#personal theory for y'all

[gumm1defloor]

Vox can understand Velvette just fine. They don't necessarily need to get along all the time, but they have a mutually beneficial contract that guarantees her support in the most efficient way possible, just how they both like it, short and strict and to the point. Vox does not understand Valentino. It drives him unimaginably, disgustingly insane. He knows how to handle him, make no mistake. Valentino is a never-ending powerhouse that wrangles out content from his employees like there's no tomorrow. He's proven himself to be Vox's most lucrative investment yet. He is resourceful, well-connected and most importantly predictable enough to rein in. Because he listens to you, because he needs you.

He is also, undeniably, out of his goddamn mind. Yet you've already invested too much in the corporate empire you've built together and there is no point turning back now that you have him so close to your side. It's OK however! He couldn't possibly be stupid enough to throw away the best partnership deal he's ever had just for the sake of something petty cause -oh, wait - he genuinely might just be that stupid and you never would've guessed because he's so cocksure of his bullshit that 80% of the time it ends up working in his favor anyway.

Fuck his life indeed. The kicker for this of course is that Valentino, genuinely does believe he has struck gold with Vox. Valentino is a clingy, possessive, immature, perverted, sadistic, egotistical man-child with severe dependancy issues and poor impulse control. No he is not aware of this at all. No he does not know why nobody is able to tolerate him and why every single person he gets close to hates his guts with every inch of their burning rotting souls. All he knows is that hell has now given him a flat faced prince in shining liquid crystal armour, riding on a cash filled horse with promises of power and luxury, who's practically handing him success on a silver platter. Doesn't mean that Val trusts him, doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy seeing him lose his shit. But at the end of the day vox has his back, and as long as Val keeps calling for him, he'll eventually turn up and make everything better. Cause hey if Vox hasn't left him yet for this long he must be doing something right. Right?

[addicted-to-the-knife]

I finally had the chance to watch the Boston panel.

and I'm starting to think that a lot of you either haven't watched it yourselves, or were so set on specific opinions you personally have, while also having clear expectations of what their answers will be, that with their answers (or what are talked about as their answers) made you so unhappy that now you're just bashing them; especially Hugh.

why, though? none of the things I've seen people complain about were actually said like that or fully implied. so... what? doesn't make sense to me why some of you are so upset about this panel. it was so much fun and just lighthearted entertainment. panels like that are the reason these things exist and are usually so much fun in the first place.

[weirdlyfitting]

I've been starting to think about how unfair camp fam's life are, from the ending of cc s5 they only had 2 years of living without survival mode on, and after the whole events in fallen kingdom there's just no turning back.

I dunno how long brooklynn has tried investigating soyona's case, but cc finale has showed the starting of her interest in investigating dino related cases so i think the chance of all of them 6 talking with each other post-camp cretaceous gradually lessen, also with darius being in dpw, kenji and his rock-climbing business, yaz and ben in their respective colleges, and sammy with her family (and eventually alone in her ranch) they all had their own personal lives so.. yea..

then one day they did a video call like another usual meet ups they had, with brooklynn being able to participate this time even just for a little time, little did the rest know that it'd be the last time they enjoyed being together again.

atp it's all starting to feel very dystopian (which is really something coming from a jurassic franchise), chaos theory put brooklynn's character in a grey area but really her questionable actions and consequences from the start of investigation til the end of s3 are exactly the results of the world she's living in. it's also established in camp cretaceous that all of nublar 6 ended up going into the mindset of "if no one's gonna fix it, then who else?", they all were so used to clean the mess that whatever those greedy corporations did with their world and the dinosaurs (of course it's one of the reasons why their characters are so precious to me but not going to lie i'm starting to feel really awful for em damn), and what's more tragic is that these stuff did actual damage on them!! from yasmina's growing ptsd, brooklynn and the whole stuff she caught up in, kenji's perception of his dad and in s2 he grew harmful thoughts upon his life, darius THE dino-loving-nerd calling the allosaurus as "mindless killer", ben dropping out of college, and even sammy who's the cheeriest of them all ended up being isolated and away from the people she loved and worse, breaking up with her gf 😭😭😭

and i'm not sure though it's tragic but it gave me some sense of comfort? i feel like it's starting to feel the same as the reality that i had rn, in the world full of capitalism and exploitation they gave me comfort to keep living on and fight it with whatever art i want to create, and what made me truly grateful of these shows are the fact that they didn't ignore the draining and harmful effect on the characters' mental health :,D

[yoinkschief]

Putting my theory out here before anyone else or something lol

One Last Time might have to do with Alina being the new Ultima, not really sure on the specifics of how it would work, maybe some more timey-wimey shit, the comet is certainly important and I have reason to believe it will have to do with time travel

The posters aren't up yet but there's gonna be like two or three new ones BUTTTT One of the teasers for the posters it had the same girl on it as the trailer for MyS S7 (S8 ? Now ? I think ?) and I believe a clock behind her, and this has to do with memories and whatnot, the trailer had them going through their entire life together I think that this will be about their future daughter, Alina possibly being her name tho it could be something else, tho I doubt it (in a side story we see a technically non canon but also kinda canon thing of yet another christmas special "Her Wish" where Alina comes to MyStreet from what's left of MCD to see her parents not so parents in this timeline, and Aaron comments on "Alina being a name Aphmau would name her kid" so again, assuming it's gonna be Alina) Alina is going to be struggling with her Ultima powers, as the daughter of Aaron, an Ultima, and something with the comet is gonna cause time shit to happen and she's gonna be sent back in time or Aphmau and Aaron and an assorted crew will be sent forward, either way time will collide with itself with these characters, and while trying to restore Aaron's memories they will be tasked with also trying to save Alina from probably herself, which is why she could be in the woods, isolating herself from everyone else because of the fear of turning into an Ultima or having already done so and being shunned into the woods, hence the goo gunk monster but I have no idea why the lock would melt off or whatever, but it's interesting that we see Alina right after the guy shoots that monster, of which we see the eye of, and we don't get to see her face OR her eyes behind the wolf mask, which suggests ultima because duh wolf

So I don't think it's VP Aphmau

But I also don't know why the whole goo stuff happened with the monster,,, mayhaps just a way to suggest that it's unnatural ?? Or maybe it's a parallel universe or something SIMILAR to VP but not exactly linked to it, cause as far as I'm aware he panting in the video sounds different than what you'd expect from Aph, younger in a sense, which would make sense for a younger person like, say, I dunno, a teenage daughter struggling with her Ultima powers

[elluqien710]

on the fate of amrod

in the published Silmarillion, both Amrod & Amras survive until the Third Kinslaying at Sirion. However, according to the The Shibboleth of Fëanor (HoME XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth), there is a version where Amrod is killed and burned alive, along with the ships, at Losgar.

soooooooo I'm curious. What do you guys think?

*note: I know that Tolkien had this whole switcheroo with which of the twins were born first and names and whatnot, but ignore it for this

[moose-beam]

So, here's a cheeky thought about foreshadowing in season 1 of Arcane. I'm personally of the mind that we're heading towards a Jinx/Ekko/Cait/Vi team-up at the end of season 2. (Of course, when I start to talk about Arcane season 2, I begin by talking about the end of the show.) I might expand later on how I feel the final battle might unfold more specifically, but for now, I'm wondering if a team-up between Jinx/Ekko/Cait/Vi is foreshadowed in the first two episodes when Jayce's apartment was blown up. In a way, each of them had a role in the domino effect that caused the explosion, including Jayce (so maybe he's part of the team up). I just don't think it's a coincidence that five League champions all had something to do, big or small, with the eventual explosion.

Ekko followed Jayce to his apartment and told Vi about the job. Vi led the gang there and, after Mylo took too long, broke into the apartment. Caitlyn dropped an object/artifact in the building hallway, alerting Vi and drawing her attention to the door. Jayce starts to unlock his apartment, causing Vi to jam the chair under said door and rush everyone out. The hasty escape causes Jinx (Powder) to drop the gemstone, which explodes and destroys Jayce's apartment. All four of them kicked off the story together, they'll each have a hand in ending the story together.

For me, the wildcard here is Jayce, even though he has an action (trigger/event) in the sequence of events. He feels disjointed from the rest of the group, I'm not quite sure how to articulate why, and part of me wonders if he's on the same path as the rest of them in season 2. Either way, if he is part of the team up, that would make five people, kind of like a League team...

[cedric-k-rossignol]

12 hour work days are BACK

[baddybaddyadardaddy]

y'all i have been stuck on this chapter of sister golden hair for SO LONG and i have pulled it apart more times than i can count and i PROMISE i'm gonna get there but DAMN is it taking awhile.

[organizechaoss]

i never really talk about this on here bc i convinced myself i didn't care but if you didn't know, i post my fics both to wattpad and to ao3.

wattpad was my introduction to fanfiction way back in the day and i have a softspot for it. i also like wattpads commenting system where you can comment either on the whole chapter or line by line which is sosososo fun.

my peak on wattpad interaction was probably before 2019-2020 and for the longest time, none of my recent shit was getting any interaction.

when i started posting We're Professionals, i was slightly hopeful that perhaps i could get some readers and commenters on the site but for months and months i only had '1 regular reader' (based on wattpad stats) that i was 99.99% sure was just myself looking at the chapter after i posted.

but now i have 7 regular readers! so i know it's not just me reading hehe but still, no votes, no comments, nothing other than occasional views.

and yesterday someone commented (a lot of comments which was sososo fun to read through)!!! and today someone new commented!!! (noting that that person was the first person to comment on my fic lmao)

they are both very sweet and i'm pretty sure one of them voted on one of my chapters which made my day.

my initial commenter said that the fic deserved more attention and love, which lowkey, i agree with (not to sound conceited or anything). i just think i'm bad at blurbs? also i havent read anything on wattpad in ages (the ads annoy me sooooo much) so i'm not sure how authors can market their fics and i'm way out of the loop in the wattpad sphere. (or i just have an inflated ego about my fic/writing) or actor au's aren't as desired in the fandom as i thought. or something else i'm missing.

so now that i'm finally getting a little attention on that site, i've decided to complain lmao. you don't gotta read the following rant

why has the culture concerning fic interaction changed so much? i don't want to beg for comments or interactions and i try to make it a point to not pressure my commenters and readers to interact if they're not feeling it (idk how succesfull i am at that lmao). but what makes a person comment or pick up a fic or interact with a fic in any way? how can i foster that without being seen as needy or manipulative?

i am very fortunate and lucky to get the interaction that i do receive because i know other talented writers may receive less interaction than I do. but still... as flattering as it is to receive the comment 'this deserves more attention!' and i will treasure that comment indefinitely, it makes me frustrated bc that's always something i've secretly thought. and for someone else to point it out just... brings a lot of sad emotions up for me.

i've been posting this story for months, i'd grown so hopeless on the wattpad community to ever notice or interact with it that i've been solely getting my dopamine from obsessing over my ao3 stats (which are good but not the best) in probably an unhealthy way

ppl can obviously do whatever they want, i alone can't change the culture concerning fanfic, i just needed to shout my frustrations into the void of tumblr.

i'm not alone in this, i know other authors have the same observations and complaints. i just don't think adding notes asking for comments is an effective, nor should it have to be, the way to get ppl to interact with your fic. there has to be something else...

[cladestruction]

ok but do you guys think the curse of dethklok is like... what? something that's been there during the boys' entire lives? like, ever since they were young? or is it something they started experiencing once they Became dethklok? is the curse the prophecy?? what exactly was the prophecy??? help????

also (and i'm sorry if i'm asking questions that aotd already answered): do you guys think dethklok have powers themselves? or is it not theirs and instead it's just something that the Doomstar lends them and thus only happens on specific times? (example: when they kill the metal masked assassin and when they banish salacia)

me personally i love the idea of dethklok being pretty much Destined to be together, therefore they all have little attrocities happen to them throughout their lives but then it just makes sense when they become a band and realize that the other guys Also were surrounded by tragedy. like "oh, maybe i wasn't cursed bc these guys also have had horrible shit happen to them!" kinda thing. but that's just me.

and yeah i also gotta admit that i personally love the idea of dethklok having powers themselves and not as something lend by the doomstar. idk, i really enjoy the premise of a bunch of stupid, messed up men having godlike power and: having no idea of what to do with them. better yet, not even being Aware of them. like Murderface miraculosly surviving a horrible accident during religionklok, Pickles being straight up inmune to substances that would pretty much kill anyone else, etc. it's cute that in aotd's ending dethklok and the fans all share the power but i still rather think that it is the band that is special. the band is its own deity.dand they all together are a god or something at least close to one.

[luckycharms1701]

got a response to my last post and fuck if i didn't pull my computer out at one in the morning so i could do this particular topic justice

my "time to talk about family dynamics in tmnt" button was pushed real hard, and i don't get enough opportunities to talk about this

So let's talk about Leo's position in the family in the Bayverse movies. That's right folks, we're pulling out capital letters for the leader in blue, because this is a topic I am super serious about. Full college paper levels of serious. Gonna need to know how you want your sources cited.

This is a fascinating take tbh, and I would love to hear more about how you came to this conclusion. Allow me to show you why my position is different.

First:

I think this image says a lot. Leo's a daddy's boy long before anything like parentification could possibly come into play. Also it's really cute, look at him loving his dad!!

Second, let's talk parentification. Boiled down to its basics, parentification is when a child, usually the eldest, acts like a secondary or replacement parent. This is the part that really gets me, because I just don't see any evidence of it in the movies at all.

We do get to see some scenes from when they are kids, and no where is it suggested that Leo is anything other than another one of the boys.

Sure, Mikey hides behind him when play-fighting with Raph after the buck-buck scene, but that's just younger sibling behavior. No where is it implied that this happens because anyone expects it of Leo. That, I think, might be the closest to "parentification" that occurs in the movies.

The thing is, I don't think Leo has been the leader very long at the beginning of the 2014 movie. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if it's a move Splinter made just before or even as the movie starts. Leo's and Raph's argument really solidifies that for me:

Raph: And who put you in charge?

Leo: You know who did.

This smacks, on Leo's part, of someone borrowing another's authority to shore up their own. That tells me that Leo at least does not feel that he has this authority on his own merit, that he's new to leadership. Raph senses this like a shark in bloody water, and he pushes because there's vulnerability there. (more on this later *rubs hands together in glee*)

I think that there is evidence in the 2016 movie that Leo is relatively new to a position of authority as well. His struggle to maintain the delicate balance of his brother's personalities and the fact that he allows his own personality to get in the way of being a good leader are prime examples.

These are pitfalls that a parentified person would already have experienced and would be able to avoid, and so they wouldn't have happened if Leo was parentified.

Third, let's talk about Leo and Raph.

So, my position here is that Leo and Raph DO have a normal sibling relationship, at least as normal as it can get when you are turtle mutants living in the sewers with only each other for company.

Anecdotal, I know, but I have a bit of experience with a similar dynamic to the one you assigned to them. I am the oldest of three, and my sister (middle) and I did NOT get along as kids. It got to the point where I thought as teens that once I left the house we would never talk to each other ever again.

Perceived favoritism was definitely an issue in my and my sister's relationship. Is it an issue with Leo and Raph? I honestly don't think we get enough time with Splinter in the movies to determine that concretely. It's definitely possible, but I believe something different is, either concurrently with or instead of favoritism, at play here.

I know it's easy to forget because they look Like That, but the turtles are teenagers. They are immature and don't always know how to express themselves. And Raph in particular struggles because he feels so strongly. It can be hard to control it when your emotions are strong like that, don't ask me how I know.

However, he gives himself away at the end of the 2014 movie. "Every time... I pushed you beyond your limits, it was because I believe in you! I believe in each one of you!"

Remember when I said that Raph sensed Leo's vulnerability and pushed on it? We've come back baby! I am firmly in the camp of 'both Raph and Leo are good leaders in their own way', and I think this is part of what makes Raph a good leader.

Sometimes Raph is actually annoyed at Leo for whatever reason, being told what to do the most common I think. But!! Remember, Raph also believes in his brothers, Leo included. So he puts Leo on the spot in a mostly controlled environment to help him learn how to be a leader. There's a lot more I could say here, but that's a Raph post, and this is about Leo.

So is it favoritism, Raph's need for independence, or Raph pushing Leo that causes tension in their relationship? I think it's a bit of all of that and more.

There is a fourth section to this post, about Splinter, but it is now almost four in the morning, I have to get up in like two hours, and I already fell asleep once while writing this. But know that in this iteration at least, Splinter is a decent single father of four boys, he did not parentify Leo, and any favoritism is unintentional.

Anyway, in my house we spend a lot of time talking about how much Leo loves his dad.

[starflungwaddledee]

What Starstruck Dee theory have people made that is your favourite?

there have been quite a lot, and i genuinely love them all!

early on i think the most popular theory was that she was possessed or had been possessed at some point, most likely by dark matter. she actually debunked this theory personally, but i think people just assumed she was lying! 😂

my favourite part is not any one theory, but watching a shift in thoughts over time as more things are revealed, and seeing people share theories/work together in comments and reblogs. i like the "OOHHH WWWWHAT...!?!" moments a lot; whether they are a reaction to my storytelling or to other folks' detective work!

early theories revolved around how she was weird for a waddle dee, or at least a native of popstar. despite my never explicitly confirming anything to the contrary, theories have now broadly shifted to assuming she is not from popstar at all, and most people do now generally agree she's not really a waddle dee.

i don't recall exactly who first came up with each theory (though some big players are @the-void-is-a-disappointment who did a huge amount of early deetective work and encouraged me to build it as a story for solving, @shibuya-toasted-with-extra-cream, @graycoin and @jojo-schmo) and i'm not sure which of these theories are still held by anyone

but here a few of my favourites, roughly in order that they started appearing...

♻️ she's a total mimic species like kirby or void, copying things around her either by intent or by accident 🗑️ similar to above, but she's an incorrect copy or a "beta" mock-up type of a waddle dee 🧚 that she was just born different, like a fae changeling, and might have been hidden away when young as a result 🕰️ she is something totally inorganic and/or mechanical, created by or like the clockwork stars or stardream, perhaps wish contingent 🥇 sometimes attached to the above, she was created to serve some sort of Greater Purpose. she might have failed at it or been flawed, and was subsequently discarded on popstar 🌠 a dozen and one wildly different things connected to the "falling star that hit her". alien life form on the meteor transferred into her on impact. infection by intergalactic bacteria/dark matter. simply massive concussive trauma that fucked up her signature (back when we thought that was the only thing wrong with her). the star was magic and fused with her. she hatched from it and is literally a star herself. probably missing some here. 🪐 waddle dee from a different place/planet. this one is quite a sensible theory, given that we do see many quite different dees! 🤍 she is a fragmented piece of void/void termina. this one in particular i know is @shibuya-toasted-with-extra-cream 's ongoing theory and she's put in a lot of really cool work towards it! ⚔️ she's somehow connected to the heroes of yore. this theory i think has only started popping up since galacta knight has become a reoccurring visitor in her storyline and we've started asking questions about her familiar looking magic spears, but you can certainly 1hko @moonverc3x with this one 🧿 she's connected to the matters. sometimes soul, because it's sometimes star themed and lacks a token representative. where as a connection to dream might link her to fecto forgo/fecto elfilis in some way (a creature also well known for a catastrophic meteor attack). i've also seen folks confident that she's connected to heart matter as well, probably again due to everyone's favourite grumpy swan showing up

this is all i can think of or locate right now, but there's been a pretty wide range of things. i feel there has been a rather interesting transition over time from "she's a messed up waddle dee" to "she's probably connected to a universal superpower of some kind" which i am genuinely really really thrilled about?! 😂 what a glow up for a pathetic little wawa!!!

i'm also personally really fond of seeing how people's existing biases influence what they can find and draw connections in. for instance: i know @jojo-schmo loves the forgotten land and elfilis, and digs into those connections and draws out some really cool stuff because her knowledge is already so specialised! i think this is the true highlight of working on this story for me, people theorising and engaging in the lore, and laser pin-pointing things that tie into our personal faves-- the way we tend to do with kirby lore as a whole-- is such uninhibited delight

i sincerely hope people will enjoy where starstruck's story does go, in the end!!

[luvevee]

Ok so I get the theory that Kieran is being influenced by the toxic chain after a certain point of the story and yeah there's something with it going on but it's ok to pair that + him just being an emotionally unstable kid with neurodivergent coding. Like there's no need to pick either one, both can go in hand 🤷‍♀️

[magpie-trinkets]

9 hours, 9 persons, 9 doors First Impressions

So, I recently started the first game in the Zero Escape saga (I think it's a trilogy?) like I promised, and here are my first impressions, because I'm sure some of these will amuse you People Who Know, and i wanted to make a post too. (for reference, I've just exited the hospital room)

Too Long Didn't Read: I LIKE IT AND I WANT TO FINISH IT :D

Firstly, the music is fire??? It has that Nintendo DS crunchiness, but it's unique- and very good. Some of them are too chill for the setting (like Binary Game and Ternary Game) but they're so good!!

The beginning of the story is explosive, and it hooks you right in. The gameplay is divided into two parts: visual novel (story and dialogue) and puzzle solving. It's kind of a Kyle Hyde game, as you use items to progress through the story, and you need to examine the environment from different angles. Luckily for me, so far, all the puzzles have been easily solved through the touch screen (and there's no microphone/closing the screen/touching two levers at the same time stuff) (looking at you, Kyle Hyde). There's no time limit for the puzzles and investigation so everything's cool! I was kind of afraid of that because I do like examining every last nook and cranny (like when I examine Charley in every chapter of Ace Attorney or I examined every kitchen and curtain and bathroom I could in Hotel Dusk and Last Window). I was afraid there was a hidden limit of things you could examine before the game tells you to stop fucking around. The thing I dislike the most about escape rooms is the time limit (it stresses me out), and this game is escape rooms. But there's no time limit, and I personally love that.

As for the story, I won't go into specifics, because this seems like the kind of game that, like Ghost Trick and TGAA, it's best enjoyed when going in with little to no spoilers. There seems to be a bit of freedom of choice, which is new to me (you can choose which route to go?) and worries me, because what if I choose wrong? But that's cool. The characters are amusing and I don't trust any of them. Like Danganronpa, they've all been kidnapped and locked inside a sprawling environment (this time, a cruise ship), and thrusted into a death game (that refreshingly seems to focus on cooperative work, rather than killing each other). There's no escape save one: a door with a 9 on it. This game really likes the number 9.

-- Now onto more spoilery discussion--

The thing with the characters is: they use codenames. When prompted to introduce themselves, they refuse, arguing that their kidnapper (the bad guy, Zero) could be listening in and they could use the information they reveal to threaten them or do something bad to their families. This argument sounds stupid to me. The protagonist, Junpei, was kidnapped when he arrived home, wherein the kidnapper entered through the window and knocked him out with gas. EVERYONE tells a similar story. Now, if I were Zero, and evil, I would use the time spent waiting for Junpei to arrive home (or after I knocked him out) to go through his stuff, his personal effects like photos and ID, passport, family paraphernalia like a postcard from mom or something. Realistically speaking, Zero had ample opportunity to learn each of their names, maybe more, and the time to use that information to learn more (because if they have access to a fucking ship with all that messed stuff in it, then why not hackers or spies or software like that?). No one mentions this, but they all* agree to use codenames - which is suspicious to me. Again, it's likely Zero already knows more than them, so why hide from your fellow companions? That's suspicious to me, and the way they jumped on that without discussion tells me they all have something to hide. That's cool as fuck.

*and by all, I mean the majority, as there are two characters that don't need codenames for... reasons.

The characters are so funny to me, too, because they will just start saying shit (especially June), and I love them for it.

Like, this is incredible. Especially June seems to just pull random facts out of her ass at any moment and I love her for it- but she's not the only offender. All of them will just say shit when you least expect it- which is cool, because sometimes that information is useful (like when Lotus explained hexadecimal numbers) and sometimes the information is just really interesting. I love being infodumped at. I will click "Tell me more" at every opportunity. Sometimes, it boggles my mind, like- WAS THE MUMMY THAT CURSED THE TITANIC FROZEN IN ICE-9?? IS THAT WHAT JUNE IS IMPLYING?? Anyway, I love them.

The game seems to be translated for USA audiences, because they speak in Fahrenheit, which means nothing to me. I hope I won't need to use temperatures for a puzzle, because then I'm lowkey fucked (unless someone infodumps again, like Lotus did with the hexadecimal). One thing this game seems to be good about is explaining stuff in an understadable manner.

And yes, there's Santa. I know of him from Christmas season, when everyone starts posting the Almost Christmas and Jolly Injuries memes, sometimes Santa Has A Gun. And yeah, he knows:

Like, I get it dude, but you're missing the beard, reindeer and jolly attitude to match it, but yeah, he may have a gun in the future, which is a minor spoiler, because I haven't seen anything resembling a gun in my travels, only knives.

I'll leave this Wikipedia screenshot as the cherry on top.

There seem to be some ideas from each infodump that connect, like the ice mummy stuff or the glyrecin communicating it's time to crystallize or the dog photo stuff. There's also been talk about the Titanic and apparently we're in her sister ship? Which is nuts. Also I really like the overall concept of the Nonary Game as a horror thing, with the setting, time limit, and rules. There's a constant shadow of death hanging over them, and that's tasty.

I really like it so far, and I'm excited to finish it!

[seasunstarwars]

and the voices of the millions and the hopes of a whole lot more

there’s a change in the wind and a split in the road (you can do what’s right or you can do what you are told): chapter 7

read on ao3 along with the rest of my ikio'yth au clone wars collection

tumblr masterlist

cw: discussions of slavery; implied/referenced canon-typical violence, death, & injury; canon-typical dehumanisation; playing fast and loose with canon in ways i have yet to explain; canon-typical corruption & references to the imminent decline into fascism

🟣 26894 AJF | Jedai Temple, Coruscant

The Jedai Temple hangar has always seemed a cavernous space, never containing more than a dozen small ships and a handful of Master mechanics and curious youths at once. Tavi’s never quite understood why it was so big. To see it now, teeming with armoured men squashed in amongst the massive troop carriers they are temporarily calling home, xie hardly recognises the space. 

“Generals!” Both men hovering by the door salute as the Council and their reluctant tag-along enter and it sets off a chain reaction: the hangar falls silent, thousands of eyes turning their way. Tavi ducks instinctively behind Kit, slipping beneath his cloak until only her head is visible, peaking out around the massive Nautolan. 

“At ease, men.” Obi-Wan is the one among them with the most familiarity with war leadership, and the troops respond well to it, dropping into what Tavi recognises as Galactic standard parade rest. “I’m Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and these are my colleagues: Jedi Knight Tavi and the Jedi High Council. We were hoping to speak with some of your representatives regarding our next steps.” 

“Oh! You’ll be wanting the Commanders then, sir,” one of the troopers assures, glancing back over his shoulder. “Hey! They’re looking for the Command reps!” The crowd parts for the five men that emerge at that – four of them identical to the others, while the fifth stands a couple of inches taller, about the same height as Plo. 

“Generals.” They speak and salute eerily as one, though their Force essences are each so very different. All of them are wary, but the tallest one’s Dai’ania is positively jagged with distrust. The one closest beside him is cool and steadfast, despite the bitter tang of anxiety mingling with the unerring love that reaches for each of his brothers. The third is protective, fiercely, in the same way Tyvokka is of the younglings. He would make a fine crèchemaster, Tavi thinks. The fourth… well, his Dai’ania is eerily similar to Qui-Gon’s. Serene, but unpredictable. A little more grounded than the maverick Master’s, less arrogant and assured, but a close match nonetheless. The last is warm, but dry, like desert sands. Dangerous to those who do not learn his paths. 

“And accompanying us is Jedi Knight Tavi,” Mace is saying, as Kit lifts his arm to offer xem an amused look where xie huddles within his cloak. She offers a meek bow to the blank visors that fall on her, then squeezes back into Kit’s side as he drops his arm. “She accompanied Master Kenobi on his mission to Geonosis and was able to gather some intel while Master Kenobi, Guardian Skywalker, and Padawan Tano provided their… unique distraction.” Obi-Wan shuffles, awkwardly.

“Daisha, xie is. Close to the Force,” Yoda adds, from his perch on Shaak’s shoulder. “Valuable insight xie may offer.” Skepticism radiates around the five troopers, but none of them speak it, even as the tallest continues to study what little he can see of her outside Kit’s cloak. 

“Please forgive her reticence,” Plo offers, drawing their attention to him. “Geonosis was difficult for us all, but Tavi felt it more than most.” 

“If you are comfortable, perhaps we could move this meeting to the Council chambers?” Shaak suggests, folding her hands together beneath her sleeves. “We can all sit there, and avoid disrupting your men?” 

There’s a small break, then, as Tyvokka leads a few curious Initiates into the chambers with extra chairs and then has to herd them out again while they stare at the troopers. Master N’tira repeats the performance, moments later, shooing their little kitchen assistants out so the meeting can resume, but the delay is worth it, Tavi thinks, for the bewildered warmth chipping away at the carefully calculated caution clouding around the troopers. 

“Now, Commanders, we understand that the Kaminoans viewed you all as… property ,” Mace spits the last word like it’s poisonous, and now that the commanders have removed their helmets, it’s far easier to see when they exchange a look. “But I want to assure you that will not continue here. If you would be willing, we’d prefer to address you by your names. After all, as representatives of your men, you are of equal standing to us, as representatives of the Jedi.” There’s a long, stretching silence and the largest of the men narrows his eyes.

“Cody,” the cool-steadfast one says, finally. His voice is quiet, like he’s almost ashamed to say it. The tall one snaps his head around to glare at him. “But my brothers sometimes call me Kote.” He’s still looking at the floor, head bowed as though sure if he raises his eyes he’ll realise this is some kind of sick trick.

“Jate urcir gar, Cody.” His head snaps up to find Obi-Wan smiling softly. “Olarom bah yaim be jetii.” 

“Master Kenobi and I spent a good deal of time on Mandalore when he was a student,” Plo explains, as the clones gape. “Along with Master Yoda and his Padawan at the time. Obi-Wan and Nova both picked up quite a fluency in Mando’a, which Obi-Wan has also passed on to his own Padawan.” 

“Ni gan gai,” Tavi gripes, from where xie is curled in Kit’s lap, still half-hidden by his cloak. “Su’cuy, Cody. Tion’kar’tayl mhi gai’e be gar vod’e?” 

“Ner gai cuyi Colt,” protective-Dai’ania says, stepping forward beside Cody. “Commander Colt.” 

“I’m Fluke,” Jinn-vibes adds, with a shrug. “This is Iron.” Dry-Dai’ania jabs his brother in the side, scowling. The tallest one folds his arms, studying the room.

“Call me 17,” he grumbles, finally. 

“We are honoured to meet you all,” Shaak smiles, closed-lipped, because far too many humans find Togruta fangs intimidating. “Now, may I ask if any of you watched the Senate session last night?” 

As it turns out, all five of them watched the Senate session, which certainly makes things simpler, despite their lingering disbelief. 

“The Senate certainly seemed displeased with you all,” Fluke observes, with the same bewildering bluntness that so often got Qui-Gon in trouble during negotiations, despite all of Dooku’s best efforts to train it out of him. Cody and Colt, on either side of him, jab armoured elbows into his side. 

“They sure were,” Eeth agrees, brimming with amusement. “Fortunately, however, they have no legal avenue through which to exercise this displeasure.” 

“Yet.” The word is out of Tavi’s mouth before xie can think better of it, and all eyes turn to xem. “It will take time for the wheels of the Senate to turn, Padhenan. But not so long that we should not prepare ourselves.” 

“You think the Senate will come after you?” Colt sounds concerned, now, dark eyes wide. “They can do that?” 

“With enough time and intention, there is little the Senate cannot do, Commander,” Depa admits, grimly. “But I believe we have enough allies therein to remain one step ahead.” 

“So, what, you want us to fight for you? How does that make us any less slaves than–?” Cody and Colt hiss something that sounds suspiciously like ori’vod!, jostling to shut 17 up. He blocks the attack swiftly, but when Iron kicks his knee out from behind him, he goes down with a thump, still growling.

“Now, please, it’s a reasonable question!” Shaak protests, halfway out of her seat. “There’s no need for this.” All five of them pause to blink up at her.

“A… reasonable question?” Cody repeats, tentatively. 

“While I perhaps wouldn’t have worded it quite that way,” Saesee agrees, though he does nothing to hide the laughter in his voice, “It is more than understandable that you would be suspicious, given the circumstances.” 17 snorts, derisively, but none of them bother to rise to it. 

“That isss why we’re here,” Oppo adds, tail swishing as he leans forward. “We wisshh to give you choicccessss.”

“Unfortunately,” Adi sighs, “The position of the Senate, at present, does limit your options somewhat.” 

“So, our options are stay with you as free people with equal rights to everyone in your Order, allowing us to train in any of the occupations Jedi take on, not just as soldiers; or serve as the Senate’s slave army?” Iron summarises, flatly, the first full sentence he’s actually spoken in their presence. “That feels like an obvious choice.” 

“Mand’alor Mereel would also like to offer the clones Mandalorian citizenship, but the current state of Mandalore’s biosphere is not capable of housing all of you. While we are working on a partnership between the AgriCorps and Mandalore to help alleviate this, it will likely be quite some time before that comes about,” Obi-Wan adds and Force, what Tavi wouldn’t give to have been a fly on the wall in the conversation between the Fetts, Jaster, and the Kryze sisters when this revelation came out. 

“You know the Mand’alor?” Cody almost-squeaks, then looks extremely embarrassed about it, ducking his head like it will hide the sudden burning in his cheeks. Obi-Wan coughs to hide his chuckle.

“Kaysh cuyi ner ba’vodu.” Tavi has a lot of uncles. The clones all blink at her. 

“In Basic, for those of us not quite so linguistically gifted, if you please, little blue,” Kit teases, ahwey tangling with Tavi’s to tug, chidingly. Xie rolls xir eyes at him.

“Jaster is like my uncle. Jango and his sister, Arla, are his foundlings,” she reiterates, for the rest of the Council. “I expect, whatever happens, we’ll be visited by the three of them.” A light-hearted groan runs through the collected Council. Mandalorian delegations are welcome fun, and a sign of unity that the Galaxy hasn’t seen since Yoda’s youth, if not before. They are, however, also harbingers of chaos. Very popular with the crèche and even more among the Padawans. Introducing them to the young Togruta who is the newest member of their ru’kir’mani rahkadai will surely be trouble enough, let alone introducing them to thousands of clones of the Mand’alor’s heir. 

“You think Prime will visit?” 17 sounds suspiciously choked up at that idea. 

“We cannot promise it,” Obi-Wan admits, apologetically. “But he knows our doors are open to him.” And he knows he’ll be getting an(other) earful if he doesn’t. 17 nods, steeling himself again. 

“We’d also like to apologise for not finding better accommodations for you, as yet,” Ki-Adi adds, dragging them all back onto topic. “Given the… circumstances of the Reformations, we will be making arrangements to house our younglings in some of our older Temples to ensure their safety. This will mean the crèche and Initiate dormitories will be made available for all your men remaining on Coruscant. Likewise, we’ll send word to our Corps outposts to arrange additional accommodation for those of you who wish to join them. From here on, for as long as you wish to be, the– what was the word you used?” The circumstances of the Reformations is certainly a uniquely Mundi way to describe that the Jedi Order will be abandoning their millennia-old service to the Republic. 

“The vod’e,” Tavi clarifies, when the five clones just blink at him, confusedly. “The vod’e will be our rah kat widen’yth. Our family in this fight.” 

“All of you who wish to be will be as much members of this Order as any Jedai,” Mace finishes, firmly. The clones’ eyes gleam in the smoggy Coruscanti light seeping through the windows, glossy with tears. 

DAI BENDU:

Dai’ania = Force signature/presence; lit. Force song/melody

Daisha = Force-Born

Padhenan = Councillor(s)

rahkadai = lineage

rah kat widen’yth = family of the fight

MANDO’A:

jate urcir gar = good to meet you

olarom bah yaim be jetii = welcome to the home of the Jedi

ni gan gai = I have a name

su’cuy = hi (friendly)

tion’kar’tayl mhi gai’e be gar vod’e = may we know the names of your brothers?

ner gai cuyi = my name is

kaysh cuyi ner ba’vodu = he’s my uncle

ru’kir’mani = adopted

vod’e = siblings, comrades

[jonathanbyersphd]

I really wish people would stop referencing HP when making ST theories. Like I get why they're tying that work in but I'm so over it