#the cloud is called hera..... of course...

[hauntingblue]

Kiku I will avenge you. There will be not a stone unturned. Not a man unharmed. I do not care if kanjuro is dead this is something else. What the fuck.

[heartsforvin]

Can you write a story about vinnie reacting to y/n changing her hair color? :)

CHANGE

thank you for the request !!! <33

pairing: vinnie hacker x fem!reader

warnings: cussing, use of pet names, overall fluff

summary: vinnie reacts to you changing your hair color for the first time

over the course of a few weeks, you’ve been debating on changing up your hair color. you’ve never dyed your hair before, so it would be your first time for the change.

your boyfriend, vinnie, had dyed his hair twice, at least what you’ve seen and what he’s told you.

once a brown-ish black hair color and once red. he had shown you pictures, both being before you two got together.

when you saw the first one he showed you, you smiled and told him he looks really good with the color.

that’s when he asked you if you’d ever dyed your hair, or even thought about it. you shrugged and told him it would be nice for a change.

“i think if you did like a maroon type of color it would look gorgeous on you, baby.” he told you as he caressed your cheek.

you leaned into his touch and kissed his palm. you weren’t sure if you were going to fully commit to the process yet, but you knew your boyfriend wouldn’t mind either way.

◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡

the minute you woke up the next day, you had your mind made your mind and decided to surprise vinnie.

he had a pretty busy day and you had never given him a full response as to if you were actually going to dye your hair or not.

so the minute vinnie had kissed you goodbye and left, you were on your way to get everything you needed.

once you had gotten everything you needed, you quickly made your way back to your shared apartment with vinnie.

the minute you stepped in the door and took your shoes off, you immediately made your way to your room.

you had changed into an old shirt of vinnie’s, along with shorts, just in case things got a bit messy.

grabbing your speaker, you finally made it to the bathroom to begin the process, hera following behind you.

the cat meowed and you smiled at her. “gonna surprise your dad when he gets home,” you say to the cat as if she can reply. “i hope he likes it.”

you play your music and started to dye your hair the maroon color you and vinnie had talked about.

as you colored strand after strand, your mind kept racing, wondering what vinnie would think once he actually saw it.

he was the one that told you the color would look good on you, but that still didn’t stop the thought of him not liking it from clouding your mind.

after about an hour, you had finally gotten every strand of hair colored. you double checked to make sure you got everything, smiling when you saw the color.

wasn’t too bright, but wasn’t too dark either. vinnie would love it, now you’re sure of it.

you cleaned up the bathroom, luckily it was a pretty easy cleanup. there was very minimal dye on the counter so it was easy to wipe it down.

once having everything cleaned up, you laid down to watch movies with hera as you waited for vinnie.

◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡

“baby,” vinnie says softly as he strokes your cheek gently. “i’m home, pretty girl. wake up.”

you stir awake, smiling when you see your boyfriend in front of you. “hi, baby.”

vinnie smiles as he kisses your cheek. he moves so you can sit up on the bed. you don’t remember falling asleep, but vinnie did say he’d be gone most of the day and to not wait up.

hera climbed up onto your lap too, she nuzzled her head into vinnie’s hand, making him smile.

“oh i’m sorry, princess,” vinnie said sarcastically to hera. “i’m home.” he says, kissing her head.

you laugh at the way vinnie talked to the cat. “what are you laughin’ at?” he asks with a teasing smile.

you shook your head, not responding. instead, you reached over and turned the lamp on. vinnie hadn’t noticed the dimly lit room, too busy petting hera.

“baby,” you call out, fixing your hair so it looked less sleep-like. “look.”

vinnie turned his head and gasped when he saw the change of color in your hair. “holy shit. you did it.”

you giggle with a nod to your head. “i did, hera even watched.” you smiled.

vinnie threaded his fingers through your hair. “it looks amazing, sweetheart.” he compliments.

you smile and grab his hand in yours. “thank you, vin. i was afraid you wouldn’t like it, even if you did say this color would look good on me.”

“don’t like it?” he asks in shock. “you look so fucking good with it, i love it.”

you laugh and hug the boy in front of you, so happy he loves the new change in your appearance.

he kisses you softly and you squeezed his hand in yours. once the two of you pulled away, you smiled at each other as vinnie caressed your cheek.

“you look so good, baby,” he tells you as he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. “i love you, no matter the color of your hair, the way you do your makeup, the way you dress, i. love. you.” he tells you, punctuating each word before kissing you again.

you can’t help but smile immensely at the boy in front of you. “i love you, vinnie. thank you for loving me the way you do.”

he shakes his head. “don’t thank me, sweet girl. i’ll always love you, no matter what.”

i’m tryna get caught up w my requests , i’m sorry it’s taking so long 🙁

i hope you all liked this tho, and thank you for the request again !! <3

tags: @cosmicanakin , @anqeliclust , @42internetgirl , @visualbutterflysworld , @lovelysturnioloos , @leqonsluv3r , @bernelflo , @nottsbabydoll , @defnotayonna , @supabhad , @kriissy4gov , @kayleighh , @violet0182 , @jpg3 , @0strawberrysorbet0 , @lovingsturniolo , @thesebitcheslovesosadotcom , @hallecarey1 , @laylasbunbunny

[anniflamma]

Can i ask why hera is so covered? 🤧

I have different themes for why Hera is covered. It mostly represents her marriage with Zeus. Her design is heavily influenced by the tradition that ancient Greek married women veiled themselves. They wore something called a himation. Although the himation was unisex clothing, women wore it more tightly. Sometimes it covered the hair, but usually, it was the mouth they covered. It was a kind of status symbol. Of course, in real life, the himation they wore was much looser than I depict on Hera!

Zeus and Hera’s designs are the opposite of each other. Zeus is practically naked and moves around freely in the clouds, expanding into different shapes. Meanwhile, Hera is confined. She, of course, takes up space with her heavy veil, but only those below her, smaller. She can never take up space from Zeus.

[mydarlingdearestdead]

The Things We Do For Love- Chapter Six

"Father."

Apollo bowed his head in such a manner as to render his crown of golden curls level with his father's sandals. Zeus smiled, gloating as if respect factored into the equation. Although, that is not to imply that he did not understand the ultimate truth. That, of course, in a civilised society fear must rule all. His throne, erected upon a raised platform, was of plain, white marble. His wife's, in direct contrast, was simple oak.

"Stand up straight." Zeus commanded, slitted eyes warily upon his son. Apollo did as commanded. His eyes flitted to Zeus'. The tasteful, storm-ridden blue was unflinching under Apollo’s golden scrutiny.

Hera's gaze, of course, laid not upon either of them, but rather upon her finger nails, those which she admired. A deep, vinous purple she had commanded for this day in preparation of Dionysus' garden party that very evening- An annual event, the highlight of the century.

Zeus' lips split in a wide, malicious smile.

"My dearest son," He drawled, "What brings you here before me on this fine day?"

On the mortal plane, lightning congregated within grey clouds, rain lashed upon rough-hewn dirt roads and thunder reached the ears of those with the sense to cower in the shadows.

Apollo swung his lyre from his back, plucking several hesitant notes before he spoke.

"Father," He began, a melodic lilt to his practised tone, "I wish to bring a case before the council of Olympus."

Zeus' laughter was akin to thunder rolling beyond the hills.

"Has someone been stealing your laurel leaves?" Zeus jested, "Or dismissing your cows as they sleep? Hardly council matters. You are dismiss-"

"The case of Hyacinth." Apollo's words drew the breath from Zeus' chest in a horrid gasp. He continued, "I wish to rescue my love from the depths of Hades."

Now, Hera rose her head, two-toned eyes sparkling like jewels.

Apollo’s practised melody became sweet and soft. A song fit for Queens.

"Oh..." She purred, "Oh, my dear-" She directed her musings to her husband, pouting, "-You must. You simply must."

"Hera, but-"

"No." She cut him off, smiling, sweet as nectar, "No, dear. You will take this case or I may bring that of that pretty little nymph of yours before them."

Zeus, lips set in a line of marble, bore down upon Apollo, "You may have what you seek." He grumbled.

Hera, if I may be so blunt, simply beamed.

Apollo, upon taking his leave, sought Eros’ company. In the palace of Love, they convened. Apollo reclined upon a settee, dusted faintly with Aphrodite’s perfume, as he spoke, “Archery practice must be postponed, I fear… I have another request for you, however. If you will humour me in my unease.”

Eros’ eyes flashed.

“Go on. Don’t leave me in suspense.” She laughed, “Anything for you, Phoebus.”

Apollo unslung his lyre once more. He plucked aimlessly at the strings for a moment though, almost instantly, he returned to the same melody; The fates prophecy fulfilled; Hyacinth’s song of sadness.

“Please,” He pleaded, “Refrain from calling me that.”

“Why?” Eros’ demanded, “You’re definitely bright.”

Apollo dismissed the futile conversation. He returned swiftly to the topic at hand.

“Eros.” He said, “I require your aid within the confines of the trial. Please, my friend, you must offer testimony to Hyacinth’s character and my... sheer adoration of him.”

“Why can’t you do it yourself?” Eros inquired, anxiously picking at his nail-beds.

As he spoke, Apollo strummed with an insistence unheard of, commanding the strings of his lyre as a king commands his subjects. “I am blinded by love. Any old fool can see that. The council- Hades and Hebe included- will not believe my rose-tinted view for a moment.”

Shamefully, Eros met his eye.

“Mama-”

“I don’t want to hear about Aphrodite, Eros!”

Apollo’s patent melody disappeared. He flung his lyre against the nearest wall in a flurry of desperation. It collided with a horrific twang, descending to lay in a congregation of unattractive fragments on the pink-tinted marble below. Apollo had risen during the chaos. He swiftly moved toward the balcony, where he bent over the ivy-ridden barrier.

On silent wings, Eros approached him.

"Tell me about him." He requested, "I... Hearing love stories restores my faith in the purpose I've been given… And it might help me make up my mind about… Well, everything.”

Apollo's eyes flickered closed. He turned eagerly toward the sun. Despite it's rapid descent, the sunlight showered his face in a golden shroud.

"Hyacinth..." With such reverence he spoke the name.

Mourning, as every bereaved must understand, is not an imperceptible stone in the walk of life, but a detour, branching off into the deep, dark unknown. Apollo crawled aimlessly along this new path, clutching his chest where the aching of his heart teetered on the edge of unbearable.

"He was good." A simple statement to the ear, yet concealing a meaning only decipherable by the beating heart of a man resentful.

"And so innocent." Apollo opened his eyes, gazing with with silent lament upon the moon.

Eros swallowed. Truly, he had not the ability to deny him. Fear or pity, it was of no true consequence.

Masterlist

Ao3

[aliciavance4228]

As much as I'm willing everyday everytime to roast Nonnus for writing some really effed up shit in the Dionysiaca, there are also moments and details inside it which I genuinely appreciate. One of them is this one, where Nike gives a pep talk to Zeus and the first deity she mentions when she starts talking about the other gods is Athena:

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 2. 205 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "[When the monster Typhoeus besieged Olympos (Olympus), all the gods fled except for Zeus and Nike :] Zeus was alone, when Nike (Victory) came to comfort him, scoring the high paths of the air with her shoe. She had the form of Leto; and while she armed her father, she made him a speech full of reproaches with guileful lips : ‘Lord Zeus! Stand up as champion of your own children! Let me never see Athene mingled with Typhon [Typhoeus], she who knows not the way of a man with a maid! Make not a mother of the unmothered! Fight, brandish your lightning, the fiery spear of Olympos! Gather once more your clouds, lord of the rain! For the foundations of the steadfast universe are already shaking under Typhon's hands: the four blended elements are melted! Deo [Demeter] has renounced her harvests. Hebe has left her cup, Ares has thrown down his spear, Hermes has dropped his staff, Apollon has cast away his harp, and taken a swan's form, and flown off on the wing, leaving his winged arrows behind! Aphrodite, the goddess who brings wedlock to pass, has gone a wandering, and the universe is without seed. The bonds indissoluble of harmony are dissolved, leaving behind his generative arrows, the adorner of brides, he the all-mastering, the unmastered! And your fiery Hephaistos (Hephaestus) has left his favourite Lemnos, and dragging unruly knees, look how slowly he keeps his unsteady course! See a great miracle--I pity your Hera, though she hates me sure enough! What--is your begetter [Kronos (Cronus)] to come back into the assembly of the stars? May that never be, I pray! Even if I am called a Titenis, I wish to see no Titan lords of Olympos, but you and your children. Take your lordly thunderbolt and champion chaste Artemis.’"

Furthermore, she doesn’t say "let us never see" but "let me never see" which sounds more personal and shows how the idea of having Athena forcibly married off to someone is a lovecraftian horror idea to her.

[heliads]

Can you write Jason x Daughter of Hecate? Both of them are on the Argo 2 btw. Jason is dating Piper but he starts to fall in love with the reader who already likes him? She also has a bestie who is a daughter of Hermes. Reader is a recrenation of Helen of Troy, who is put into an endless cycle of heartbreak but when she meets Jason the cycle gets broken. But she is really afraid of falling in love. Sorry if I am being to specific 😭😭

there is no such thing as too specific!! in fact the more details i see in a request the more excited i get.

masterlist

You wouldn’t expect a massive celestial bronze trireme to feel quite as cramped as it does. That’s no insult to Leo Valdez, chief engineer and designer extraordinaire, of course— this would happen to any ship, any vessel, that happened to be host to eight demigods on a constant blend of nerves and adrenaline.

 Leo did his best to make the Argo II roomy, but when you’re cruising at cloud level, even a floating mansion would seem like cramped quarters. Were it not for the fact that most of you are best friends with at least one other person on the ship, you’re certain fights would break out more often. That, and the fact that the fate of the world literally depends on all of you staying alive. 

So the stakes are high, what of it? They’ve been high before. You, daughter of Hecate, have been around your fair share of fights. You bled in the Battle of Manhattan. You held off a line of Titans and monsters so Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase could kill Kronos. This is not your first life-or-death scenario, nor will it be the last.

It just happens to be different, that’s all. At least the danger is obvious on a battlefield, all you have to do is look for who’s trying to kill you and go from there. Up in the air, though, everything is a tense battle of waiting for something to go wrong, for the destination to come, for your journey to end.

Waiting is hard, especially for a bunch of demigods who were all hardwired to never sit still. This forces the lot of you to get some better hobbies than punching the occasional wall or talking each other senseless. For some of you, that involves sparring practice, attempts at reading books, or fixing the ship.

For others, attempts to pass the time end up more complex than you’d originally hoped. There is someone on this ship who might mean the world to you if you’d only let him, someone who you think might even have feelings for you. That person is also currently in a relationship with one Piper McLean, and that person is Jason Grace.

Jason is somewhat of an enigma to you. He has no past that makes sense, no future he can understand. Jason grew up in the Roman camp, then was dragged away from it by Hera. Unlike Percy, though, Jason doesn’t seem to be as immediately called back to his homeland upon regaining his memories.

Jason also has a girlfriend who believed they were dating due to false memories given to her by that same meddlesome goddess of marriage. Piper is a good friend of hers, you hold no resentment with her, but you do have to wonder if she’s ever thought about how little of the start of her relationship was real. To Piper, she was dating Jason for weeks before the incident at the Grand Canyon that brought both of them to Camp Half-Blood. To Jason, none of that existed at all.

It would confuse anyone, to say the least. All appeared to be well, though, and Jason and Piper got together again for real not long after that. You’d believe that was a sign they were meant to be were it not for one thing and one thing only:  Jason does not appear to be in love with her.

This, of course, is a horrible thing to say, but it’s true. Jason likes Piper. You all do. She’s a wonderful person to be around. That being said, you’ve seen what love looks like in many other demigods and many other friends, and whatever is racing through Jason’s heart is not that. He has more chemistry with– well, with you, and that’s something else entirely.

It started happening a few weeks before the Argo II set sail. You were at Camp Half-Blood a couple of years before Jason, Piper, and Leo arrived, one of the dozens of unclaimed kids stuffed in the Hermes cabin. Once Percy extracted his promise from the gods, you were claimed by Hecate, and the numbers in your godly mother’s cabin are now growing by the day. You met Jason when he first showed up, but you only got to talking once he came back from his quest to save Hera. Those few months during the construction of the Argo II were some of the best in your life, and not just because you were finally in a cabin of your true godly half-siblings.

No, that was because of Jason. At first, you had brushed him off as a typical blond boy in search of rules to follow, but you were quickly proven wrong. Jason is funny, making jokes you wouldn’t expect from someone of his leadership prowess. He’s quick to defend anyone in need of assistance, but more than willing to stand back and watch people grow by themselves. He’s kind of sort of perfect, actually, and you can understand why Piper would fall in love with him.

This makes it sound as if you were in love with Jason yourself, and no matter what he might feel about you, this will not be the case. If it were not enough for you to be the daughter of the witch goddess, you’re also on the receiving end of a rather nasty curse. Reincarnation, to be precise. The reincarnation of Helen of Troy. What a wonderful fate to receive.

Helen, as it may be obvious, did not exactly have the best fate regarding love. The prize of Paris’ decision of a contest between three goddesses, Helen was carted from Sparta to Troy, thus causing the Trojan War. As a result, you were condemned to face an endless cycle of heartbreak after heartbreak. Your mother even told you about that the one time you met her. She appeared to you in a vision, told you about your status as someone destined for ruin in love, then left just as quickly. Hecate is not exactly kind, but neither is magic. It is merely a tool to help or hurt when the time is right.

Still, it was enough information to let you know that nothing could ever happen with Jason. Even if he stayed loving you the way he does know, even if you allowed yourself to fall in love with him, heartbreak would follow just as surely as the Achaeans followed the Trojans to win back Helen. There is no path here that results in anything but devastation for you.

Jason knows of your reincarnation. Everyone at camp does. That hasn’t stopped him from developing feelings, however. You’ve seen the way he looks at you, how his eyes soften every time you smile, how you’re always the first one he searches for in a crowd when he wins a sword fight in the training yard. It’s you then Piper, and surely there must be a reason for that.

There was a night, once, when you thought he might finally confess. Two days after he came back from his quest, Jason found you after the sun set and sat with you on the beach. No one was around, no one dared come close. The night breeze made you shiver, and he gave you his jacket without a single second of hesitation. 

The two of you had been complacent in pleasant quiet for a while before Jason dared to speak. He told you something important, something about how he had thought of you every day he was gone from camp. He said that even though he had no memories left, he knew what it was to want someone when they were gone. He paused, waited for you to say something, and was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming your way.

You both had to head to your cabins after that; it was after curfew, after all, and Jason Grace would never bode well with breaking a rule. It was good that you hurried, then, as there was nobody around for miles. You had summoned up the sound of approaching people, it’s an easy spell to do. So easy that Jason might have guessed at your intent. Maybe that was why he sighed the way he did when you parted ways that night.

The jacket is still in your trunk somewhere back at camp. You were always too afraid of facing him again to give it back. Jason might have considered that a sign of something you couldn’t say. You might, too.

It’s getting to you, you can admit that freely. Trying to run from Jason isn’t a fate you can pursue forever, especially not when the two of you are both on the same ship in the same sky. There are too many chances for hands to brush, gazes to meet, words to be whispered.

When you feel like you might give in, you turn to the only resource you’ve ever needed:  your best friend. Stella Rodriguez is a daughter of Hermes, someone you’ve grown to consider a sister. You met her when you were first placed in the Hermes cabin before your claiming, and the two of you have stayed thick as thieves even after you moved out.

Finding an empty room on the Argo II can be difficult, so you make do with a broom closet of an armory. Sliding down to the floor, you lean your back up against the wall and grab a spray bottle of water you’d brought for just this purpose. You’ve become a pro at summoning up Iris messages, and you do so now with a flourish.

Stella answers almost immediately. “Is that my favorite demigod?”

You grin. “You’re not supposed to have favorites, you know. You have too many half-siblings for that to work out.”

Stella rolls her eyes. “We’re best friends, we get to be favorites. How’s the quest going? Saved any lives yet?”

“Oh, always,” you laugh, “but that’s not what I’m here to discuss.”

Stella arches a brow. “What’s gone wrong?”

You frown. “I don’t like that tone, but you’re right to have your doubts.”

You open your mouth to tell her about the situation with Jason, but you recognize footsteps at the door. “Actually, scratch that, I’m going to have to tell you later. Someone’s coming.”

Stella starts to complain about you gatekeeping obvious demigod drama from her, but you wave your hand through the mist and her arguments are cut off halfway through. Sure enough, your suspicions are correct:  mere moments after Stella’s face disappears from in front of you, Jason opens the door and peers inside.

“I thought I heard voices,” he says, “I’ve been looking for Leo, is he in here?”

You shake your head. “Just an Iris message, sorry. You might want to try the engine room.”

Jason’s brow furrows at the thought. “Actually, I think I’m good. He wanted me for some kind of ship-fixing chore, maybe it’s for the best that I hide up here for a while. Do you mind if I stay a little longer?”

You shake your head, gesturing at the empty space next to you. “No problem.”

Jason slumps to the floor, head back against the wall. “Who were you talking to, if you don’t mind me asking? Someone special back at camp?”

He tries to play it off as joking, but something deep in his tone makes you think otherwise. “My best friend,” you clarify, “you remember Stella from Hermes, right?”

Jason does his best not to seem impossibly relieved, but he doesn’t do a perfect job of it. “I do. No special someones, then?”

“No one,” you say, “It just doesn’t work out well for me, I’ve learned that the hard way. The love thing is– complicated.” That’s putting it lightly. The last time a version of you was caught in between two men, she caused the fall of Troy and the deaths of hundreds of warriors. It’s not great, to say the least.

Jason exhales in a hiss through his teeth. “Yeah, I can see that. I get complicated, though. Something about waking up with no memories and finding out not one but two different girls think they have the right to date me gets pretty confusing.”

You laugh. “Not the worst problem in the world.”

Jason grimaces, shaking his head slightly as he tries to clarify. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just weird, you know? Piper had all these memories of us being in a relationship that ended up being fake. And Reyna–”

His voice trails off slightly, but he manages to regain his rhythm a moment or two later. “Reyna knew a version of me I don’t think exists anymore. Same thing with the one Piper was dating. I don’t think either of them know who I am.”

“Do you know?” You ask gently.

Jason shrugs, staring out into space. “Some days I know more than others. It’s just frustrating because I have these memories of being at the Roman camp, and I have these expectations of who I should be, I don’t think they’re me anymore. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be at all.”

You reach over to put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to know. We’ve got our whole lives ahead of us to decide. Try to stay alive long enough to figure that out, huh?”

Jason chokes out a surprised laugh. “What, you think I’ll manage to sort out my whole personality in the limited lifespan of a demigod?”

You crack a grin. “Hey, we’re already past sixteen, I’d consider that beating the odds fairly well. Maybe we’ll live to die of old age.”

Jason whistles under his breath. “Wouldn’t that be something? I feel like I wouldn’t know what to do with myself, though. You spend all that time running around, trying not to die, and when you finally get a quiet life, you feel useless.”

“Quiet’s not so bad,” you muse, “it doesn’t mean you have to be alone, just that you’re not in grave danger anymore.”

“Being with someone wouldn’t be the worst,” Jason agrees.

He looks over at you out of the corner of his eye, a quiet, unguarded look that makes your stomach tie itself in knots. You realize your hand is still on his shoulder; Jason must have known it too, but he clearly hasn’t moved a muscle lest he remind you of it. All of a sudden, the walls of the armory feel far too close, the ceiling curving down to trap you inside a bronze cage. This is getting too similar a situation to what you’ve been afraid of all along. Your heart has been broken many, many times before, so you’re used to the sensation, but you get the feeling that this rough closure with Jason will cut deeper than any other if you let it develop any further.

You all but snatch your hand from him. Jason’s face falls, but he manages to cover up the slip in his expression with true neutral in a flash. That’s the sign of the praetor in him, you suppose, but it doesn’t stop either of you from hurting for it.

Jason stands up abruptly, a shoot of legs and quick steps. “I think I hear someone calling me,” he says awkwardly, “I’d better go.”

It’s a lie, but it gets both of you out of a terrible situation, so you let it be. You raise one hand in a halfhearted farewell and pretend like you can’t see the fact that Jason wants to stay. The armory is far more cold and quiet when Jason is gone, and you wonder what it is about the son of Zeus that makes you want to learn your reincarnation’s lesson one more treacherous time.

Stella has a lot to say on the matter when you finally get around to calling her back. Most of her tirade has to do with the fact that you need to stop worrying about stupid curses and just see what happens. Even if you get your heart broken, dragging this out even longer is just going to make this worse. So she claims, at least.

You were going to ignore that and go on suffering through the reincarnation versus the appeal of Jason nonsense when something happened to make you feel otherwise. You’re talking late with Annabeth one night when she casually mentions that Piper and Jason broke up. A few weeks ago, actually. Mutual agreement, no hearts broken. They both agreed that they were basically just friends anyway.

You did your best to seem casual about asking more, but you’re certain that Annabeth saw through it anyway. No matter; this is important news, and sometimes that has to be reacted to appropriately. There’s nothing you can do about it right now, though, not until later. Not until you’re certain that what you hope could happen will happen.

You find Jason a couple of days later. Maybe he finds you. The method doesn’t really matter, only the end result. 

He says:  Would you love me? If I swore to never break your heart?

You say:  You can’t make that promise. 

He says:  I can try. 

Every time your Helen of Troy-ordained cycle of heartbreak starts, you can physically feel something in your heart change. It’s a snapping sensation, like a broken bone or tripped wire. When Jason kisses you, you wait for the gods-awful mechanism to be engaged. It never happens. 

requested by @sakuraazharuno, i hope you enjoy!!

pjo tag list: @w1shes43, @fadedver, @anxiety-werewolf

[epic-kotlc-crossover]

God Games

last chapter of Wisdom!!!! and on a weekend :O vengeance will be out starting Monday!

@myfairkatiecat @sombrathedragon @bookwormgirl123 @justalunaticfangirl @ham-cheese-toastie

@thesfromhms

Athena was ready. And she was mad. At Zeus, at Poseidon, and mostly, if she was being honest, with herself. Odysseus had been suffering for two decades, and she hadn't helped.

Her uncle drowned five hundred people. Her dad had killed the remainder of the crew. And Athena...

Athena had left him alone when he'd needed her. She'd left him to fend for himself.

And now, she needed to fix that.

"Father!" She called out, stepping into the gold-plated throne room. Zeus sat at the end of the hall, looking regal and pompous as ever, his hair crackling slightly. "Rarely do I ask for favours, but I'm asking in hopes to save someone who's a prisoner far from home,"

Zeus looked up, bored expression slipping slightly. He stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.

Athena knew he'd hate this. "Fitz." She told him, fighting to keep her voice from waivering.

Storm clouds instantly crackled, and Athena could feel her hairs stand up.

"Divine intervention? Is that what you seek? To free that Greek?" Zeus spat the last word, almost like an insult. It probably was, Athena thought.

He laughed, a booming sound. "But if he's worth the risk," Zeus shrugged. "Why not make it a game?" Athena's blood ran cold. The god's games were never any good, and were always a trick.

"Convince them—Apollo, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Area, Hera—that he should be released. Or, convince me." He grinned, teeth glinting.

The aforementioned gods appeared in a circle around the room.

"Bring it on," Athena turned her back on Zeus, enjoying his surprised expression for a second. He'd thought she'd choose him.

Athena walked over to Apollo, who looked vaguely annoyed and extremely impatient. He sighed, and half-heartedly plucked at his lyre.

"You know I like music, and with so many of the sirens gone because of Fitz, I think he's wrong." Athena scoffed internally. Zeus couldn't even pick gods who cared enough to put up a proper argument?

"They were trying to kill him," she told Apollo. "He only did what they wanted to do to him."

He shrugged. "If that's true, go ahead and release him."

That was easy.

Next, Hephaestus. He, in comparison to Apollo, actually looked like he had an opinion. "Trust is not given, it's forged! Why should I give him my support if he sacrificed his own men?"

Hmmm. This would be harder. "They didn't listen to him, though," She said slowly, knowing she was using extremely flimsy logic. "He got betrayed, and now he's on an island with a woman against his will." Hephaestus paused and scratched his chin.

"If you let him go home, he'll build a better future with the people who miss him." Athena finished, hoping it would be enough to convince him.

Hephaestus scowled. "Fine. Release him."

Two down. Three to go.

Athena turned to the goddess of love, bracing herself. Athena wasn’t a “loving” god. She was planning, strategy, wisdom. Not the best qualities to use against Aphrodite.

“Athena,” Aphrodite said with a singsong voice. “How can you defend Fitz? He claimed to love his mother and promised her he’d come back. But he let her die of a broken heart.” 

“He was busy fighting!”

“More like busy taunting a Cyclops,” Aphrodite responded. 

“I…” she couldn’t argue with that. 

“Let him feel the same pain his mother felt. Leave him on that island to rot forever.”

“Wait! Please reconsider this,” Athena begged.

“Really, Athena? This old trick?” A metallic voice growled from behind her. She spun around, tensing up as she gazed at the speaker. 

Ares. God of War.

“What kind of sick coward stands around and lets his friends die? He didn’t fight Scylla! Didn’t even try to kill her! He hid in a wooden horse to win the Trojan War. Fitz is as pathetic and weak as his daughter!” Ares roared.

“Hold your tongue!” Athena shouted. “His daughter is my friend!”

“Of course you befriended him. You really can’t stop protecting mortals,” Ares spat.

Athena ignored him. “And tell your lover that broken hearts can mend!” Maybe if she said it enough, it would be true… “You want more bloodshed? Then set Fitz free. He’ll do anything, kill anyone, to see his family again.”

Ares and Aphrodite exchanged a glace, but then shrugged and said, “Ugh, release him.”

Yes! Only two more to convince. Let’s see….

Hera. Goddess of marriage and family. Uh-oh.

“Hello, Athena,” Hera murmured. “There are so many heroes, each with such terrible tales. What makes you think yours is so special?”

"He's got the mind of a genius."

“Try harder.”

“He-he’s pretty skilled with words,” Athena stammered.

“You can do better than that!” Hera chided.

“He’s…kind of funny?”

“Eh.”

Then an idea came to her. Hera was the goddess of marriage, after all…. “Never once has Fitz cheated on his wife.”

That seemed to do the trick. Hera snapped her fingers and simply said, “Release him.”

I can’t believe that worked. 

“Zeus!” she told her father, staring up at him. “I’ve played your game and won! You have to release him now.”

“Ha!” the god laughed. “You think I’ll allow you to beat me? No one wins my games!” With that, he called out, “Thunder, lightning! Show her I’m the judgment call, the one who makes her kingdom fall!”

The sky opened, shaking the palaces of Olympus. The sky darkened in seconds, sheets of rain falling as the clouds roared. Lightning surrounded Athena, and she smelled singed owl feathers mixed with electricity. 

An arc of white light crackled down with a massive wave of thunder, and then the goddess of wisdom collapsed. 

“That was a little dramatic, dear,” Hera observed.

“Is she dead?” Ares added.

~

Not…...yet.

Fitz stood over the body of the dead boar, a triumphant grin on his face.

“Maybe one day I’ll reach him, and I can build his skills as I teach him…”

“If there’s a problem, I’ll find the answer!” Fitz assured her.

“We are the warriors of the mind!”

“I have to be legendary,” Marella whispered, curled up in a ball in her room.

Maybe you’ll be a warrior of the mind, too.

“It’s all gonna turn out great! I know you’ll be fine…”

“Let him go, please…..Let him go.”

[photogirl894]

@clonexreaderbingo

Square: "I love you"

Yay, my second bingo one-shot! This time, for Captain Howzer! This is my first time writing for him, so I hope I do the good Captain justice! 😊😊 Enjoy!!

“Hera? Hera! Hera! Where are you, child?” 

You cried out for the young Twi’lek girl in your charge as you wandered outside on the top balcony of the Syndulla household, wondering where she had wandered off to. The child was always getting into mischief along with her C1 unit Droid, who you swear had more sass and attitude than the girl herself. You’d done your daily lessons with her and then let her be so you could prepare dinner for her as well as Cham and Eleni, the girl’s parents, who would be expected to return soon. Of course, of all the times for Hera to disappear, it had to be just before her parents came home. Though, they most likely wouldn’t be surprised, but even still, it was embarrassing for you to appear as though you’d lost their daughter. The sun was just beginning to set, coloring the sky a deep gold and orange, and you hoped you’d find Hera before it got too dark.

Looking around to the courtyard and beyond the wall of the estate, you called out again, “Hera! Chopper!” When no response came, your hands came up to your hips as a groan of frustration escaped you. “Where has that girl and her Droid gone to now?” you asked aloud. You had checked all through the house and there was no sign of her. She’d better be outside somewhere.

At the start of the Clone Wars, you were hired by the Syndulla’s to be the governess for their daughter since one or both of her parents were constantly away, especially with Cham Syndulla’s involvement in the war as well as the liberation of Ryloth. You were a simple woman who had come to Ryloth for a new start after you had lost your family to a famine on your home planet. The Syndulla’s seemed like a good family who had nothing but their people’s best interests at heart and you found there was never a dull moment with them, especially with the fiery-spirited Hera, who was on the verge of her young teenage years. They paid you and treated you well and gave you your own room in the house to stay in; you really felt like you were part of their family some days.

Then off in the distance, you managed to spot a small cloud of dust and heard the faint revving of an engine. Your eyes narrowed, trying to make out the shape coming in your direction. It was a speederbike. After a few seconds, you spotted a familiar shade of teal against the gold of the sunset sky behind him which brought a smile to your face.

It was him…Captain Howzer.

He was a Clone captain over a squadron of troops that had been sent months ago to help the citizens of Ryloth after they were liberated from the Separatists. He had also personally been assigned to serve with Cham Syndulla and his family. He had been to the Syndulla home many times. Sometimes to retrieve Cham when he was needed for a battle of some kind, to check on the wellbeing of the family or to bring Hera back after she’d scampered off somewhere…which you could tell was the reason for his unexpected visit this time as you then spotted a smaller figure peek out from behind him, her green skin and lekku illuminated by the sun. 

Seeing them approaching the outer wall, you ducked out from the upper balcony, made your way through the house and went outside to meet them. Howzer drove in through the gate and brought the speederbike to a stop in the courtyard. You saw Hera slide off the back of the bike and Chopper, who had been magnetized to the very back, jumped off using his thrusters, chirping in greeting to you and waving his little mechanical arm like nothing was wrong.

“Oh, don’t act all innocent with me, Chopper,” you chided him as you walked towards them. Then you looked to Hera. “Hera Syndulla, where have you been? Your parents will be home anytime now.”

Before Hera could answer you, you all heard the sound of a shuttle approaching and saw it come zooming in overhead. It was Cham’s personal shuttle. You had a feeling he and his wife were going to question why you all were out there and possibly why Howzer was there unannounced. The shuttle came in for a landing inside the courtyard and you shielded your face from the exhaust. Within seconds, the Syndulla couple disembarked their ship.

“Well…we have quite the welcoming party, my dear,” Eleni remarked to her husband as they came your way.

“So it would seem,” replied Cham. “What are you all doing out here…and what brings you by, Howzer?”

You opened your mouth to explain what had happened, but Howzer answered first, saying, “Hera needed help replacing a part for her Droid, sir, so I offered to take her to find what she needed while (Y/N) got things prepared for dinner. We only just got back. My apologies if I overstepped.”

“Not at all. That is perfectly fine,” said Cham.

Your eyes widened slightly at Howzer and you grinned a little to yourself. He had covered for you as well as Hera…for probably the twentieth time, at this point. He was far too kind and noble…and that was why you loved him.

It hadn’t taken long after Howzer had come to Ryloth for him to catch your attention and for you to catch his. He was incredibly handsome, even with the scars on his chin and his cheek, and he thought you were beautiful beyond compare. There were many stolen glances when any of the Syndulla’s weren’t looking, secret meetings when Hera was in bed and her parents were still out and a couple lingering touches of your hands when you stood by each other. After a couple months of getting to know each other, growing closer and subtly flirting, you had finally kissed Howzer during a night alone and you both decided you wanted to be together. You weren’t sure if Cham and Eleni would approve of your relationship, so you tried your best to keep it a secret and act cordial around each other when they were present. However, you’d caught some knowing looks from Eleni a couple of times. Either you and Howzer weren’t being as discreet as you thought or Eleni was much more observant than you gave her credit for, which was already a lot. Eleni Syndulla was a sharp and witty woman that you admired a great deal. She most likely knew of your relationship with Howzer, but she’d never said anything, which gave you the idea that she didn’t mind or she approved. 

To quickly move the conversation along, you spoke up, saying, "Supper is ready for you all in the dining room."

Eleni then looked to the Clone Captain and said to him, a grin on her face, "You will join us for dinner, won't you, Howzer?"

"Thank you, ma'am, but I wouldn't want to impose, especially since I'm here unexpectedly," he replied.

"Nonsense, you would never be an imposition to us," she said back. Then she smiled even more. "Besides, I'm sure our lovely governess made plenty of food for everyone."

Of course, Eleni made it a point to say you were lovely…but you simply said politely, "I did, yes. There will be enough for you, as well, Captain."

"Please stay and eat with us, Howzer!" cried Hera excitedly. 

Seeing all the women were staring at him, Howzer stole a look at Cham. The Twi'lek leader just shrugged and said, "The ladies have spoken, Captain."

"I guess they have, sir," he said. Then he agreed, saying, "Very well."

Pleased with his response, Cham and Eleni went into the house with Chopper following behind them. However, you stopped Hera as she tried to go after them.

"Now, where were you really, young lady?" you questioned her in a low voice, your eyebrows raised and your hands on your hips. 

Hera laughed sheepishly and told you, "Uh…I went to go find Uncle Gobi…because he told me if I could get away, he'd take me flying. Howzer found me instead and brought me back."

You let out an exasperated sigh. "Gobi really is a bad influence on you. You're both gonna get me in trouble someday," you commented. You gave her a pat on the head. "Go on, troublemaker, go wash up for dinner."

Hera ran off up the stairs and into the house, leaving you and Howzer alone.

"I honestly think Eleni knows about us," you commented to him. 

He chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised. She's an intelligent woman."

"Though, she hasn't said anything to me, so...I'm assuming she's okay with it?" 

"She'd better be…because I would fight for you and for us if she didn't." He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to your lips, giving you butterflies in your stomach and what he had said. "Let's go, I'm dying to have some of your cooking."

Dinner went well with the Syndulla’s and Howzer complimented what you had prepared…multiple times, even. Howzer was never really around for mealtimes, so this was a very rare occasion to have him there. He too fit in well with the family dynamic. 

As you were clearing the table, the Captain stood up, took up his helmet underneath his arm and stated to the room, "Thank you for the meal. It was very appreciated. I'll go ahead and leave you now for the evening." 

"As you wish, Howzer," Cham responded. Then he said to you as you took his plate, "And (Y/N), you may have the rest of the evening off. Eleni and I will handle getting Hera to bed."

"Oh! Are you sure, sir?" you asked, surprised. 

"I'm sure. You've worked hard today, especially after preparing this meal for all of us," he said. "Go, have some time for yourself tonight."

When he turned away, you snuck a look at Howzer, who had stopped in the front doorway when he heard Cham tell you to take the night off. He grinned at you and quickly motioned with his head outside, signaling to you that he'd wait for you, and then closed the door.

"I appreciate that very much, sir," you said gladly to Cham. "I'll go on a walk after I get the dishes."

You took the dishes into the kitchen to clean them, but found yourself intercepted by Eleni, who took the dishes from you. 

"I will handle dishes, dear. No more work for you tonight," she told you. "Go enjoy your walk." Then she leaned in and whispered, "Enjoy your time with the Captain."

When she came back, she winked knowingly at you. It was certainly now safe to say that she definitely knew about you and Howzer.

Gratefully, you smiled back and replied, "I will, ma'am. Thank you."

You grabbed your jacket from your room and retreated back downstairs. You bade Hera goodnight and gave her a kiss on the forehead before heading out the door. The sun had gotten lower in the sky to where it just a soft light, the sky covered in pale pink and purple. Howzer was standing by his speederbike in the middle of the courtyard and a pleased grin crossed his face at seeing you. You broke into a run down the steps and leapt into his arms, throwing your arms around his neck. He caught you with ease and spun you around, chuckling in your ear. 

"Let's get out of here," he suggested. 

"Yes, please," you replied, already halfway on the back of his bike. 

He got onto the bike and started it up. You wrapped your arms around his waist and the two sped off into the endless deserts of Ryloth. You rode on for a while until you came to a cluster of rocks in the middle of the desert; a spot where you and Howzer had escaped to many a time.

He helped you off the speederbike and you immediately found yourself in his arms, his lips connecting with yours passionately. 

"I'd hoped I'd get you to myself tonight. I've missed you," he said, referencing that it had been a couple of days since he'd been able to see you. 

"I've missed you, too," you replied. 

You kissed him once again before he pulled out a blanket from the back of the speederbike. Then he laid it out on the ground for you and you sat down upon it. Then he took the time to remove his armor, stripping down to his undersuit, before joining you where you snuggled up close to him in his arms. The two of you laid back on the blanket and looked up to the sky, seeing that the pinks and purples were growing deeper in color and you could see a sea of stars beginning to appear as night was approaching. The two of you gazed up at the stars without saying a word, the beating of his heart drumming in your ear.

Finally, after a long while, you heard him ask, "What do you think will happen when the war is over? What will happen…with us?"

"I don't know," you said. "I don't know if the Syndulla’s will still need me when Cham no longer needs to fight for Ryloth…and you'll probably be shipped offworld because the Clones won't be needed either." You nestled up closer to him, your arms snaking around his waist. "What are we going to do? I don't…I don't want to lose you, Howzer."

Howzer sat up, pulling you up with him, and looked steadfastly into your eyes. "You won't lose me, babe," he promised, laying his hand on your cheek. "I don't know what our future holds for us when the war is done, but I do know this: when that time comes, wherever you choose to go in the galaxy, I will always be at your side."

You reached up and grasped his hand on your cheek, leaning into his gentle touch. "Do you really mean it?"

"Of course, I do," he said, kissing you long and slowly. His forehead tenderly touched yours when he pulled away. "I love you."

This was the first time those three words had been spoken between the two of you and a quiet gasp escaped you at hearing them. When you pulled back to gaze into his eyes, you found there wasn't a hint of any lie or uncertainty in them at all. He meant what he said truly and irrevocably. Though, you knew you shouldn't question him. Howzer would never lie to you. He was always honest in everything when it came to you. There was no reason for it to end here. 

"I love you, too," you told him back with a smile. "Even when you're no longer a Captain and I'm no longer a governess, I will always love you and we'll always be together."

There, under the starry desert sky of Ryloth, you and your beloved Clone Captain promised that no matter what happened in the future, you would always have each other and that was all you would ever need to be happy. 

Clone x Reader Bingo 2023

[raiolsclangenstorys]

Moon 0

Echostar stood infront of the godess Lady Hestia as she followed her further into the desolate camp and then out the other end to a tree that seemingly reached to the stars “I shall bring you the rest of the way since…it is a large climb for a demigod such as yourself” Lady Hestia said smiling kindly at me.

We appeared in the clouds and Hestia quickly took twoleg form to go to the rest of the gods…?

The first throne and grandest one was the first one Echodapple could see where a god looked rather intimidating…they all did in some way or form but he looked especially intimidating,

“Lord brother Zeus I bring the demigod you wish to speak with Echodapple…daughter of..”

Lady Hestia looked around as if trying to spot my father… the one who got my mother Sootear pregnant…

Suddenly a male twoleg took form I flinched as they suddenly turned into a Tom cat and pointed at me with their tail “thought ya be more comfortable with me in this form….ugh I’m just glad I’m not with those brats in camp half-blood we just got new campers Luke and Annabeth we where supposed to get a daughter of Zeus….but” Dionysus glared at a male twoleg in a simple stone chair…? Who just glared at the Twoleg god called Zeus?

The twoleg god turned cat gave a small smile in my direction “the names Dionysus or better known as Wine the loner aka your dad”

I looked shocked as Dionysu- dad? Father turned back into his twoleg like form of a grumpy twoleg a stick with a pike cone floated above my head Dionysus looked pointedly at me “it’s a thysus I suggest you learn what it is you are MY daughter after all” I flinch at the tone I was just always told my father was just a sire my mother mated with not a….not a god.

The twoleg god- Zeus looked extremely mad in his grand seat and it made everyone including herself sit in uncomfortable silence until graceful female twoleg who had brown fur that flowed seamlessly in the wind and sharp stick by her seat spoke “father…..we had to make a deal with those starry cats…” her face turned into a scowl, “it was the only way to make the clan a reality might aswell explain what that means” she finished face turning neutral once again

Zeus nods “you are right daughter but I feel as if it falls into lord brother hades domain to explain” Hades scowled but nodded “the starclan of the clans wants us to give you nine lives and souls of apsoldol to go to starclan instead in return we gain the power to make your clan and be allowed to influence it and to bring souls we believe need punishment to Tartarus if we so wish”

Zeus clapped his hands together “we shall now give you your nine blessing do not waste them”

The human with winged feet stood first and turned into a dappled brown tom whose eyes reminded me of snakes “I am Hermes god of messengers and a lot of other things I give you a life of tireless energy so you may never tire of taking care of the clan”

Next was the blonde haired women who broke the Silence after turning into a golden furred she cat with the most beautiful silver eyes she ever seen “I am Athena goddess of wisdom I give you the life of curiosity may you never stop expanding your knowledge”

Next was someone named Hera her cat form was a stripped brown she cat “I give you the life of loyalty may you always stay loyal to your people and your partner unlike your father and uncle” Hera turns to glare at both Dionysus and Zeus.

Another women stepped forward turning into a masked pale ginger she cat “I am Artemis goddess of the hunt, Moon, wilderness, maidenhood and childbirth I am the protectotif children Andi I give you the life of instincts may you always trust them”

Another god turned cat stepped forward they looked at bit like lady Artemis “I'm Apollo! God of Archery, art, music, poetry, light and the sun, prophecy, healing & plagues and of course truth speaking of truth I give you the life of truth may you be able to trust your clanmates like they do you!”

Next was another she cat she looked like her fur was a light pink “I am Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty I give you the life of love I hope you can find it in your lifetime”

Next was my….father Dionysus “I am Dionysus the god of wine, grape harvest, fesitivity, madness, fertility and theatre do you clancats have not figured that out yet…. I give you the life of happiness I hope you live a long life with a happy clan my daughter….knowing they will also learn about the stars you will be come a celestial in the so called starclan in your own right”

Next was Hestia smiling kindly at me as she approached “I am hestia goddess of hearth, fire, home, family and hospitality I give you the life of Sympathey and understanding I hope you learn to sympathise with your enemies while keeping a strong fighting spirit”

Zeus practically boomed as he spoke as if lightning was striking across the room “God of the Sky, Thunder, Lightning, Kingship, Honor and Justice,King of the Gods and King of Olympus I give you the life of bravery use it to make Olympus proud welcome Echostar of Half-blood clan”

Hestia soon helped me back to my camp where I collapsed in bed soon id have to make Hermes den as their the god of travellers but first….i needed to rest

[jessicas-pi]

medieval au incorrect quotes: the threequel

Barriss, tending to Ahsoka's wounds: How would you rate your pain? Ahsoka: Zero stars. Would NOT recommend.

---

Sabine (age 7): I wish I had more enemies. Ursa: I’m sure you will someday, honey.

---

Makheta: My lady, why are you on the floor?! Ahsoka: I'm depressed. Ahsoka: Also I was stabbed, can you get Rex, please.

---

Caleb: Where's Ezra, Sabine, and Jacen? Hera: They're playing hide and seek. Caleb: Where? Hera: I don't think you get how this game works, love.

---

Ahsoka: I’m sick and tired of being called 'mortal' like, you don’t know that. Neither do I. I have never died even ONCE. Nothing has been proven yet. Stop making assumptions. It’s rude.

---

Sabine: There there, Ezra. Ezra, upset: Thanks, but how did you get into my room? Sabine: Great question—

---

Barriss: Ahsoka, remember when you said you weren’t going to interfere with my love life? Ahsoka: No, that doesn’t sound like me at all.

---

Caleb: *pretending to joke* So when are you going to go out with me? Hera: I don't know. When are you going to ask me to? *later* Zeb: And you just ran away?! Caleb: I didn't expect her to flirt back!

---

Ai-kel: If I'm extra sarcastic with you it probably means I'm flirting with you or you really annoy me and I can't handle your crap... have fun figuring out which one.

---

Sabine: WE'RE GETTING MARRIED, DI'KUTS! Ezra: AND WE'RE ABOUT TO MAKE IT EVERYBODY ELSE'S PROBLEM!

---

Ahsoka: You know, it's at times like this that I really wish I had listened to what Rex told me. Korkie: Why? What did he tell you? Ahsoka: I don't know. I didn't listen.

---

Ahsoka: What's it like, having a kid? Caleb: He's the reason Hera and I wake up every morning. Ahsoka: Aww. You're gonna be great parents. Ezra, earlier that morning, barging into Caleb and Hera′s room and jumping up and down on the bed: WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!

---

Sabine: Remember when you didn't try to solve all your problems with attempted murder? Ketsu: Stop romanticizing the past.

---

Merrin: This is bothering me. Cal: Well, we are digging up a corpse. Merrin: No, not that. That is... fairly par for the course, actually.

---

Rex: I'm going to remind you to be respectful. Ahsoka: I will politely decline.

---

Ursa: What do you have there, Sabine? Sabine: THE DARKSABER! Ursa: the wHAT—

---

Ai-kel: People are always asking me if I'm a morning person or a night person. Ai-kel: And I'm just like, 'Buddy! I'm barely even a PERSON!'

---

Cal, lifting up an ancient tome written in Old Sith: Oh, gods. Do you know what this is? Omega: It’s a book. There’s a lot of those in here, this is the archives.

---

Adenn: Look, I know you think my judgement's clouded because I like Lady Offee a little bit. Skira, holding Adenn's sketchbook: You doodled your wedding invitation, vod. Adenn: No, that's our joint tombstone. Skira: My mistake.

---

Sabine, age 7: I'm only civil because I don't know any swear words.

---

Caleb: We might have gotten into a bar room brawl back in the city. Depa: Well, that was entirely predictable. Caleb: One of us punched a gang member. Depa: Garazeb? Caleb: Hera, actually. Depa: Oh, that was going to be my second guess.

---

Makheta: Do you guys ever have a civilized conversation that doesn't require insulting each other every time you get a chance? Ahsoka: No. Ai-Kel: No. Makheta: Didn't think so.

[fandoomrants]

Okay, so it's time for some ep 7 thoughts.

Just finished it so it's still settling in my mind so if you decide to read this, please excuse my possible misunderstanding of some of the events.

So, warning, might be kinda random at places, a bit weird, and of course, spoiler-y. Might add to it later as well but this is what I have to say for now.

-First of all, I'm so happy the episode opened with Hera and what happened with her! And I just loved how a certain (droid-)someone came to the rescue more or less, and Leia was mentioned once again. I also love her last exchange with Mon Mothma and how she totally didn't buy the whole thing about the approved mission but still kinda took her side and didn't call it out in front of the rest. But also this question about Thrawn. I really hope they're going to finally listen to Hera and see the potential danger of Thrawn's return.

-Speaking of that, I'm wondering what's going to happen in the last episode because we're kinda nowhere near the end of the story. But I think that Thrawn is going to return for sure, and maybe they won't confront him in this last episode bit he's going to play bigger role in future productions, maybe a next season of Ahsoka (which I sorta think might not happen, I sorta see it as a stand alone like some other shows) or maybe the Mandalorian. I think in the last episode, it's gonna be some confrontation between Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra, and Baylan and Shin. Especially between them and Baylan as Shin seems to be a bit confused herself. I think there are still many things that are yet to be explained about Baylan though, and his actions and plans and I'm worried there's not enough time. However, I also somehow see some parallel between him and Ahsoka fighting, and Sabine and Shin. Like some master-apprentice against master-apprentice thing. So, I hope that in the end there's going to be some epic scene with that involved. But more about this later.

-Mentioning the Mandalorian, there was a line in the beginning by Teva which sort of made the time period of when the series are taking place a bit clearer. Mandalore and Moff Gideon were mentioned, which sets these series after season 3 of the Mandalorian. But it sounds like it's quite close to where we are now. Like, maybe a few weeks or months. That's the vibe I got at least. And Thrawn was also mentioned in the Mandalorian too so it means the two shows are happening close to one another time-wise. Which confronts some of the theories about how Sabine wasn't present there because she was busy with finding Ezra. But also sorta presents the new question - why wasn't Sabine involved? But I have my small theory of how she doesn't fully see herself as a Mandalorian anymore. Nor a Jedi. I think in the beginning of the series, she was really kinda lost as to what she is because in the second episode, she took both the lightsaber and the helmet and she cut her hair and we kinda know Mandalorians keep their hair shorter because of the helmet (or I think it's established? I still liked her longer hair, tho). So who knows. Also, who knows what caused her to turn her back on her roots. I believe her possibly dead family might have something to do with that.

-Some small details I also noticed and liked from the episode were: Zeb's mention! I still haven't checked the tags and other people's thoughts on the episode because I wanted to first share my own thoughts without them being clouded by anything else I read but I'm sure the hype is gonna be as big as when Kanan and Leia were mentioned in episode 5. And there's a good reason! As I mentioned in a previous rant, I hoped they'll mention him at least. And they finally did! That's honestly all I hoped for because he was part of the crew. However, Ezra still doesn't know Hera has a son from Kanan? Or at least this wasn't mentioned as one of the things he learned from Sabine. Which makes his eventual reunion with Hera even more exciting!

-Also, for a moment I was worried Sabine had just left her Howler (I might have misspelled this or simply not remember how these were called but I mean the big animal she was riding in the previous episode, lol) but then I saw it's with them and for whatever reason this made me so happy, lol.

-Another thing is how Ezra is so... well, Ezra! Again, great casting! Such a positive and hilarious ray of sunshine even after 10 years of isolation. His playful exchanges with Sabine and also the "Wait! Wait, you can take us as... prisoners?" now I think it's a shame that everyone knows who he is so he can't introduce himself as Jabba the Hutt (does he know he's dead? And that this princess he met once killed him? And that her planet was destroyed and she's a Senator now? And that her father was Darth Vader? Probably not...) also loved how he fought only using the Force! There were some theories he might have turned to the dark side or something but the way I see it, he spent these years connecting with nature through the Force, thus making his bond with it and the light side even stronger than before. He's so much more like his early-Rebels self, before Maul and his temptations to the Dark Side.

-Another thing about Ezra is how I find it a tiny bit hilarious how he just... asks a question, doesn't get an answer, and just decides to change the topic without pressing too much. Honestly, a bit naive in a cute way but also maybe it's him sensing there's something huge going on and he just doesn't want to have his reunion with Sabine ruined by bad news. Still, I think it's about time they finally tell him what actually happened. I want to see his reaction and he also deserves to hear of all the possible threats. But he also has a lot of sharing to do! He said these creatures helped him when he needed it the most but nothing about what happened when he and Thrawn initially got to the planet. Or what was he actually up to in these years. I still think he might have had some deal with Thrawn or something because we saw how if he wants to, Thrawn can quickly find somebody's location on that planet. Why not look for Ezra? Thought he's not a threat? After the guy literally called a small army of space whales that took them through hyperspace to another galaxy? Somehow I'm not convinced. Even if he doesn't see him as a threat, he could have tried to get rid of him out of spite because of it... (Yeah, don't ever let me direct something, lol).

-About Ezra and his "eventual" reunion with Hera and everyone else. So, I had my worries about how it might turn out Ezra is dead before the previous episode. But now I have another worry which has been fed by a friend of mine who's also watching the series. We've been talking about how someone from the "good guys" might possibly die and she's really convinced it's gonna be Ezra (I just know she doesn't like him even though she insists she does after this episode, ok? Hasn't seen Rebels and doesn't know how amazing he is). I wasn't too convinced at first and constantly said they can't kill him just when they finally brought him back but tbh, for his not too much of a screen time these two episodes, he already mentioned how he can't wait to go home/thinks he'll finally come home/generally home-related stuff three whole times. And especially his last line... it really makes me think about it and how this is some dark foreshadowing and that it's not gonna happen. And I really hope I'm wrong. I don't see Ahsoka (obviously) or Sabine dying.

-And speaking of possible deaths, Baylan and Shin and their parallels between them and Ahsoka and Sabine come to the picture. So, correct me if I'm wrong but Thrawn just noticed that Baylan's not where the rest are and decided to withdraw his troopers because he just hoped to get rid of all Jedi/Force users at the same time, right? I mean, he wants Sabine and Ezra dead, he wanted Ahsoka dead too but he also sent these two squads to make sure Baylan and Shin are gonna be dealt with too, right? Or did I misinterpreted his words in both last and this episode too? I think Thrawn's main priority is to just get away from this place and leave all of them behind, hoping they'll be too busy fighting each other until it's too late to notice his departure. Which I can see happening. But I'm pretty sure Ahsoka's gonna find a way to return them back with the help of the Force or something. I don't think all of them are dying. I think Baylan might possibly die in a duel against Ahsoka as they've already had a few one-to-one fights, and same goes for Sabine and Shin, with Shin eventually being defeated by Sabine after a few previous encounters where Shin managed to defeat her. These parallels I mentioned seem to me like they're each other's mirrors and main... not sure what to call it, responsibilities? I think that if Baylan dies, it's going to be Ahsoka killing him, or vice versa (but I'm not seeing Ahsoka dying so he's more likely to), as well as Sabine killing Shin (here I have this really awful theory of how Ezra might eventually die, maybe Shin is going to kill him, thus making Sabine kill her. But again, let's hope Ezra is not going to die. Also, it'll really pull Sabine's dark side out. She's not strong with the Force so it won't be really like her turning to *the* Dark side but it's still not gonna be pretty and maybe won't be approved by Ahsoka. Might be an interesting plot line to be further developed, tho. Anyway, hopes and prayers we don't get to see any of this). Master against master and apprentice against apprentice. Honestly, I'll be kinda disappointed if something else happens, if we go with the route of these two dying.

-Now, there's something else, though. As I said, we're not fully aware of what Baylan is up to, and we're going to finally find out. We saw he's interested in the planet and has some plans to do something there. Also, we saw a few occasions in the last two episodes where Shin was a bit confused and unsure of him and his words towards her + Ahsoka offering to help her. So I think there might be a slight chance of Shin deciding to turn sides and join the others, thus surviving (or still getting killed but by her previous master or something else). And I think there might be a chance Baylan doesn't die as well but just... do something. Not sure what but he might do something... Which might be the reason Ezra doesn't, after all, go home. I'm still thinking of how often he mentioned home and how it might be a foreshadowing he doesn't get to do that. So, if it's not because he dies, I think it might be because he chooses to stay behind. But there must be a good reason for that as he really wants to. So maybe he willingly decides to stay back, maybe prevent something bad from happening and also to protect his new friends from whatever.

...

Andd that's it for now. Might add some other things later. If you read this, first of all, thank you! Second of all, sorry if it wasn't coherent at times or there were typos.

[awrldalone]

27th October 2023, 8.51pm

On a plane to Venice. The two seats next to me are empty: I have space for my long black coat, for my bag, and for my legs. As soon as the light for the safety belt will be turned off I will move to the window seat, to look at the dark earth, the clouds, the sky. The city looked like molten magma while departing, golden and black in the night. No matter how many flights I take, I always marvel at the physics behind it all; at times it feels as simple and mundane as taking a bus, but once I feel the wheels of the plane jumping off the asphalt I am filled of childish wonder.

On Wednesday I had my first Art History test, on Ancient Art. The course has been fairly disappointing so far, and I often have to remind myself it is just the beginning, just a first look at that part of history – but it bothers me, it always has, when things are not done well. What is the point of studying Greek ceramics for a few hours and then moving on? What is the point of barely scratching the surface on sculpture, on architecture, on iconography? I want to dive my fingers into every topic, I want to know everything, about everything.

The test was easy. We even corrected it afterwards, and I only made a few mistakes. One was calling a canthar a kylix. I knew it was not a kylix but my brain could not find the correct word, and so I went with the closest thing in terms of use. A goblet to drink is a goblet to drink. It was the last thing I wrote down before leaving and waiting outside of the class. The other was about the temples in Olympia: while I had understood that Zeus's temple had been built on top of Hera's old temple, formally replacing the cult of the goddess of marriage and family, in reality the two deities were worshipped simultaneously. 

Ca. and I went to the library to work on our presentation on Caravaggio's the Cardsharps. It was too warm in there, so I took off my sweater while flipping through the pages of multiple monographies on the artist. There's not much literature surrounding the Cardsharps, because the original was discovered very recently, and because there is not much to say about it. Its material history is just as interesting as the painting itself, but it is longer and more obscure, and therefore scholars have often opted to gloss over what the eyes can see in favor of figuring out how the painting got in the hands of its last owner. What I find particularly interesting is the amount of copies of it that exist, a bit over twenty, all extremely accurate and all old. 

I found the first known description of the painting by checking the bibliography of a book I was reading. It dates a couple of decades after the death of Caravaggio, when the painting was no longer in the hands of its first owner. I translated it in French, slowly. 

The library was packed, so I ended up having to stand next to a window, my laptop on the sill to be able to charge it. Ca. was sitting behind me, our backs facing each other's. 

We were supposed to have another course afterwards, but once we got to the lecture hall someone told us the professor would not be coming. A., T., L., and I decided we would go thrifting, but we ended up going to 59 Rivoli because it was open. I always see its bright door when walking past it, but I did not know what it was until my friends decided we should go in. It's a squatted building where, cyclically, artists set up their atelier and work on their paintings or sculptures in public. You're allowed to quietly walk and observe, to support the artist or just watch respectfully. The walls are covered in modern-day frescos, and each floor looks different. My favorites were the works of Cynthia Pedrosa, squared, cubic, bedlams of saturated but dark colors. The size of some of the paintings covered half of the wall. 

We ended up having dinner at a crêperie near our university, fifteen minutes or so from the Pantheon. It's small, with a tiny room up some narrow stairs with the walls covered in pictures, portraits and magazines. There's only a few tables, and we took up the last one, in the corner. I got a galette ratatouille gruyere, with some cider; T. got ham and gruyere; L. went for spinach and gruyere. We also had dessert – a simple crêpe with sugar and cinnamon – all for five euros fifty. 

For some reason we ended up talking about love. T. had confessed to L. and me that thing are not going great with his boyfriend. The long distance thing is not working as well as it used to for them, and as he was talking I understood what he was saying. We were on the metro, the only ones talking in front of the sliding doors. 

Last year I would have not understood T. and his problems. I would have said that a few seconds with M. justified a week, a month, two months apart. Now I am not so sure about it, I am doubting everything, but the only moment when I release my tension and let my muscles relax is when I'm in his arms, and the only place where I sleep peacefully is his bed, with him next to me. Yesterday I wrote down, in order not to forget it, "stiffening love". We asked ourselves if love lasts. I don't think so anymore. It transforms in different things. It can turn sour, or it can acquire a better, richer taste. I doubt my grandparents feel anything similar to the way they did when they first met: love starts as a bud, it blooms in a flower and matures into fruit. You either make jam out of it or you let it fall to the ground, like my parents. 

I'm not sure where M. and I stand. I don't know where T. and his boyfriend stand. Perhaps it is not that simple.

After paying, we took the metro again and we went to A.'s place. It's a big apartment, with wooden floors, a metal fireplace, crown moulding. A. lives there with her sister, they each have their own room, a separate kitchen and a proper living room. It was the second time I went there, and this time it was clean, in order. There were no boxes lying around, no clothes piled up or shoes thrown around. They bought a beautiful round table, a silver lamp, they organize their books. 

Le. and H. joined us a few minutes after we arrived. I'm still on the fence about them, I still cannot make up my mind about them, H. especially. I do not like the people he hangs out with. Le. on the other hand is always so bitter when we are in a group, but every time we talk alone we always have such good conversations. The first time we went home together I ended up talking about my parents for half of the bus ride, and he ended up talking about his for the rest of it.

Le. and I ended up leaving at around two, and I got home at around three. I told myself there would be no use sleeping if I had to wake up at six, and so I started packing my suitcase, folding clothes, cleaning. I made myself some toast and a coffee. And then I fell asleep at five, on top of my comforter, still wearing my clothes. I woke up at ten with the sun in my eyes. I missed class.

Last night I went to a Black Country New Road concert. It was insanely amazing; they're the only ones capable of finding rhythm in cacophonies, the only ones able to make such a mess sound good. 

I made a friend. I was there alone, and I saw a guy looking around, avoiding everyone's eyes. I asked myself if he was alone or waiting for someone, and I walked near him. I stopped myself at first, but then I told him - I know it's weird, but are you alone here too? - and he said yes and I felt the knot in my chest dissolve. I am not scared of being alone, but I was scared of his reaction. We ended up exchanging instagram handles, singing and jumping together at times, and watching quietly at others. The band played a new song, they said it was a work in progress and asked us not to sing.

After the concert he had a friend waiting for him. I only had the rain and L.'s address. 

I spent the night with my friends again. We wanted to go clubbing but there was nothing near, and the only bar that looked promising was boring. We went bak to L.'s place and played a French card game, mixing vodka with violet syrup. I find it too sweet, but the color is gorgeous, like an amethyst.

This time I got home alone. I misse day stop and got off at the one afterwards, but it was not that big of a deal because I had to walk anyway.

And now the plane is about to land, and I am back in Venice, and it's already been almost two months since I left. 

-c.

[the-firebird69]

And it really a payback is fun he's going to go and dig a hole for the clones and he's going to dig a hole out at the stashes and caches and the Everglades and he's going to be the one block with them when he has stage 5 cancer a level 5

Zues Hera

He has stage 5 level 5 cancer and you can walk around with it function with it and it really means that 20% of your organs have been taken over by cancer and eating and all your organs and it means it's systemic in your system and there's certain different levels and he went up to the top which means it's in each system and really is 20% of your body it's not 40 or 50% like people think and it's not necessarily hardened but his are starting to which means they'll start to grow more and they'll be tumors and they'll be growth meaning they'll start to colonize and the reason is he's not treating it all and he's not eating right and he's not working correctly or even trying to oxygenate which is very hard here and people have trouble it is a lot of trouble. Right now he's talking to the girls telling them they did a good job and they did and he's saying things like we don't have a great season so far then I'll probably keep it open I mean he's a terrible boss that guy is a mealy piece of s*** is really only a couple things that are wrong with it when is that the signage is terrible and they'll take it the way they should it's him and his ass and I clan killing you to your money and stuff and it's this uranium cloud and he's trying to use that and is telling people and they all can read it and he wants to go in and fall over Dead from the smell in his own people from the VLC and he's getting sick from it right now and it's going to kick his cancer in and he'll probably go up 5% and we think in a few days he'll be at around 40% and he will start to die 10 20 times a day most people would be gone a couple weeks ago even if they're treating it he's using power and he's going to be gross and he's got a cart in his brain around and rip himself to shreds now the empire is having him do it and people hate him and they said we hate him

Thor Freya

You told me we hate him and he can't figure it out so I am going to remove my name from his family and I don't want anything to do with him and I'm going to go to court and say that it was forced on me and I did figure out a lot about him but I don't want anything to do with it and I'm going to sue because of why he was doing it and he is the traitor and he's helping and stuff and the creamery helps because he's going to get nailed and he wants to look like the good guy and he looks very bad

Hera

This place is in government arrears meaning that he should not have done anything like that store renovation he's doing it to put it in their face and they send people down to inspect it and it's not going to pass

Thor Freya

I did say part of the rest of the above too. I'll tell you what though this guy is getting my husband angry on purpose and things that he'll get sick or something so don't know exactly what he's driving at because level 5 stage 5 is as bad as it can get before you simply leave the people saying there's other levels and I know but there should be meeting usually when you're at stage 5 level 5 you are not going to recover and that's why they put it there

Hera

There's a couple other things this level of cancer once you're at stage 5 level 5 and we are talking the piece of s*** of course. You only have a couple of opportunities and if you fail to take those properly and time them properly you're going to end up cooked but it does mean that you have reached a certain point where you are completely infected and with one cancer with three cancers it's different although the treatments might be similar and have a pretty good effect they do call it something else and when it starts to grow and they do call it something other than what the last designation for the onset of chronic cancer there are other designations yes.

Since he is moving on and it's growing right now people say they can actually see it we expected to be 30 to 35% tonight no it's going to be that probably tomorrow it's going real fast and it's three different Cancers and they're keeping up with each other and competing and it is called stage 5 level 5 with a complications of growth and those would be level one two three four and five level one is 0 to 20% and level two is 20 to 35% and so on right now he is stage 5 level 5 with complications of level 2. He is beyond 20% and when he reaches level 3 he will be called a terminal victim of cancer including his brain and recovery even inside a demon is not expected and a son and daughter say you're not them they can recover and your genetically different and you get attacked along with the cancer and you're not compatible and most people only last an hour and start getting eaten alive and it can cause cancer once you leave because of the toxins. But he is mentally deteriorating and as the cancer grows he loses parts of his brain pretty much across the board so when he is a level three his brain will be operating at about 60% of whatever his capacity is now

Thor Freya

Olympus we all think he is heading towards that level and he is going to be there very soon we calculate two or three days that he will have terminal cancer and he will be a goner.

We don't care about him we don't want to survive but what he's like is ridiculous. We have information that says that he lasts for around a month which is not long his brain becomes destroyed cancerous try to be removed and they think that's why he becomes a borg but that part of his brain is missing and he is sick as hell and he undergoes treatment but it's a failure at that point he's probably a level four which is really a month from now and it slows because he leaves he doesn't leave it will continue to grow and he'll be overwhelmed in a week or two. Yeah he's gross

[elvensixpm]

Additional things I liked in the animatic :

Zeus' throne of cloud women (because of course he would have that) propping him up. Takes a whole new meaning behind the phrase 'behind every great man is a woman':

The Hyacinthus (Hyacinthus) flowers and Laurel (Daphne) tree in Apollo's fight scene! I didn't notice these at first glance. Love how you can clearly see the human form in the tree. So cool!

The faceless statues in Aphrodite's room! They appear earlier too— I think it's really cool because again, beauty is subjective!

THIS SICK ASS DUO!!! LIKE HELLO???? (ok side note i Iove how he's reminiscent of withered bonnie from fnaf2 HAHAH):

Might be a reach but I love how similar Athena looks to Hera in terms of how they style their hair up! Athena just has Zeus' curls, haha. It seems she's more affectionate towards Athena here given what we see in the later frames:

How worried they are for Athena— Hera's weeping rips me up inside:

Young Odysseus and Argos!!!!! So cute 😭

How Telemachus looks almost identical to his father during his youth + Odysseus' bust on the left!

How worried the family seems for Athena (peep Hephaestus' shock, Apollo's worry, Hera's tear, Aphrodite holding Ares back while he seemingly calls out to her):

Zeus and Athena sharing the same hair (and now matching scars on their left eyes!):

Love this animatic. Crying rn. It's so beautiful but I'm completely heartbroken 😭😭 I think there's so much more I missed but these are the ones that stick out to me LOL

watch Neal's video!

I JUST WATCHED NEAL ILLUSTRATOR'S GOD GAMES ANIMATIC AND WHAT THE HELL!!! THIS DETAIL

IM CRYING IM SOBBING THE WAY ZEUS IS HOLDING ATHENA

that's his baby 😭😭😭 That's his baby !!! im weak im tearing up clawing at my chest

[kanerallels]

My first and quite possibly only submission for @sabezraweek! I hope y'all like this, it's my first time writing this couple so here goes nothing!

Rated G (mentions of past injuries)

Read on AO3!!

The night air on Yavin 4 was cool, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Ezra took a deep breath, staring up from his position on top of the Ghost at the stars above. He’d heard people say that looking up at so many stars made them feel alone, like they were a tiny speck in a massive galaxy.

But Ezra had never felt that way. Especially not after he started traveling with the Spectres. Now, when he looked up at the stars, he would think of Kanan’s teachings, about how through the Force, he wasn’t alone— he was connected to everything, even the faraway stars. He would think about Hera, how she was more at home up with the stars than on the ground. He would remember the time Zeb had helped them make their way through the nebula, and all the other times he’d fought alongside Ezra.

“The stars are amazing tonight,” he said aloud.

Next to him, Sabine Wren made a dismissive noise. “The stars were better on Atollon.”

Ezra couldn’t hold back a burst of laughter. “That’s ridiculous— these are the exact same stars.”

“First of all, we’re on an entirely different planet,” Sabine pointed out. “Therefore they’re definitely not. Second of all, you didn’t think it was ridiculous when you said the same thing about Lothal.”

“Well, that’s different,” Ezra said. “Lothal’s home.”

“Fair enough.”

They were both silent for a moment, and Ezra’s thoughts drifted. He associated Sabine with the stars almost more so than any of the others. They’d been star-gazing together since some of their first days on Atollon, shortly after Malachor. One night, he’d been ripped out of his sleep by yet another nightmare— watching Ahsoka fall to the Sith Lord’s blade, Maul’s cruel laughter in the background as Kanan shouted for him to do something, to help. To not just stand there and watch.

He was a Jedi. He was supposed to save people. On Malachor, he’d barely been able to save himself, and he definitely hadn’t saved Kanan.

These days, Ezra knew better. He knew it wasn’t his fault. But at the time, the memory that he had caused Kanan’s blindness and Ahsoka’s death had torn at him, both waking and sleeping. Nightmares that were too often more like memories woke him up most nights, and he often couldn’t stand laying in his room, terrified at the idea of drifting back to sleep.

So he’d wandered outside, walking in circles around the camp, chatting with any sentries he happened to bump into. But one night when he’d gotten up, Sabine had been up, too.

She hadn’t asked him why he was up, just slid him a mug of caf that had been waiting next to her, like she’d known he was getting up. As Ezra sipped at it cautiously— he didn’t have much of a taste for caf then, and he still didn’t now— she’d said, “When I can’t sleep, I like to sneak out and watch the stars.” She paused, seeming to waver, then asked, “Do you want to come with me?”

Ezra had been shocked that she’d asked him, but immediately accepted. And that had been the beginning of… Ezra didn’t really know what to call it. All he knew was that it had started then and grown into a friendship that was more than just that.

They’d already been friends, of course. But before that, he’d been the kid. That much had always been pretty clear, despite his earliest fumbling attempts to flirt with her. After he’d dropped that, they’d become friends. And after Malachor… he’d felt more alone than he’d ever felt, even on Lothal. Kanan had withdrawn, still recovering from his wounds, and Ezra couldn’t bring himself to talk to his master anyways. Hera had been busy trying to run half the Rebellion on her own and make sure Kanan was alright, and Zeb had been busy helping and making sure she didn’t pass out from exhaustion. So somehow, he and Sabine had ended up spending a lot more time together.

First it was just missions, then it was spending the odd bit of free time together, and then suddenly one day Ezra realized he trusted her more than anyone in the galaxy. That if he could choose one person to fight side by side with, it would always be her.

“Are you still awake over there?” 

“Yeah, I’m here,” Ezra said, snapping out of his thoughts. “Hey— do you ever think about which planets those stars have near them? Like that one.” He pointed at a particularly bright star off to their left. “That could be… Ryloth, maybe.”

“Why Ryloth?” 

“Well, Cham’s not gonna settle for some normal star,” Ezra pointed out. “He’s gonna want something real flashy, that everyone can see. Just so everyone can watch while he blows the Empire sky high.”

Sabine laughed, and Ezra felt himself grin in response. There was no feeling better than making someone laugh, and making her laugh— that was the best. “That checks out for Cham. Where’s Lothal, then?”

“Um…” Ezra studied the sky until he found a smaller, out of the way star. “That one. It looks smaller than its friends, but it’s still there. It’s still shining.”

“Hmm, smaller? Reminds me of someone I used to know,” Sabine said slyly.

“Hey— I’m almost taller than you now,” Ezra protested. He couldn’t hold onto his indignation at her laugh, however, finding himself laughing, too. 

Spotting another star, he pointed. “Oh! There’s Krownest.”

“How is that Krownest?” Sabine asked, sounding amused.

“Krownest is your home planet— kind of,” Ezra said. “And that star is kinda purple-y looking, if you look close.” Grinning, he said, “There’s no way you could have just a normal colored star, huh?”

For a long, long moment, she was silent, and Ezra was worried that he’d said something wrong. I shouldn’t have mentioned Krownest, he decided, and was opening his mouth to apologize when she spoke. Quick and simple, like she wanted to get the words out before she could really regret it.

“I miss you.”

Ezra blinked, surprised. He sent her a quick glance, unable to read her expression in the dark. “I’m right here,” he pointed out, and the sigh she released was so sad that Ezra felt his own throat tighten with sorrow.

“No, you’re not.”

And there it is, Ezra thought. “No, I’m not,” he agreed. Because there was no way he could really be sitting on top of the Ghost with her, watching Yavin 4’s stars in peace. Yavin 4 was billions of miles away— just how many, he didn’t really know. And so was Sabine.

For the first time, he looked over at her, really looked. She was staring up at the stars, like she didn’t want to meet his eyes. She looked different than the last time he’d seen her, in those last moments in the Imperial complex on Lothal. Older, with her hair chopped short and dyed a deep purple. Her armor looked different, too, and Ezra spotted a purrgil painted on one shoulder pauldron.

She was still as beautiful as she had always been. But Ezra couldn’t really be surprised by that. Sabine being beautiful was just a fact of life, like the sun rising and Kanan being stupidly in love with Hera and the Force being all around them. He wondered if he could tell her without getting smacked, but decided not to risk it.

“I wish you really were here with me,” Sabine said quietly, her voice cracking just the littlest bit. Ezra felt a pang in his chest.

“I’m here,” he told her, reaching out and touching her hand before he could think better of it. “For a little while longer, anyways.”

Her fingers laced around his, and he couldn’t help but think that was where they were meant to be, hand in hand. “You could have made it a little easier to find you,” she said, her voice strengthening.

“You’re right,” Ezra told her. “Next time I shoot myself into hyperspace with the help of space whales that I can’t control, I’ll be more specific about where I end up.”

“I thought you could control these things,” Sabine pointed out. “How did you get them to do all that in the first place?”

“Influence, not control,” Ezra corrected. “Otherwise I would have dumped Thrawn and come home.” He thought of Lothal, hopefully flourishing like he always dreamed it was, and of the Ghost and its crew. The two places that had always been home for him.

“You Jedi and your nuances,” Sabine drawled.

“You Mandalorians and your stubbornness,” Ezra teased back, and they both laughed, the tension between them easing slightly for a moment. He glanced back at her, and found her looking at him for the first time.

Their eyes met, and Ezra felt an unreasonable shiver go down his spine. And then he felt a slight tug in the back of his mind. He was being pulled out of the dream.

“I think I’m about to go,” he said, and felt Sabine’s fingers tighten around his.

“It’ll be okay,” she said, her voice rushed. “We’ll find you, I promise. I didn’t give up, I swear.”

“I know,” Ezra said, summoning up a grin. “You never quit. I remember.”

A matching smile crossed Sabine’s face, and she opened her mouth to respond— 

Ezra jerked upright, nearly falling out of his perch in a tree far, far above the jungle floor. Grabbing a branch, he sucked in a shaky breath. Whoa.

The dream had felt so real— and it wasn’t the first of its kind. I wonder which would be worse— seeing her and knowing she’s not real, or not seeing her at all. But Ezra knew he wouldn’t trade it, even if he had to wake up every time to reality. A reality that was, unfortunately, far away from her.

Sighing, he resettled himself in a position between two tree branches and closed his eyes, trying to get back to sleep. His last thought before he dropped off, as it often was, was of her.

Billions of miles away, a Mandalorian girl was doing much the same thing as she tried not to think too much about what her dream had meant. It was just wishful thinking, she told herself. How could he even reach me through a dream? That’s impossible, isn’t it?

But maybe it isn’t, her mind whispered as she curled up in her bunk, hand automatically slipping around the lightsaber she kept with her at all times. And if it isn’t, that means he’s alive. He’s out there, somewhere.

We both just have to hang on a little longer, Ezra. I’ll find you. I know I will.

[tarisilmarwen]

If you are still taking in the bthb requests; then here is my bthb request for Star Wars Rebles.

Anger Born Of Worry of Sabine for Ezra and then Sabine apologizing later.

Sabezra/Ezrabine would be greatly appreciated 😊.

@badthingshappenbingo

Title: “Afterdust”

Prompt: Anger Born Of Worry

Fandom: Star Wars Rebels

Character(s): Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger

Warnings: Mentioned presumed death of canon character

AO3, FFNet, Request a prompt/character

Oh hey! One of my favorite tropes to write for them! A pleasure, anon. ---

The Atollon dust was beginning to settle after their semi-disastrous retrieval mission of the half-dozen Y-wings that now lined the landing pad, being meticulously checked over by technicians and mechanics before they were sent off to join General Dodonna's Massasi group. Sabine watched them with something prickling in her heart, something unpleasant and festering.

She was inexplicably, irrationally, angry.

By the base metric at least the op had been a success—they had gotten the Y-wings, as she had none-too-hastily pointed out to Hera—but Sabine's mind was playing back all of the stupid setbacks and obstacles that had very nearly resulted in not just failure but capture and death.

Setbacks almost universally caused by a series of bad calls.

Sabine didn't understand why it was bothering her now. Ezra had already been scolded and reprimanded, demoted by Hera with official agreement from Sato, once they'd been debriefed. He had been quiet and scarce all night, wandering in and out and through the base in an aimless fashion, sufficiently chastened by Hera's words. Sabine had even defended him—sort of—in front of Hera when he was first being chewed out.

So where was this anger and upset and hurt coming from?

She kicked a loose rock by her feet, watching it skitter off into the pre-dawn darkness, out of view.

All she could think of that had changed was that she hadn't known the details of how, exactly, Ezra had lost the Phantom and wound up needing to be retrieved by the Ghost until just a few moments ago.

She hadn't meant to eavesdrop. She had just been checking through her cans of paint. Her door was open and she'd heard Kanan and Hera's raised voices from the cockpit. Hera was ranting—of course she was, it had been her ship that Ezra had gotten destroyed—and Kanan had been gently trying to calm her down. Sabine had only caught every other word but it had painted the vivid picture in her mind of Ezra, clinging terrified to the outer structure of the station as it fell into the gas cloud, wind blasting past him, eyes wide and hopeless.

Her throat had clenched up, quiet notes of horror dropping into her heart. She'd listened to Kanan describe Ezra's suffocating guilt and despair leaking through the Force to him and almost cursed herself for not being there, for being out in orbit making off with the prize instead of making sure Ezra was safely off the station.

The fact that their comms had been jammed was a logical point that she could not, in her wild musings, appreciate.

So here she was. Standing with her arms crossed and letting the miserable prickle travel from end to end inside her chest. Furious thoughts chased each other around her head.

Idiot. Moron. Dumbass. Why hadn't he beelined for the Phantom as soon as he'd cut the power? Why had he wasted time fighting his way up to the control room in the first place instead of cutting the locks off the Y-wings with his saber? Even making out with Hondo would have been better than what had happened, with it ending with her stranded up in space being pulled towards a Star Destroyer while he plummeted into oblivion somewhere sight unseen below her.

She had taken it for granted at the time. Assumed that of course Ezra would have gotten out, would have been on the Phantom on his way up to meet them. It was Ezra, he had always come through okay, always managed to get himself out of trouble.

But he hadn't. He had been dropping dozens of meters per second into an ionized gas cloud without a prayer of escape, without anyone even knowing he was in trouble.

Her fingers tightened on her arms.

Stupid! she thought furiously.

The agitated energy within her finally propelled her feet into action. She uncrossed her arms and stalked, stiff-legged, through the base, glancing around sharply with her eyes, searching. Her fists clenched tightly by her sides and the pulsing heat inside her throbbed hotter and hotter, growing steadily into a simmering blaze.

She found him near the makeshift mess hall, talking to one of the junior officers, laughing a little without an apparent care in the world. She stormed up to him, and he must have sensed her anger because he startled a little at her approach, turning to look right at her with wide, bewildered eyes.

"Ezra," she said, sharply, coming to a stop in front of him. "We need to talk," she told him, in a tone of voice that said she wouldn't take no for an answer.

The junior officer grimaced, wincing with sympathy, and hastily made himself scarce. Ezra inhaled slowly through his nose and then let it out again in a long sigh, also cringing with anticipation.

"Okay," he said.

Sabine grabbed his wrist harshly and pulled him behind her. He offered no protest as she dragged him along, out to a relatively secluded area by the south perimeter fence. Very few Rebels milled about on this section, so they could speak freely without having to worry about anyone overhearing and spreading the gossip. Sabine's heart was still flaming with pulsing indignation inside her chest.

She let go of his wrist and whirled on him, brows furrowed harshly over her eyes and jabbing a finger into his collar.

"Look, I don't know what's been going on with you lately," she began, withering displeasure in every line of her face. "But this recklessness, this impulsive, cocky, self-assured bullish attitude of yours? It needs to stop," she told him. "You need to slow down and seriously think about how your actions and orders affect other people!"

His eyes pinched closed and lowered immediately, his shoulders shrinking as her scolding washed over him.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Do you know how lucky we were that everyone got out okay and that we actually accomplished the objective?!" she ranted at him, almost unhinged now that she could let everything out. "Do you even appreciate how many bad calls you made on that mission?!"

He flinched, his eyes squeezing tighter, shame pulling his chin down. "I know," he said softly, miserable. "I gave bad orders. I almost got everyone killed."

"No you idiot, you could have died!"Sabine cried in outrage, and something in her mind broke with horrible clarity. She suddenly understood what was bothering her most, why she was so angry.

She stood there and panted, hands trembling, the realization ringing around her head like a tinny bell.

"You... you could have died and I wouldn't have even known until an Imperial interrogator was holding it over me, crowing about it," she said, tremulously, her voice shaking with unexpected emotion. Sabine felt a burning heat beneath her eyes and furiously blinked at it. "We could have lost you," she said. "I could have lost—"

Her voice locked up, stalling, seizing as she realized with a mortified flush rushing to her cheeks what it sounded like she was implying.

She swallowed thickly, breaking eye contact with him and turning her head aside, heat in her face and eyes and heart, thumping with steady pressure, halting, stuttering.

"We—we just lost—" She couldn't say the Togruta's name, couldn't force her mouth to form the syllables of their lost friend. "—we can't afford to lose another Jedi. Not now," she finished, a desperate, almost whiny squeal to her voice as it choked and faded.

Ezra's expression was heartbreaking, guilt and shame and despondency all clashing on his face.

He turned away, unable to even look at her.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled again, his shoulders curling in, shrinking him further. "I messed up. I know. I'm..." He drew in a shaky breath, trembling. "It—it won't happen again," he whispered thinly.

Sabine felt immediately ashamed of her harsh tone. Ezra had been beating himself up about the disastrous Reklam mission for hours now, she'd watched him mope and shuffle around the base like a dead man herself. What good was her scolding him, except to make him feel even worse?

She struggled to speak for several minutes. Ezra had turned away from her, shoulders slumped, and she wrestled words to her mouth as she reached out for him, softly.

"Ezra..." she said. She never wanted him to feel like he was only good for the things he could do for the Rebellion. Like it didn't hurt her, personally, the idea of losing him. "I... I didn't mean it like—"

He shrugged off her touch, rejecting it with clinical detachment.

"I need a moment," he told her shortly, walking away before she could say anything else, call him back, let him know her true feelings.

Sabine watched him go, saw the stiff lines across his shoulders, and knew her anger hadn't helped, hadn't put things right between them.

But she let him walk away.

***

Two hours later, with the red sun beginning to creep over the sandy horizon, Sabine found him again, curled up into a self-loathing, miserable ball against a stack of supply crates. AP-5 had ratted him out to her, complaining that the young man's brooding presence was interfering with his ability to inventory properly.

Sabine had just sincerely thanked the inventory droid and made her way into the maze of crates, holding her arms softly as she approached him.

"Hey," she called, then stalled on what she wanted to say. "Um..." she trailed off.

Ezra paid her a brief glance before staring morosely forward again.

Sabine felt a sour taste in the back of her throat. She swallowed it down, forcing words out.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. She paused, then inhaled slowly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, I just..."

There was heat stinging under her eyes again and she had to intake a gasping breath to keep her composure.

"I'm... I'm really glad you're okay," she told him.

At the way he looked up at her she found herself babbling.

"I'm—I'm glad we got the Y-wings and that—and that you didn't—" She gulped down a thick lump of emotion. "—that nothing bad... happened to you, I mean—" Her words felt rushed and frantic as she spoke them. "—I know we lost the Phantom but I'm still—I—I mean—"

She swallowed again, and a knot of emotion strained her throat.

"I don't know what I would've done if you—if something had—"

Force, why was she so bad at this?

She regained her composure.

"You're my friend, Ezra," she said, though the warbling note in her voice implied more. "I couldn't bear it if you..."

He turned up a smile at her, so genuine and warm it made firecrackers go off inside her heart.

"I know," he whispered. "Thank you."

She flung arms around him with trembling emotion, feeling him safe and there and alive and almost sobbing with relief.

Ezra's hands came up behind her back, holding her close as she cherished this moment, this reassurance that he guessed what he meant to her and would change his actions accordingly, wouldn't throw himself against an impossible peril with the smug assurance he could master all circumstances, could defy and cheat death itself.

She felt it like a soft dampening, his apology and his desire to do better, be better, for everyone.

And she let him express it freely, holding him to herself in tender affection.

---

Ow I think I caught feels a little.