends died well. He burns the Defiance and dies on the battlefield.

Cool Ranch- Marlo stabs Cres, Nova kills Marlo, but they’re able to save Cres before she dies. Cres has to live without their best friend, knows that the friend still left is the one who killed him. Dash ran, and keeps running, and never comes back.

We also have a vampire au, knight au, pacific rim au, skyjacks au...there’s a lot <3

other fun facts!

- all of the members have the word Defy tattooed on themself somewhere (knuckles for Cres, collarbone and then hip for Marlo, wrist for Nova, heart for Dash). Fans will write Defy on themselves in sharpie before concerts

- all of the members have been kidnapped at one point or another. whoops!

- we have collectively written over 130k words in less than two months. we can not be stopped

- there are playlists for all the characters if you would like. cres’s comes with a 1.4k annotation <3

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms Far Sides #6: Ciel

Today on Fate and Phantasms, Magical_Biche and I bring you the final of Tsukihime’s heroines, Ciel! Her build breakdown is below the cut, and you can find her character sheet over here. I’ll let Biche do the talking now.

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Hello there! Today, we’re building the last of the main girls, Ciel. I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest Ciel fan, so I kinda delayed her until I had no other choice, and here we are! I had to finish the main heroines before moving on to the villains, after all. As usual, heavy spoilers beyond this point. 

At first glance, Ciel might seem quite straightforward, but she’s far from being simple to build. She shows plenty of abilities, many more than Arcueid or Kohaku, actually. I even learned a bunch of things in the Type-Moon wiki, like how she could use magic. However, I know how reliable that wiki is, and I’ve mostly built Ciel with my own experience of the games, and tried to stick to it. I will also have to do Powered Ciel, as she’s quite different from OG Ciel, and certainly simpler to build. While Shiki Nanaya/Tohno and the three different forms of Akiha aren’t too different from each other, Ciel offers a whole new dimension in her alternative form. 

As for what we need for this build, we need to be skilled at fighting with our staple weapon, the black keys. As they don’t exist in DnD, obviously, we’ll have to stick with daggers. We also need a bit of hypnosis, to blend in with normal people, and we need to be quite fast and agile, to fit our fighting style of swift strikes. We also need to be an absolute beast at tracking and slaying vampires, of course. Finally, while we can’t be immortal, there are ways to avoid death in DnD, and we’ll try to grab some. 

With all that said, let’s dive into the build!

Race and Background

Despite being an immortal vampire, the variant human is the race that fits our character the best. We look exactly like one, and we used to be one, despite our immortality curse. Being a v. human allows us to put a +1 to our dexterity and constitution scores, and to grab the Fey touched feat, giving us a free use of Misty step and Charm person per day, as well as increasing our wisdom score by 1. Those 2 spells are quite useful to us, as one allows us to literally teleport behind enemies, and the other allows us to charm people and have them accept us as a part of their daily life. Being a variant human also gives us a free skill proficiency, and we’ll be taking the proficiency in perception, as we can’t grab it otherwise. It fits our role perfectly, as we’ll often have to search for our foes. 

Next, we are quite obviously an acolyte. This gives us a proficiency in religion and insight, perfect for doing religious stuff (we’re still employed by the church, after all), and finding whether people are secretly vampires or not. We also always have a shelter for the faithful, allowing us to take shelter in religious buildings, always nice, but situational. The two language proficiencies are entirely dependent on the game, but abyssal and celestial fit a religious character quite well. 

Ability Scores

Sadly, we can’t exactly have 4 stats at 15 from the start, so we’ll have to be toned down a bit. We’ll have to use point buy for this build, as we need many ability scores to be quite high, and we don’t really need the other ones. First, our two highest stats should obviously be our wisdom and our dexterity. We are very agile, and we have an easy time to understand other people. We are also extremely determined. Next, our constitution should be pretty high. However, thanks to our classes, we will have a hefty pool of HP, so we don’t really need to have our constitution too high. 13, with our racial boost, puts us at a comfortable +2, enough to tank hits for a while with our good AC. Next, we have quite average intelligence and charisma. We’re not particularly bad at those, but we’re not really good either. Next, we dump our strength. We’re actually quite strong, but we need a dump stat, and strength isn’t of any use to us. With point buy and our racials, our stats would be an 8 in strength, 16 in dexterity, 14 in constitution, 10 in intelligence, 16 in wisdom and 10 in charisma. With that set, we’re on to the class levels. 

Class Levels

1. Monk 1: Naturally, with high wisdom and dexterity, a religious background and no visible armor, being a monk seems obvious. First level monks get proficiency in two skills, and we’re going to be proficient with athletics and acrobatics. This will add a lot to our mobility, be it for climbing or jumping over people. We also become proficient with strength and dexterity saving throws, great to avoid being pushed around the battlefield and avoid dangerous AOEs. Next, we become proficient with a bunch of weapons, but we’ll only ever use our bare fists and daggers, as we have ways to mitigate their low damage, as monks. Finally, we get proficient with the cook’s utensils. We’ll obviously only ever do curry, but we need to be good at making it. 

Our first monk level also gives us our martial arts-allowing us to be efficient at hitting stuff quickly-and unarmored defense, giving us a quite decent AC of 16 right off the bat. 

2. Cleric 1: Of course, as we were raised by religious people, we are tailor-made for the cleric class. Level one cleric gives us spellcasting, including the powerful tool that is ritual casting, and access to all of the level one cleric spells, as well as three cantrips from the spell list. We’re grabbing word of radiance, to add a bit of radiant damage to our sacred arsenal (preferably used right after hitting something with a thrown dagger), resistance, to help with survival, and thaumaturgy, a great dramatic tool to have a louder voice, or have our eyes radiate light. 

As for the first level spells we should have prepared, shield of faith helps with AC, cure wounds allows us to heal quickly, protection from evil and good gives us a powerful defensive option against our not-yet-sworn enemy, and guiding bolt is a great way to start a battle and give advantage to our allies. 

Next, being a first level cleric also means that we can pick a domain, and we’re a cleric of the grave, because of our sacred task of tracking the undead and putting them back into their grave. The subclass gives us an improved version of spare the dying, adding to its range and allowing us to cast it as a bonus action. It also means we always have the false life spell prepared, which does a great job at making us less mortal, and bane, which doesn’t really fit in our build, as we’ll have more and more concentrations as we level up, and we’ll already want to spend ours to maintain shield of faith or protection from evil and good. We also get the circle of mortality feature, which helps us revive our fallen allies with cure wounds. Finally, our eyes of the grave allows us to detect any undead within 60 feet of our person, as long as they’re not magically hidden. This is a great tool to track vampires, who are obviously undead. 

3. Cleric 2: Being a second level cleric gives us our channel divinity feature, once per rest. As with all clerics, we can use it to turn undead, a great way to turn ghouls created by our sworn enemy. As a cleric of the grave, it also allows us to pave our foes a path to the grave, giving them vulnerability to the next attack it suffers from us or an ally. This is a great way to bypass some annoying immunities, but it sadly only lasts for one hit. If our DM allows it, we can also use our channel divinity to harness divine power, allowing us to recover some spell slots. As it is dependent on our proficiency bonus, we don’t need any more cleric levels to make this powerful, which is great. 

4. Monk 2: We’re diving back into the monk to reach our extra attack, this time. We get our first ki points, allowing us to do a bunch of stuff with our bonus action. We can use patient defense to boost our survivability, flurry of blows to deal a bit of extra damage with our fists, and step of the wind to move a bit during our bonus action. Our speed also increases a bit thanks to unarmored movement.

5. Monk 3: We enter the second tier of adventuring with that level, and the third level of monk gives us our monastic tradition, the way of the long death. This gives us a nice little ability to mimic the immortality we are supposed to have, the touch of death. This allows us to gain a bunch of temporary hit points when we kill a creature while in melee range. Pretty neat! We also gain the ability to deflect missiles, which does what it says, and if our DM allows it, we can also get the ki-fueled attacks, allowing us to still keep on the offensive while we spend ki points.

6. Monk 4: Reaching our fourth monk level gives us our first ability score improvement, and we’re pumping up our dexterity by two points. We also get slow fall, furthering our agility, and yet another optional feature we actually need, quickened healing, allowing us to heal ourselves with a martial art die by spending ki points. 

7. Monk 5: Fifth level monks gain an extra attack, which increases our damage output a lot. It’s a simple feature that fits our fighting style of throwing things, as we now do it faster and better. We also get the stunning strikes, which may be useful to stun creatures that have bad constitution saving throws. We also get our final optional feature with focused aim, another great feature to help hitting stuff, if our DM allows it. 

8. Fighter 1: Now that we are actually good at hitting stuff and not dying too quickly, it’s time to become better at throwing! We become a first level fighter, allowing us to take the thrown weapon fighting fighting style, at last. This allows us to draw our black keys (daggers) as part of our attacks, which means we can now use our bonus action for whatever else. Like throwing another black key. It also gives all our thrown weapon attacks a +2 bonus to their damage, which is very nice, as our martial arts die is still only a d6. Being a first level fighter also gives us a second wind, which allows us to regain some HP on a bonus action, nice for our gimmick of not dying. 

9. Fighter 2: Our second level in the OG martial class gives us an action surge, basically giving us a second action per turn once per long rest. With that, we can throw as much as 5 black keys in a single combat turn, which can down a boss pretty quickly. It only gives us a second action, though, so we can’t use a second bonus action on top of it. 

10. Fighter 3: We get a third level in the fighter class so we can reach exactly one feature from a particular subclass. It’s not that eldritch knight’s spellcasting is bad or out of character, but we’re mostly here for the other feature, weapon bond. Thanks to weapon bond, we can bond with up to two weapons and recall one of them in our hand as a bonus action. That basically means that we can have unlimited ammunition, which is totally awesome. However, we can only recall one weapon per turn, which limits us if the combat is too long. 

Also, this archetype gives us 2 wizard cantrips, and booming blade will really help with our melee damage. It sadly doesn’t work with thrown weapons. Also, even though we clearly don’t have the intelligence to use it correctly, sword burst can be used to materialize a bunch of black keys around us to hurt anyone at our contact. 

As for our first level spells, we’re getting absorb element, giving us resistance to elemental attacks and allowing us to increase our melee damage a bit, shield, which is always great for a character whose survival is a selling point, and find familiar, which lets us call our faithful Nanako to help us. Not that she will, but having her here can be useful to tank a hit or two. Also, we’re forced to make her a rat or a weasel, unless our DM is generous and feels like allowing her to be a horse, like she’s supposed to be. 

11. Ranger 1: Yes, we’re adding yet another class to this build. Multiclassing into a ranger gives us a new proficiency, and we’re now someone who’s good at survival, which makes sense, given that we can survive in harsh environments. We also get the favored enemy feature, and we’re picking undead as our favorite enemy, because… they are. Our favorite enemy, that is. We’re taking this feature over Tasha’s variant, favored foe, because of the flavor, and that’s about it. We lose in efficiency, and that’s about it. We’ll still get hunter’s mark later, so it doesn’t matter too much. However, it makes much more sense to take the optional feature for the other trademark ranger feature, deft explorer. That feature is quite simple and gives us an expertise in a skill of our choice, in our case, acrobatics. 

12. Ranger 2: Our second level in the ranger class grants us a new fighting style: two-weapon fighting. This can be used with thrown weapons, which means that now, all of our attacks with thrown weapons can add our dexterity modifier to them. It also works when we hit things in melee, by the way. We also get yet another round of spellcasting, with the ranger’s unique spell list this time. We have fewer options, and a lot of them require concentration, though. 

We’re taking hunter’s mark, to add a nice little d6 to pretty much every one of our hits, to increase our ability to kill undead (and other things), and zephyr strike, which works perfectly with our hit-and-run tactics. 

13. Ranger 3: With this level, we reach our fourth and last class archetype. We become a monster slayer, giving us access to a new spell we already had (but now it’s always prepared, so it allows us to prepare another cleric spell instead), protection from evil and good, which makes us extremely hard to hit by our favorite enemy, among other things. 

While we’re in spells, we learn a new spell, which is going to be jump, making us even more agile than we were. 

We also gain a hunter’s sense, allowing us to peek into our target’s defenses. We also get the slayer’s prey feature, which acts like a watered-down (as it’s limited to once per turn) hunter’s mark, that can’t be upcast, but since it’s not a concentration, it can be cast with hunter’s mark. Also, the time limit is until our next short or long rest, which is great if our target manages to escape, for example. 

14. Cleric 3: Back into the cleric class for the last time. Third level clerics only gain access to their second level spells. However, there is plenty of great options there, like enhance ability, which obviously helps us moving around with the cat’s grace, or tank hits with the bear’s endurance, lesser restoration, allowing us to recover from many status effect affecting us, and hold person, which could be seen as us pinning down things with our black keys. At that point, if we add all of our spellcasting features, we are considered a level five spellcaster, meaning that we have 4 first level spell slots, 3 second level spell slots and 2 third level spell slots to use. We don’t know any third level spells to use our biggest spell slots, but we can always upcast guiding bolt and absorb elements. 

15. Monk 6: Back into our main class for the rest of this build so we can get decent martial arts dice. The sixth monk level makes our unarmed strikes magical thanks to ki-empowered strikes. This is nice in a low magic campaign, but in a regular campaign, magic daggers should be pretty common. Plus, we already have booming blade and a bunch of spells to deal magical damage already. We also gain a new subclass feature, hour of reaping. With this feature, we can literally scare off creatures that fail a saving throw, which fits our build quite well, actually, as we do not want bystanders to be caught between us and our prey. This can also be used to scare some undead, too. 

16. Monk 7: Seventh level monks gain the evasion feature, making us extremely difficult to touch when it comes to most damaging AOE spells. Needless to say, this fits our agile and resilient build quite well. We get even more resilient thanks to our stillness of mind, letting us end a charm or fear effect as an action on our turn. 

17. Monk 8: We become level eight in the monk class, and reach our second ability score increase… at level 17. Since we can’t exactly fit feats into this very varied build (not that we need to, although tough would have been great), we’ll have to increase our wisdom by two points this time, so we kinda keep up with our other party members when it comes to casting. 

18. Monk 9: At level nine, monks can finally walk on walls and water! It’s nothing too fancy, but that means we can now jump on walls, walk on them and take our enemy by surprise, which is incredibly cool. 

19. Monk 10: At their tenth level, monks become immune to disease and poison, thanks to their pure body. It’s about time we had this in the build, since we’re supposed to be immortal. 

20. Monk 11: At last, we reach the eleventh monk level. We only get one feature, in theory, which is mastery of death, which lets us not die up to eleven times per short rest, which means we are essentially immortal for up to 11 attacks. Yes, it’s that good. It’d be even better if we’d taken more monk levels. But we also get a “passive” improvement at this level: our martial arts die becomes a d8, which means our puny daggers now deal 1d8+6 damage when they’re thrown, and we can throw them up to 3 times on regular turns. We’re not even bad at hitting stuff in melee too thanks to booming blade and sword burst. 

Pros: Thanks to monk levels and 2 fighting styles, our black keys are a deadly weapon we can pretty much spam everywhere, making us effective at both close and medium range. We’re also quite mobile thanks to jump, being a monk, our single use of misty step, zephyr strike, hold person and booming blade. We also get a pretty good AC thanks to being a monk, and we’re quite the cockroach thanks to our monk subclass, healing from second wind, healing from the cleric spell list, false life, resistance, shield, absorb elements… Next, we also have a ton of ways to rack up damage, with booming blade, hunter’s mark, Slayer’s prey and Zephyr strike. Finally, we have quite a lot of useful class resources, including 11 ki points, 4 hunter’s sense and the ever powerful action surge. 

Cons: However, we’re clearly not a perfect being. We had to limit our constitution because of how little ability score increases we could grab. Also, mixing the cleric and ranger spell lists means that we have a lot of concentration spells. We also have an almost useless spell with sword burst, which uses our bad intelligence stat, but fits our theme so well. Finally, our bonus action is quite crowded, and we’ll most likely rarely ever use our potential 3 attacks per turn, since we have to set up hunter’s mark and recall weapons from time to time.  

[bonjour-rainycity]

The Long Way Around ~ Chapter 13

Link to previous part: https://bonjour-rainycity.tumblr.com/post/624296456441020416/the-long-way-around-chapter-12

Pairing: Jasper x Reader

Word count: 3911 (yikes, t’is a doozy)

Warnings: Language and violence

Y/n’s POV

Jasper immediately tenses, taking a defensive stance quite similar to Arthur’s. “How many?”

“Six,” Alice answers, her voice shaky.

“Six?!” I hear the panic in my own voice, but can’t force it down. This is not good.

“Damn it,” Jasper growls, darting closer to my side.

“What are their intentions?” Carlisle’s calm demeanor never fades.

Alice concentrates, scrunching her eyes. Whatever Jasper feels from her makes him tense.

“They mean war then,” he concludes, his voice low.

Alice nods, biting her lip. “They want our territory, and they’ve been looking for an excuse to start a fight.”

“And we just gave it to them,” Carlisle laments, head falling in shame.

“Carlisle,” Edward comes to a swift stop near Emmett. “I can hear their thoughts—they’re about five miles away. They’re coming under the pretense of peace, but Alice is right. As soon as they have the opportunity, they’ll try to destroy us.”

Emmett cracks his knuckles, the picture of grim determination. “They won’t get the chance. We’ll swing first.”

“No,” Carlisle shakes his head, authority seeping from his voice. “Perhaps there’s a chance to resolve this peacefully. I would like to exhaust negotiations before we resort to a fight.” Carlisle calls for the rest of the family, beckoning them to join us outside the home. While they gather, Jasper grabs my hands tightly, speaking in a low voice.

“If someone gets a hand on you, fight back. Use your ability, bite them, whatever. Just don’t let them get a good hold on you.”

I nod, trying to soak up the information and keep awareness of our surroundings. Five miles for vampires is nothing, and I wonder how quickly the other coven will be upon us.

Jasper continues, speaking so fast I have to concentrate to understand him. “If they go for your neck, bring your arms to their own head. Pull down and twist at the same time, and you should be able to decapitate them. Fall with your momentum, that will give you extra leverage. Do not get near a fire, especially if you’re injured. That could kill you. Stay as close to me, Emmett, or Alice as you can. We’re the best fighters. Edward is a good next choice, though he’ll be distracted, keeping an eye on Bella and everyone’s thoughts. If all else fails, act on instinct, and rely on your ability as much as possible. Remember, if you don’t kill them, they will kill you.”

I gulp, fear resting in a pit in my stomach. I don’t want to kill anyone, and I really don’t want anyone from my new family to get hurt. But Jasper is right. This is kill or be killed.

The sound of approaching footfalls sends me into a panic, and I throw myself into Jasper’s arms. He hugs me tightly and kisses my forehead. Then, with a final, determined look, he releases me and goes to stand at the front near Carlisle.

Our family makes up a loose formation, and I assume it has some strategic benefits that are lost on me. Carlisle takes point, though he is flanked closely by Emmett and Jasper. Emmett with his strength and Jasper with his experience makes sense, but Carlisle towards the front makes me nervous. I know he is there to express our diplomatic intentions, but I have a feeling that if it comes to a fight, he will be in significant danger. Bella and Edward are next, arms around each other and looking determined. To my right are Alice and Arther, holding hands, and I can tell by Alice’s expression she is keeping careful watch of our future. Towards the back, Rosalie and I stand slightly in front of Esme, trying to keep her out of view. I really, really hope Esme stays safe. The desire to protect my kind, selfless mother-figure is strong, and I swallow, determined to do my best to keep her from harm. Although I must admit, given my limited experience, most of the burden will be placed on Rosalie. By the set in her shoulders, I know she’s aware of this.

The branches sway slightly as six unknown vampires come to a stop a hundred feet in front of Carlisle. Two women, four men, all with bright red eyes. None near as burly as Emmett, but all bigger than Alice. I feel a flash of worry for my new sister.

Carlisle breaks the silence and forces me to refocus. “Welcome. Allow me to introduce my family.” He points us out according to our formation, careful to group us and subtly remind the others that the are outnumbered. Are they scared, I wonder? Only Jasper or Edward would know. But Edward’s head does not move to answer my thoughts, and I realize he’s keeping carefully still so as not to alert the other vampires of his ability. Smart. I will keep mine a secret too, then, for as long as I can.

“It is lovely to meet you all,” the woman towards the front of the other group, the leader, I presume, speaks but doesn’t introduce her own coven. Her voice is silky, smooth, and slightly accented. I find myself leaning forward, wanting to hear her speak more. Thankfully, she does. “We’ve been aware of your presence for a while, though fearful to approach. It seems that while you preach peace towards humans, you follow a law of violence in regard to your own kind.”

“My apologies.” Carlisle matches her conversational tone, though his is nowhere near as pleasing to the ears. “I must admit, we were on our guard after a member of your coven attacked one of ours.”

“Oh, yes,” the woman laments, her crimson eyes immediately locking on Esme. I push down the growl threatening to rise. “We do regret the treatment of your sweet wife. Hélene is one of our more…” she hums lightly, beginning to twirl one of her dark braids around her finger, “aggressive members. Or,” she fixes Carlisle with a chiding stare, “should I say, was.”

Carlisle clasps his hands, looking repentant. “Yes, it is regrettable what happened in the woods. It is my wish that no further violence take place between us.”

“Ah,” the woman tsks, taking a small step in our direction. I tense, as does nearly everyone around me, but she makes no further move to approach. “How can there be peace between us when you keep such a feral vampire in your group? It is interesting that you would keep one of us among you. Wouldn’t you rather be with your own kind, dear? Somewhere you can hunt humans without the,” she sighs dramatically, shaking her head, “oppression?”

Rosalie’s hand clasps around my wrist, tightening. The message is clear. Don’t speak.

Following Rosalie’s direction, I keep silent. Instead, it is Carlisle who answers the woman. “I assure you, Y/n is part of our family and is learning to follow our lifestyle of her own volition. Her eyes are red because she is a newborn. Soon, her eyes will resemble ours.”

The woman grimaces, obviously displeased. “And she cannot speak for herself? Please, allow me to meet the girl who is responsible for the deaths of my friends. Come forward, dear.”

I take a step forward, then another, despite Rosalie’s ever-tighter grip and not knowing when I consciously decided to begin moving. Jasper takes a quick step so he’s blocking my path, and Edward shoots out an arm to stop me. Why?

“Careful, the woman is particularly convincing. Her gift has even taken Aro’s notice.”

The woman laughs in delight, and, still, I want to run towards her voice. So beautiful, so inviting. “And how would you know, sweet Edward?” Then her eyes light up in understanding. “Unless, you have a gift that has captured Aro’s attention as well?”

Edward ignores the woman aside from fixing her with a hard stare.

“A man of few words, I see,” she says, sounding disappointed. “No matter. Carlisle, I join you in your desire for peace.” I relax, glancing at Alice in hopes that her expression will confirm my conclusion: that the danger is gone, that a fight will be avoided. But instead I see her look of horror, followed by Edward’s snarl, and my hopes are dashed. They are replaced by fear.

“Until that peace can be achieved though,” the woman shakes her head in mock sadness, “I’m afraid we will need recompense for the murder of our friends. An eye for an eye, I suppose.”

Jasper snarls, the sound sending a new wave of fear through me. Still, it’s not enough to drown out the woman’s soft, inviting voice.

“Y/n, come here please.”

I know she is using her ability on me. I can feel it settling over my body and pricking at my mind. I know better than to step forward.

But I can’t stop myself. I’m not even able to form the thoughts necessary to halt my steps. All I can focus on is her voice and following her command.

I speed up, meaning to run to her.

A freight train slams into my side, knocking me straight to the ground. I struggle, and when the blonde braid smacks me in the face, I rename the freight train as Rosalie.

“Rose, let me go, I-I need to-”

“Y/n, stay down, she’s going to kill you.” I feel a set of hands on my shoulders and recognize them as Esme’s.

The woman tsks again. “Now, now, it is only fair. Count your blessings. We only require the death of one to repay the deaths of two. Were we vengeful, we would demand more of your heads.”

“Carlisle,” Edward mutters, obviously hoping only our family will hear. “They saw how you all rushed to Y/n’s aid in the woods, they’re trying to start a fight. They want our territory and need us to attack first in order to justify their actions to the Volturi. Aro-” whatever Edward was about to say is interrupted by the woman’s sweet, melodic voice.

“Or, perhaps he would volunteer to die in the place of his young mate? Jasper, come forward.”

“No!” My shriek echoes through the yard, but seems to fall on deaf ears.

The woman croons and beckons him with a single finger. Jasper’s eyes glaze over, and I know he’s under the influence of her gift as I was mere seconds ago.

He takes a single step forward. Then another.

The woman smiles. “That’s it, Jasper. Come to me.”

He takes another step forward, nearly passing Carlisle, and I panic. Edward and Bella hurry to grab him, to stop him, but Jasper is too quick. He dodges their advances and continues his pace towards the woman, whose smile has turned sadistic.

I throw Rosalie and Esme off me, running to him.

“Jasper, don’t you dare!” I fling myself in front of him, grabbing his face in my hands and forcing him to look at me.

He blinks, shakes his head, and then the spell is broken. Thank goodness. He briefly buries his face in my hair and inhales before pushing me behind him.

The woman sighs, seeming only mildly inconvenienced. “Oh well.”

Then, she lunges for Carlisle’s throat.

Emmett attacks from the side, plowing her into the dirt. The remaining five vampires hurry to join the fight. Jasper growls, pushing me further back into our group.

A pair of hands grabs my shoulders and forces me to the side. I bring my leg up to kick my assailant away, but it’s only Rosalie, pushing me to avoid a sandy-haired vampire. I gasp and stumble back, only to have someone lock their hand around my wrist.

“Hello there,” the vampire croons, using his free hand to reach towards my face. Acting on instant, I grab it, and use his hold on my other hand to throw him on the ground. He kicks behind my knees, causing me to fall on top of him and rolls so I’m pinned beneath his weight. He leans down, teeth bared, intent on biting me. The growl that rips through my is fierce and, momentarily, I can see the fear in his eyes. I claw at his face, creating a deep gash, and he howls. I use his distraction against him and flip us. He breaks free from my grip and reaches for my neck.

Someone pulls me off of the man and I panic until I see Arthur’s grim face to my right. “Hold his arm.”

I do as he says, noticing Alice mirroring my actions on the man’s other side. Without warning, Arthur surges forward and grips the man’s head in his hands. A twist, pull, and a terrible screech later, Arthur holds the man’s severed head. I gasp, releasing the man’s arm and stumbling back. Shit.

Alice produces a lighter and sets the man ablaze. An awful smell fills the air.

“Five,” Arthur calls out, tossing the man’s head into the flames.

A pained, infuriated scream pierces the air, and all heads whip towards Rosalie who clutches her shoulder. I run to her, but Jasper and Emmet are already there, quickly doing to her assailant as Arthur, Alice, and I had done to mine.

“Four,” Emmett declares, hurrying to check on Rosalie. Edward and Bella cover their backs while Emmett sucks the venom out.

I toss my head around wildly, searching for Jasper. Where is he? Where is he?!

I finally find him about fifty yards east of his previous location, wrestling with the leader of the enemy coven. Emmett must’ve let her go to tend to Rosalie.

The woman croons, and, even from here, I can feel the force of her voice.

“Jasper, let me go. You don’t want to kill me.”

Jasper hesitates, and I break out at a sprint towards him. Get away, get away, get away! Seeming frozen, Jasper falls to his knees, releasing the woman and allowing her to place her hands on either side of his head. She smiles serenely. “Good boy.”

“No!” I launch myself forward, tackling the woman. We collapse to the ground in a tangle of limbs and snarls. I feel the sharp pain as her teeth sink into my leg. With a growl, I focus on putting the pain behind the force of my ability. In the next second, she releases her hold on me, screaming in agony. Jasper appears then, thankfully having snapped out of the trance, and braces the woman’s back against his own with his hands on her head. He pulls forcefully, and the screams cease. Using a lighter of his own, he lets the flames consume the body.

“Three.” Jasper’s voice is tight, and his eyes don’t leave mine. “Are you okay?”

Swallowing my fear and horror, I nod. Those feelings can be dealt with once we’re out of danger. Jasper nods once, then darts to our right to aid Carlisle and Edward in the killing of another  vampire. He’s distracted though. He keeps throwing glances back at me and turning so I’m in his line of sight. The captured vampire senses Jasper’s lack of focus and takes the opportunity to sink his teeth into Jasper’s wrist. I run to him, hating how his face contorts in pain. Despite being held firmly by Edward and Carlisle, the man surges forward, snapping in my direction. His efforts stop the second Jasper tears his head from his neck. Edward sets the body ablaze, calling out a “two.”

As I gasp out his name, Jasper grips my waist, twisting us to the side. We narrowly avoid the vampire soaring through the air attempting to tackle us. He is trailed by Esme and Emmett, who quickly have the aid of Carlisle and Edward. With another sickening screech, we hear Esme’s voice ringing clear: “one”.

Now, it’s easy.

Only the other female remains, and my family quickly surrounds her.

She begins to beg for her life. “Please, let me go. I didn’t want to fight, I had no choice. Cora, our leader, forced us to. You’ve heard her voice, you know how convincing she is!” Her words increase in pitch and volume the closer Jasper and Emmett get to her. She dissolves into hysterics.

“Stop.” Esme’s command is quiet, but desperate. “Perhaps we can negotiate and come to an understanding.”

As we turn to glance at Esme, the woman has her opportunity. She launches herself at Jasper, gripping him around the neck and twisting. I scream, certain I’m about to see Jasper’s head fall to the ground.

But miraculously, he falls into the twist, rolling with the woman until he has her in an unbreakable lock. I vaguely recognize the hold as one he’s put me in before.

But this woman and I had vastly different outcomes.

Sharply, Jasper pushes the woman towards Emmett, who beheads her in one quick motion.

We’re silent as he throws the body into the fire.

Carlisle is the one who breaks the silence, sighing sadly and rubbing his forehead.

I exhale in relief, running to Jasper at the same time that he reaches for me. He kisses me like he did in the woods, and I pull him impossibly closer. When we separate, I exhale again and bury my head in his chest, thankful for the strong arms wrapping around me in a hug. Then I sigh, remembering the bite on his wrist.

“Let me see your arm.”

He shakes his head, kneeling on the ground and taking my leg gently in his hands. “You first.” I grit my teeth when he makes contact with the broken skin, though I do enjoy the feeling of his lips on my thigh. Perhaps we’ll have to revisit that later. Then, I have an idea, and rest my hand lightly on his shoulder, intending to pull the pain out of his arm that way. By his soft smile, it’s doing the trick. Still, once he rises, I take his wrist gingerly in my hands and suck out the venom. That’ll help it heal faster, anyway.

“You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if you didn’t try to be everywhere at once,” I chide.

But he just shrugs easily, pressing a light kiss on the side of my head. “It’s my job, darlin’.”

The new pet name helps ease my annoyance somewhat.

Once Jasper and I are satisfied the other is not harmed further, we turn our attention back to our family.

Thankfully, we sustained only minor injuries. Rosalie nurses her bite, and thankfully accepts my help in dealing with the pain. Emmett lost a finger, which Carlisle found and promptly reattached. It’s a miracle it hadn’t been thrown into the fires. Other than that and mine and Jasper’s bites, we’re all good. I marvel at our success, endlessly grateful that everyone is okay.

Carlisle, however, looks grim. “We’ll need to put out these fires soon to avoid suspicion. Alice, Edward, do you know of any others that might come to challenge us?”

They both concentrate but, thankfully, report in the negative. We can’t know for sure, of course, but for now, we’re as satisfied as is possible.

“I did notice something concerning in Cora’s thoughts,” Edward shares, almost hesitantly. We all fix him a look, anxious for him to continue. “They had hoped we would attack first so they could claim innocence to the Volturi. If that didn’t happen, they were obviously prepared to start the fight themselves. But,” he hesitates, and then seems to force himself to continue. “They were careful to leave Alice and I untouched. It seems they share the Volturi’s concerns with destroying our gifts.”

Carlisle’s expression darkens. “You think Aro had something to do with this?”

My eyebrows shoot up.

Edward grimaces. “She didn’t think of it long, but I glimpsed a conversation between Cora and Aro. From what I could gather, Aro was willing to overlook the attack on our family if it led to me and Alice joining him.”

Arthur growls, and Jasper’s arm tightens around my waist.

Carlisle looks dejected. “It seems Aro and I have much to discuss. I will plan a trip.”

“No,” Esme and Alice protest at the same time.

“Carlisle you can’t,” Alice continues, reaching forward to grab one of his hands in both of hers. “He obviously doesn’t care about your life. What if he uses the opportunity to destroy you?”

Carlisle sighs, shaking his head. “I will have to trust that he would refrain out of respect for our friendship. Regardless of the risk, I have to take care of my family. I won’t allow Aro to continue supporting threats against us like this. At the very least, I can get him to publicly condemn the attack. That will tie his hands going forward.”

Looking absolutely heartbroken, Esme rests her head on Carlisle’s shoulder. But we all know he’s right. Unless we can confront Aro in a manner that also does not directly implicate him, attacks like these are likely to continue.

Jasper brings my hands to his mouth and presses a light kiss on each set of knuckles. Then, looking determined, he turns towards Carlisle. “I would like to go with you.”

If I had a beating heart, it would have stopped. “What? Jasper no, you-”

But he shakes his head, his thumb smoothing over my hip. “He’ll need me to monitor Aro’s intentions, and I’ll be good in a fight, if it comes to that.”

Carlisle nods, though a look of regret is on his face. “It’s true. Jasper’s help will be invaluable, and I can’t take Edward or Alice. It will be too tempting for Aro. It’s risky enough bring Jasper.”

“Well then he shouldn’t go,” I protest, angry now. Why does Jasper always have to be the one risking himself? He’s thrown himself into my path more than once, watched everyone’s back during the fight, and now he’s going to one of the most dangerous places for our kind? For that matter, send me, I-

“That’s a terrible idea.” Edward’s harsh tone interrupts my thoughts.

“It is not,” I counter. “You said Jane was part of the Volturi? Well maybe you need someone to even her out.”

Jasper pulls me closer against him, and my suspicious calm causes me to give him the side-eye.

Carlisle smiles softly. “While I appreciate your willingness to help, Y/n, we really can’t take you with us. We’ll be taking a plane to Volterra, and the area itself is heavily populated. Perhaps a future trip.”

I sigh, knowing he’s right. But still, not Jasper…

“I’m going, too.” Esme’s soft but firm voice interrupts my thoughts. Carlisle immediately begins to protest, but she holds a hand up to his mouth. “I will not be separated from you, understand?”

With a defeated look, Carlisle nods.

Emmett raises a hand, a grin on his face. “I’m in, too.”

Edward shakes his head. “Knowing Aro, he’ll interpret more than three of us as a threat, especially if we send you, big as you are.” Good-naturedly, Edward softly punches Emmett’s shoulder then pretends to grip his hand in pain. That lightens the tension a little bit.

“Well, it’s settled, then.” Carlisle straightens his scarf and takes Esme’s hand in his. “I’ll book our flights for tomorrow morning.”

So soon…

Feeling my growing sense of dread, Jasper tugs on my hand. “Come with me for a bit?” I sigh, nod, and allow him to pull me further into the woods.

A/n Ahh, that was a long one! What did you think? Let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list!

xx, 

Bjr

Next part: https://bonjour-rainycity.tumblr.com/post/625017063484833792/the-long-way-around-chapter-14

Tag list: @puer-de-infinitate @charliestuff @meri-soni-meri-tamanna @one-thread-can-save-a-life @salsameter @enchantedcruelsummer @meashy-moo @sana-li @femflorals @80strashbag @tomisbaeholland @heyimval13 @triscuitcracker @deviantly-gayy

[shellyseashell]

ALL THAT MATTERS

Read on ao3

SCARLET LOVED HER husband, she really did, but sometimes his obsession with tomatoes was a bit annoying. Sweet, sure, it was a testimony of his love. They had first met over tomatoes, and he wanted to honor that. Still, when she came downstairs one morning after she realized Wolf (it was still hard to call him Ze’ev, though she tried her best, her mind sometimes defaulted to his street fighter name) was no longer in bed — as he usually woke up last — and came downstairs to find the kitchen counters covered in tomatoes, she seriously started reconsidering a few things.

Namely, why she had agreed to grow tomatoes in their garden.

Scarlet rubbed her eyes and blinked, as if the fruits would disappear and this was just some hallucination. “Er — Ze’ev, what are you doing?”

Ze’ev looked up from behind the counter, flashing a smile that shouldn’t have been as cute as it was with his sharp teeth. He was still in his sleep clothes, and his hair was messy. He clearly hadn’t been up much longer than she had. “I got us tomatoes!”

Scarlet entered the kitchen fully and leaned against the counter, resting her chin on her hands so she was staring right into those bright green eyes she loved so much. “I can see that. There’s a lot of them. Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why so many? I know you like them, but this —“ she motioned to the many, many tomatoes invading their kitchen “— feels a little extreme.”

Ze’ev’s smile grew. “It’s the anniversary of when we first met! You told me what a tomato was and got in a fight, remember?”

Scarlet did remember. Usually, she tried to forget about that time of her life, as there were just as many bad memories as there were good — such as her grand-meré’s death, which she hadn’t been able to properly grieve until the war ended.

She should have known Wolf would remember it. He had an insanely good memory that she always blamed on his genetic mutations, and would take something as small as their first meeting and turn it into something so . . . cute? Annoying? Endearing?

That time, though, had more good memories for him — at least, during those few days. His first taste of freedom in stars-knew-how-long, meeting Scarlet, joining a rebellion against the Queen that had taken so much away from him.

“What exactly were you planning to do with them? We leave tomorrow for Kai and Cinder’s wedding. As much as I appreciate your dedication to our relationship, I don’t think buying so many tomatoes was such a good use of our money.”

Ze’ev frowned a bit. “I got them from our garden.”

Right. They lived on a farm (Benoit-Kesley Farms, Scarlet had so smugly renamed when her and Wolf had gotten married a year prior). Hadn’t she just mentioned that?

“Well, that sure gives me an excuse to not go into town today.”

Ze’ev’s shoulders sank. “Were those for your delivery?”

Scarlet’s expression softened, and she rounded the counter. “They were. But who needs those tomatoes? Not whoever that new cook is. Doesn’t appreciate the hard work we put in here.” She dropped her voice in a mocking tone of the new cook at the Tavern and waved her hand for dramatics. “‘You are a war hero, there shouldn’t be a SPECK of dirt on those tomatoes.’ ‘I expect more from my clients’. How stupid is that?”

“Very.”

“Exactly. What were you planning on doing with them anyway?”

Ze’ev’s shoulders sank even further, and the look was almost comical. Looking down at his feet, he muttered, “I was hoping you would have ideas.”

Scarlet laughed, and wrapped her husband in a hug that was quickly returned. She nestled her head in his chest with a sigh. “What am I going to do with you?”

Ze’ev squeezed her tighter, and she almost made a remark about needing to breathe before she heard him mutter “Don’t leave me ever again” and the protest died in her throat.

Even after three years, nightmares still plagued him — plagued her, plagued all of them — about the war. There were times when he woke up in the middle of the night to make sure she was still there. Sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night in a panic, thinking there was a mutant wolf attack.

But they had each other, and that was all that mattered.

“I won’t leave you again. I promise.”

She could practically hear him smile.

“I bet I can eat more tomatoes than you.”

—

SCARLET REGRETTED MANY things in life. The list was never ending, but still, eating nearly half of the tomatoes Ze’ev had gotten topped the list.

Wolf, with his seemingly never ending appetite, laughed as she groaned, sprawled out on his chest as he laid on the couch. “Finally learned your lesson about trying to win bets you me?”

“Never.” She nestled her head against his chest. “I’m still a better shot than you.”

His chest rumbled with laughter, a sound and feeling that made Scarlet smile. “You probably are. You’re also prettier, more confident, and smarter than me.”

“You’re plenty pretty. And it takes a lot of confidence to stand up against Levana and your Thaumaturge when they could’ve easily ended you. Smarter than you? Yeah, I probably am, considering you didn’t know what a tomato was until a few years ago.” Her tone was teasing on the last part, and Ze’ev snorted.

She readjusted her position so her arm was draped over Ze’ev’s stomach, her other curled against her chest. Wolf’s arm held her against him and kept her from falling off the couch. “We don’t have any last minute plans for the wedding, do we?”

Ze’ev shook his head. “No. Kai and Cinder said how important it would be to them to have their official wedding be televised, with Cinder being cyborg and Lunar and the Eastern Commonwealth’s soon-to-be Empress, so we don’t need to bring anything for that like they did for us. We’re mostly packed, and we have wedding gifts and transportation figured out.”

“Thorne isn’t reliable with the Rampion. He still isn’t that great of a pilot. Even after retraining himself.”

“You could always fly.”

Scarlet hummed. “I could.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Scarlet said, “Tell me a story.”

They did this a lot. Scarlet loved hearing Ze’ev’s stories of growing up on Luna and as a Special Op. He didn’t seem to get the appeal, but she loved learning more about his home and past — even if they had been cruel at the time, things were steadily improving on that rock. Scarlet, too, would tell stories about growing up on a farm, anything from learning to fly to that time she got in a fight with a few delivery boys. (“They called her crazy, which I wouldn’t stand, so obviously I had to break his nose.”)

“What about?”

“Anything.”

And so Scarlet fell asleep in her husband's arms, listening to his soothing voice recount a story she had heard many times before, and yet, it never got old.

Because it was him, and that was what mattered most.

[sellyoursoulforagoodfic]

Request: Jango Fett x Jedi!Reader

Request by @sweeetteaa​: So have had this idea for a while now, but I suck at writing so hear me out: Jango Fett x reader, but the reader is a Jedi who goes to investigate Kamino with Obi-Wan and when she meets Jango - it’s love at first sight. And of course sassy Boba also loves her.

Jango Fett x reader

Word Count: 1825

Note: Obi-wan is on Kamino a LOT longer than he is in the movie because reasons

There were times when you thoroughly enjoyed your long-standing friendship with Obi-wan Kenobi. For example, any time he’d come to you ranting about whatever ridiculous situation Anakin had gotten them into; you almost always got a hearty laugh out of those instances.

This, however, was not one of those times.

Right now, you were rueing the day you’d decided to spar with this particular human because he’d dragged you along on his hunt for an apparently not-so-imaginary planet where you were currently getting an astoundingly confusing tour to show off an army of (admittedly quite attractive) clones made for the Republic.

You leveled your friend with a glare behind the tour guide's back and mouthed a harsh, “What the fuck?”

He just shrugged helplessly. His face smoothed back over into calm interest the instant the Kaminoan turned to glance at him. It never ceased to amaze you when he displayed that renowned ‘Negotiator’ facade.

Always one to be hands-on rather than to be lectured at, you spoke up, “You said they were highly trained for battle, yes?”

“Of course,” she replied breezily.

“Would it be possible for me to sit in on one of their drills? I’m somewhat of a tactician myself; I’d like to see how they perform in action. You and Obi-wan can keep viewing the process in the meantime.”

“Brilliant idea!” Obi-wan agreed, obviously seeing your plan of gathering more information.

The Kaminoan nodded. “Your timing is most convenient,” she informed you. “There is a simulation scheduled a few minutes from now. We have an overhead observation bay from which you can watch alongside their instructor.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

~

By the time you arrived, the simulation was already underway, and the clone that appeared to be the instructor judging from the under-armor blacks he was wearing barely spared you a glance while you were introduced. Not that you could blame his disinterest, his brothers down below were putting on quite the show. Still, you would like to glean at least a little information from the clones themselves about this place, and there needed to be a conversation happening for that so . . .

“Your sniper there needs to learn that his priority shouldn’t be the heavy troopers first.”

A handful of scars on the instructor’s face were exposed to you when he turned to smirk in your direction were surprising; you’d assumed such injuries would have been healed flawlessly in this facility. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. There was a curious rush of Force that rushed through you when he raised an amused eyebrow at you. “Oh? Who should he be focusing on then?”

“If he wants the rest of his team to survive, he’d target the stealth team making their way around the edges of the room.”

His brown eyes widened fractionally in mild surprise. “A Jetii that cares about the safety of soldiers? An unusual find. Who are you again?”

“Y/N. Another Jedi and I are here to check on the status of the army.” You made sure to make your voice wobble in a false tell.

One he seemed to buy based off the way that his smirk grew into a lopsided grin that made your heart inexplicably race. “You’re a terrible liar.”

You weren’t, but it played to your advantage to make him think you couldn’t lie for shit. Your Master, Mace Windu, had always encouraged your underhanded methods of gaining information even when the other Jedi frowned on them. ‘Use every advantage,’ he’d always say. The strange emotions that were racing around your mind because of this strange man, though, did concern you, but you shoved that to the side for later examination. You allowed a defeated-sounding sigh escape your lips as you let your body sag. “So I’ve been told.”

“So let me guess: something tipped you off about Kamino and you came looking?”

Well, he was certainly more intuitive than you would have guessed given that he was right and all. Not just a pretty face. “Busted.”

“So a tactician, piss-poor liar, and a curious adventurer. You are quite strange for a Jetii.”

“And you seem to think you know a lot about Jedi for someone who’s never left this planet.”

The second the words left your mouth, his dark eyes lit up, and you knew you’d made a mistake in your read of the man. It very abruptly all fell into place. He didn’t have those scars because of any fault in the healing here in the facility; he’d earned them in the field away from proper medical care. His knowledge wasn’t learned from some other instructor; it was learned first-hand. And his prejudice wasn’t taught institutionally; it was born from some darkness in his past.

“You’re not a clone, are you?”

“No, sweetheart, I’m the original.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the sound of his quiet chuckle, and you’d be damned if you didn’t crack a small smile yourself in response. Vow of attachments aside, you couldn’t help but already be fond of this strange man you’d just met. “So what’s your name then, Mr. Original?”

“Jango Fett.”

That name rang a bell or six. “The Mandalorian bounty hunter?” The one with the famous loathing of Jedi because they slaughtered his people?

“My reputation precedes me?”

“As well as your hatred for my kind, making you a curious choice for the progenitor of an army meant to work beside us to protect the Republic.”

“Money is money, sweetheart, and I’m learning that there might be a few Jetii that aren’t all bad.”

“A few?”

“Well . . . one or two . . . that I’d like to get to know better over a friendly dinner?”

“I suppose that could be arranged. We need to talk about how you’re training you snipers to be blind, anyway.”

~

As it turned out, dinner was in Jango’s apartment along with his clone/son Boba who you found out rather quickly you adored. The initial greeting had been rough, but he quickly warmed to you when you showed him the blaster you kept hidden within your robes for emergencies. He’d been telling some tale for the last few minutes about some trip he and his father had gone on, and his excitement was practically tangible.

“So anyways, Dad is busy trying to tie the guy up, and I spotted a no-good Jetii--”

“Boba!” his father interjected.

“What? It’s not like she’s a normal Jetii. She carries a blaster and agreed to go on a date with you.”

Your eyes widened dramatically, “This isn’t--”

“Son, this isn’t--” Jango cut himself off as the two of you talked over each other in your haste to deny the attraction you’d both been feeling all night.

“I’m a kid, Dad. I’m not stupid.”

“Boba--” This time you were cut off by a knock at the door.

The boy was already on his feet as he shouted, “I’ll get it!”

In the quiet that followed, Jango admitted, “He wasn’t wrong to assume that, you know.”

“I know,” you replied honestly, “but I took the vows, and we just met . . .”

“Dad! It’s for you!”

“Coming!” His eyes never left yours as he stood. “If you ever decide to leave that order of hypocrites . . .” The offer was clear.

“I know who to call,” you promised.

In the span of a single breath, you went from gazing at him longingly to being stunned still at the feeling of his lips on yours to staring at his retreating back in still-frozen surprise. And then everything devolved into a whirl of passive-aggressive accusatory comments, Obi-wan’s pitying gaze, and a chase that left you pondering, well, everything as you and your best friend chased the man that so easily swayed your mind away from your rigid vow of no attachments. 

“Obi-wan?” you called quietly over the comms that connected your two fighters. The two of you were tracking Jango’s ship, and you had a blackhole of anxiety gnawing its way through your stomach.

“I’m guessing this is something about that date I interrupted?”

“It wasn’t a date,” you argued automatically, but even you could hear how convincing you weren’t, “but yes.”

“It’s really getting to you that he is our assassin, isn’t it?” Your silence spoke libraries about your answer. “I’m sorry, darling.” Surprisingly, he didn’t kick into a lecture about the Code like he would have with Anakin, which you greatly appreciated. 

“Do you remember the old myths about the Force?”

“I suppose you have a specific one in mind?”

“The one about how everyone has someone out there connected to them by the Force.”

There was a heavy pause. “Do you believe this Jango Fett is your soulmate, Y/N?” Ever straight to the point was the renowned Obi-wan Kenobi.

You bit your lip, trying to fight back the tears that were currently making your eyes sting. That myth was the only way you could explain the feelings you had when looking at Jango, the way the Force seemed to dance between the two of you when he kissed you. “Yes.”

This time it was Obi-wan’s silence that was telling. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

~

After everyone was onboard a ship that was flying away from Geonosis, you locked yourself in your room with only Obi-wan allowed to enter so you could mourn in peace. All at once the galaxy was at war, your soulmate (for that’s what he must have been for you to have been brought to your knees by his death the second his head was severed even though you were too far to have seen it with your own eyes) was dead, and you were surrounded by his clones like they were living ghosts. You were a wreck, to put it mildly, and you could not let Anakin see you like this and get it into his head that such attachments were acceptable even if this was a special circumstance.

Already, you’d been weeping for hours while collapsed in the middle of the floor. And that was precisely the position Obi-wan found you when he finally returned from giving his report to the Council. In an instant, you were swept into a tight hug.

“Is there anything I can do?”

You shook your head minutely. “I can’t do this, Obi,” your voice shook. “I can’t fight with his ghosts by my side only to watch them die under my command in a war that no one wants.”

“You have my support no matter what you choose,” he promised quietly, “as long as you keep in touch.”

A shaky breath left your lips as some of the tension left your body. You hadn’t realized it, but part of you had been terrified that you would lose your best friend in this chaos. “Thank you.”

“What will you do?”

“Boba was there.”

“The little clone?”

“His son . . . sort of. He’s just a child that lost his father. I can’t just leave him.”

“I’d expect nothing less from you.”