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happyhuffles · 14 days ago

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Prologue.

Content warning: physical abuse, implied sexual abuse, blood, violence, death.

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_____

*Ten years ago (Cherry and Red are eleven years old).*

I had been here for one month. Thirty days of cold cement walls and a ceiling so low it felt like it pressed on my chest, stealing the air from my lungs. A building I would never see the outside of, buried somewhere deep beneath the ground. It was a concrete prison, and I was just another nameless shadow within it.

They called me Cherry when they threw me inside. “Cherry,” like it was supposed to mean something. Like it was mine. But I couldn’t remember what I’d been called before. They said it didn’t matter, that this was my name now, and beat me until I stopped asking questions. My memories had been stripped from me like an old, tattered coat. Whatever life I’d had before—who I was, where I’d come from—was gone, leaving behind nothing but an empty ache I couldn’t explain.

The others barely looked at me that first month. Their eyes slid over me like I wasn’t there, like I was just another ghost in this haunted place. Maybe I was.

But he noticed me.

Red.

He was thin and bruised and sharp around the edges in the way only survivors were, but when he looked at me, his gaze wasn’t cold like the others’. It was curious, warm, alive.

The first time he spoke to me, I was huddled in a corner, trying to make myself small enough to disappear. My body ached from the latest round of conditioning, and I’d drawn my knees up to my chest to keep from crying out.

“You’re new,” he said, crouching a few feet away. His voice was soft, like he didn’t want to scare me. “What’s your name?”

“Cherry,” I whispered, the word tasting foreign and bitter in my mouth.

“No, I mean your real name,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I didn’t know how to answer. My real name was buried somewhere in the black hole that had swallowed my memories. All I could do was shake my head.

"My name is Jisung, when the monitors aren't around you may call me by my name," he said not expecting to hear anything back from me.

Jisung didn’t push. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, crumpled piece of bread. “Are you hungry?”

I was starving. But I didn’t move. I’d learned fast not to trust anyone in this place.

He seemed to understand. He set the bread on the floor between us and backed away, sitting cross-legged a safe distance from me. “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

The smell hit me first, stale and tempting. My stomach growled so loudly that Red smiled, not mocking but kind, like he’d expected it.

It took a while, but eventually, I reached for the bread. It was stale and dry, but to me, it was a feast. I devoured it in seconds, choking in my haste. Red was beside me in an instant, patting my back and handing me a small cup of water.

“Slow down,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s more where that came from.”

He was lying, of course. There was never more.

But in that moment, I believed him.

That was the first time someone had shown me kindness here. And from that day on, Jisung was the only real thing I had to hold onto.

_____

I was eleven when I got my name.

As the months passed, I grew closer to Jisung. In a place like this, bonds weren’t just formed—they were forged, hammered out under the weight of shared pain and necessity. Maybe that’s why we found each other so quickly, clinging to the one thing that still felt human.

We were close in age, which meant they often paired us together. Whether it was on stage, in the rooms, or serving refreshments to the buyers, Jisung and I were a matching set. Two scared, bruised kids trying to stay afloat in an endless sea of cruelty.

It wasn’t much, but it made things a little more bearable, having him by my side. He was a quiet kind of strength, always keeping an eye out for both of us. When I stumbled under the weight of a tray too heavy for my arms, Jisung was there to catch it before it hit the ground. When a buyer’s eyes lingered on me too long, his hand would subtly brush mine, grounding me, reminding me I wasn’t alone.

And when the lights went out and the darkness became too much, he was there, whispering silly stories and nonsense until the terror subsided.

"Cherry," Jisung's voice whispered in my ear.

It was the middle of the night and unlike the rest of the slavers in the room, me and Red were wide awake.

I hummed in response and turned to face him. My eyes seeing nothing in the windowless pitch black room.

"Whats your name?" he asked. The same question he had asked when we first met. I still didn't have an answer.

I blinked into the darkness, his question catching me off guard. “Cherry,” I whispered back, though the name felt foreign, heavy on my tongue. It was the only name I had now.

“No,” he murmured, his voice softer this time, like he was scared someone might overhear us. “Not their name for you. Your real one.”

I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat tightening as I fought to keep my breathing steady. “I don’t remember,” I admitted, the words barely more than a breath. “It’s just... gone.”

For a moment, there was nothing but silence between us, the kind that stretched endlessly in a room like this, where time didn’t matter and hope was a fleeting thing.

"Before I was here, I had a brother at the orphanage," he started, arms loosening around me so he could lay on his back looking towards the blank nothingness that was above him. "His parents didn't name him so the caretakers did. But, they were so awful to him and he hated that they had been the ones to give him his name."

Red sucked in a harsh breath and paused for a moment before continuing.

"I started calling him Christopher, after Christopher Robin a character from his favorite TV program. So, he had a name from somebody who loved him."

For a moment, I didn’t say anything, letting his words settle into the heavy air around us. The way he spoke about his brother, the care in his voice—it was different from anything I’d heard before.

“What happened to him?” I asked softly, unsure if I really wanted to know the answer.

Red didn’t answer right away. He exhaled sharply, and I could hear the tension in the way his breathing hitched. “I don't know,” he said finally, voice raw but steady.

I felt his pain as if it were my own, the ache in his voice twisting something deep inside me. I wanted to say something—anything—but the words stuck in my throat.

"You love me, right?" I choked out. Tears welled up in my eyes as I spoke.

His answer was immediate, "yes, you are my best friend."

I wrapped my arms around his torso and pulled him close. His touch was comforting and gentle. A great contrast to the buyers who threw us around like boneless toys.

"Would you give me a name too?" I asked voice cracking with emotion.

Red was quiet for a moment, the weight of my question hanging between us in the suffocating darkness. His hand rested lightly on my back, tracing soothing patterns against my tattered shirt.

“A name?” he murmured, his voice contemplative, as if he were turning the idea over in his mind. “You’d trust me with that?”

I nodded against his chest, the motion small but certain. “You’re the only one I would trust with something like that,” I whispered.

He pulled back slightly, just enough so I could feel his gaze on me, even if I couldn’t see it. “When I was little, back at the orphanage, there was this old man who used to visit sometimes. He’d tell us these crazy stories—fairy tales, legends, stuff from the other worlds. We used to sit around him like we were listening to some ancient prophet.”

I let out a small, shaky laugh. “You? Sitting still long enough to listen to stories?”

He grinned, the sound of it clear in his voice. “Hey, even I had my moments.”

“What kind of stories?” I asked, curiosity momentarily distracting me from the ache in my chest.

He shifted slightly, as though trying to find the right words. “There was one he told that always stuck with me. About this warrior, fierce and brave, from a place called Kyoshi Island. Her name was Suki.” He paused, his voice softening. “She was loyal, strong, and she never gave up, no matter what stood in her way. She fought for what she believed in, even when it seemed impossible.”

I listened, holding onto every word like it was a lifeline.

“You remind me of her,” he said finally, his voice quiet but steady. “You’ve been through hell, Cherry, but you’re still here. You’re still fighting. You’re brave, even if you don’t see it yet.”

Tears pricked at my eyes, and I buried my face against his chest. “Suki,” I whispered, testing the name on my tongue. It felt foreign, unfamiliar, but somehow... right.

He ran his hand through my hair, his touch gentle. “It’s yours if you want it,” he said, his tone carrying the weight of an unspoken promise. “Not theirs. Yours. And no one can take it from you.”

I pulled back, wiping at my eyes even though the darkness hid the evidence of my tears. “Suki,” I said again, stronger this time.

Red smiled, the warmth in it radiating even through the shadows. “Yeah. Suki.”

For the first time in as long as I could remember, I felt like I had something that was mine. A name, given by someone who cared, by someone who saw me.

“Thank you,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

He tightened his arms around me. “Always,” he murmured. “You’re my family, Suki. And I’ll always have your back.”

And in that moment, even in the suffocating darkness of our prison, I felt just a little less lost.

_____

I was twelve when I killed my first client.

He was an ugly man. A lowly ranked werewolf who had been kicked out of his pack and deemed a rogue.

Most buyers who came to our club were interested in me. I was a young and weak looking human. Compared to the non-human servers here I was considered weakest, the bottom of the food chain. But the months I had spent here had hardened me, strengthened me. I was nothing like the girl I was when I first came here.

I still remember the way he grabbed my arm that night, his grip rough and bruising as he dragged me into one of the private rooms. His laughter was guttural, more animal than man, and his scent—rotting wood and wet dog—clung to my skin like oil.

I knew what he wanted and it broke one of the few rules instilled in this place. I was not thirteen yet and I already had a client who had purchased me the day I would be.

I didn’t scream. Screaming was pointless here. No one came to help, no one cared.

But I wasn’t powerless. Not anymore.

The knife was small, a simple thing I had swiped from the kitchen weeks ago and hidden in the folds of my skirt. My fingers had trembled the first time I held it, but now they were steady, gripping the hilt like a lifeline.

He didn’t see it coming.

The first thrust was clumsy, the blade barely sinking into the flesh of his side. He growled, his eyes flashing gold as he turned on me, fury and pain twisting his face. But I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t stop.

The second strike found its mark, sliding between his ribs with a sickening ease. Warm blood spilled over my hands, and his growl turned into a wet, choking sound. He stumbled back, his body hitting the wall with a dull thud, and for a moment, the room was silent except for the sound of his labored breathing.

I stabbed him again and again, until he was well past dead. My body covered in the warm liquid that poured out of him. I wiped the bloody knife on the material of his jeans and tucked it back into my waistband.

I didn’t feel victorious. I didn’t feel strong.

I felt numb.

As his body drained onto the floor, his lifeless eyes staring into nothing, I stood there, blood staining my hands and skimpily dressed. My heart pounding so loudly I thought it might burst.

Master David beat me heavily that day. He shackled my hands above my head and presented me on the stage after hours, and made all the slavers watch. He wanted me to be an example. This is what happens when you disobey.

But for the first time I didn't cry. I didn't beg for mercy as he whipped me for all to see.

I laughed.

It started as a low chuckle, almost involuntary, but it grew, filling the room like a storm. It wasn’t the sound of victory��it was the sound of defiance, of something deep inside me snapping and setting itself free.

The laughter wasn’t mine anymore. It belonged to the part of me that refused to die, the part that would rather face pain and death than ever submit again.

Master David hesitated, the whip frozen midair as he stared at me, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. My laughter echoed in the silence, ringing louder than the crack of his whip ever could.

"You think you own me?" I spat through the laughter, my voice raw and trembling but unyielding. "I'll kill you one day, master."

For the first time, I saw something flicker in his expression. Fear.

And I knew in that moment that I was no longer just their prey. I was something else entirely.

_____

I was fourteen when they started punishing Jisung in my place.

It was their new favorite game, a twisted form of control. They had learned by then that my body could take the beatings, that I would endure it all without a word. My defiance had become their challenge, my laughter their torment.

So, they found another way to break me.

The first time it happened, I’d mouthed off to one of the buyers, a older vampire who enjoyed much younger company. He smelt disgusting and I had told him as much. He had been furious, his cold, crimson eyes blazing as he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to Master David.

But instead of raising the whip against me, David gestured toward Red, who had been sweeping the corner of the room, his thin frame trembling as he froze under their scrutiny.

"No," I whispered, the word falling from my lips like a prayer.

David smirked, relishing the way my bravado cracked. "You think you're untouchable, little Cherry? Let’s see how much you laugh now."

They yanked Jisung forward, his wide, terrified eyes locking onto mine as they shackled him in my place. He didn’t struggle, didn’t fight. He just stood there, resignation heavy in his small shoulders.

"Don’t," I begged, my voice breaking. "Please, don’t do this. Punish me instead!"

David’s whip lashed through the air, striking Jisung across the back. The sound of it tore through me like a blade.

Jisung cried out, his small body jerking forward, but he didn’t fall. He turned his head, just enough for me to see his face, and he smiled—weak, pained, but real.

"It’s okay," he whispered, his voice so quiet only I could hear it. "You’re worth it."

The words shattered something in me. I screamed, lunging toward him, but rough hands pulled me back, forcing me to watch as the whip struck him again and again.

That night, when they finally released him, I cradled him in my arms, pressing my forehead to his. "I’m so sorry," I whispered over and over, tears streaming down my face.

"You don’t have to be sorry," he murmured, his voice hoarse but steady. "We’re a team, remember? We protect each other."

But I didn’t feel like a team. I felt helpless, powerless to stop them from hurting the one person I cared about most.

Since that day the roles were often reversed. Red broke the rules and I was punished and I broke a rule Red was punished.

They thought it would tear us apart. Make us hate each other.

But what they didn’t understand was that it only made us stronger, in a way they never anticipated. The more they pushed us into these impossible positions, the more we dug in, clinging to each other like a lifeline. There was a certain kind of desperation in our shared suffering—an understanding that no one else could possibly grasp what it was like. The punishments, the guilt, the weight of it all—none of it was easy, but it bound us together in a way nothing else could.

They wanted us to break. They thought that the constant strain, the endless cycle of blame and punishment, would fracture the trust between us. But it didn’t. It only reinforced it, twisted it into something raw and unspoken. We were the only ones who truly understood the cost of every mistake, every betrayal.

They could never tear us apart.

_____

I was sixteen when I thought we just might escape.

The weight of our lives—of all the years spent under the thumb of those who controlled us—was finally starting to lift. The air felt different, charged with the possibility of something else. We had always dreamed of freedom, but it had always seemed out of reach, locked behind the walls of our cages. But now, there was a chance.

A buyer named Park Jin-young, the owner of JYP, was the one who had made the offer. I had heard rumors about him for months—about his company, about the kind of people he worked with. They said he had connections to places even darker than where we had come from, but there was something different about him. Where others saw us as commodities to be bought and sold, he saw potential. Talent. Power.

And he was willing to pay the price.

He offered us a deal.

Freedom. Real freedom. But only if we chose to work for him. He’d take care of us, give us a place in his world, in exchange for something only we could give him—our skills. Our abilities. Our loyalty.

I didn’t know what his offer really meant, but I knew one thing for sure: it was the closest we’d ever come to breaking out.

What we didn't know was that on the day of our purchasing a fae prince would visit us and set fire to the whole operation. Literally.

We’d heard stories about the fae royalty—their power, their cruelty, their unpredictable nature. But nothing could have prepared us for the storm that descended on us that day. The air shifted, charged with something dark and ancient. It was like the earth itself trembled in anticipation, and then, without warning, the flames erupted. It wasn’t just fire—it was raw, unbridled magic. The kind that felt like it could consume everything in its path.

I was meant to serve him. But Red took my place, he had endured the wrath of fae royalty before. It was the last thing he ever did for me.

I didn’t know that would be the last day I saw my friend, the one who had been with me through it all. I didn’t know that, when the smoke cleared and the flames died down, I would be standing alone, facing a new world that didn’t even recognize me.

So, I let JYP take me. I had nowhere else to turn, no one else to trust. The world I knew had been burned to the ground, and the only thing left was this—an offer from those who could rebuild me. A new life. A new beginning. And in the process, I would get my revenge.

I would hunt them. All of them. Every single one who had turned my life into a cage, who had taken everything from me, who had destroyed everything I had ever loved. One by one, I would make them bleed. For Red. For my friend. For our lives they had stolen from us.

I wasn’t sure how I would do it, but I would find a way. I had nothing left to lose, and in this new world where no one knew me, where no one could see what had been done to me, I had a freedom I hadn’t had before. A freedom to make them pay.

And I would make sure they knew. I would carve a path of fire and blood, until the price for their cruelty was too high for them to ignore. They thought they could break me. They thought they could erase me.

But I was still here. And I wasn’t done.

A/N: If there are any readers let me know if this is a good beginning of a plot that you would be interested in reading!

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satohqbanana · 3 months ago

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of the entire arcanium series, which story do you like the most?

(i know i know that’s like asking to choose a favourite child, but…)

which character arc resonates with you the most? which character do you think undergoes the most growth in the series? and then, which character do you think undergoes the most CHANGE in the series (good or bad)

i love your writing satoh and everything you create <3 can’t wait to hear your answer

Thanks for the ask again, Naveena! These are very good questions to answer.

As I've previously answered the first question before, let's move onto the character questions! I'll put the last one under cut because this is some big spoiler territory.

Character Arc I Resonate with the Most

Can't really say. I haven't really been a viewer to my own works. I'd need to step back and be a reader before I can talk about this. All I can think about my characters' character arcs are honestly sentiments like, "Oh, that sounds good!" or, "Wait no, not like that." I do have a character whose personal flaw I relate to and it's Ireus. He's very well-meaning and he has good rationale behind his conscious decisions, but his actions can hurt others. People don't always understand him or his intentions and he often struggles to express himself in ways that don't involve his preferred language: fists, sassy quips, or screaming. He did get milder along the way, and these issues got resolved more or less when he changed professions and entered an environment that appreciated his ways.

Character with the Most Growth

Aside from obviously Lyarshu, I'm gonna have to say it's Des. Des bloomed from being a wallflower who just about wanted to disappear and never be perceived because magic is taboo at home, to a confident person who diligently assumes the role of the secretary to the Head Mage, willingly experiments with magic for the betterment of society, and is always ready to help anyone who might need it. Des is my favorite among my Arcanium OCs and I'm proud to say that. No, I'm not saying any more because this is going into big spoiler territory. :)

Character with the Most Change

Big Mad Spoiler Here. Like Big Mad. Gracie. She starts out as a klutz and a crocodile-tears crybaby in Magia… and at the start of Liberatio she is considered the most fearsome politician and the worst mother of the year. There's a big disconnect there and I am all for it. You might think, "Uhh Satoh, anime next gen sequels have already told us you're not supposed to make the previous generation look bad just so you can make the next generation look good!" You're right. But Gracie fulfills a different role for the two stories. Before, in Magia, she was just a kid who was learning to like herself as a mage and her part in mage society. We get a mere glimpse of who she is in the prologue chapter, your judgment of her POV, her classmates' POV of her as their classmate, and the side story compilation. True, she develops throughout the story, but she was just a kid, a teenager doing teenager things, with some fun magicks on the side. LAST BIG SPOILER WARNING Now, in Liberatio, she has assimilated her identity as a gutsy and intimidating leader… and a bad spouse and parent. We get to know who she really is and what she can really do (or not do) through the eyes of her daughter, Rena, and through her friends, acquaintances, and the people whose lives she'd touched. Prior to the start of the series, Gracie essentially sacrificed her relationship with her then-husband and her daughter for the sake of two (or three) nations, and almost burned down her relationship with Des and Ireus too. Her sister and her right-hand man are still very loyal to her because they can separate "Gracie the person" and "Gracie the leader of a nation" pretty well, but for those who aren't used to politics, her actions are seen as less desirable. END BIG SPOILER Gracie's just meant to be a complex character, and I like her that way.

Current Tag List: @philosophika, @amaiguri, @thecomfywriter, @wyked-ao3

Feel free to ask to be tagged!

Also tagging @spideronthesun who is a Gracie fan.

#arcanium:magia #arcanium:liberatio #arcanium series #satoh's ocs #ask #answered #thecomfywriter

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onlyhereforghosttrick · 5 months ago

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I would really like to know more about your pmd oc's. Tell me as much about them as you want (if you want to of course). I'd love to hear everything about them.

Ooh thanks a ton for the very open-ended ask! Sadly, most of the ones I have have a greater story behind them that I don't really mind spoiling, but I can at the very least give you some from the archives of [admittedly mostly abandoned] works, including one I'm hoping to get the prologue out sometime this month!

The Other Side [Gti-inspired sort-of-sequel]

Only really one character I want to show off from this one- Ryei [pronounced Re-ay] the Snover, a human-turned-pokemon in a world that now seems to have been almost rewritten to think of humans being reincarnated as a curse, and finds himself now having to balance three things: Finding out the truth of what happened to change the perception of humans so drastically, Joining a Pikachu named Kishi in her exploration team, and the part where he's switching bodies with a Noibat named Daisukei every night, who seems to have been taken in by Outlaws who are really just looking to survive more than anything.

I liked the idea of it, but I couldn't figure out how to format it- how to decide who the perspective would be, the pacing, all that stuff- so it's basically been abandoned. I'll likely continue it if I'm ever hit with a double lightning strike of ideas or something, but for now I won't be working on it.

Curse of a Martyr [EoS AU]

A fairly simple explorers AU I concocted when board on the cruise I posted a few images of, but ended up abandoning because it wasn't that interesting, so here are essentially the culmination of what I had imagined for the [main three] characters:

Shomoto the Treecko - He's just your average Explorers hero treecko, with the one difference being the fact that he hits like a truck [i.e. a level 40], despite apparently still being level 5, and the fact he isn't even sure if he's a human.

Eifos the Zorua - Yeah, just about a normal Explorers partner, except with the insecurities cranked up a few levels thanks to Shomoto's sheer power, and also without Team Skull's harassment [they're scared of Shomoto's sheer stats]

Yuki the human - You know, most Pokemon recognize tales of humans arriving in the form of pokemon to assist with a disaster, not humans arriving on their own to cause a disaster.

Honestly, the only other thing I had settled aside from these characters was a scene during the lake guardians arc in which well... Let's just say a pokeball is involved, Shomoto gets in the way, and the level gap becomes far too apparent.

All to Nothing - A [Mostly] original actual project

This is the only of these with any active work being done, although currently being only halfway ready to release the prologue to the public- so I'll just give a few [admittedly summarized] character bios:

Aster the Ivysaur - Waking up to find herself in a cruel 'game' where the punishment for failure is death, and she has to place her faith in a partner she's never met before... And what's more, the memories she has are all faded at best, and the question of who she is would be one she might never find the answer to... if she doesn't take a risk, and fast.

Chera the Clefairy - When he finds himself thrown into a game meant to test the contetsants in an unknown aspect with memories that don't quite fit together... Including the fact they might have been a human in a past life. And yet, for some reason he can't quite recall... he knows he should never tell anyone that again. ...Or was it something else he shouldn't have said...?

Aside from that there aren't any characters I can A. write good descriptions for, or B. write descriptions with minimal spoilers in them.

But uh that's kind of it for OCs I can show? Sorry if it isn't exactly what you were looking for- the main set I have, I'm already doing lore posts for [the first of which you might have seen- it's here if you haven't], and I don't really want to double dip, and I don't think I'm great at talking about my own stories without spoiling them- I hope this slight middle ground is acceptable to you.

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resurrection-of-soul · 1 year ago

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Flashback | Prologue

Writer: Akira (日日日)

Characters: Keito, Rei, Kaoru, Koga, Adonis

Keito: I truly am worried about you guys— no. To be precise, I'm worried about you. Oogami, you always end up having to bear the heavy weight of the burdens I was meant to carry. Koga: Hmph, don'tcha dare apologize! I took on that “heavy weight” cause I wanted it!

[ For the best viewing experience, please read directly on my blog! ♪ ]

Time: Early March, during the first year of ES's establishment.

Location: An underground live house which UNDEAD frequents.

Keito: (What's the meaning of this?) (Just what on Earth is going on…?)

Rei: "♪~♪~♪"

Kaoru: "♪♪♪♪♪"

Koga: "H! E! L! L!"

Adonis: "S! I! N! G!"

Koga & Adonis: "We are "HELLSING" ~★"

Keito: What? I just don't understand... "HELLSING," you say? You bastards, no matter how I look at it, you're clearly UNDEAD!

Rei: "♪~♪~♪"

Kaoru: "♪♪♪♪♪"

Keito: Listen to me! This is no time to be singing! I doubt you'll give me a proper answer, but I have something to ask!

Adonis: ….Hm. Oogami, Oogami, Hasumi-senpai is causing quite a fuss off in the wings. I do not know how our "senpai" will react, so I think it would be best to keep him away to ensure nothing happens.

Koga: Haah, if they were gonna cause some kinda incident, I think they would've done it already. But I really don't wanna get interrupted in the middle of such an important live, so I guess I gotta go deal with it. Hey, shitty four-eyes. Ya need somethin'? Can't ya see we're in the middle of rehearsin'?

Keito: First of all, let me make it clear that I have no intention of interfering with your activities — as I'm no longer the vice president of the student council at Yumenosaki, you problem children are no longer my responsibility.

Koga: Your lines are still way too freakin' long. The hell are you here for, then? You've got nothin' to do with us, you rando-who-looks-good-in-glasses.

Keito: It's not like we have absolutely nothing to do with one another. Once, we wore matching outfits and worked together. Now, we're coworkers belonging to the same agency. In fact. It is precisely because I am the representative of RhythLin that I've been forced to come all the way here to question you, despite my lack of free time. Your current "disturbing actions" aren't something our agency can just ignore. Therefore. I ask you lot, who are clearly "UNDEAD." Just what is "HELLSING"?

Koga: ......

Keito: You're tight-lipped, Oogami. Is it because I'm the one asking? After all, as you said, you and I are strangers belonging to different units—

Adonis: Please wait, Hasumi-senpai. I think Oogami just does not know how to explain. In fact, even we do not know what is going on—

Koga: Shut your mouth, Adonis. I ain't some kid gettin' sent on my first errand, and I don't need ya mother hennin' over me, so quit buttin' in. And anyway, we shouldn't be askin' him anythin'!

Adonis: But, Hasumi-senpai might be able to advise us on—

Koga: Shut u~p! He said it himself, he's got nothin' to do with us anymore! Hey, shitty four-eyes! Why're ya suddenly all interested in our problems n' tryin' to act like our guardian now, huh?!

Keito: That was not my intention, but... I truly am worried about you guys— no. To be precise, I'm worried about you. Oogami, you always end up having to bear the heavy weight of the burdens I was meant to carry.

Koga: Hmph, don'tcha dare apologize! I took on that "heavy weight" cause I wanted it! ...There seriously ain't nothin' for you to worry over. HELLSING's basically just a stage name for UNDEAD. We were originally meant to be hardcore rockers, but lately, we've been appearin' on a buncha cheery shit like variety shows, so our image has di— div—?

Adonis: Diverged?

Koga: Yeah, that! Since our image has diverged, we decided to use different names when we're performin' on stage like usual versus when we're doin' idol stuff! Ain't this kinda thing su~per common with that manga shit you love so much? I heard there are a lotta artists who use different names dependin' on the kinda story they're writin'.

Keito: Hmm... Certainly, there are artists who use different names for doujinshi and commercial works, or for 18+ works and works meant for general audiences. Generally speaking, their fans can still recognize them by their art style.

Adonis: I am not very familiar with manga. But you can think of it as creating different brands or subsidiaries for different types of work. The so-called radical and immoral activities will be done under the name of HELLSING, while the more friendly, idol-like work will be taken under the name UNDEAD. The names and types of work taken by the two are different, but the members are the same as always: Me, Oogami, Sakuma-senpai, and Hakaze-senpai.

Keito: Why bother differentiating between those activities...?

Koga: Shut up. We've got our own circumstances, alright? 'S not like you're a producer or whatever, so quit bein' so damn fussy about a different unit's work.

Keito: ......

Koga: ...Seriously, I'm fine. This is what I wanted, and even though the fans are a lil' confused, they're more or less happy about it too. Feels like I can breathe way easier now compared to back when I was bein' forced to do those silly variety shows. So, this — all a' this — is a good thing.

Koga: And as long as I'm sayin' it's all good, unrelated assholes should shut it! "♪~♪~♪"

[ ☆ ]

All | Next →

#ensemble stars #UNDEAD #enstars translation #Flashback #Oogami Koga #Otogari Adonis #climax event #keito hasumi

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dekupalace · 6 months ago

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isa for the character ask game perhaps? if someone hasnt already beaten me to it ;^^

all good basil!! I put the questions through a random number generator and I goooot...25, 5, and 15! oh boy! lots of 5s!

CHARACTER ASK GAME!!! 💫

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

this might be a weird answer but it's The New by Interpol...there's something about it

but also Somethin' Stupid by Frank Sinatra...because duh. what else is there to say LOL

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

I'm basic and I love isafrin more than anything cause I've loved them since the prologue but isiloop or whatever the ship name for sif/isa/loop is is also really really REALLY good. but sif and loop aren't romantic. to me. they got a secret third platonic rivalry thing going on. but they both get to hold isa's hands. do you get me

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

"oh my god he's such a himbo" back when it was only the prologue and ISA IM SO FUCKING SORRY I FELL FOR THE FACADE THAT I WAS MEANT TO BREAK...I DIDNT KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DIDNT!!!!!

but now I'm like...ohghguh I love him so much he's sooooo interesting to me ... a part of me was hoping that he was actually crazy smart and didn't show it and I WAS RIGHT!!!! also I guessed that he was trans back during the prologue too and I WAS ALSO RIGHT go me or what have you lmao

#isa i love you isa im so sorry for calling you a himbo back in the prologue days. will you ever forgive me. did i hurt your fee-fees #busy.🐝

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twst-drabbles · 2 years ago

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I agree with you on the MC shouldn't have magic. It doesn't make sense for me since the LITERAL MAGIC MIRROR said we didn't have any and the fact that through all the canon story there isn't even a small future shadowing about it. Not to mention that through all the overblotes should have been enough to 'awaken something in us' like the mines in the prologue or even in the other overblotes. As well as the other students have stated that when they're around blot, a lot of magic casting they can FEEL the blot accumulate. We never have felt it or at least mentioned it.

That's just the canon stuff but in the fanfic stuff as well it makes to be so much more interesting.

1. For example making the Twst guys adapt(cause they're a lil unknowledgeable on this stuff) for us. Seeing we're not mentally okay. Even if we can't overblot that it is still very serious and needs attention.

There's so many other ways to write about this but that's just one of them.

Yup. Any sort of awakening now, this late in the game would feel incredibly cheap. A cop-out, just a "plot twist" to keep the audience entertained, not all all caring for how this would damage the narrative as a whole.

Oh boy I ramble, had to put it under a cut. If you all want to ramble at me about your pet peeves with the story, by all means, tell me.

Plot twists aren't meant to be super hidden things. If not a single one of your audience members can figure out the plot twists you put in your story, you did not make a good plot twist. You just did an ass pull of one. It's an event that came out of nowhere, making it seem as though you, the author, came up with that plot twist on the spot. It's why you have to leave clues so your audience doesn't think you're just putting stuff in.

I imagine someone will argue and cite those Disney movie visions the MC is having as evidence that they're magical in some way, but this is too little evidence with little to no payoff since the MC does nothing with those visions. They see those visions, go "Oh." and that's it. These visions, you could easily take them out and the narrative wouldn't be affected. They're not important to the story. I'm sure that's not the intention and there's a reason for it, but the narrative doesn't do a good job on emphasizing of the importance of these visions. The MC doesn't go searching around for answers to these visions, nor question others about it or even read up on the fucking history of these villains to find something! They're not searching! So we, as the audience, are inclined to not question it cause the narrative doesn't treat it as important! So why would I consider it to be evidence that the MC has magic when even the story itself doesn't treat it as important?

Another argument to be made is that the writer wants us to come up with our own answers, hence why it isn't touched upon, but this only works if we had avenues to explore. Little bits of history, some explanation of what the hard limits of magic are, some fucking rumor of visions or whatever the hell, but we don't even get that, so there no answer we can come up with. All of them are crack theories cause we get little to use and explore. We only have one path with can explore, and it's that those visions are Mickey's dreams that he shares with the MC, and that's it. That's all the possible paths to explore. Which, in the end, means that these visions are not evidence of the MC having magic cause it didn't even come from them. They just bounced off of Mickey and into them. And, as we have seen, magic can in fact affect and damage them.

Sorry for the rambling, I just get real heated up with the topic of plot structure, foreshadowing and all that good jazz. The missed opportunities always get me fired up to write fanfiction for them, gets my editor side all up in arms and going "I'm gonna pretty this fucker up!"

I get the same feelings for that other gacha game, Obey Me but I do not know where I can read the story cause I hate the how blatantly greedy those games are, along with how short the stories are for the sake of padding more battles. Get on Arknights level of story giving.

So yeah, if anyone has the story of Obey Me written down or recorded somewhere, please tell me so I can start a Reader Insert blog about it cause I have some sadistic feelings to inflict on that dude Belphagor. I want him to suffer so badly.

But yeah, if the canon story decides to give the MC magical powers, just know I'm gonna take the harder route and make it not a thing. Taking away those powers. I will not have it.

#admin

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galacticwildfire · 1 year ago

Text

Fire Meet Gasoline | Poe Dameron

One

Poe Dameron x Solo Original Character

Hope Solo’s haunted by the night the temple burned. Having gone rogue she hunts the First Order in search of answers until a fateful encounter with Poe Dameron brings her back to the Resistance and Leia puts her daughter under his command to find Luke Skywalker.

Word count: 8.3k

Tags/warnings: hondo ohnaka reminiscing the clone wars, boba fett, r2 being sick of skywalker bs, mentions of war crimes/torture, ptsd, descriptions of injury, typical skywalker bs over ranks, absent father/angry daughter, meet cute, flirting, ego's, simp poe, exhausted leia

A/N: hey guys first chapter is finally up after I swore to rewrite this in march and the prequel will be up in it's entirety very soon as well. First half of the chapter spends some time setting up the story before Poe comes in. I promise Han and Luke aren't as bad they are through her eyes, Leia pov next chapter will give context. Also all my stories are written for adults with adult themes, I use appropriate tags but read at your discretion.

Prologue

32 ABY | Two Years Before A Force Awakens

Hope

It was meant to be a simple run, picking up the package from the contact and ensuring its safe passage. Whenever Hondo Ohnaka tells me it's an easy job that I'd handle with no problem I know to expect some sort of trouble in the form of a skirmish or firefight, but I didn't expect that skirmish to be with tie-fighters.

I'm used to taking them out, but I prefer being the one ambushing them instead of the other way around.

"Solo, you're alive!" Hondo laughs anxiously at the look on my face as I walk into his outpost on Batuu and slam the box down on the table. "Careful now, that's fragile!"

"What the hell did you send me to get that the First Order would want?" I ask him and he curses as he downs the rest of his drink. "Hondo, I swear-"

"Those bastards have finally done it!" he declares to no one in particular. "I knew it was only a matter of time before they targeted my business, just like the Empire did. One empire falls and another-"

I don't wait for him to finish his dramatics before I pull open the box but freeze when I see what's inside. "We already raided Grakkus the Hutt's vault, where did you find this?"

"Maz Kanata," he answers and raises his hands in his defence at how I gape at him. "Like myself she feels a certain sense of nostalgia when it comes to Jedi relics and well, it just so happens I had one of my men infiltrate her castle to steal one."

"Maz Kanata is a friend," I remind him but he doesn't seem awfully phased.

"Which is why I did not tell you what you were getting or who it was stolen from," he tries to reason as I hold the kyber crystal in my hand, a real kyber crystal. It's cracked and faded from the years, no use to me but it would still be priceless. "Well, it's not as impressive as I was hoping for, but I don't suppose you can use your Jedi magic to make it look pretty again for me?"

"No," I answer curtly, there still being one question I need the answer to. "How did the First Order just happen to know I'd be transporting a kyber crystal when I didn't even know what I was carrying?"

"They didn't," he answers and now I'm the one cursing as I realise what's happened, that they weren't targeting the shipment, but me. "It is not profitable for the First Order's tie-fighters to be repeatedly destroyed by one rogue Jedi in a starfighter, embarrassing for their reputation, so I'll let you put that one together."

"Shit," I whisper, knowing if the First Order's profiled me then the Resistance is only going to be one step behind them in figuring out who's been tormenting First Order patrols in the Outer Rims.

Which means Mom will know exactly what I've been doing out here.

"I still do not understand, you want to kill the bastards but left the only organisation willing to do it," Hondo says, a pirate but still a jedi and rebel sympathiser at heart, and like all supposedly legitimate former criminals running illegal operations, he's worried they're going to put his business at risk.

"Because if I shoot first I break the Galactic Concordance and every other damn treaty they've signed which puts the Resistance in trouble with the senate and risks declaring open war," I answer, frustration still thick in my voice after all this time. "Which I did and got permanently grounded to avoid starting said war, but thankfully it made me realise it's no fun fighting a cold war when I can be out here taking the fight straight to them without consequences, and the last thing I need is to be held back."

But I didn't just fire first, I wiped out one of their elite ground squadrons to try to find out where Ben is on what was meant to be reconaissance, to ask their captain where Snoke has my brother stationed. Except I didn't just ask and he had a nice little electric shocker in his pocket to stop me from finishing my interrogation. When Mom heard about the mess I'd left I wasn't just demoted from captain, but forbidden from partaking in any off base missions at the insistence of every single member of high command pending complete expulsion.

And so I left. Almost a year later I still haven't showed my face.

"Haha, you do come from that Skywalker boy, he liked committing war crimes too," Hondo laughs and my eyes roll back in my head, preparing to hear for the tenth time how he once fought the man who became Darth Vader and lived to tell the tale since the galaxy now knows that unfortunate truth. "Good with a lightsaber, although I cannot forgive him for killing my good friend Kenobi and you know, all the rest. But once I acquire the right weapon we must duel for old times sake."

I never thought a pirate could so intimately know two utterly separate generations of my family through swindling them but there always seems to be surprises. "So you can get your ass handed to you again?"

"He liked to insult me as well, although not as well as Kenobi," he remembers fondly and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't found his stories of working with and against Anakin and Obi-Wan interesting, to hear what my grandfather was like from one of the few people still alive who knew him during the Clone Wars. "So did your father, I'll never forget when I tried to steal the Falcon from him, I'm still mad someone else beat me to it."

My spirits sour at the mention of him and I pour myself a drink from the bottle on the table only to grow more bitter at the taste of the Corellian whiskey, then quickly put it down remembering another story Hondo once told me. "Well I fully intend to steal it back and if my father wants it he can come and find me."

Somehow that wound is more raw than anything that happened the night the temple burned despite the permanent scars it left me with. A father packing up and leaving because he couldn't look at my mother without seeing Ben, and he couldn't look at me for reasons I still don't understand. I'm sure he only stayed as long as he did because Chewie refused to leave me behind, until eventually Dad didn't care anymore and left both of us.

"A lasar sword wielding maniac with the knack for piracy is a formidable opponent," he acknowledges and informs me. "From what I hear he is keeping low, owes money to the worst of the worst, people not even I, Hondo Ohnaka, would double cross and that is saying something. But I have no doubt he would be very proud his daughter is giving him a run for his credits and has certainly made a profitable investment."

The thought he'd be proud of what I'm doing is the opposite of what I want, but the rest is hardly news. "What can I say? I'm the best pilot there is."

I'm not quite sure how I ended up as an investment for some of the most established underworld figures there are. It began with me looking in all the wrong places for Dad and instead finding old friends and foes of his who were quite curious to see what I could do for them. Being nineteen with no credits, my weapons, and a ship in desperate need of maintenance, I was happy enough to oblige them.

Perhaps I hoped working for the very people who'd betrayed Dad time and time again would be enough he'd track me down out of anger to smack some sense into me like he should have done to Ben, but no. He's a ghost like the rest of the men in my family.

Still, in this unexpected change of career path I've learned a thing or two about profit and have turned my transport, my dear Shiraya, into an armoured starship that could almost be called luxurious, along with my more recently acquired and heavily modified Naboo Starfighter that I make use of for the contracts Boba Fett provides me to hunt down the First Order patrols trying to interfere in his operations.

"Speaking of which," Hondo continues to try to distract from the payment he owes for the delivery. "Boba has a contract for you."

Now those are always good words.

"But first," I say and look at the kyber crystal knowing it could go for half a million credits even in this state since genuine kyber is so rare, especially since this one appears to have been used in a saber at some point, no doubt dismantled for parts long ago. "I want half of the profits."

"Oh no, you merely transported the goods," he says and negotiates. "Ten percent."

I hold his eye carefully. "Thirty."

"Fifteen and don't you try those Jedi mind tricks on me," he says and I just smile to myself. "Fifteen percent which you will receive once I find a buyer."

"Twenty five and I'll be coming for my credits," I promise him as go to head out the door to where R2 awaits. My faithful companion since I was twelve years old, my best friend, my only friend, although always eager to get off this planet since he has a longstanding grudge against Hondo for numerous Clone Wars era offences.

But he won't exactly like where we're going next either.

"Come on R2, to Tatooine it is."

The evidence of the recent Boonta Eve celebrations are still evident from the bottles on the streets and firework shells scattered across the sand. People are still settling their debts from the races as a New Republic news channel plays from one of the holoprojectors in the square and I hear the Resistance mentioned fleetingly in arguments over funding for the ever decreasing Republic navy. A reminder that I've never been gone from base this long.

For Mom's sake I held it together and threw myself into forming the Resistance with her after the temple burned, but when Dad disappeared without a word that was when I began to finally lose it. Mom and I had our fights to the point we became notorious for them. I'd run off for a week or two and stay with Lando, but eventually I'd always go home.

Until now.

But after what I did she was horrified. One mention of my brother's name from the First Order captain, or rather his new name, and I snapped and learned just what a lightsaber is capable of doing to a lifeform. Even if he was the one who took his own life they still blamed me for his death since they knew the First Order certainly would and feared retaliation. I'd previously engaged the enemy and disobeyed orders countless times, I was known for insubordination and worked alone in the field since we didn't even have enough pilots for an active squadron, so when they told me I couldn't step foot in my x-wing after what I'd done I was shocked. I shouldn't have been, I'd pushed command to the brink too many times to count, but the torture of an unarmed evil man had them debating if I should be removed from the Resistance entirely.

And so I made the decision before they could and took off.

But not alone, never alone as long as I have R2 with me, even if he has been difficult this past year. R2 complains the whole way to the palace, while he's loyal to a fault he has made it clear he does not agree with my choice of lifestyle. Even if I'm walking around with more credits than Dad ever did while he's in debt to the worst of the worst.

I hope that wherever he is he knows it too, that he abandoned his daughter to go back to the only thing he was ever good at, only for me to put him to shame.

I'm a recognisable enough figure by now as I walk through Mos Espa, the place Anakin Skywalker was found by the Jedi Order, a place I've now come to frequent having long ago deterred anyone trying to collect Dad's debts from me from trying that again, and being under the Daimyo's protection gives me privileges.

Perhaps Boba Fett thought it would be ironic to have Vader's grandaughter being the one serving him, or maybe he found humour in Han Solo's daughter being on his payroll, either way it's been profitable for both of us. He's getting old to say the least and muscle is a needed supply in these parts. Jedi have been myth for decades and the sight of Vader's own blood with a lightsaber is enough to deter most trouble, the rest I deal with.

"Solo," Boba says as I enter the palace that once belonged to Jabba the Hutt, my visions have showed me well enough what transpired here when Mom was his slave along with other unfortunate visions of my family's history here on Tatooine. Psychometry, to this day I still can't decide if it's a gift or a curse. "I have a contract."

"Hondo told me," I say and eagerly ask "First Order?"

"They've been patrolling well beyond the border regions and now they've turned their attention to my sector," he informs me. "I had one of my men string up a First Order spy we found in the city but we know there's more and I have it on good authority there's a squadron or perhaps more of tie fighters patrolling the system."

"I'll take them out," I say immediately and he gives an approving nod but stops me before I can leave.

"You know Solo, it's past time you accepted the offer of membership to the guild," he says, and while the offer certainly flatters me I know the consequences of formally making myself a scoundrel for hire. "You can start making real coin then."

Except it's far more complicated than that when I still have legal duties. Mom did not pass down her responsibilities as Princess of Alderaan to me on a whim, she did it out of necessity. When the truth about her real father was exposed she was ruined, the senate and her allies had turned on her, so with full faith she stood there and transferred whatever powers that title still gave her to me. They could force her resignation and silence her voice, but not mine.

"A princess joining a bounty hunting guild isn't good press for the Resistance," I say, knowing the moment my name is processed in the guild's database that information would be sent straight to the New Republic which would very much complicate any business I might have to conduct in the senate. Even if I've left the Resistance I cannot betray Mom's trust in me when it comes to those responsibilities. "Besides, its loyalties are too loose for my liking. The same as most of the people out here who keep trying to exploit me into paying off Han Solo's debts to them."

It's a miracle Boba Fett doesn't do business with the Empire's successor considering his loyalties were always famously for hire, but from the stories I've heard and those he's told me he has personal reasons to detest the Imperial remnants that the First Order came from, having made himself an enemy of them long ago. It's only because of the stories he's told I know there is one other survivor like me out there, although from a different destruction of a different temple many years before my own.

Mom would be disappointed in my current career to say the least, but I only ever take work from those who were friends of the Jedi or the Rebellion, even if they didn't necessarily begin that way. Boba is as far as that line blurs, but considering he turned on those remnants to help save a Jedi youngling that's good enough for me.

"I would advise you to remember princess that it's the people out here who were the lifeblood that kept the Rebellion running, especially in its early days," he lectures. "They were the ones who smuggled weapons and all the rest to their bases without the Empire intercepting it, without them the rebellion would have been over as soon as it began. Even the Jedi in the Clone Wars did business with our kind, your grandfather included as Hondo's no doubt told you. Like him I'd met your grandfather long before he became Vader when I was just a child, he was much like you are now and just as self righteous. The biggest difference between Anakin Skywalker and Vader was that at least Vader kept his mouth shut when he didn't need to open it, a lesson you could learn."

"I was trained to be a politician before I was ever trained to be a Jedi so that's not gonna work," I retort and he shakes his head. "And there's a very big difference between smuggling weapons for a rebellion and smuggling people for traffickers."

He doesn't like that response but somewhere a line has to be drawn. "Your mother might be high and mighty about working with us low lives despite marrying one, but I would have thought you'd be smarter than that."

"I'm smart enough to know the moment the senate learns we do any business with smugglers and crime lords they cut all funding and support," I challenge, still politically adept from my upbringing and time served in the senate. "We can't afford to make more enemies than we already have."

"We?" he repeats and I lower my eyes. "I thought you said you weren't part of the Resistance, that you were too efficient for their liking, which you are. You've got a ruthless streak that would make you a damn good bounty hunter, or a mercenary for hire if that's more your style, but you're too afraid of what your mother would think to fulfil that potential, or maybe you just don't have the backbone I thought you did."

His words are true which is why they sting, except for the part about having a backbone. My first instinct is to lash out in defence but I bite my tongue, remembering who it is I'm standing in front of. I'm certainly not afraid of him but he's one of the few people in the Outer Rim's I'm willing to work for considering he's the only one willing to pay me to go after the First Order. And maybe I've found a certain wisdom in Boba Fett considering the enemy I face. The rest of the Resistance worries about stormtroopers and tie-fighters, but I know there's a different enemy only I can face and what better way to learn to kill the Knights of Ren and Snoke than from a man who is more than experienced in hunting and killing those trained in the force.

Mom would be horrified, but I know they're out there and I know I'm the only one who can destroy them since Luke's run away, which means I need preparation that she can't give me while she chases a ghost.

"You forget my focus isn't on credits, but on killing as many of those bastards as I can until I get close enough to their leader to strike him down," I say and nod my head in respect to the Daimyo. "And that's what I'm going to do."

But before I can leave he warns me "I bet Vader thought he'd do the same, but he didn't have a backbone either."

Something in me goes cold, but if there's anyone who has the grounds to challenge me on Vader it's his right hand man. "In the end he did. He killed Palpatine."

"When they were all but defeated above Endor," he says and I try to keep my face neutral, having never thought the day would come when I'd ever defend anything Vader did but things change. "Anakin Skywalker was known as the hero without fear and yet he became a slave, from what I hear for the second time in his life. Even if he did kill him in the end he was still a slave to his master. I wonder if Kylo Ren thinks he's going to do the same," he challenges and my face falls, my throat tightening at the very mention of his name. "So it is true then."

My hand tremors slightly and I'm at a loss for how he could have that information, managing only one word. "How?"

"Vader's grandson conveniently dies just like Skywalker did during Order 66 and now a new Vader pops up as the First Order's enforcer," he says and tilts his helmeted head. "Educated guess. You know what they say, history repeats."

My body may be cold but I can feel something burning in me at those words, remembering it all, everything up until the moment lightning hit the temple. Seeing his eyes turn yellow as he raged with his saber drawn, screaming that Luke was dead and that he'd betrayed us.

Luke was his master and mine before Ben had taken me as his apprentice despite Luke's disapproval. I'd asked Ben to not hold me back and he did just that, something Luke never did. He was my brother, my teacher, and I tried to walk away from him and my training to form the Resistance. That was my final mistake that sealed what would happen that night.

And so my voice shakes as I insist. "He's no Vader."

"Someone should tell him that then," he remarks and leans back on his throne. "Because from what I hear he's earned himself quite the reputation, black mask and all."

I feel sick and without another word leave the palace with a purpose, knowing every tie fighter I take down is one less between me and killing their Supreme Leader. I thought I could never feel more horrified than the night the temple burned, concussed and choking on ash with lightsaber burns to my arm and thigh, only one of which I actually recall receiving, but when we discovered that Snoke, the creature that had seduced Ben to the darkness, was the mysterious leader of the First Order I watched Mom fall to her knees.

Whatever Mom believes happened that night, whether I'm lying about not remembering or have suppressed it, I truly don't remember what happened after lightning struck the temple, there's only flashes of screams and pain. Once we felt Ben turn we let everyone believe he died in the fire, no one would dare ask a grieving mother to account for a missing son.

From the start I knew I was searching in vain, for an uncle, a father, a brother. All ghosts. Luke can stay hiding in exile for all I care, but for so long I thought I could bring Ben back so Mom wouldn't have to suffer the loss of a son as well as a husband and a brother. So I wouldn't have to suffer the loss of a brother as well as a father. My idiot brother who became so delusional when he discovered who the man he worshipped, Anakin Skywalker, truly was. As at odds as we were, he was the he only other person in the galaxy who knew was it was like to be the heir of Skywalker, of Vader. To be vilified for sharing blood with a man we never knew, for being able to wield a power so many distrust. Now I'm alone in that.

For so long I tried so hard to do what she asked of me, but whenever I would step foot on Hosnian Prime to petition the senate for funding I would hear the whispers, the speculation. When a temple full of children burns to the ground and Luke Skywalker disappears people want answers, answers I couldn't give. Answers I can't give.

But when I'm the only survivor people look to put the blame somewhere.

It's only fitting in their eyes that it's on the blood of the Jedi Killer himself.

R2 beeps at me as we scout the system, I thought by now he'd give up trying to get me to go home but he hasn't. I thought when I left Mom I'd no longer have to look at someone who's afraid I'll turn into Vader, or my brother, but R2 has seen too much to not be afraid I'll fall as well. Except much to my sorrow I can hardly fault him for it knowing what he's seen.

"How about after this we go to Naboo for a little while?" I propose to him, it's only a stone's throw from Tatooine and where I've resided in my free time. With the Lakehouse all but forgotten during the Empire's reign I've found refuge there, having put most of my spare credits into restoring it since it fell into ruin. The Naberrie family had said it was meant to be where Padmé raised her children, and that all that was left to her she would want to be passed onto me and I do what I can to preserve her memory. For a long time Naboo was my home almost as much as it was her's, and R2 likes that idea, Naboo having been his home once as well.

The N-1's controls are engrained into my memory from my training and education there, having been the youngest starpilot to ever fly as part of their starfighter corps at the mere age of twelve. I'd grown up in N-1's as much as the Falcon, although I had become quite fond of my x-wing that no doubt still resides on D'Qar, that better still be there and waiting for me, even if it never saw as much action as I wish it had.

I like to think Dad would be proud of me if I could tell him that by the age of twenty I'd become a quadruple ace, even if those kills were achieved with contracts like these instead of with the Resistance. Perhaps he'd be horrified instead despite being the first one to put me behind laser cannons in the field. Any reaction would be acceptable if it meant I could just see him, but now I'm seeing another target.

"Here we go R2, you see them?" I say, eyeing a group of tie's coming out from behind one of the moons. "This is where the fun begins."

Even if he pretends to be worried for the sake of my self preservation, an override of his loyalty programming installed by Luke to keep me from getting myself killed, I know he loves this almost as much as I do. When a droid's been in action for nearly seventy years he tends to become more independent than his programming and I know he's missed being shot at even if he'd disagree.

"It's just target practice R2," I tell him as I prepare to ambush, taking a moment to see if the First Order's bothered to make any modifications to their tie's with the amount I've been taking out, having collected data from the wreckages, but it seems they're happy to keep sending them out as cannon fodder. "Let's see, take them out in the open or herd them into that asteroid belt?"

He agrees with the asteroid belt, and so do I. Tie's aren't as nimble as a Naboo starfighter.

"I count eight, should be easy pickings," I say and prepare to attack. "Let's get em."

I debate strategy as I come up behind them to ambush, my instincts tell me now might not be the time to play around and I have the nagging feeling there's more where these eight have come from and so instead of taking my time I fire the proton torpedo I've been itching to use right into the centre of their formation. The shot takes out the tie's in the centre with the exception of the flanking ships that scatter at the blast and sure enough another formation comes up behind me from one of the moons.

This just got slightly more dangerous now that they're the ones trying to push me into the asteroid belt, but only slightly. "Easy R2, follow my lead and prepare for a L'ulo stand."

After taking out the flanking ships I cut the engine's thrusters and pull up hard a fraction of a second later in the same manoeuvre that L'ulo taught me when he joined the Resistance, a manoeuvre he taught me could only be done in atmosphere, space is a little trickier to pull it off in but manageable with counter thrusters. The nose of my ship slams upwards to slow the acceleration of my fighter so the tie's behind me overshoot, counting ten in total that head straight past me for the asteroid belt, finding myself surprised by the amount they have to spare, but at least the amount I'll get paid will more than cover the cost to replace the torpedo.

Now to scatter them and pick them off.

"Alright R2, fire up those thrusters for me," I say and a second later they come back roaring as I roll the N-1 before slamming the nose down again and shoot forward to herd the second formation into the asteroid belt, grinning as I follow after the scattering ties, manoeuvering the belt with ease and by the time I exit the tie's are either destroyed by my laser canons or their own shitty piloting. The First Order clearly have pilots to spare but not instructors.

But in the heat of the moment I failed to notice the x-wing that had followed me through the belt and my heart stops at the realisation I didn't see it, a mistake that could have me dead if it was a First Order ship.

"The hell?" I whisper at the sight once I recover from the momentary shock. "The Republic shouldn't be out here..." It's then I take in the model of the x-wing and realise it's a T-70. It's a Resistance X-Wing. "Fuck." R2 beeps at me and I remind him "Who taught me to curse R2? I'd settle somewhere between you and Mom and if she's sent a fighter after me... no- no, she has no idea where I am."

At least I hope not.

A transmission comes through the radio as R2 begins to lecture me, a man's voice interrupting him. "Naboo starfighter identify yourself."

R2 feels the need to point out it's the Resistance, not so kindly suggesting we should follow them home. I never knew a droids patience could wear thin but R2 may just be getting too old to deal with Skywalker bullshit.

"Yes R2 I'm aware it's a Resistance x-wing," I say before answering the transmission and replying to the pilot. "No, I don't think I will."

He doesn't seem to like that answer, but plays along. "Before you get cocky are you aware you were just ambushed by a squadron of tie-fighters belonging to the First Order and that I came to assist?"

He hasn't identified himself which means he's impersonating a New Republic officer by ordering me to identify myself, most pilots wouldn't pick up on the difference between x-wing models, but I know better.

"I was the one ambushing them," I grin, a little smug I'd taken them out before he could even get a shot, finding his voice unfamiliar which means he's a new pilot who wouldn't know mine. "I'd thank you for your assistance but you were a little late."

His ship pulls up beside mine, close enough to see clearly into the cockpit, and I make out a grin beneath his helmet as he says "It's a shame, I thought this patrol was about to get interesting."

"I didn't think New Republic pilots were allowed to engage," I say since he's failed to identify himself and I want to see how long he keeps this ruse up, but I can't help but like what I see and tease. "Am I under arrest officer?"

I hear him laugh and study his face as best I can, finding it attractive and unfamiliar even with it being obstructed by his flight helmet, but my stomach drops at the markings on his ship and helmet that tell me I'm certainly not mistaken in my identification that he's with the Resistance, spying an orange and white astromech with him. "It's your lucky day, I'm not New Republic."

"Thought not," I say, continuing to play naive. "They aren't allowed to patrol this sector anymore so that leaves the question of who you are."

He continues to play along and I realise he's enjoying this. "Take a wild guess?"

"A moonjockey in a beaten up x-wing?"

"Beaten up?" I hear him repeat in offence and I can't help but smile. "Not everyone's got the credits to be flying state of the art N-1's so why don't you tell me what organisation you're with?" he asks, knowing I'm sure as hell not part of any New Republic starfighter corps if I'm attacking the First Order without provocation. "Bounty hunters guild or something like that, hired security?"

"Something like that," I answer before remarking "Maybe I'm just a pilot like you who's sick of those bastards and decided to take matters into my own hands."

He seems to like that answer as much as it surprises him. He keeps his ship level with mine and only then does it occur to me that my face could be recognisable from his angle since I can certainly see his, but he doesn't seem to have a damn clue who I am.

"You know," he begins. "The Resistance is looking for pilots."

I have to hold back laughter at the irony. "Is that so?"

"I was tracking the tie's that got behind you before you went into the asteroid field, counted fourteen you took out with those cannons, makes you a double ace, triple if you count the one's you herded into the asteroids."

"I'm a quadruple," I correct a little too proudly. "And that was easy work."

Somehow nothing clicks in his head which makes me wonder where the hell the Resistance believes I actually am for one of their pilots to not register who I must be. Even if he's a newer recruit I'm the daughter of Leia Organa and Han Solo, hell I was the best pilot they had before they permanently grounded me. People know who I am and I'm slightly offended he doesn't.

Which is why I'm confused as much as amused when he offers. "You're a hell of a pilot, I've only ever known two pilots to pull off that manoeuvre you did and I'm one of them, definitely the only other one to be able to pull it off in space. If you're as good as you seem I can put you in touch with General Leia Organa herself."

I can't help but look back at R2 to make sure he's hearing this but instead of laughing along he beeps at me to consider it, to go home.

"I know I'm a hell of a pilot," I state. "Best one there is."

"Well I don't know about that," he says and wonder just how good he thinks he is. "But I'd be willing to see what you've got."

The challenge is clear in my voice. "Is that so?"

Instead of backing down like a responsible Resistance pilot should he takes it on. "That's right."

He tilts his helmet towards me and I make out the stubbled face beneath the helmet, even obstructed I can't miss the stupidly handsome grin he flashes me and he knows it. Typical flyboy.

Except I might actually like this one.

"Alright hotshot," I say and fire up my thrusters, finding myself genuinely curious. "You know, I never got your name."

"Commander Poe Dameron," he says and it rings a bell even if I know it won't come to me until later. "Of the Resistance if you haven't put that part together yet."

I roll my eyes and even R2 has to laugh at that until something clicks and I very quickly change my mind about liking this one.

"Commander huh?" I say, realising he must be something then for a man who wasn't there a year ago to get promoted so quickly to a rank I never even held. It almost makes me bitter, nope, it definitely makes me bitter. Almost three years, there since the damn beginning and I was never even considered for that rank, then a new flyboy turns up and takes it. "You must be a real hotshot then."

"The best," he says and R2 begins calculating the jump to hyperspace before I can even give the command. "And you still haven't identified yourself."

"And I'm not going to," I say as I prepare to take off. "But I'm sure you'll figure it out Commander, give General Organa my regards."

He's taken back enough by that remark that I get a head start on him, my ship being far faster than his is with the illegal modifications to the thrusters and while he pursues I quickly lose him through the asteroid belt, getting far enough out of his line of sight until I'm satisfied before jumping to hyperspace so he can't follow and once I'm clear I realise my hands are trembling slightly.

Even if he has no idea who I am, Mom will piece it together if she hasn't already. If the First Order's profiled a rogue Naboo starfighter in the Outer Rims targeting tie fighters I know she has to have the same intelligence from Threepio's spy network.

If she doesn't know what I've been doing, she's about to.

And if she thought me engaging the enemy was bad, she's going to lose it when she realises what I've been doing in the year since I left base.

Poe

She jumps to hyperspace and I sit there purely stunned, the slight hit to my ego overshadowed by her piloting. I've never seen anyone ever fly like that except for myself, pulling off stunts I thought were impossible until I'd done them in the heat of a skirmish, and not just that, she pulled them off like they were nothing.

I've come to think of myself as one of the best pilots in the galaxy, knowing it's not ego or arrogance but pure fact. I know damn well what I can do in a cockpit and the results I produce, but she might be the first person I've ever met who could possibly, potentially, have me beat.

I should be mad about that possible fact, but that's the last thing I'm feeling right now, and maybe there's a few butterflies flying about amongst the overwhelming awe.

"She's something huh BB?" I find myself saying and shake my head in wonder. "Is this what love at first sight feels like because wow..."

No adequate words to finish that sentence come to mind and for a few more minutes at least I sit there stunned until getting it into my head that I have to tell Leia about her. For whatever no doubt valid reason she hates the First Order and she's picking them off like they're nothing, Leia's had me doing recruiting the past few months since I joined and I think I just hit gold.

I have to recruit her.

My heart's still racing from the encounter as I come out of hyperspace and enter D'Qar's atmosphere, asking myself who the hell she could be and what training she has to have to be able to fly like that. She has to be ex navy, or from a planetary starfighter corps, but even then I can't begin to comprehend that a rogue pilot who flies like that is picking off tie-fighters and hasn't been recruited.

I've gotta tell Leia about her and then go track her down.

"Another boring patrol?" Snap asks as I climb down from my ship but I can't help the grin on my face and the moment my feet hit the ground I can practically feel myself pumping with nervous excitement and so can he. "Get some action then?"

"Oh I wish," I answer and can't help but blurt everything out to him. "Thought I was gonna get some when I tracked some tie-fighter's trying to ambush a lone starfighter but turns out she was the one ambushing them. I counted her take down fourteen with my own eyes and when I caught up to her and asked her to identify herself she just laughed like it was nothing." I find myself shaking my head, knowing it wasn't just her flying that left an impression. "Let me tell you Snap, she's something else."

"So Poe Dameron sees someone blowing up tie fighters and falls in love?" Snap teases while working on his ship, half listening. "Sounds about right."

"You should have seen her man, the manoeuvres she pulled, she pulled a L'ulo stand like it was absolutely nothing and let me tell you when I saw her I swear I did fall in love," I say and can't help but gush a little since it's just Snap. "Brunette with these big eyes, the messy eyeliner you know." He suddenly stops what he's working on but I don't take much notice. "She's got an attitude on her and she's damn beautiful too, but that's beside the point. I've never seen anything like what she did in the field, hell I don't even know where she learned a L'ulo stand but she did it in space. In space Snap! I thought I was the only person that's ever pulled that off."

He looks over and clears his throat before asking "She identify herself?"

"No, she didn't," I admit, still a little mad she got away without identifying herself but she has to be contracted by someone in the sector to be taking them out with missiles like it's nothing. Hell I wish the Resistance had the spare credits to use torpedoes on tie fighter formations. Not that we're meant to even shoot at them of course. "But I've got another patrol in the sector in a few days and I'll track her down, she'd be a hell of an asset."

Cautiously he asks "And how old was she?"

"Early twenties maybe?" I guess and he nods, like he knows something I don't but my mind's racing a little too fast to think about that. "She was amazing, hell I've never seen anyone fly like that, except for me of course."

Snap nods slowly and slaps a hand on my shoulder. "Might want to mention that to the General."

"Already on it," I grin, maybe a bit ahead of myself but Leia's had me doing recruiting and I'd be neglecting my duty if I didn't follow this up, but I'd be lying if I said that's the only reason I'm excited. "You know, I think she was flirting with me."

He's visibly surprised and looks like he's struggling to keep a straight face as he says "Maybe not mention that part to the General."

The grin's still on my face as I come to Leia's office still in my flight suit but she hardly seems phased by the informal visit, if anything relieved to see me in one piece. "Poe you're back, did you find any activity around Tatooine?"

"Oh yep," I say and sit down across from her, practically buzzing with an excitement I haven't felt in a long time. "Two squadrons of tie's, I was following their trail when they were ambushed by a pilot in a Naboo starfighter and she took them out like they were nothing, fired a damn torpedo right into them."

"She?" She wears the same expression Snap did now. "Did she identify herself?"

"No, she took off before she did."

"Well did you get close enough to see her what she looks like or anything else identifying?" Leia asks and her sudden interest surprises me, but it's the desperate edge to her voice that really takes me aback.

"She was pretty," is the first thing that comes out of my mouth, even if it's an understatement, but I quickly realise I misspoke with how she raises her eyebrows at that answer.

"I'm going to need a little bit more than that Commander Dameron," she says with the fond but frustrated tone that's become familiar and I quickly try to redeem myself.

"Early twenties, brunette, wasn't wearing a helmet and it um-looked like her hair was braided," I start trying to describe and realise she looks a bit like Leia but considering I just blurted out that she's pretty I won't say that, that would just make things weird. "Fair skinned, human."

I can't quite read her face as she clarifies "So she was flying a Naboo starfighter, and did she have a blue and white astromech, an R2 unit?"

"Yeah," I answer in surprise and at the look that crosses her face realise "You know her."

A thought quickly comes to mind but I dismiss it just as quickly. I know Leia has a daughter who's a pilot, Leia's said as much, but from what I've heard she's at university and doing political stuff in the core worlds on Leia's behalf so there's no chance it could be her and besides, there's no way the kid of Leia Organa would be out there acting like that and taking jobs for hire in the Outer Rims. Well considering that's Han Solo's kid as well it's possible but still, from what I've heard about her and seen on the holonews she's more of a politician like Leia than a hop in an x-wing and blow something up sort of fighter, otherwise she'd be on base leading the wing Leia put me in charge of.

Still, Leia takes a deep breath, having to stabilise herself. "I know this Naboo starfighter has gained quite the reputation in the Outer Rims," she reveals to me and feel that cloud of grief that so often follows the General, hear the ache in her voice that's so common but this time there's hope amongst it. "We've been trying to build a profile and the information you've just brought me is far more valuable than anything else you could have collected. Thank you Poe."

"I'm meant to go back out there in a few days," I begin, knowing I'm not gonna be able to let this go. "She's a hell of a pilot and I really think she could be a great asset."

"So do I," she says without missing a beat, amusement written across her face.

"She said she's sick of the First Order and it seems like she's being contracted to take out tie's in the sector so I told her the Resistance was recruiting and she said to give you her regards."

She stills now. "You spoke to her?"

"Yeah," I say and her face changes. "She might have a bit of an ego but from what I've seen she lives up to it. I've seen a lot of pilots but I don't think I've ever seen anything like her, she was picking them off like they were nothing, pulling stunts I've barely been able to pull off."

It hurts my pride a little to admit that but it's true, she really is something else and I need the General to see that as well.

She purses her lips together and nods before asking "What else can you tell me?"

"Claimed to be a quadruple ace which not even Biggs Darklighter was but-"

"Not about her boasting," Leia sighs and I start to get the sense she actually must know her personally only to jump in my seat as she loudly exclaims "Quadruple ace?! How many kills is that?"

"Twenty or more," I answer and can't hide my concern as she puts her head in her hands. "General?"

"So you're telling me this rogue pilot has made herself a quadruple ace by hunting the First Order for sport?"

Not how I'd put it but I still nod, not seeing a problem with it. "Sounds about right."

"Force give me strength," she murmurs and asks "What impression did she give you besides being pretty and please use your head when you open your mouth this time."

I press my lips together slightly embarrassed, realising I definitely had the wrong choice of words there so try to make up for it now. "With the modifications to her starfighter she's got to have some credits to spare. Took her for the type to be doing contracted work to take them out since it's Tatooine and the people there wouldn't want the First Order anywhere near their business. When I asked if she was part of one of the guilds or something like that she said something like that and that she's sick of those bastards and decided to take matters into her own hands. Her words not mine."

She leans back in disapproval, but surprisingly not towards me. "Did she now?"

Before I can say anything else to put Leia off recruiting her I stress what I came here to say in the first place. "Which is why I recommended she consider the Resistance and that I'd put you in touch."

"You did?" she says and I realise I might have overstepped but stand by my decision.

"With all due respect General, you didn't see what I did out in the field."

"I'm quite aware of her skills," she says but before I can ask any more questions she waves me off. "I'll handle her, you focus on your patrols and have Snap fly a reconnaissance mission in the sector to see where those tie fighters were based, there's no doubt more where they came from."

"General, I can-"

"No, because you'll blow them up," she says knowingly. "That's if this rogue pilot doesn't get to them first. Thank you for bringing this information to me, could you write up a mission report as well."

She's frustrated, but not with me for once. She really does know this pilot personally.

I'm left with questions but the pained look in her eyes keeps my mouth shut and I nod.

"Of course General."

"Thank you," she says again, genuine gratitude in her voice.

Over the past few months I've been here I've felt the unmistakeable shroud of mourning that hangs over her as it does now, having become familiar with it from my own father. Except I've never seen such raw emotion in her eyes before, which leaves me wondering what history she and this rogue pilot could possibly have.

#poe dameron #poe dameron fanfiction #poe dameron x oc #poe dameron x original character #poe dameron x female original character #poe dameron x solo!oc #solo!oc #solo original character #poe dameron x solo original character #star wars fanfiction #star wars original character #star wars oc #fic: fire meet gasoline #oc: hope solo #galacticwildfire

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h0n3yk1tt3n · 10 months ago

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7 8 10

Ahhh the joys of reblogging multiple ask games with numbered questions within a day and not being able to tell which one is the current subject <3 (this just means you're getting the answers to six questions instead of three! Plus I'm bored and I don't mind lol)

7. Share a line or paragraph that you don't think will ever actually be posted in anything! (Or, if you don't hoard cut sentences and paragraphs like I do, share anything you want that has yet to see the light of day!)

Prefacing this by saying I know that Jake is implicitly an only child in canon. Counter argument, shut up /j oldest child syndrome made worse by absent parents. My defense:

Alana kept her voice as level as she could, despite her frustration. "Can you be an adult for just a couple minutes, please?"

A fist hit the table. "I've had to be the adult since I was thirteen!"

Alana startled at the harsh constriction in Jake's voice, his once casual and flippant demeanor turning so fast that it just about gave her whiplash.

A mirthless laugh choked Jake as he threw a hand out. "Criminal parents fucking off to who knows where all the time meant that someone needed to grow up! Someone needed to be responsible and make sure that the kids were happy and safe! And sometimes-"

His voice wavered, breath shaking as he looked off at the wall instead of at Alana.

"Maybe sometimes I just wanna be a kid. Get excited about Kiddie Land. Go down a Giant Slide. Just," he gave a hopeless shrug, "pretend things aren't so fucked up, at least for a little while. Long enough to not... burn out on being the adult, right when I really need to be."

—Tales From the Lagniappe

This is really rough atm but hopefully it gets the point across dbdjebdh

8. Is there a story idea that you would love if it could appear fully realized but that you do not think you'll ever write yourself?

Halo au would be fun. I say, as if I have a real Story in mind for it besides a couple scenes and Vibes lmao. I have so many Concept stories that I just never actually touch in any meaningful way, hell it's a miracle if I ever doodle anything for them.

10. If you could banish a single trope to live at the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen by any human eyes (or at least your own), which trope would that be?

The simple fact that I don't know by virtue of not reading super often goes to show that I don't feel strong negative emotions about any particular trope (and that im not adventurous lmao /hj.) Anything can be executed beautifully or terribly.

I once criticized coffee shop and adjacent aus for being nothing burgers by (generally, i can think of at least one exception) ending after character A gives B their number, but like? I don't have enough vitriol to cast such aus into the ocean lol, they can stay

7. A fic of yours you think is underrated?

Besides my 4 year old coping-with-quarantine project that spiraled into almost 330k words of length and became So Personal, probably Joyride. I blame its lack of attention on the fact that I just shat out a one-sentence summary and assumed that would be enough for those that had already read Weakness lol (hi becca)

8. What's the best summary you've come up with?

The fact that the L2C summary was so long that it wouldn't fit into ao3's character limit (but that it wasn't long enough/was too summarizey to be its own chapter or part of the prologue) and had to be broken into the summary and beginning notes goes to show how much I cared about making it Perfect™️ lol

10. Do you read your own fics for fun?

Not super often but yeah! Usually as a post-upload riding the high ya know? Swallow Up Your Heart of Gold actually keeps popping into my brain and I gotta get a hit of that sweet sweet hurt/comfort <3

In fact I would often reread rps that a friend and I did so get that same hit

I'm lonely and touch starved I bet you couldn't tell

#asks #mj says shit #writing #fanfic #left 2 chill #be more chill #dear evan hansen #jake dillinger #alana beck #the origin of me coming up with oldest kid jake was So Dumb and yet i got So Attached #if anyone wants to unlock that lore im down to share it

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the-way-astray · 3 months ago

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sorry if this comes off as rude (not the intention) i am just very strongly opposed to this theory lmfao

general doctor thing. so is alden. so is tiergan. sophie has lots of father figures

huh interesting, that feels more pyrokinetic to me. but i think mr. forkle specifically said that he genetically modified sophie to be able to do that, it wasn't an unintended consequence of her bio parents's abilities the way the emotion-telepathy thing is

why the fuck would elwin write that in an official government file if that meant anything. the bio parent thing is supposed to be a huge secret you think he'd just let it slip like that without thinking???? you aren't supposed to write personal notes like that in official government files i think we can safely disregard that as evidence

i mean personally i would be disappointed if some kid i'd never met didn't like me just because i was a doctor, especially if i knew that the things she based her dislike of me on weren't even accurate. also i don't even think he was disappointed in that, he was more determined to change her attitude toward doctors

feel like this is evidence against elwin, not for, because it just proves that elwin doesn’t understand how truly important it is that her biological parents stay secret, but someone who really is her biological parent would be understand how pertinent it is that that stay secret and why (think oralie). basically the fact that elwin thinks sophie deserves to know/wants her to know proves to me just how much he's out of his depth and doesn't understand why forkle can't tell her. but her real bio parents would understand that

because he’s nice???? he’s just like that. he was like that even before the series started, we see him help people like juline (a bad match with triplet children) when she’s looking for more open-minded doctors because he’s just more open-minded in general. he's just not a bigot . . . that doesn't mean anything . . .

this is the only point that makes sense to me . . . assuming this is still part of he canon of the story (sometimes shannon tweaks major plot things before publishing, like with the original prologue, but we'll assume she didn't). this is interesting though. i like this headcanon. though i doubt elwin would have a very "human" animal (elephant) in a hawaiian shirt in his collection, he could've been the one to suggest the idea to forkle for sure. or maybe forkle was inspired by him. full circle moment!!!! alayda, you're blowing my mind that's insane!!!!

oh, that's actually answered in flashback. forkle reveals his identity to elwin because he can't sneak away as often after his twin brother's death, so he says something like "having others in on the secret that are trusted members of foxfire's staff (cadence and elwin) will be crucial to keeping my identity a secret because they can cover for me". and elwin doesn't know about the twin brother thing canonically. clearly forkle's trust in him has limits

yeah there's no connection between oralie and elwin, sure. i'll give you that. and again, the overprotective thing is just that he has a bond to this scared young girl, and is a general doctor thing

it means he was kissing gethen in the elite levels, next question. (lmfao serious answer: it could mean a lot of things. elwin is literally mentioned in a forgotten secret canonically, i think it's pretty clear that he has had a more eventful life than he lets on)

i have no idea what your point here is. yeah, he seems to be everywhere and like 50% of the lost cities' medical profession, but how does that prove he's sophie bio dad????

i mean . . . sure? forkle himself has had a lot of medical training. i wouldn't be surprised if the black swan has plenty more doctors. there's way more members that haven't been introduced to the series anyway

juline specifically says in that scene that "knowing" and "realizing" aren't the same thing. elwin probably just knew livvy, the open-minded doctor. also that seems a strange thing to let slip if he's trying to keep his status as sophie's bio dad a secret (which he should be)

they already have tiergan for that. and leto was spying on her too. and sir astin was her universe teacher. and honestly? i think they fully expected her to have to go to the doctor a lot. but anyway

if he wanted a daughter so bad, why didn't he just . . . have a daughter? like he could've had a kid the normal way . . . with oralie we're told that she couldn't have a kid the normal way because she would've had to give up her position on the council (stupid reason, but whatever, at least there's something). why would elwin want to have a daughter that he knows would likely hate him when she found out the truth when he could just have a daughter that's normal?

well my hunch is strongly against this theory /lh

additional points (because i'm on a roll):

the main points about sophie's bio parents are that a) they aren't related to one another in any way, b) their identities coming out could, and i quote, "shake the very foundation of our world" and c) they had to have a reason to donate their dna to a rebel organization to create, and i quote, "something"

there's also the not confirmed but likely things like d) they probably don't have a family and e) they probably don't share sophie's abilities but influenced them in some way

you already addressed a. skipping to b. why the fuck would elwin's identity coming out as sophie's bio dad shake the foundation of the world? what colossal chaos could possibly come out of that? elwin makes no sense as sophie's bio dad because of the fact that it has to stay secret. remember the reason we don't know this information in the first place: because there's a very important reason it needs to stay secret. why the fuck would anyone care if elwin is sophie's bio dad? his life isn't going to be changed in any way, yeah, sophie'll be a bit miffed, but she'll get over it, and overall it would collapse absolutely nothing. he's utterly unattached to anything: no family, no councillor position, no reason why forkle would refuse to tell sophie that elwin's her dad. why does that information need to be kept secret. it makes negative sense

alright point c: why would elwin want to donate his dna to a rebel organization? what is his motive here? what does he stand to gain? i've already talked about how clearly having a child was not his motive here, the way it was with oralie, so what else could he possibly want? and yeah, maybe he knows the world isn't perfect, but if he just thought that he would just . . . join the black swan. like with sophie's bio parents, not only do they want change (the way i see it) but they'd have to be willing to take extra steps of commitment, because this goes way beyond just wanting the world to be better. and elwin just doesn't fit that bill

alright point d applies to elwin. skipping to e. as i've already said, the inflictor beam was a purposeful genetic manipulation by forkle; he did it with intention, it was not an unintended consequence of sophie's bio parents the way the emotion-telepathy thing was. so how else could a non-sophie ability have affected sophie? well i personally can't see the connection between flashing and any of her abilities. pyrokinesis seems to be the strongest match, if anything (her telepathy is is described with lots of fire metaphors, which i personally think is just shannon's style but that's the only thing that even comes close). it's possible oralie's empathy impacted the way sophie inflicts, as well. but that's about it

i don't know, i just feel like the points you brought up are super surface-level, generic, small-detail things like "he's overprotective" and "he cares about her" whereas the most important things we know about sophie's bio parents fully contradict the elwin theory, making it so that it can't be him

breaking my silence: why do so many people think elwin makes sense as an option for sophie’s bio dad???? hello????

#kotlc #sophie foster's biological parents #elwin heslege #kotlc elwin #sophie foster #kotlc sophie #anti elwin is sophie's bio dad theory #kotlc theory

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somethinginthethunder · 3 years ago

Text

dos oruguitas [1] (camilo x reader)

part 1, part 2

summary: (y/n) and camilo have been inseparable since their friendship first started. what happens when they're suddenly taken away from each other?

notes: what up, i'm rae, i'm a minor, and i never learned how to write!

jkjk anyway since i can't come up with a name of a stranger prologue, have this! :) this part is 3k words so have fun ily all <3

reblogs and comments appreciated!

warnings: slow burn but not really, angst, camilo not knowing who he is at one part (after he loses his gift)

—

“ay, camilo, don’t be shy!”

your mother’s friend, pepa, had come to your house with her son. your mamá had insisted that she bring him over to get the both of you acclimated to each other. in fact, she presented it as an opportunity for the both of you to get out of your shells and to become a bit more social with other kids who aren't in your family.

being four-and-a-half years old, you didn’t know what to expect. living in encanto obviously meant knowing who the madrigals were (and by extension, camilo), but there was a part of you that was nervous, a part of you that made you jump when you heard the knock on your door, and a part of you that avoided eye contact with the short-haired boy in the door.

“(y/n), mijo/a, why don’t you show camilo your drawings?” your mother suggested cheerfully, looking down at you as you hid behind her taller form.

you wanted to be friends with him. really, you did. and on the inside camilo did, too. but something about you made him freeze up on the spot. instead, he said, “i don’t want to!”

immediately the sky became darker, mirroring the look pepa’s face morphed in to. she had never seen her son reject a social opportunity before. in fact, she felt more surprised than angry. still angry, of course.

awkwardly, your mother tried to combat the oncoming weather and asked politely, “why not?”

if little camilo had known the answer to her question he probably would’ve answered honestly. however, he did not, so instead he hid away his face and shook his head.

even though you were barely five it still embarrassed you to be rejected like that before even a simple hello. your lip quivered as though you were about to cry, but instead you just walked off to your room so you could avoid the entire situation.

your mother and pepa called after you. as you sat in your room and played with your stuffed toys, you could hear muffled apologies between the two mothers. soon after there was the shutting of doors and distant scolding as the two madrigal’s footsteps faded into nothingness.

that would be your first interaction with your childhood best friend.

—

the second interaction with him was after his gifting ceremony. most of the kids had gone from the party because of it being so late into the night. you, however, had stayed, as your mother decided to have an extremely long chat with pepa (as mothers do).

as the last few adults left, you spotted camilo sitting in the corner of his rather huge room.

it was enchanting, to say the least. his bed was a giant bunk bed that had a slide in the shape of a chameleon’s tail. all around were poorly drawn pictures by him of him and his family, as well as a few spare photos abuela and dolores found around the house. the floor was carpeted with soft material, and the lights were like fireflies waiting on the ceiling.

in the corner of the room was the birthday boy, hanging up his last photo.

you approached with your hands nervously wringing your skirt, tapping him on the shoulder.

he turned around enthusiastically, only to pause when he sees it’s you.

“your gift is really cool,” you said quietly, glancing up at him.

“thanks,” he answered, smiling so wide that you could see one of his teeth missing from the corner of his mouth.

“what are you gonna do with it?”

this made him pause for a moment. usually, when a madrigal got their gift, abuela would help them decide how to make the most use out of it the next day. however, since it was not the next day yet, camilo decided he could be the one to choose for the time being.

“we could prank mister guzmán!” the young boy suggested excitedly.

“we?”

“i mean-” he stuttered. “i-if you want to come, of course.”

and the rest was most certainly a chaotic history.

camilo had turned into his prima isabela, fooling poor mariano into thinking she was dramatically pining for him. the only reason the both of you had been caught was when the real señorita perfecta had walked in with her mother looking for one of her lost earrings, scolding the both of you for not only being out of the house at such a late hour without an adult but also for pranking the young boy.

when pepa and your mother caught wind of this, they were surprising less mad than the both of you thought you’d be. both of you had chalked it up to them being in a good mood that day, but if you had told this to your older self, you’d know the real answer right away.

—

when you were ten years old, one of your bullies decided to really ruin your day.

it wasn’t something basic this time, like you having cooties or anything. he had decided to really take a stab at you, making fun of the way you walk, the way you looked, and your family in general.

you weren’t planning on telling camilo. he was naturally kind, but you knew from past incidents that he could be very easily mean if someone was rude to a person he cared for.

the only reason your best friend had caught wind of this was because dolores had heard what your little bully was saying. she had heard his previous things, but she knew that they were small and you didn’t care. (honestly, it was mostly because you didn’t even know what cooties were).

but when she heard his more ‘mature’ insults, she decided that would be the last straw.

marching downstairs to abuela, she announced, “andres is a nasty boy!”

the grandmother turned in surprise, more confused rather than concerned. “what makes you think insulting a ten year old is a good idea?” she wondered aloud.

“he’s saying terrible things about (y/n), abuela. making fun of the way they look, the way they sound, everything!” the seventeen year old insisted, her hands on her hips as she snitched on said boy.

what she didn’t know, however, was that while she and abuela were going to andre's house to have a talk with his parents, camilo was already heading over to see his best friend.

he had overheard from his room what was going on, immediately furious at the perpetrator but also still having you in mind.

you were sitting outside your house, drawing on a little pad that your mother had lent you for the day as she was away for some work.

sitting down beside you, he gave you a strangely serious look for a little kid. in a silly but stern voice he said, “andres is bullying you?”

the entire reason that you were drawing by yourself was that you didn’t want to run into your bully. trying to ignore even his existence, you shrunk into yourself and ignored camilo’s words.

“they’re just being a baby,” a voice said from a few feet away the street.

there he was, in all his boyish glory. andres was a lean kid for his age, taller than the average child. in fact, that’s what made him scary. he was well known to ram his body into doors and tables when he wasn’t happy with how his day going. it was a wonder his parents weren’t able to make him behave despite being older than a lot of the children currently in the village.

seeing your bully had camilo feeling his anger bubble up inside him on the spot. clenching his fists, he stood and said, “what’s your problem?”

“what are you, their little boyfriend or something?” the other kid laughed, puffing up his chest like an animal about to attack.

this statement made you turn a little red, facing a way for the moment. surprisingly, however, camilo didn’t react.

“who cares? you can’t just bully people like that,” he stated.

“and why not?” andres said snobbishly, crossing his arms as he took a step closer to your friend.

when you turned to look at them a pit in your chest started to form. the older kid was concerningly close to the madrigal, a good couple inches taller than him with a mean look on his face.

camilo, however, was not intimidated like you were. he knew his worth.

in response to the attempted intimidation, he instantly transformed into an even taller version of andres. he towered over your bully with an unamused look on his face.

“because i’ll always be the bigger person,” he answered, mimicking his crossed arms.

a sudden wave of fear fell over the bully, but of course he wouldn’t show it. instead he tensed up, dropped his arms, muttered a ‘whatever’, and then stalked away. that successfully left the two of you alone.

transforming back into himself, camilo took a few strides toward you and held out his hand.

“come on, i’m sure we can fool tia julieta into giving us a few extra empanadas,” he said cheerfully, his demeanor from 10 seconds ago immediately washed away.

it was extraordinary, really, how much this boy would do for you.

—

at fifteen years old, the two of you had grown considerably.

camilo was now a charming young man, his curls much longer than they were before. he still adorned that iconic ruana, taking the main responsibility of watching the town's children.

you had also flourished beautifully. you were taller, of course, and your style had mirrored your maturity as the years passed by. he wouldn’t tell you this, but camilo thought you were the most gorgeous person he'd ever seen.

this also happened to be the year that casita had fallen down. the town, to show their thanks for the service the madrigals had been, offered to help them rebuild casita. your family was kind enough to allow a few of their family members to stay at their house as the construction was going on.

one of those people was camilo, of course.

despite being happy about how his family was able to work on their imperfections, he was still attempting to grapple with the fact that he could only be himself, now.

he regularly put on a cheerful face for his family, knowing that his other family members were dealing with the same thing. being a caretaker, he decided to help them through it. unfortunately, that meant he believed that there was nobody who could help with his dilemma because of this.

after a few weeks it had gotten to him. he sat in the guest bedroom, his heart beating way too fast and his chest feeling like it was about to be crushed into tiny little pieces.

all his life he was able to be everyone, not just one person. if there was an issue, he could become someone taller, someone shorter, someone younger, or someone older. his gift just made everything easier, like he didn’t have to confront himself because there was literally no reason to.

but who was he now, if without his gift?

this thought made him distraught, sitting beside the bed with his head in his arms.

thankfully, you had planned to come in and bid him goodnight. this had allowed you to see him in his state, a feeling of worry immediately washing over you.

“milo? what’s wrong?” you ask quietly, sitting down beside him.

he turned his head to the side so it was away from you, whispering quietly, “who even am i?"

he knew this shouldn't be getting to him as much as it was, but he couldn't help it in the moment.

his question made you bite your lip, unsure of how to start. there were a lot of things camilo was, and you knew this. all these years, you had been paying attention to all the little things he did. the question was, however, would he think it to be too much if you told him?

in a short amount of time you decided it didn’t matter. he was in distress, and it was only right to help him out of it.

“you're camilo madrigal, obviously,” you started. “the boy who would always tease me for not being able to reach things on the highest shelf before going to get it for me… you’re the boy who held me and consoled me when mi abuela had gotten terribly injured, and the one who helps your mother calm down when your father is not there.”

and now his eyes were on you.

“you act like you’re just this caretaker who services everyone else, but in reality you’re really smart and so much more than that. you’re more than your gift, and even if you never get it back, i’ll still be here because even just yourself is the most remarkable thing about this town,” you told him, placing a hand on his back to help him steady his breathing.

not only did your words help him to steady his own fears, but it only made him fall deeper in love with you. what did he do to deserve your presence? how could he tell you that he wants you to be his?

—

a month after you had turned sixteen was the moment where everything had gone downhill.

after having dinner with your family, your mother had brought you the news that your family would be leaving encanto.

the moment camilo found out he had refused to believe it. the thought of you leaving and not being within arm’s reach of him hurt more than anything he had ever felt.

this ended up with the two of you spending your last full day in encanto together.

the madrigals had set up a farewell event for your family, acknowledging how much you’ve been a part of the community. everyone was incredibly upset, with pepa trying to help his son just feel a little bit better about the love of his life leaving.

despite him believing you were the love of his life, the two of you had never dated. it was remarkable to all the citizens, really. everyone could see how love struck you two were, but the fear of losing your friendship was stronger than your wish to confess to each other.

after the event had died down a little, the two of you had snuck out away from the town. the both of you sat down under the slightly foggy night sky (pepa’s sadness had dulled down since she found out the news), the both of you peering up at the moon together.

“you’ll write me, right?” you ask him.

“every single day, mi vida,” he answered. “i promise you.”

“and you won’t forget me?”

“the day i forget you is the day i die,” he laughs. it was such a silly question. in what world would he ever forget you?

the both of you sat in silence for a moment, with him wondering what to say. years of knowing each other and these being your last moments together, the both of you felt like there should be more you need to say.

of course, there was one thing on both of your minds. this would be a prime moment for a confession. if it was unrequited love, you were never going to see each other. if the both of you did, then that would be fine as well.

except it wouldn’t. an unrequited love would ruin the memories and letters you’d share with each other. and both being in love with each other would be worse. you two would have to live a part knowing that you could’ve had it all.

so instead, you both kept your mouths shut.

“i would give up my gift if it meant you got to stay with me,” he murmured quietly.

“and i would give up my entire being if it meant you'd always be okay,” you replied.

—

you were seventeen, now. your current home was fine. the neighbors were kind enough and your house wasn’t at all disappointing.

however, you couldn’t help but miss your old home, your camilo.

the both of you tried to write letters consistently, but eventually they died out.

camilo was the last one to send one, but you hadn’t responded because of how busy you had been with having a city life. that and you also couldn’t take not being able to actually see him.

there was a long period of time where you thought not talking to him would be easier than writing letters. knowing he was thinking of you but he couldn't be with you was painful.

your heart ached to write him again, to tell him everything that had been going on in your head, but you were afraid he would be angry at you for not replying in so long.

despite this strong fear, you sat down at your desk and picked up a piece of paper and pen.

...

my dearest camilo,

i’d like to apologize for not replying to you after such a long time. to tell you the truth, i was afraid you would not want to hear from me. it’s taken me such a long time now because i had believed that not talking to you would be easier than having to hear from you. not because i hate you, not by any means, but because you’re too important to me.

it hurts to have to talk to you through these letters, and not just face to face. it hurts to not be close to you and be able to mess around with our neighbors as we pretend like we did nothing wrong. it hurts to not be with you.

but now i know i was wrong, and i’m sorry. i should have never stopped talking to you, and it will be my greatest regret.

my second greatest regret is not telling you that i love you. that i’m in love with you, in fact.

i’ve felt it for a long time now, since the moment you told off my bullies after hearing their terrible words. i felt it in the way you would smile to me when you'd see me at your door. i felt it in the way you’d help me with my work even though you had more than enough on your plate. and i especially feel it whenever i read your letters, all of which i have kept near me at all times.

these letters are the closest i will ever be to encanto, anymore. and more importantly, they are the closest i will ever be to you.

and i’m sorry for not telling you sooner. i was afraid you wouldn’t love me back, but i know now that it doesn’t matter. you’re not the kind of person to ostracize another just because of their feelings, but the fear of you looking at me differently was too great.

so here’s to us and our friendship. if i end up not receiving a response from you, then i understand. please do not feel guilty for not reciprocating, because even just having been your friend is more than enough.

yours,

(y/n) (l/n)

#camilo x reader #encanto x reader #camilo madrigal x reader #encanto #dos oruguitas

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