#the forces that bind us

[continuous-spec]

Snippet from Chapter 6: Shepard and Garrus bicker over rifles in the Seratoma Saunas.

"Have you been to Thessia?" Shepard asked, pulling Garrus back to consciousness.

"Refueling station a system outside on my first tour," Garrus clipped as his eyes fluttered open.

"Right. That's still so weird to me, how y'all need to join and fight."

"Well, it's not like we're all fighting. There's research division, medical, manufacturing-"

"Somehow, I doubt you added to the great pursuit of knowledge in those fields. No offense."

Garrus scoffed and brought himself up on his forearms to look at her. The clay beads shifted with his movements, sounding like crashing water to stone. "I guess you wouldn't call drilling a hole in between a pirate's eyes from 500 meters away an academic pursuit, then, huh?"

Shepard lifted herself from the pool. The beads loudly moved with her and fell away from her. The orange residue of the clay beads haphazardly decorated her light blue uniform.

"No shit, 26th Armiger Legion?" Her eyes lit up with excitement.

Garrus tried not to laugh, imagining himself strapped into a jet propulsion system like the 26th, a group of infiltrators who literally rocketed themselves on the battlefield.

"Spirits, no, not those crazy flying bastards. I was just a marksman scout sniper."

"Damn, and here I was, just beginning to think you were interesting. What did you specialize in? Incisor? Viper? Widow?" Her voice bounced, almost vibrating like a turian as she listed off each rifle.

"You sure are asking a lot of questions for someone who's not that interested."

"I haven't held a rifle in four years. Humor me, please. Give me some shop talk."

"Mantis-" Garrus said with the word barely past his mandibles before Shepard interjected.

"Ugh! I hated that thing. One shot reload with shit recoil that couldn't even penetrate most armor. Now get me a Black Widow, and then we can talk."

"So you just wanted to make this about you?" Garrus said in an unamused tone. "Besides, if you actually know how to use the Mantis, the one shot is all you need."

"Whatever. I'll take my three with the Black Widow any day."

"I thought those ripped humans' arms off."

"Gene mods," she said with a flex of her arm. Her linear scars bowed with the movement. The blue glow of the sauna lights encompassed the pale skin of the hard muscle on her bicep. "The same reason I'm not blind and a foot taller."

"You could be shorter?"

"Six feet is quite tall for a human woman, thank you."

"It's all the same to me. I still have to crane my neck to talk down to you."

"You think you're so funny."

"I have my moments," Garrus said, his mandibles pressed into a smile.

"I wouldn't even give you that," Shepard said, returning his smile before submerging back into the clay beads.

Read the rest on Ao3

[unfinishedslurs]

The boy stops in his tracks. “I know you,” he says, tilting his head curiously. He’s not tall, but he’s regal nonetheless, dressed all in white. Something about him makes Leia’s hair stand on end, and although she hides it she feels a stirring in her own chest. I know you like I know my own soul, she thinks wildly, and wonders where it came from. Has she gone insane?

“That’s nice,” she says, and shoots him anyway.

He deflects it in a flash of light, a glowing blue laser sword appearing in his hand like magic. She’s only seen one of those before, and it’s Vader’s. If this boy is anything like Vader, she realizes, she’s in deep shit.

She’s smart enough to know when she’s outmatched. Leia makes the tactical decision to run for her life.

Later, as she’s getting the hell out of there, she wonders why he didn’t try to stop her.

She remembers being young and tugging on her mothers skirts, demanding to know why their guest was so sad. “Does he not like it here?” She’d asked, and then, trembling, because Kenobi always seemed saddest around her. “Is it…because of me?”

“Oh, Leia,” her mother sighed, lifting her into her arms. “It’s not that, I promise.”

��Then what is it?”

“Master Kenobi lost a child under his care, years ago.” Breha’s eyes grew deeper, darker. “It was not his fault, but he blames himself. You remind him of that child, that’s all.”

Leia had quieted at that, contemplative.

The next time she’d seen Master Kenobi, she had given him a hug. He didn’t seem to know what to do with that, so she resolved to give him more of them. “He’s lonely,” she’d told her mother. “No one should be lonely.”

Looking at Obi-Wan Kenobi now, the memory seemed so far away. He’d aged thirty years in the ten it had been.

He looks, Leia thinks with a small twinge of regret, very lonely.

“Leia,” he greets. “It’s been a long time.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Leia sees a glint of white.

Kenobi freezes in his tracks. “Luke?” He whispers, and through the distance Leia can hear it as if he’d been speaking directly into her ear.

Master Kenobi lost a child under his care, her mother whispers in her head. He blames himself.

In an instant, Leia understands everything.

Kenobi is still staring at the boy he’d lost so long ago when Vader cuts him down.

Later, as she’s pacing around on the Falcon to Han muttering darkly about Princesses and supernatural abilities, she rememberers the way the boy collapsed, as if all his strings had been cut. Vader was too occupied with him to even look at her as she shot at him desperately.

Luke. She hates him more than she hates herself.

“They know where you are,” he hisses frantically. “They’re coming for you. You have to run.”

“Wait!” Leia quickly pulls up their sonar. Nothing yet, but it would explain the distant queasiness she’d felt since they’d landed. She tended to trust her gut. “How do you know? How much time do we have?”

“Not important, and not enough,” he says. “I have to go, and so do you. You need to leave yesterday.”

“How do I know I can trust you? I don’t even know who you are.”

He pauses. “Call me Skywalker.”

“That’s not an answer, Skywalker.”

“Yes it is.”

She opens her mouth to argue, but there are faint voices on the other end, drawing nearer.

“Shit,” Skywalker mutters. “I have to go. I’ll be in contact, okay? Don’t ever tell me where you are, or where you’re heading. Vader and Palpatine aren’t shy about reading minds. Just leave as soon as you can, and figure out the rest.”

“But—“

It’s too late. The comm has disconnected.

She stares down at it, disbelieving. How would the Empire know they’re here? Why should she trust a stranger who somehow got her personal comm code?

Gut feeling or not, on paper this was a perfect location. Supplied, armored, and most importantly, extremely well hidden. There was no real reason to think it would possibly be found out.

It’s probably a trap. Almost definitely a trap.

Han sticks his head in the door, a sour look on his face. “Hey Princess, can you tell these idiots—“

She makes a decision then and there.

“We’re leaving.”

“What?”

“We’re evacuating, effective immediately.” She pushes past him, and he follows so close he’s nearly stepping on her heel.

“Why? I think it’s pretty cozy here. Actual sunlight doesn’t hurt, either.”

“Apparently too cozy.” She grabs the first person she sees, a pilot who stares at her with wide eyes. “Emergency evacuation. Spread the word to pack everything you can and leave, I’ll let you know where we’re headed when we’re in orbit.”

He salutes and scurries off.

“Woah, hey now.” Han snatches at her elbow until she turns around to face him. “What’s going on?”

“There’s a new informant. He told me the Empire knows we’re here. They’re coming for us.”

“And you trust this person because…”

“I don’t have a choice,” she snaps. Someone runs past them, holding three packs filled to the brim with rations. “It’s either he’s lying and we’re not in danger, or he’s telling the truth and we’re going to die if we don’t listen. It’s not exactly hard math.”

It could be a trap of course, but he hadn’t suggested any sort of direction or destination to follow, and Leia wasn’t inclined to share. Especially not after his tidbit about Vader and Palpatine reading minds.

He squints at her. “That’s not it.”

“What?”

“I don’t believe you,” he insists. He’s so infuriating. Leia doesn’t know why she hasn’t kicked him out yet.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do, and you’re either gonna tell me why, or find a different transport when we head out of here.”

“Who said I was riding on your hunk of junk?” She demands. She actually was planning on going with them, since the Falcon has more than enough room for all the supplies that can’t fit in the other ships and none of the trustworthiness of the other pilots, but Han doesn’t need to know that.

“Well?”

Damn him. Damn him for knowing how to read her. She doesn’t know when she let that happen.

“I feel it,” she admits, defeated. “Something tells me he’s trustworthy. We’ll wait and see if it’s right.”

He studies her. She holds her head high, but inside she’s jittery at the scrutiny. They don’t have time for this.

“Yeah, all right,” Han finally says.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” He rolls his eyes, like she’s not acting absolutely insane by putting all her trust in a random man she’s never even met. “Now come on, Princess, weren’t you the one who said we had to hurry?”

What is it about this man that makes it impossible to tell whether she wants to punch him or drag him into the nearest supply closet? They don’t have time to find out.

“So there’s good news and bad news.”

“Bad news first,” she demands.

“They know there’s a mole.”

“Shit.” Of course they know, how could they not? She should have been more careful, less obvious about the correlation of their movements with the Empire’s plans. “The good news?”

“They’ve tasked me with hunting down this ‘pathetic rebel spy,’” Skywalker says, humor in his voice. “That should buy me some time.”

Leia can’t quite stop the snort she lets out. “Seriously?”

“Yep. You’re speaking to a professional mole-hunter, here.”

“Well congratulations on the promotion, Skywalker.”

“Thank you,” he says grandly. Then, quieter, “It won’t last, Princess. They’ll find out eventually.”

“I know. Just hang in there, it will be over soon.”

“Will it?” He asks, suddenly sounding very young. She realizes that she has no idea how old he is. She doesn’t know anything about the man who has saved them more times than she cared to admit, and the idea rattles her until they sign off.

Later, she looks up the name Skywalker in their archives. There are a few results, but only one sticks out.

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight and hero of the Clone Wars. Killed at the hands of Darth Vader. There are gossip articles too, speculations on his relationship with the pregnant Senator Padmé Amidala, who died around the same time Skywalker did. The baby, it seems, died with her.

Unless he didn’t.

It’s ridiculous. It’s impossible. The idea is so ludicrous that Leia almost rejects it entirely.

But it makes sense. By the Maker, it makes sense.

The child of Anakin Skywalker, it seems, would be a powerful Force user indeed. Powerful enough for Kenobi to take the baby and run. Powerful enough for the Emperor to want him for his own gain. Powerful enough to send Vader after Kenobi and take the boy himself.

Maybe even powerful enough to shield his mind from Vader and Palpatine’s intrusions.

Powerful enough to hide the fact that he’s a spy.

Leia sinks into her chair, covering her face as she laughs.

Maybe Luke isn’t so bad after all.

“No, no, no,” she mutters, digging through the smoking wreckage of the TIE fighter. “Don’t be dead, please don’t be dead.”

“Princess…” Han lays a hand on her shoulder that she immediately shrugs off.

“No, he’s not dead. He’s not. Luke!”

A faint cough answers her, and she’s so relieved to hear it she could cry. Behind her, Han starts bellowing for a medic and, “Some damn help here, do you expect us to move all this ourselves?”

“Luke, it’s me,” she sobs. “It’s Leia. You’re at the Rebel Base. You’re safe.”

More coughing, and there’s a worrying rasp to his voice when he says, “You know…my name?”

“I figured it out.”

“Smart.” This time, the coughing is so bad Leia and Han both wince.

“Shit, kid,” Han says, moving another piece of rubble. “Don’t talk. We’re gonna get you out of here, all right?”

“Stand back,” Luke chokes out.

“What?”

“Stand back. Please.”

Han protests, but something in Leia knows they should listen to him. She drags him back, and motions everyone else to fall back with them. They do, albeit reluctantly.

“Clear,” she calls, hoping Luke can hear her.

The TIE explodes.

“Fuck!” Han goes back in, Leia on his heels with the terrifying feeling that she’d just allowed Luke to die, before they both stop in their tracks. Around them, the broken pieces of the TIE are floating.

And curled up in the middle is a man dressed all in white.

“Luke!” She pushes past Han to start dragging him out, and after another moment of staring around them, he helps her.

As soon as they get clear, the pieces fall to the ground with a clatter. Luke falls limp with them.

Han is still looking at the TIE. “Can you do that?” He asks quietly.

Leia pauses her examination of the unconscious man in front of her to glare at him. “Is that what you’re most concerned with right now? Really?”

“Excuse me for asking, Princess!”

“It’s white,” Luke grumbles, pulling at his hospital gown bitterly. “I hate wearing white.”

“Should I be offended?”

He rolls his eyes. “Don’t even. You look great and you know it. I just feel like I never left.”

“Well,” she says gingerly. “I guess it’s a good thing you got sick of it. If we went around in matching outfits all the time, people might think we’re twins.”

He snorts. “Yeah, right.”

[tweedfrog]

Autocorrect is out here inventing accidentally compelling headcanon. I actually like the idea that out of all her siblings Visenya of all people was the one who realized that good intentions or a legal claim to a throne dont really matter and that in a monarchy and a feudal system it effectively boils down to "might is right"

[saggitary]

The Ties that Bind Us

Hey remember that fic I’ve mentioned a few times? The one about Ahsoka and the 501st that’s over 50k words already? I finally posted it!

-

When Ahsoka Tano had joined the 501st battalion, she had made an effort to keep herself at a distance from her men, she was their commanding officer after all. However she finds her self drawing closer and closer to a certain group that also finds themselves being drawn to her. Their resulting bond changes nothing, and everything. Can it change the universe?

[tittysuckersworld]

i crave top surgery so bad- its the one thing that would fix me dysphoria

[silverislander]

god i forgot how much fucking WORK went into church uniforms, i was just looking them up to remember smth. my family put so much effort into regulation and literally still weren't following half of it, plus our corps as a whole never gave a shit abt it really lmfao

technically today, women in the army can wear pants. i was never allowed to wear pants with my full uniform. always the pencil skirt and the exact regulation colour of pantyhose. i hated those skirts with everything in me

ON THAT NOTE there were exactly two acceptable colours of tights you could wear and they were black and nightshade. to this day i have only ever owned three colours of tights that werent regulation black or nightshade, and they were red (for christmas recitals), white (for summer recitals) and skin tone (for dance performances when required) lmao

new skirts always got taken straight to the one tailor in town who was just as overfamiliar with uniform code as my mom is. they got modified so they would fit well and never be above the knee when sitting down (and honestly she was killer at her job. tysm ms t, i hope you're still in business out there)

buying tunics was a nightmare bc after a certain time they would change the sizing or mysteriously stop making tunics to go under uniform jackets, and you have to either go to the trade to get new ones or order them online, which are equal but different headaches

epaulets and neck pins had to be put back on once your shirt and jacket got washed. i had two pairs of epaulets (senior soldier and brass band) and i never remembered which was which (or to replace either them or the neck pin)

hair has to be above the collar and off the face, and that can mean it's either tied up or it's short enough not to worry about. to this day i'm convinced that's the nail in the coffin that made mom let me cut my hair off, bc the alternative was helping me do a ballet bun every sunday morning and hearing me complain abt said bun and the headache and weird hair bumps it caused all day

NO NAIL POLISH. only clear. if it can be seen from the platform god doesn't love you (joking. you still can't wear any tho)

NO JEWELRY. unless you're straight married then you can wear your ring <3 i wore my key necklace under my uniform every sunday from my senior soldier ceremony right up to the day i left and honestly i don't regret shit, nobody ever knew. that was my one rebellion

and we still weren't regulation! i never wore a hat/bonnet and my shoes were flats with silver buttons on them (instead of plain black heels), my necklace was definitely not allowed if anyone had ever known, and i def wore plain earrings once or twice. wild shit looking back, all that to go play a fucking glorified trumpet and sing for a couple hours a week

[wallcrawld]

[ INCOMING MISSION : @arachost ] ❛ people are scared. they need a leader. and right now, like it or not, they’re looking to you. so go on. lead us. ❜ — 🕷️

how desperately peter wishes he could break. when would it be his turn ? when would he be allowed the luxury of fear ? never — he has known this answer since he first donned the mask. if he fell apart now, people would die. no, not just people, spiders. it's not fair, none of this is, to any of them, but peter parker's life has never been fair. he holds gwen's gaze ... you can do this.

he smiles weakly, ❝ so i'm gonna go ahead and jot you down for inspirational speechmaker of the group from here on out. ❞ she's right though, there's no time to waste. ❝ the web is in danger — cause of course it is — this ... thing that we're up against is something new. i tussled with it in central park, it's no joke. but i think i know how to beat it. ❞ peter lifts up a small vial, holding it between his thumb and index finger. ❝ i managed to get this off of it, i think if we can reverse-engineer a biochemical compound that will break this substance down, it'll immobilize it. ❞

he looks out at the small group that had been able to gather in time. it was about to get smaller, ❝ miles, mayday, you're on science duty. ❞ he tosses them the vial, ❝ i know you can do this. hobie, jessica, and aña — damage control. this thing is duplicating clones of itself all around the city and fast. lots of people are gonna get hurt if something isn't done about them. ❞

finally, he turns his attention to the person who had given him the push he needed to set things in motion, ❝ gwen, you're with me. we're about to have the most exciting game of tag of our lives. we're gonna distract the original, buy some time for miles and may. capiche ? ❞

[videoworm]

If God is all caring but only if you behave how he wants you to in all areas of life and if the Devil just wants to make a business deal with you - which you have to agree to first, then i would always pick devil bc at least I'd have some AGENCY ge

[the-gay-prometheus]

Do people realize this isn't unique to Disney? Cuz this is not unique to Disney. Other corporations are already doing this and this isn't new. Wish there could've been this big of a reaction about it before someone actually died 🙃

[tanadrin]

And God said, "Behold! I have created the fourth primordial force: the weak interaction!"

And the angels all clapped and nodded politely, and there was a long silence; and finally Verchiel, the Angel of Grace, spoke up and asked, "Er, what exactly does it do, O Fashioner?"

And God said, "What do you mean, 'what does it do?' It's the fourth fundamental force of the universe."

And Verchiel said, "You mentioned that. Um. But it's just that the other three sort of have a brand, you know? Gravity helps build large-scale structures, acts over vast cosmic distances, shapes time and space. The strong force is secret, hidden, binding together quarks and all that. Electromagnetism, very cool stuff, somewhere in between. We're all big fans of the whole magnetic monopole double bluff, very clever. But, er. What does this 'weak interaction' do?"

And God said, "It mediates radioactive decay. Sort of."

And Verchiel said, "Radioactive decay? All radioactive decay?"

And God said, "No. Just some kinds."

And Zephaniel, the Chief of the Ishim spoke, and he said, "A whole independent force just to mediate some kinds of radioactive decay?"

And God said, "Well. Not totally independent. Technically it's related to electromagnetism."

And Zephaniel said, "Wait, it's not even a real force?"

And God said, "It's totally a real force. It's just that it's one aspect of a combined electromagnetic and weak force. An electro-weak force, if you will."

And Metatron, the Celestial Scribe, scratched his head at this, but said nothing.

And Cambiel, the Angel of Transformation, said, "Maybe you can walk us through it from the top."

And God Sighed an immense Sigh, and said, "All right, fine.

"So the way it works is that all of space and time is permeated by a field that has imaginary mass."

And Cambiel said, "Imaginary mass, O Generous Provider?"

And God said, "Yes, imaginary mass. It's tachyonic, d'you see?"

And Sarathiel, the Angel of Discipline, said, "Wait a minute, I thought we agreed nothing was going to travel faster than light? All that 'c' business and the whole Lorentz transformation thing. What's happening with that?"

And God said, "Let me finish. The field is tachyonic. The particles in the field all move slower than light."

And Sarathiel had to think about this for a second.

And God said, "The point is, a field with imaginary mass has a non-zero vacuum expectation value."

And this really gave Sarathiel trouble, since he had never been very good at math.

And God, seeing this, went back to explain. "Most fields, like the electromagnetic field, have no effect when they are at their lowest energy state. It's like they're not there at all. If you give a field imaginary mass, then it vanishes only when it's at a very high energy state, and at a low energy state, it has a nonzero value everywhere."

And Sarathiel nodded, but he was confused, because he didn't understand why God would create such a thing.

But Verchiel thought he saw where God was going with this, and he was amazed.

"Truly, you are cunning beyond measure, O Only One Certainly Sound and Genuine in Truth! Only now do I understand your design! For in order to make the universe homogenous and isotropic, it is necessary that all large-scale fluctuations in temperature and mass must be evened out early in the history of the cosmos; and therefore, you have designed a field which will rapidly expand space after the Big Bang, many orders of magnitude in brief moments, and then swiftly and spontaneously decay as it gives up the energy it began with, giving rise to radiation and particles of all kinds as it does, which will condense into the material universe! It is a wonder to behold."

And God said, "What? No. I mean I did, but this isn't the inflaton field I'm talking about. This is something else."

And Verchiel said, "Wait, it's not?"

And God said, "No, I'm going to use a different field to drive cosmic inflation. The properties of this field are totally different."

And now Verchiel was also confused, and lapsed into silence.

And God said, "Like I was saying, this field is a scalar field with imaginary mass, and it does spontaneously decay to a ground state with a non-zero value. But it's not the inflaton field. Instead it combines with the W1, W2, W3, and B bosons."

And Metatron began to flip back through the pages of the Heavenly Record trying to figure out where he'd lost the thread.

And Zephaniel said, "The what bosons?"

And God said, "The W1, W2, W3, and B bosons. I'm sure I mentioned them. You know, the massless bosons?"

And Zephaniel said, "I'm pretty sure we only talked about the W+, W-, and Z0 bosons. All of which you said were going to have mass, O Owner of All Sovereignty."

And God said, "Yes, but this is how they get them, you see. Once this field acquires a nonzero value everywhere, the massless bosons interact with it and get mass. Well, some of them do. They turn into the W+, W-, and Z0 boson. And the photon."

And Zephaniel said, "…and the photon, O Accepter of Invocation?"

And God said, "Well, I did say I was going to unify the electromagnetic force and the weak interaction, didn't I? This is how. Above the critical temperature--right now I'm thinking 10^15 K, but I'm open to feedback on that one--electromagnetism and the weak force act as a single unifying force. Below that temperature, the field gets a nonzero value, you get three massive bosons to mediate the weak interaction, and the photon pops out seperately."

And Zephaniel said, "That seems… a bit overly complicated, doesn't it, O Reinstater Who Brings Back All?"

And God said, "No, it's exactly what we need. Look, that way the W and Z bosons have something to do, but the weak interaction still only travels short distances. Gravity is still the star of the show on cosmic scales, as it were. But now quarks and leptons can swap their flavor!"

And Zephaniel said, rather weakly, "Their… flavor, O Source of Good?"

And God said, "It's this new quantum number I'm trying out, to give the three generations of matter more unique identities."

And Cambiel said, "Three generations of matter? Now I'm really confused."

And God said, "I'm sure I mentioned this. You've got the lightest quarks and leptons, and then two heavier versions of each that can decay into the lighter versions."

And Cambiel said, "What do they do? New kinds of chemistry, is it?"

And God said, "Well, no. Mostly they just decay in a couple microseconds. Or even faster."

And Zephaniel began to rub his temples, and Cambiel sniffed.

And Cambiel said, "This all seems a bit ad hoc to me. Not really the stuff of an elegant and obviously ordered Creation. Why not have four generations of matter? Why not a trillion?"

And God began to grow irritable, and said, "Well, that's not really up to you, now is it? We're going to have three generations of matter, and the electroweak force, and that's that!"

And Zephaniel said, "As long as we are unifying fundamental forces, perhaps we could somehow also unify the electroweak interaction with the strong interaction, or even gravity."

And God hesitated saying, "Well, I haven't decided about that yet. I'm not sure I want gravity to be quantized, you know? Seems to take some of the geometric elegance out of general relativity."

And now it was Zephaniel's turn to sigh, and he bowed his head. "As you wish, O Possessor of Authority of Decisions and Judgement."

[continuous-spec]

Here's a snippet of Chapter 5!

Shepard rubbed her arm where she had been pricked as she walked out to the waiting room. Garrus sat going over a datapad, busying himself. The green and yellow suit still left much to be desired. But she felt her vision clear slightly, opening her left eye for the first time that day. Shepard couldn't help but note he at least looked better out of C-Sec's bulky armor. "So trust me to go on my own this time? Promise I won't be late. Finch isn't as forgiving," Shepard said.  "Again, it's up to you if you still want to work with me," Garrus retorted.  "Only if you change out of your "I'm not a cop' outfit." Garrus' brow rose in a look of confusion, looking down at the brightly colored outfit. "This is my best suit." "Nice to know you wear your Sunday best to stakeouts, Vakarian." "What do clothes have to do with days?" He asked in an unamused tone.  "Never mind, maybe just find something in a darker shade? Black and white. Those colors would fit you better for Chora's." Garrus flicked out his mandibles in response, almost as if he were annoyed. "Fine, I'll be early to get situated too." "Try to snag a seat by the back doors near the strippers." "You take me to such lovely places," Garrus deadpanned while ushering them out of the clinic back into the sparse ward.  "Spas, strip clubs. Let's try out a casino next." "On C-Sec's dime?" Garrus asked jokingly. "You catch on quick. A casino is better than a clinic any day, even if the doctors are so caring." Shepard placed emphasis on the last word.  "Well, Dr. Michel is one of the good doctors on the ward and helps as much as she can. She's been a good friend over the years," Garrus said innocently, not understanding what Shepard's inflection implied.  "Friend?" Shepard asked, her eyebrow raised up, trying to coax more information out of him. She was having too much fun with it.  "Yeah, she's kept insisting for years about owing me a favor after helping with a blackmail case. About time I used it."  "Oh, she owes you something, alright," Shepard laughed, pulling up her omni-tool.  "What do you mean?" Garrus asked, head cocked to the side. Shepard again tried to stifle another laugh. So he didn't know that the doc was totally into him.  "Oh, nothing," Shepard said with a smirk while activating her cloak. "I hate when you do that."  "See you at Chora's, preferably in a new outfit," Shepard said, already running off towards a public shuttle. 

Read the rest on Ao3 :)

[jackalhadrurusluvr]

i need to speedrun finishing bg3 so i can be over it but i just had the Big Romance Scene with astarion and i have to log off to combat the nausea (/pos)

[sewunseamly]

She doesn't get enough time in the light

[shhhhimwatchingthis]

Sort of bums me out that so many people didn't seem to Get the Cat King so here are my thoughts:

So let's start with Edwin's crime. He uses something the cat desires (a sardine) to lure the cat to him and then uses an enchanted string to trap the cat with magic. He demands the answer to a question in exchange for its release. Edwin knows it is dangerous to use magic on a cat, that it violates Rules but he does it anyway.

Binding a creature and agreeing to set them free under a certain condition is very Classic Fairytale. its also a favourite trope of Neil Gaiman's (he did not write this show but his influence is there). In both the Sandman and his novel Stardust (and the film adaptation) trapping a creature with magic and demanding a task/favour in exchange for their freedom is an extremely important plot point. Edwin binding a cat and demanding an answer in exchange is exactly in line with this Fairytale trope

And so is the Cat Kings response. The Cat King is a trickster. What he does to Edwin is exactly what Edwin did to one of his subjects. He entices Edwin, he binds him with magic and when Edwin demands to be free he turns his own words against him "why all the fuss for one little spell?" Edwin did something wrong. He imposed his will/magic on another creature and the Cat King is punishing him for it in a way that is poetic. Its fairytale. its trickster. its classic.

I've also seen people complain that the task Edwin was given 'count all the cats' is 'impossible'...except its fucking not. Edwin does it. He does it so well he actually BEATS the Cat King ("you didn't count yourself" Are.You.Kidding.Me. Classic!Fairytale!Vibes!)

The Cat Kings choice to bind Edwin to Port Townsend is good on so many levels. From a storytelling perspective it forces characters who can travel anywhere in the world to stay in one place, and increases the stakes for these characters who are supposed to be on the run. From a genre perspective...its an excellent use of fairytale tropes using both Rules of magic, a protagonist who is unkind to a seemingly weak creature who is punished by a more powerful law, a binding, a task to complete, etc

Which just leaves the character perspective which it ALSO does really fucking well and introduces the final aspect to the Cat Kings character. He's seductive. He is responsible for Edwin, 100 years old ghost boy, finally unpacking his internalized homophpbia. he is the catalyst (cat pun not intended)

He pushes Edwin, challenges him, at times literally forces the truth out of Edwin, but he really never does violate his consent. Significantly Edwin is attracted to him, like its an important part of his character that he is. He may not like the Cat King but he is attracted to him!

The Cat King is such a great example of a trickster, a morally grey character who imposes a sense of justice on Edwin after he crosses a line, but also has his own selfish interests and meddles. Hes so important to the plot of the show, to Edwin's character arc, to the genre.

And he's just fun. Unapologetically queer, powerful, complicated. Silly little outfits. Petty cat behavior. Deep heart.

Some of you just didn't get it. And I'm sorry for you. because the Cat King is Excellent actually.

[theplotmage]

Principles and Laws of Magic for Fantasy Writers

Fundamental Laws

1. Law of Conservation of Magic- Magic cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

3. Law of Equivalent Exchange- To gain something, an equal value must be given.

5. Law of Magical Exhaustion- Using magic drains the user’s energy or life force.

Interaction and Interference

4. Law of Magical Interference- Magic can interfere with other magical effects.

6. Law of Magical Contamination- Magic can have unintended side effects.

8. Law of Magical Inertia- Magical effects continue until stopped by an equal or greater force.

Resonance and Conditions

7. Law of Magical Resonance- Magic resonates with certain materials, places, or times.

9. Law of Magical Secrecy- Magic must be kept secret from the non-magical world.

11. Law of Magical Hierarchy- Different types of magic have different levels of power and difficulty.

Balance and Consequences

10. Law of Magical Balance- Every positive magical effect has a negative consequence.

12. Law of Magical Limitation- Magic has limits and cannot solve every problem.

14. Law of Magical Rebound- Misused magic can backfire on the user.

Special Conditions

13. Law of Magical Conduits- Certain objects or beings can channel magic more effectively.

15. Law of Magical Cycles- Magic may be stronger or weaker depending on cycles (e.g., lunar phases).

17. Law of Magical Awareness- Some beings are more attuned to magic and can sense its presence.

Ethical and Moral Laws

16. Law of Magical Ethics- Magic should be used responsibly and ethically.

18. Law of Magical Consent- Magic should not be used on others without their consent.

20. Law of Magical Oaths- Magical promises or oaths are binding and have severe consequences if broken.

Advanced and Rare Laws

19. Law of Magical Evolution- Magic can evolve and change over time.

20. Law of Magical Singularities- Unique, one-of-a-kind magical phenomena exist and are unpredictable.

Unique and Imaginative Magical Laws

- Law of Temporal Magic- Magic can manipulate time, but with severe consequences. Altering the past can create paradoxes, and using time magic ages the caster rapidly.

- Law of Emotional Resonance- Magic is amplified or diminished by the caster’s emotions. Strong emotions like love or anger can make spells more powerful but harder to control.

- Law of Elemental Harmony- Magic is tied to natural elements (fire, water, earth, air). Using one element excessively can disrupt the balance and cause natural disasters.

- Law of Dream Magic- Magic can be accessed through dreams. Dreamwalkers can enter others’ dreams, but they risk getting trapped in the dream world.

- Law of Ancestral Magic- Magic is inherited through bloodlines. The strength and type of magic depend on the caster’s ancestry, and ancient family feuds can influence magical abilities.

- Law of Symbiotic Magic- Magic requires a symbiotic relationship with magical creatures. The caster and creature share power, but harming one affects the other.

- Law of Forgotten Magic- Ancient spells and rituals are lost to time. Discovering and using forgotten magic can yield great power but also unknown dangers.

- Law of Magical Echoes- Spells leave behind echoes that can be sensed or traced. Powerful spells create stronger echoes that linger longer.

- Law of Arcane Geometry- Magic follows geometric patterns. Spells must be cast within specific shapes or alignments to work correctly.

- Law of Celestial Magic- Magic is influenced by celestial bodies. Spells are stronger during certain astronomical events like eclipses or planetary alignments.

- Law of Sentient Magic- Magic has a will of its own. It can choose to aid or hinder the caster based on its own mysterious motives.

- Law of Shadow Magic- Magic can manipulate shadows and darkness. Shadowcasters can travel through shadows but are vulnerable to light.

- Law of Sympathetic Magic- Magic works through connections. A spell cast on a representation of a person (like a doll or portrait) affects the actual person.

- Law of Magical Artifacts- Certain objects hold immense magical power. These artifacts can only be used by those deemed worthy or who possess specific traits.

- Law of Arcane Paradoxes- Some spells create paradoxes that defy logic. These paradoxes can have unpredictable and often dangerous outcomes.

- Law of Elemental Fusion- Combining different elemental magics creates new, hybrid spells with unique properties and effects.

- Law of Ethereal Magic- Magic can interact with the spirit world. Ethereal mages can communicate with spirits, but prolonged contact can blur the line between life and death.

- Law of Arcane Symbiosis- Magic can bond with technology, creating magical machines or enchanted devices with extraordinary capabilities.

- Law of Dimensional Magic- Magic can open portals to other dimensions. Dimensional travelers can explore alternate realities but risk getting lost or encountering hostile beings.

- Law of Arcane Sacrifice- Powerful spells require a sacrifice, such as a cherished memory, a personal item, or even a part of the caster’s soul.

[nezuscribe]

what if instead of arranged!gojo it’s arranged!sukuna? he’s in his curse form, centuries ago, and the elders decide that the only thing that might appease him would be a marriage between him and their youngest sorcerer, you.

naive you who thought that this was just another state affairs issue, not realizing that they had signed you off as the bride of the infamous sorcerer killer.

it’s weeks of fighting, tears, screaming, until you’re eventually hauled away and thrown on the steps of his estate. they don’t bother with a wedding, just a piece of parchment that legally binds you and him together.

you don’t even see the curse for a while.

you try your best to get used to the bustle of activity, to life on the grounds, how to act as a “wife”, but you are yet to see the king of curses.

at some point, in between your day filled with boredom and nights filled with tears you decide that enough is enough. if he’s not even here, then he won’t even notice if you were to run away.

you pack some things, escaping through a window as you make your way through the woods near his estate, not daring to look behind you as you feel the twigs cutting your cheeks, heart palpitating so fast you fear you might just die.

and you think you’ve made it, finding an open pasture, most likely one of a nearby farmer, and let out a sigh of freedom.

if not for the massive force that jumps from behind you, holding your weak body to the ground.

you let out a hoarse scream, trying to breathe through the clawed hand wrapped around your throat.

your eyes widen in fear as you meet four, your chest heaving at the sly grin that makes its way onto his face.

“you have audacity, i’ll give you that,” the king of curses says with a chuckle, his baritone voice shaking your bones.

you try to turn your face away, wincing as he rests his weight even more on top of you.

“y-you…you don’t even want me,” you choke out, lips trembling as you take in the unreadable expression that takes over him.

his nails dig into your skin, threading blood.

“don’t stoop so low,” he growls, “to think that i’d follow you out of want,”

“i don’t like it when what’s mine goes missing.”