#the only thing i care about is Doing A Treason For Research

[talesofsymphoniac]

[lays on the ground thinking about blorbo]

[ivormybeloved]

Okay maybe i should do more rants about my MCSM AU ideas bc like. I have a LOT and then a month later I see someone mention an idea like it and I missed my chance 😭 so let's just clear up a few things

WARNING: some things may be triggering to some, so if you don't like mentions of kidnapping, death, religious themes, and a few other serious topics then these stories are not for you.

DELUSION [Main themes: Religious Trauma, corrupt society, coping mechanisms] — This will be the main AU I post for a while. It might be finished around late 2025/2026. The entire plot of that is this: Jesse is a pretty normal guy. He lives in a small town in the middle of nowhere, wishing for some adventure or something more. Each night he has weird dreams of familiar faces and his mother, Ivy. Ivy is not his biological mother and was forced to take care of jesse after his father, her twin brother, went missing. Jesse, accompanied by Reuben, one day finds a strange portal he's never seen before and falls into it. He finds himself in a strange and wacky world with no escape. Things will quickly turn into horror as he dives into the secrets of this world and even the people he feels close to. Every character in this story is an experiment that either has or is based on some sort of disorder/disability. Not all depictions may be accurate, but I'm planning on doing more research. The scientist and made all of these creatures is Ivor, The Creator. He's treated as a god and even sees himself as such. Our World's Delusions is not the official writing and is only hints at the future story + random ideas I have that I write out so that y'all can see them. The writing is on AO3 and my only fic I have written so far

THE GREATEST SHOW UNEARTHED [Main themes: Imagination, Greif, Kidnapping] — this au is, of course, based on the song (nicknamed FREAKSHOW AU) The current story at time of posting this is: Ivor takes his son, Jesse, to a carnival. They soon get wrapped up in the plans of the evil ringmaster (Romeo) who steals and manipulates children to join his circus. At day, it's a normal and fun circus. At night, it's a horrific, gorey freakshow filled with some unimaginable horrors. This is the first AU of mine where Ivor is (FOR ONCE) a good dad (not counting me and Br0ken's rewrite AU. That one takes 2nd place)

TOYMAKER [Main themes: Death, Paranoia, Greif, Loss, Drug use] — This AU doesn't have much story currently!

FEARS/PHOBIA [Main theme: Suicide, getting over fears, Mental health] — This AU is mainly just major death. In this AU, each of the characters represent a phobia that Jesse has. Jesse starts killing all of them, trying to free himself from paranoia. Along the way, he gets tired of it. He tries to befriend some fears but soon kills them still. After becoming fearless and killing Romeo (the fear of death) he takes his own life.

FUGITIVE AU — this was a ship AU I had made because I was sad there was barely any Jailbirds (Reginald x Milo) content. The main idea: Milo would steal items and basically commit various crimes for Build Club. He'd get arrested sometimes, but was let go as no one had any evidence that it was actually him who committed the crime. When in jail, he'd talk to Reginald quite a bit and they seemed to get along. Isa, however, was tired of these constant crimes and the fugitive going unpunished, so she ordered Reginald to do whatever he could to capture them. Once Reginald successfully captured Milo, Isa sentanced the criminal to death by void. Reginald tries to protest, claiming that the punishment is much too harsh, but Isa doesn't listen and instead orders the guards to arrest Reginald with charge of treason. Reginald and Milo end up falling off of the island together mid-battle and fall to the island. Reginald wants to find a way back up and talk some sense into Isa, but Milo is completely ECSTATIC and only agrees to find a way back up when Milo remembers Build Club

ALIEN AU — random PolyOrder AU I thought of because of a narrative writing prompt at school 😭. The Old Order are pretty much just are aliens from a planet that is mainly just The End. They crash on Earth and the only person who doesn't like the new world is Soren. They decide to stay on the planet and study the world. They meet a human (Gabriel) and he helps them learn more about the world

BIOME AU — one-off idea I had. Each of the characters are celestial beings (or gods/admins) that rule over specific biomes. There's sections of the world for them to have these biomes and their followers/cults. A collab AU with @thegreatnure!!

AXOLOTL AU — little AU where the Adventure Trio (after Jack is killed in season 2) are revived as axolotl's and are found by Ivor after the Older Order breaks up. It's a small AU idea I had to while talking to @/thegreatnure

HIGH SCHOOL AU — collab au with @/br0ken-camera! It's exactly what it sounds like. There's not much story to this other than little headcanons that I'll post about sometimes

I will update when I make another AU or change something. Other than that, have a good day!!

TRAILS AU — This is an AU I thought of a while ago. The story follows Jes and Jessi, Player One and Player Two. They explore a puzzle filled game and interact with the different residents of the world. They find out what happened to the game and why development had ended. A virus had intruded the game and then the characters started acting odd, that was what they were told.

WHITE PUMPKIN IVOR — so. third AU I've ever worked on. It's pretty much what it sounds like and I might rewrite it sometime in the future.

[notedchampagne]

Is now the right time to ask even though it was a while ago about the Pyrrhawake pirate au you did😭I still think about it the designs were soooo good

teehee id gladly speak about it! a lot of these are cooypasted from discord so its a little disorganized but anyway

btw this au is now called nonapelagic zone. "The pelagic zone includes all ocean waters away from shores. The term pelagic is derived from the Greek word pelagos, meaning "open sea."" and they have nine seas now just because

in this au necromancy is a thing. harrowhark has a literal skeleton crew and gideons onboard it as a sort of prisoner as well

before gideon was with harrow she was raised by john like his little princess. she does rapier and normal swords because she needs the enrichment but god shes so depressed. one day she grabs some of johns money and tries to get one of his boats to ride around on. maybe to never come back in maybe to die in she doesnt care. then harrow ransacks her. kiris held hostage and made to swab the decks because she might be the prince BUT. shes not staying on that boat doing nothing

harrow has a davy jones type thing going on with alecto, who is kept in a well in brackish water underneath johns castle. harrows been looking for alecto for years

the other ship groups on here are pyrrhawake (broken up bc wakes in prison), the rest of boe (riding with pal and cam because theyre on their own atlantic type adventure to go to islands and log research), and the tridentarii (they are rich and have a silly yacht)

boe is a group of smaller ships with the hopers, wakers etc and they all have an "alliance" but only out of mutual distaste. all the houses are Lands but ninth was a little shitty island so after the death of harrows parents she took her loyal ones and made a ship

wake stole one of johns ships and ransacked him a few times before. she also sinks his other ships for the hell of it until she got captured and is behind bars. pyrrhas been trying to get her back

pyrrhas ship temporarily took over harrows and thats when pyr bonded with gideon, then returned her to john so that she could sneak in and release wake. a beautiful reunion + betrayal combo

some years later kiri runs away AGAIN. shes really truly so desperate bc johns trying to set her up for marriage to the third to see if itll make her normal. shes on the boats shes about to go off but then she sees a boat explode. and then another. hi wake. you picked a bad time to try and leave gideon. her revenge era where shes really intent on racking up bodies

gideon gets onto wakes ship, realizes shes her mom and that shes crazy, takes her leave and dips before she gets killed. she finds harrow in a cave with a little tattered sailboat still searching for alecto

harrow: aww. did the prince try to kill herself again

gideon: yes

harrow: say it

gideon: i dont WANT to go on your stupid ship

harrow: i will cut your blood on the tide pools and watch the sharks cut you holes

gideon: SHUT UP!!! just give me the fucking mop and a sword ok

after a few more brief adventurings w the sixth and second (john sent them to find kiriona) they go back to johns castle and harrow tries to rescue alecto, chained to the bottom of a well

you have to do cpr on alecto to wake her up harrow keeps trying to swim down there but ooooh. its so deep. shes trapped shes asleep harrow has to hold her breath and breathe it into her and then come back up alive. its tough

gideon comes in now because its been 2 hours and harrows not back and she finds alecto out and harrow half dead. harrow breathes life into alecto gideon does cpr on harrow ok. ok. its the rituals

meanwhile the sixth have been speedrunning treason in the bg like a fun cameo. theyve been imprisoned too and they helped griddlehark break out

johns mad at them i think this is about as far as it goes. alectos free YAY

there was a previous sidequest where the fourth are baby sailors trying to capture gh and they had to fucking return them back to land where theyre allied w the fifth laaaame

[wowzah2nd]

The Joys Of Marriage

Loki x Reader

wordcount: 1.5k

In a realm where Alfheim and Asgard have been embroiled in a centuries-long war without knowing its cause, Princess Y/N L/N of Alfheim lives neglected and despised by her father, King F/N L/N. Despite being the eldest, her younger siblings receive affection while she is marginalized within the palace. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her father informs her of an arranged marriage to Loki Odinson, what will this marriage hold for the princess and prince?

For some reason, Alfheim and Asgard had been at war with one another for centuries to the point that the two current rulers, F/N L/N and Odin Borson had no idea what the fight was about. You could most definitely research what was the reason but you couldn’t be bothered. Why bother to help your father who barely cared for your existence?

In all honesty, you had no idea why your father hated you. He loved your sister, the youngest one Alara. She was elegant, sweet as can be at least to others. she saw you as lesser than her, then there was your brother Cohnal he was the middle child. He was always berating you saying “ how could you possibly be my sister”. Even though you were the eldest he was to be next in line for the throne which saddened you since it was supposed to be you to be heir to the throne.  Father had spoken to you when you were young about how you'd be an amazing ruler then one day just before your mother had passed that changed. You never knew why.   

The Day your mother died was the saddest day for you it felt like you whole world crumbled you of course attend the funeral and so did you father but he looked like he didn’t even want to be there. Soon after the funeral your father remarried and got her pregnant. She also hated you. 

 Over the years you've learned to accept and ignore their attitude towards you and accepted it. To help avoid any more conflict you were moved to the other side of the palace. At some point, people started calling you the forgotten princess and honestly, you wish they did so maybe you could run away and live somewhere more peaceful. But for some reason your father kept you around but you never knew why till today.

Today was the day the Alfheim and Asgard would create a peace treaty and  the meeting was to held in Alfheim. And for the first time in thousands of years your father visited you personally in your chambers.

you were reading next to the Window to better see your book but also because you occasionally liked to look up from your book to look at the view. That was one of the only things great about you being moved to the other part of the palace you had a beautiful view of your private garden. But your reading was disturbed by a knock at the door.

Man: May I come in 

Y/N: Enter 

as you watched the door open you were surprised to see it was your father. You quickly stood up as a sign of respect, even though you hated him for the years of neglect you rather not get banished or killed for treason.

Y/N: What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today father 

You could see on his face that he didn't wanna see you or even talk to you but you had a feeling that it there was a reason for it

F/N: You will attend today's peace treaty and attend the meeting 

Y/N: Why do I need to attend you've never needed or wanted me to attend any sort of event why now

he gave you a stern look that told you to shut up 

F/N: You watch your tongue child, or else...

Y/N: Yes father 

you were always scared when he got like this, but you really hated the fact that for thousands of years you never attend ball, public appearances or even family dinners but now he needed you it pissed you off

F/N: you need to attend because you have been arranged to marry one of the princes of asgard. More specifically loki odinson.

you started at him in shock you were arranged married with out your consent or even knowleged. you were just abotu to blow uo at his face till you calmed down and thought for a second. This was your chnce to leave this wreched palce to live a life away from a family the hated and dispiseed you. Even though you knew there could be a possiblity that you husband to be would hate you it couldnt be any worse then living with these people

Y/N: Very well i shall attend

your father looked at you surprised he was probably expecting you to kick and scream that you won't get married. This was easier than he thought.

F/N: ill see you this afternoon at the peace treaty signing 

After he had left you room you collapsed back into th chair you were sitting in and gave out a long sigh, this may be your only chance to leave this palace so you were a little excited for something knew.

Later that afternoon

Your personal maid had helped you to get dressed and then had lead you into the meeting room. Once there she left you to enter on your own. Before going in you took a long deep breath then knocked

F/N: Enter 

Even though no one had seen you in thousands of years people knew by the clothing as well as the tiara you wore that you were clearly one of the princess on this kingdom and rose as a sign respect.

Y/N: please no need to stand on my account please be seated 

Everybody listened and sat back down, you made you way to your father side there was no seat for you so you stood next to him as he spoke.

F/N:Today we sign this treaty as a sign that the war is over and that by signing it we agree that war between our kingdom is forbbidon and that if any of the rules in the treaty is broke then war shal resume.  Are we all in agreement

Everyone: YES!!

As your father signed the treaty he gave it to one of the knights in the room, where he took it from your father and walked to the other side of the table giving it to the man who you've seen in illustration in books as Odin. The knight placed the treaty in front of him and once placed it was signed then given to someone who you assumed was a notary from both your kingdom and theirs to verify the signing and announce the treaty has been officially signed and to inform both kingdoms.

The room erupted in cheer since an era of peace for both kingdoms was to start and that war would be no longer. Then you father stood up from his seat to announce something as well. You knew what was coming and gave a solemn look knowing that he only needed you for this and nothing more, you were nothing but a tool to the man.

F/N: And to further the peace between kingdoms my daughter Y/N L/N princess of the Alfheim kingdom is to marry Loki Odinson prince of Asgard to solidify the two kingdoms' union.

Odin gestured for his son to rise and for the first time you saw him and made eye contact with him he was beautiful and you felt bad for him having to marry someone like you. You felt as if something was wrong with you since not even your own family wanted you and now you were gonna be given to someone else. Odin told everyone in the room to leave besides yourself and lok saying “ let's allow the betrothed acquaint themselves with one another”. Everyone left but you and loki you knew he didn’t wanna be married off but seemed like he was doing this for a reason so before he could speak you spoke first.

Y/N: I’m sorry you have to marry  me. I can kinda tell this isn’t want you wanted and think that you had to do this cause of you father. Ill tell you this now i was too so i know how you feel.

He looked at me surprised most likely thinking i knew of this arranged meant and that it was him forced 

Loki: well im glad im not alone in this then 

You point to a seat and he made his way to the chair and sat down and you sat down next to him. Even though you had heard storieso of the prince he was different in person it seemed like he had changed in a way even though you didn’t know him personally but he wasn’t what the stories made him to be. 

Y/N: ill make you a deal my prince. If you promise to marry me and take me away from this place ill make you life a bit more interesting and make this life long sentence of marriage easier for us 

He looked at me shocked he didn’t think i was going to be so forward or even confident

Loki: oh really now and how would you do that…my princess 

You gave him a genuine smile seeing as he entertained your question you knew he’d marry you 

Y/N: well my prince i promise to fill you life with both mischief and joy 

At that he was silent the mischief part he loved but he never had anyone promise him joy all his life he was ignore by his father and lived in the shadows of his brother. This could be a somewhat enjoyable marriage

------------------------------------------------------------------------------Should i continue the story????

[yanderes-galore]

yandere concept for Phineas from the outerworlds?

Sure! Sorry this took so long. Special thanks to 🐋Anon for taking time out of their day to research this character for me. I couldn't do this without them and some other Anons so I hope it's worth the wait :) Once I got the character research I felt I had to write this immediately!

Yandere! Phineas Vernon Welles Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, PTSD mention, Paranoia, Manipulation, Guilt Tripping, Isolation, Mentions of death/murder, Human experimentation if you squint, Stalking mention, Thoughts of kidnapping, Dubious companionship/relationship.

Those who have played the game will know Phineas is a wanted man (not in the good way).

He hates The Board and wants to help the colonists said Board abandoned.

The issue is... this is seen as treason.

Which makes Phineas a criminal who has to stay in hiding.

Phineas has the highest chance to be yandere for the main character of the game, in this case that would be you.

You're the one successful colonist/experiment he's managed to revive without experiencing explosive cell death.

He has gone through so many others... honestly, that's probably gotten to his head.

Phineas is rather desensitized to death/murder, or at least he seems to be.

After all, there's the past experiments and he's been considered a murderer by The Board anyways.

Phineas can not trust many, in fact you're probably the only one he trusts due to him reviving you.

The same may go for you at first until you encounter members to add to your crew, which he is admittedly a bit... iffy on.

I'm going to take into account what 🐋Anon said, Phineas does seem like a subtle/manipulative yandere.

He wants to be the only one you can trust, even when you have companions, he makes you reconsider your trust in them.

After all... they may seem loyal, but maybe one of them is a spy?

You should put most of your trust in Phineas.

He's the one who revived you after all.

Phineas is primarily in his lab, you don't see him too often but he always manages to make you come back to him.

Phineas is subtle due to his actions, he quietly observes your progress and always gives you tasks to do just to keep coming back to him.

You're both in danger just about all the time, so he often gets worried about his obsession.

Phineas needs you for getting chemicals and others supplies, but he'd be lying if he didn't think of just locking you in his lab at times.

He knows he shouldn't, he's sort of lucid in his actions.

Although there's a nagging voice in the back of his mind wondering if this is even worth it?

He's attached to you.

He honestly doesn't care who has to die as long as it's not you or him.

Phineas could work platonic or romantic.

His overall yandere behavior is an overwhelming care towards you, his intentions just determines what kind.

Strangely Phineas always seems to know what you're doing, well... strange to you.

In reality Phineas is indeed watching you and taking notes whenever he can.

There may be times he wants to "check your vitals for long term effects".

These check ups are just excuses to get closer to you.

He likes to check you over for your health, sure, but he also just appreciates your health.

As I said before, he doesn't have much company.

You can just assume Phineas is touch-starved at least a little bit.

He wants some form of comfort, he isn't going to let The Board steal you from him.

Anxiety no doubt eats away at him as he wait for you to visit.

The only think he hopes those companions of yours will do is protect you.

He'll trust them that much.

Phineas snapping and locking you up is low... he knows he still needs you... but once he gets what he needs he may do such a thing.

Once he manages to have another successful experiment, he can do whatever he wishes with you.

He could have another colonist gather supplies, and he could keep you.

The thought is tempting... he tries to ignore it at first, yet it keeps creeping into his mind.

You won't notice there's anything wrong with him for awhile, he's just that subtle.

Although, the moment you trust him... and he asks you to come into his lab for another check in...

He'll lock the doors...

He'll keep you with him for company, all safe and locked away as he hides from The Board... he may be in denial at times but he really can't let you go it seems.

[minniethemoocherda]

Iridescent: Chapter 5

Summary: When Jazz is promoted to Head of Special Operations, the last thing he expected was to have to work with a face from his past.

A/N: So yeah sorry this might end up more of a slow burn then I initially intended... Xxxxxx

Ao3

FF.net

Prowl had spent most of his allotted sleep time re-reading the autobot code to see if there was a way to legally remove Jazz from his position.

Unfortunately short of treason, there was no way to remove a head of command without input from the others and as they were fighting to uphold democracy, Prowl had to concede to the votes of his peers, even if he disagreed with them.

Ultimately all his late night research had resulted in was a four hour recharge cycle. Which was even less than the six hours he usually allotted for himself which he had previously calculated to be the minimum amount of sleep needed so that he could ensure that he was using as much time as possible to attend to his duties. And now his functionality was below optimum usage which in turn had increased his stress levels, as his battle computer helpfully informed him.

Despite the late night, he was still able to arrive fifteen minutes early to the fortnightly command meeting.

For once he was not the first person there, as sitting in what was usually his chair with their pedes up on the oval table was the source of all Prowl’s current problems.

“Good morning Commander!” Jazz cried with a wave. 

Prowl didn’t have the patience hold back a cringe at the loud audio volume.

“That is my seat.” He told him.

“Sorry mech, didn't know we had assigned seating.” Jazz said, although Prowl’s processor was willing to bet that it was no coincidence that the spy had chosen that seat, if the times he had previously happened to coincidently be busking outside his old station whenever he was on duty were anything to go by. Which they were.

"Here ya are." Jazz said, graciously getting off the chair and offering it to him with a bow.

Prowl had learnt more than he would have cared to know about pranks from the twins to fall for that.

“Whilst do not have assigned seating, normally I would sit there. However, today I have decided to sit here instead.” Prowl said, pointed sitting in the chair next to him.

If Jazz had been about to protest, it was cut off as the rest of high command started to arrive. The spy quickly started up a conversation with Ironhide and within a minute, the gruff old veteran was laughing along with whatever tales Jazz was spinning like they were old friends.

Prowl watched as Red Alert skittered around the pair and scanned their usual seat for explosives before sitting down, one optic trained on Jazz. Prowl was glad that at least not all of high command had fallen for his charm.

Thankfully it wasn’t long before Optimus arrived by which point everyone had settled down.

Optimus blinked when his optics landed on Prowl. Prowl felt a twinge of guilt as he just released that he was sat where the Prime would often sit, even though he knew that Optimus would not be upset by it.

Instead Optimus' optics moved from Jazz to Prowl. For some reason that his processor, hadn't quite worked out the meaning of yet, Optimus was wearing a similar tired look to when Bumblebee had decided to pick a fight with some of the older mechs for no reason.

For the most part the meeting carried on as normal. It was their monthly briefing with the rest of command at the MacCadam's base so Elita-One, Ultra Magnus and Chromia joined them via holo-call. Prowl's mood was not improved by Chromia and Ironhide spending most of the meeting blatantly flirting even though he should have expected it by now.

By the end of it, not much had changed and nothing new had been learnt. Megatron was still a threat and Elita-One didn't have anything new to report. The only thing that had changed was the pain behind Prowl's processor which had gotten even worse.

He headed straight for his office when the meeting was over, not wanting to indulge in pointless small talk that he knew the others, especially Jazz would try to force him into.

However, when he got there, he found a package waiting on his desk. Once again, having learnt from previous experiences with the twins, Prowl was not going to entertain the idea of opening that.

He also made a mental reminder to book a meeting with Red-Alert to re-evaluate his office security as he put the package in his draw to be tested by Wheeljack later.

Prowl had barely opened the morning reports when there was a knock on his door. He had no meetings scheduled and if it was an emergency then someone would’ve hailed him over his internal comms by now.

His processor ache worsened tenfold when he opened the door to find Jazz standing behind it.

“Hey Prowler did you like your present?”

“I haven’t opened it.” Prowl stated.

“Saving it for a reward for when you finish all your paperwork eh?"

Prowl had no plans on ever opening that present but he did not mention that as Jazz continued.

“Anyway, I was just passing by on my way to the rec for mid-day rations if you wanted to join me?”

Prowl knew that his office was not on the way back from the rec room as he deliberately selected it to be as far away as possible. But again, he decided not to mention that.

“Sideswipe brings me my rations as part of his current punishment detail.” Prowl also didn't mention that by the time the Lamborghini was done chatting the audio receptors off everyone, it was usually half spilled and lukewarm but it was preferable to being in the rec room where the constant bombardment of noise irritated his battle computer and nobody wanted him there anyway.

"No worries! Maybe some other time then?"

"Maybe." Prowl replied, shutting the door before he could be roped into agreeing to a specific time.

Frustrated Prowl tried to finish his reports, but thanks his processor ache he kept falling further and further behind schedule. Until there was another knock at his door.

As Sideswipe was not due for another hour, Prowl ignored the request for entry, his processor having already provided a 87% chance of who was most likely at his door and carried on with his reports.

A few moments later, despite being locked, the door beeped open.

Prowl startled as the black and white form of Jazz strolled into the room.

“So I thought, I would save Sideswipe the trouble of getting your rations. Plus I added something a little special.” Jazz said, winking at the unnaturally purple liquid that had been adorned with decorative rust flakes.

“I do not drink high-grade during office hours.” The and neither should you went unsaid. Besides, the texture of sprinkles irritated his intake port.

"Your loss Babe." Jazz shrugged.

“Babe?!" Prowl exclaimed incredulously.

“Yeah mech, everyone is either a bot or a babe and you tall, pale and serious are definitely a babe.”

Prowl bristled as Jazz’s optics roamed his plating.

"If you drink that in front of me, I'll report you." Prowl stated, having to hold himself back from flipping his table out of the way and shoving the spy out himself.

Jazz took the hint, sauntering back out, raising the glass to his lips just as the door closed.

Prowl commed Red-Alert an order for new security codes.

Sideswipe came and went with his mid-day and evening rations and Prowl finally felt his fuel pressure return to near acceptable levels as he worked through his meal breaks to catch up.

Then there was a beep at his door as despite having got new codes, it slid open.

Prowl's fault pressure skyrocketed as Jazz once again waltzed in, this time with an electro-bass in his hands.

“Aww you just missed one pit of an impromptu party!" Jazz cried. "And since you missed our little shindig in the rec, I thought we could have our own private party here instead!”

Jazz had barely started strumming when Prowl marched out from behind his desk. Yanking the instrument from his hands.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Prowl yelled, throwing the base across the room.

A flash of emotion slashed across Jazz; faceplate as it crashed into the wall. It was too fast for Prowl’s processor to recognise it, but if he hadn't been designed to look for the details that most bots missed, he probably would not have seen it at all.

Prowl watched Jazz approached the electro-base. The spy knelt beside it, cradling the instrument in his arms like a wounded animal. With his head bowed, his expression was hidden from Prowl's view.

Prowl didn't know much about instruments but to him it looked as though one of the strings had broken. But what he did know was that on their barren wasteland of a planet the probability of them finding a replacement was near to zero.

Before Prowl could even think about what to say, Jazz left without even looking him in the eye.

Feeling himself slip into autopilot, unsure what else to do, Prowl returned to his paperwork, failing to force his brain to focus on his work in an attempt to not analyse the impending guilt.

[yallemagne]

Hmm Mina studying criminology independent of any usefulness to Jonathan (she kept up with his studies on property law instead, and like you said he's a solicitor), kind of reminds me... Jonathan also has no use for ghost stories. Mina though spends paragraphs talking about every spooky legend about her vacation spot. Not every young person researches about girl ghosts in ruins, and invisible mourning bells for their seaside summer break. (Now I also recall she reads an old poem about a buried girl while there? Marmion?). Further, she pokes old men there to tell her more about those. (And gets "oh don't be scared it's all fake! not for young girls like you!" but she keeps pestering). When Mr Swales told her that she and Lucy sit upon a suicide grave, Lucy jumped, disturbed (but resolved to remain there anyway because she likes the seat), while Mina didn't.

Also, she talks of the Vikings sacking a town there during a specific invasion, and this tracks her knowledge about Dracula's historical battles... though I can't decide if the latter is a newer research. But it does show she has an interest in old wars.

So, I feel that maybe she has an affinity for darker subjects in general, both legendary and real life?

um that got long but your post gave me food for thought sorry

Don't be sorry for the long ask. Do you know how long I've been waiting for people to come into my inbox? I have been starved.

Jonathan has no use for ghost stories, but we do see him express curiosity about the local folklore on his trip... too bad no one wanted to talk much about it. Mina's interest in ghost stories is definitely a mix of an affinity for the macabre and her desire to be a lady journalist. She knows Whitby has a lot of rich folklore, so she reasons that the most obvious subject to tackle in her interviews is that.

Marmion! So, I will have to read this poem. I just read the summary so far. Lord Marmion was lusting after this woman, Clara, so in order to gain access to her, he and his nun mistress, Constance, framed her fiancé, Ralph, for treason. Constance hoped playing wing woman would get Marmion to like her more, but he ditched her once Clara joined a convent to escape him, and Constance was walled up for breaking her vows. She got the last laugh when she revealed Marmion's deceit, and Marmion died in battle. It's such delicious drama. I'm sure you could project Dracula onto this poem the same way you can with the Ballad of Lenore (*cough cough* Jonathan is Clara, Mina is Ralph, Constance is Renfield, Marmion is Dracula-- *gets shot*).

Sorry for that aside lol. Mina only briefly mentions it: "Right over the town is the ruin of Whitby Abbey, which was sacked by the Danes, and which is the scene of part of "Marmion," where the girl was built up in the wall.", and I'm like "honey tell us the whole story, would ya?"

Her knowledge of Dracula's military conquests comes from Jonathan's journal, where he interviewed Dracula about his family lineage. That is supplemented with Van Helsing's research done with the help of his friend Arminius. That was not really a personal interest thing, it was homework for killing Dracula.

But once again! Student of life. I don't know if I'd say she believed in any of the ghost stories before (hence her not being worried about the unconsecrated grave of the suicide victim, but Lucy, who is more sensitive, jumping from the seat), but she certainly has an interest in them for how they shape the world around her. She doesn't care for Mr. Swales trying to assure her that none of it is true because she isn't inquiring about the ghosts out of apprehension, she's asking because spooky legends are a part of history! They shape the cultures they are born from and inform the attitudes of the people who come from those cultures.

little bit of spoilers, read November 1:

Later on, we see that she doesn't seem very interested in Eastern European folklore. Now... a lot was going on at the time, but she does rather patronizingly call the locals superstitious. That could just be denial talking. The landscapes? Lovely. The people? Quaint. Their beliefs? Ohhhh, they're soooo irrational, psh. They acted like I was becoming a vampire right in front of them.

She's intrigued by English folklore and history, but she turns up her nose a bit when it comes to the mythology of other places... to be expected from a Victorian, but sad.

[heartfeltletters-written]

The whole outpost acted as if he would commit treason before their bare eyes as if he wasn’t smarter than that.

I am not Xaden and not even alive in that world even i took huge offense. He is Fen Riorson's son for God's sake he won't go big until yall are on his last nerve 🤣🤣

He doubted she’d be on good speaking terms with him, but their farewell had been pleasant enough that he was confident they wouldn't be fighting at least. Either way it didn’t matter, her company was far more enjoyable than anyone’s in Samara. Even if she would be screaming at him or if he could only watch her from far away, that would be enough — for now.

These little things matter so much to me. They give me faith that Xaden actually wants Violet. I know his ways to show that he cares are twisted and that he is not an open book, but this gives me so much of comfort!

“If they have to spy at least they could do a good job, but you found the forge just fine. They’re all incompetent.” she had said to him the day before.

I love her already 💀💀

He missed her.

MY BABY (I know he is not a baby. This is just an expression don't take it seriously 💀💀)

The Colonel waved a hand, “Tell her we need her services, the security of the borders is more important than her mate bond.” he said as if he had any knowledge on dragon’s mating bonds.

Dear Colonel,

I'll skin you alive and boil the shredded pieces of your skin in front of you. Then I will slowly dislocate your bones and then feed you to SGAEYL.

Thank you!

If they wanted they would punish him for any little thing he did and he wouldn’t test fate when he was about to fly to Violet.

I wish they drive their spears and daggers up their asses.

She would never hear complaints from him in that regard, not if it meant more time with Violet.

Every single sentence has Violet in it 😭😭 No one talk to me I'm crying 😭😭

He probably realized that between Sgaeyl and him, the creature that spits fire would win.

How arrogant can humans be 😭😭

You are not even the size of her toothpick for God's sake.

Xaden could almost smell the fear off of him, he had wanted to hurt Xaden

Lay a hand on him and then dont complain about what happens. You would be fortunate if Sgaeyl is the one who gets to you and not Violet.

“Lieutenant Riorsson you should learn to control your dragon” The Colonel puts as much poison as he can in his voice, which isn’t a lot given he’s still recovering from Sgaeyl.

He is Sgaeyl's rider you insufferable assholes

“May this land curse all of you, when the time comes where you’ll call for help she will swallow you all and not even your precious wards will save you.” And then she burned.

I wish we explore more of the marked ones and Violet's childhood. I'm a simp for baby mmc and fmc I'm sorry 😭💀

“Riorson…” he heard Alanara say, but he didn’t catch the rest of her sentence, for Sgaeyl was already in the air.

I love her. Alanara should become the future Colonel. Babe, I'm rooting for you.

She had dedicated her whole life to the studies, during her whole life she had been researching for the truth, to then, in the end, find out that all that Navarre had done was plant lies in her research. Navarre had betrayed her.

Just like they had betrayed countless other women and men alike. After all of it is revealed, there is nothing left for the leadership to be prideful about. They should be ashamed of themselves.

He can do that with everyone else, Alanara doesn’t deserve to know any of his feelings on the burning of Aretia, but Violet does. He has to offer something real when she asks, not mere fragments. However, that’s easier said than done.

I know you can do this Xaden 💪

He’d rather take no breaks and get his shift done so he’d be able fly at the earliest he possibly could, but Sgaeyl makes him eat, seeing as he had only eaten lunch, and it was currently past five am.

Mama Sgaeyl to the rescue

Xaden widened his eyes, “What do you mean he fought with Violet?”

*takes out popcorn*

Yes, now, where were we?

She was looking at him attentively, waiting for an answer, her eyes defiant almost waiting for him to either lie or avoid an honest answer.

She is so used to him lying or deflecting omg 😭

He was both bewildered and amazed by her, “You’re the person who has the most faith in me.”

Ofc she does she is your future wifey. I don't know how ans I don't care. Sort your shit out please.

He could see a faint blush on her cheeks, his chest filled with pride for making her react that way. He had done something right, maybe they were getting closer to her forgiving him.

AWWWW MY HEART

Finally Violet seemed to calm down as she took a gulp of fresh air and he could see her slowly stop trembling. “You’re fine.” he whispered.

MY BABIES THEY DESERVE SO MUCH LOVE

“I just can’t believe this happened. I can’t believe I lost my marbles in front of you of all people.” He did his best to not to take it as an offense, she was hurt and overwhelmed. She was probably embarrassed about the whole ordeal. Still, it stung.

She was embarrassed right? Nothing else right? 😭😭

He hummed, they would revisit this conversation sooner or later, he’d make sure of it, “I have a birthday present for you”

SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

“I don’t think you’re mad enough that you’d throw them away.”

*pouts* she would never

“You just flew nine-hours straight, you need to rest.” she protested and her care for him warmed his heart. He had to be doing something right if she still worried for him.

SHE QOULD ALWAYS WORRY SHE LOVES YOU ❤️ 💖

“She’s using you” Bodhi said, his tone clipped.

. . . Why must you do this asshat?

This story is awesome author you're serving 😍 👏 👌

Keep up the good work 👏 🙌

first of all i’m sorry it took so long to answer i had a very busy weekend.

thank you sooo much for your comment and for your continuous support !!

i’m trying really hard to show that xaden is putting in the WORK when it comes to getting violet back even if he doesn’t have a clue on what he’s doing.

writing the colonel was a struggle bc i wanted to punch him half of the time lmao also Sgaeyl wants to eat him so bad

xaden is so whipped for violet he wakes up and his first thought is violet

i loooove doing background for characters which is what i’ll always try to do !! let’s give them depth !!

Alanara is so real bc she’s like “i’m too old to be dealing with petty fights packs this up by five thank you”

and yes violet was just very embarrassed by the whole ordeal, she has this mentality that she has to be strong and show no emotions. that’s what her mother and sister always taught her. and she’s especially more embarrassed bc xaden is not honest with her and there she goes placing herself in a very vulnerable position

we’ll deal with bodhi next chapter don’t worry !!

[fellshot]

I have many thoughts about and related to S3E7 of the Mandolorian. This will probably be more speculative and spoilery than previous episode musings but it is what it is.

The plot seems to have gotten that second cup of coffee finally. I still maintain that the first episode of this season was completely useless and that the third episode was misplaced at best. Bo Katan is doing a speed run of the last time we saw a whole story arc with the Dark Saber (ie Rebels with Sabine). I wonder if Filoni can differentiate any of the characters who are not Ashoka outside of their allegiances sometimes, because there’s a lot of rhyming between series that’s coming up and crossing the border with straight up repetition. At least I don’t hate the characters and while their motives are a little repetitive with previous storylines, Din and Bo Katan’s motives do make sense for them (unlike Ashoka, who doesn’t seem to have one of her own at all).

Grogu fans will be happy to know that he now has a mech suit with “yes” and “no” communication aids and that he is happy to use them. The mech is made out of IG-11 from the first season and I for one would think it pretty ghoulish to be using the remains of a character that everyone seems to see as a friend for this sort of thing. I know people taxidermy their deceased pets and there’s jewelry and objects d’art made with the ashes of loved ones, but this seems way beyond that.

And know for the villainous side of the story: Giancarlos Esposito is way too good of an actor for the series and it is fun watching him eat the scenery. I actively hope that Moff Gideon is the real puppet master for Ashoka because he’s a far better political bad guy than Thrawn (who is best as someone else’s second). Given how much of the clone research seems to fall under Gideon’s purview, how much of Heir to the Empire was centered around trying to clone Force adepts, and given how the general consensus seems to be that the Ashoka series will incorporate chunks of Heir to the Empire in it, Gideon as big bad for that series seems like a better fit than Thrawn. Since no one has seen any TIE Defenders (Thrawn’s canon pet imperial project), I’m going to hope for an imposter pulled up by Moff Gideon until it’s proven otherwise. Gideon smugly asking Captain Pellaeon where Thrawn is in the opening scenes of this episode might be foreshadowing or it could be nothing. But it was also pretty obvious that Pellaeon didn’t know where Thrawn is… but Gideon might.

Reactions to this and the Ashoka trailer seem to fall into a couple of camps. First, those who are raving about the Heir to the Empire trilogy seem to have bought in that this is the real Thrawn coming. They are super excited that one of the best villains in Star Wars is going to show up in live action. There’s excitement that Filoni is doing the thing. Some of these folks have perhaps bought into Filoni’s interpretation of “Thrawn as Moriarty.” But the only character that Filoni seems to care about is Ashoka and Ashoka’s major character problem is that she has no motives of her own and no impact on the Star Wars saga as a whole. That last seems to bother Filoni a lot since he shoehorns Ashoka into everything and she doesn’t really have a development arc of her own.

Second are those (like me) who are also familiar with all the other books where Thrawn appears (the 2017 trilogy, the Ascendacy trilogy, the Hand of Thrawn Trilogy, Outbound Flight) who understand that Thrawn couldn’t politic his way past a ten year old and that more importantly Thrawn knows he can’t politic his way past a ten year old, why the hell would he think of himself as “Heir to the Empire.” Zahn sees Thrawn as “Sherlock on the wrong side” and not Moriarty (this is best seen in Thrawn Alliances with the juxtaposition between him and Vader and furthered in Thrawn Treason). The reactions here have been generally less optimistic and more “uh oh.” Filoni doesn’t seem to do nuanced antagonists, but Zahn absolutely writes Thrawn as multifaceted and perhaps more importantly Zahn writes Thrawn with an understanding that he can absolutely change sides if given the right push and that Thrawn does learn from his mistakes. More significantly, Thrawn tries to fix them when they are brought to his attention (Eli Vanto’s long delayed promotion is a good example). I kind of doubt that’s going to be the case at all given the show runners.

I still want Ar’Alani to show up and kick all the Imperial ass though.

[james-vi-stan-blog]

wow. that’s so much information I’m definitely going to have to research on:) so what would be your hope on how the show portrays King James (and I guess George Villiers and their ‘relationship’) that doesn’t make him out to look entirely like a bad person? Including his disability too (I believe he had some sort of paranoia and a speech impediment/stutter?)

-✨

Keeping in mind that I truly lick the bottom of the barrel for ANY James content. I watched freakin' Anonymous for James.

I would like to see James as a human being. Yes, he has become this ridiculous being, and there are so many weird things about him, some seriously off-putting, but perhaps we can acknowledge that a human being born and raised into the extreme circumstances of his life would inevitably turn out like that.

Show him as a NERD, the greatest scholar to ever sit on the English throne. (And also show that his intellectual ego is overinflated, have him call himself "a Second Solomon" and everyone side-eyes him, show him as an overgrown gifted kid who only know how to talk at people, not to people.) Give him great witty quips. Show his friendliness and informality, a down-to-earth side that he unfortunately expresses in the worst way possible. Explore how his casualness, which we would probably receive positively in royals today, was seen as a failure after the era of tightly controlled artifice and ritual of Elizabeth. Show him as a man truly committed to peace and tolerance in a time period when those were dirty words.

And please, PLEASE show him as driven by love, not sex, not just because that would be more accurate but because that would make the story so much more interesting!!! It doesn't have to depicted sympathetically, or imply that love is a higher or more virtuous desire or something. I do not care about sorting characters into "good" and "bad" when we're talking real history and the horror of the Jacobean period.

I don't have high expectations or demands (as I said, I lick the bottom of the barrel and go "yum, James content") but even just a bit of some of these things would delight me.

As for disability... well... ableism tw?

James's purported disabilities all suffer from the problem of diagnosing people in the past. Different historians and doctors read history books or the notes of the court physician and go, "aha, see, he definitely had [insert my pet favorite condition here]!"

For example, there is all kinds of debate about James's supposed speech/swallowing issue. He was said to have a tongue too big for his mouth, to drop food/drink out of the sides of his mouth (uhh i do that irl), etc. But when you read reports that James's speech was incomprehensible... who's writing this report? Was it an English courtier angry that James arrived in England surrounded by his most trusted Scottish courtiers? What if James just... had a Scottish accent??? Can't you very easily picture an Englishman calling a Scottish accent a tongue deformation? I mean, I am inclined to think James did have actual tongue issues because he complained about it to his physician, but every single comment that was written by James's contemporaries about his body came from some perspective, some agenda.

Probably, James did have some physically embodied difference that the people around him sensed. (And this physical difference came together with his sexual difference, personality difference, etc., to create someone who stood out as "queer" to those around him.) But, specifically naming that difference, pinning it to some diagnosis, is a political act now as it was then. Every depiction must do it (Gunpowder, Treason, & Plot (2004), a super weird homophobic and ableist depiction, gave him partial paralysis; Gunpowder (2017) gave him a peculiar walk, etc.) but the way they choose to depict it and why will have implications.

Here's what I fear.

We're already seeing people lining up to defend poor widdle George Villiers (GEORGE VILLIERS! George Villiers) because an "ugly" (???) old man is creeping on him. We see this really rigid, puritanical* sorting of characters into "good guys" and "bad guys" which for some reason lines up with beauty and how much the audience wants to see the actor naked. There's evidence that the show is going to lean into the depiction of James as slovenly and gross (banquet chaos, weird licking, his pants falling off). A depiction that, like I mentioned before, was solidified by centuries of historians who found James off-putting for a variety of reasons... among them, homosexuality and disability.

I would, in fact, love to see James depicted as disabled. (If it were me, I would show him with ataxia and probably ADHD.) And further, you know what I would love? For a character who is gross, physically different, weird, not to be depicted as evil because of those things.

It is, in fact, not evil to be merely weird and gross. And gross people are still capable of giving and receiving love.

But... how is it gonna be received by this audience if James is physically different? Slurring, falling over, wracked by digestive problems? In a visual medium, in a show that looks to be marketing itself on sex appeal and spectacle... In TV/film, where the siren call of "beauty equals goodness" is probably the strongest of any medium... when you mark a character as different, when you highlight and display that difference... how will that function in the story, what are you saying with it, and how is the audience going to receive it?

:\

That doesn't mean I don't think they should do it, I'm just... bracing myself.

*inside joke lol because James fuckin hated Puritans

[onceandfutureoshainspector]

Cat: Are you happy here? Li: You'd think being surrounded by cutting edge laboratory equipment and some of the greatest minds the world's ever known would be enough. Only problem is the lack of transparency. I don't think we get the full story on everything that occurs down here.

- oh? dish, girl, i'm all ears.

Li: What does that have to do with why we're talking? Cat: The Brotherhood needs your help, Doctor. Li: Needs my help? Why? They seemed to have everything under control when I left. Cat: Did you abandon any projects you wanted to complete? Li: You should know better than to ask me that. If they didn't tell you what I was working on, they didn't want you to know. I'm certainly not going to put my neck on the line and spread their dirty little secrets.

- rats! my powers of unbeatable charisma have failed me! i'd forgotten how frustrating that is!

Li: Why would I possibly want to come crawling back to the Brotherhood? What reason would I have to throw away everything I've accomplished here?

- "trust me"? greatest damn lawyer alive, and /that's/ the best i've got? nah, too easy.

Cat: I give up. What would it take to convince you? Li: All right, I'll play your game. I had a colleague down here… a Doctor Virgil.

- oh you've got to be kidding me.

Li: Several months ago, there was an accident in his lab, and he was killed.

- was he, now?

Li: I wanted to help with the investigation, but Father had the laboratory sealed, saying that it was contaminated. The incident never sat right with me. The more I asked about it, the more I felt like Father was deflecting my questions. If you bring me solid information on what killed him, I'll take it as a favor from the Brotherhood, and consider your offer. Do we have a deal?

- well, the good news is that good buddy Burce has recently been un-Banninged, so theoretically we could just go for a little field trip. i don't think she'll go for that, though, and getting Virgil back into this hellhole seems even less likely.

Cat: I know this may come as a shock, but Doctor Virgil is still alive. I met him myself.

- it just occurred to me to hope that we're not being listened to right now. whoops.

Li: Oh, please. Do you really think a cheap tactic like that is going to work on someone like me? Stop trying to avoid the legwork by lying. Either you get me the evidence or we have nothing else to talk about.

- well, it was worth a shot. plan b: this Holotape which i actually forgot i was carrying and am really glad i didn't accidentally leave in Sanctuary when i last cleaned out my inventory.

Cat: I already have something that might convince you. Li: How did you…?

- "yOu ShOuLd KnOw BeTtEr ThAn To AsK mE tHaT" :p

Li: Never mind, just let me see what you've got. Cat: Here you go.

Holotape: Virgil: I'm going to make sure the whole program is shut down. If not for good, then at least for years to come. After that… I know what I'm about to do will be seen as a betrayal. Treason, he'll probably call it. So… I'm leaving. I have a plan… and if it works, I'll be somewhere safe. Somewhere not even the Coursers can find me.

Li: They… lied to me. They lied to me, and I didn't even realise how far it went. All those years of loyalty… for nothing.

- good to have confirmation that Shaun is not to be fucking trusted, which i already knew. wait, did i say "good"?

Cat: No matter how badly it hurts, you needed to hear the truth.

- shut up ghost of DiMA past she asked me directly to investigate it's not the same thing shut up shut up

Li: And for that, I thank you. I came to the Institute to get away from the Brotherhood… from the whole world. I just wanted to do my research in peace. Father took me in and gave me access to cutting edge technology that I only dreamed existed. Li: I became jaded. I thought that the Institute cared. That they wanted to better mankind. Maybe, in their own twisted way, they still do. But now I realise if you can't trust the people you're working for, then it's all pointless. If they lied about Doctor Virgil, who knows what else they've been lying about… or what their plans are for my work.

- well said! now, have you ever heard of a group called the Railroad-

Li: I'll make my way back to the Brotherhood, but I'm going to have to do it on my own. I can't take any chances being seen with you.

- honestly, appreciated. i don't want to be ousted as an infiltrator yet, either.

Li: Tell whoever sent you that they've just regained the services of Doctor Madison Li.

- mission accomplished.

[isaacathom]

actually uyeah im bored im gonna run it down. what specific Thing does naielle have with (pretty much) every member of her family that has her fucking wracke with guilt or smth

At a very basic level, a context - naielle comes from an elf napoleonic france, with some specific details that the usual max lifespan is closer to 500, and that the emperor has no heir and is like. 450. i wrote it down somewhere. doesn't matter. So naielle, being exiled from elf france, very early on made the assumption that she could Wait Out the collapse of it. That the emperor would die in, yknow, 50 years, the power vacuum would be contested by every general and cousin and random former nobleman, and the country would be ripped apart, nullifying her exile by technicality. this established,

Saroel - Naielle's grandmother, 495.

Naielle loves her grandmother. She's this wise and cunning lady, who survived the turmoil of Bonaparte's rise to power by making deals and using the family's noble fortune to buy favour. Her husband died in the post-rise period, and Saroel didn't. She bought the life of her and her children when her husband was accused of treason. She's clever.

Naielle has her engagement ring, a gold band designed to snugly fit under a wedding ring, a piece of jewellery older than the empire itself. Naielle used it as a blueprint to craft a pair to it, and matching wedding rings, with which to propose to her girlfriend Xistina.

If Naielle waits out the empire's demise, she'll never see her grandmother again. Never be able to tell her she was right when she told Naielle to be careful about her historical research, or show her the now complete wedding ring. She'll never get to hug her one last time and be enveloped in a stiff embrace that smells of old pines and old times, like the oils of the paintings and brass of the sculptures that make up the universities museums, of the motar that keeps its bricks together.

Laucian - Naielle's father, 333

Naielle is a daddy's girl. She's her father's son, without question or ambiguity. She's got his square chin, his broad nose, his golden eyes, his curly hair (albeit lighter than his - her mother got lucky with that). She's got his passion for history and all that came before, for the nebulous space of was and may have been.

For Naielle's 100th birthday, Laucian gave her a red ribbon. He's not from a noble background, rising from the peasantry with a father in the military and a mother a nursemaid. He has no heirlooms to grant. But the red ribbon, Naielle thinks, is just as meaningful as the engagement ring, because it's a connection to that paternal grandmother, Shana. She was a hard worker, stern with her charges and utterly doting on her own children, sneaking small things from the noble houses she served to give them. She wore her hair in intricate braids, which she taught Laucian and his brother how to do, and she tied them, always, with red ribbon. It was her favourite colour, she'd say.

Shana died when Laucian was only 24. A child, in elf terms. He's worn a red ribbon ever since, 300 years, for longer than Shana was even alive, in her memory. And he hands this down to his daughter, who takes after him so strongly, and in whose smile he can undoubtedly see his mother's.

Naielle adores her father. She fears, down to the bone, that she has disappointed him. That in her exile she has perverted the passion they share for history, turned it into a reminder of the crushing weight of the empire. That she's ruined something.

She still wears the ribbon in honour of a woman she never met. She never learnt her braids.

Oriphira - Naielle's mother, 321

She didn't inherit any particular gift from her mother - Saroel's engagement ring was a joint gift, a blessing for such an item to skip a generation to find itself on Naielle's finger.

They haven't always been close. Oriphira inherited her own mother's preservative streak, an understanding that the family exists at a knife edge between imperial eradication and flourishing, and a single wrong move could damn them. She grew up in that tumultuous era. She would have watched her father die, or march to die, dragged from their home by imperial troops. She would have seen the pathetic graves for him and his brother, her beloved uncle, and known they should not lie there. That a family mauseleum lay open and expecting, and would recieve naught. That they were disgraced. That it was only Saroel's cunning which saved the life of her and her younger sibling.

Oriphira has seen her family's birthright, such that nobility can claim it, ripped from their grasping hands. She's clawed for every inch back. She's fought for the university Saroel used to buy their freedom. She's fought for the healers and medical practicioners to return to her town in the post-revolutionary period, as she watched her own child die of a preventable childhood infection, watched her sibling die of a stomach left to fester and rot without aid. She's seen the gods abandon that town, and she's filled that void.

She's a tough woman, and she is tough to love. Naielle does all the same. She may not have understood it then, the depths of the sacrifices her mother had made for them all, the agony she must have gone through with every child thereafter. The ingrained fear of heights, inherited in most of her children, after another fell from the roof.

But Naielle gets it now. Now that she fights in a war in a different land for its very existence, she finds that common ground. The two fight a war for their continued existence.

And Naielle imperilled it, didn't she? By raising imperial ire, a century after they last turned their baleful gaze Odelia-ward. By reminding that families like theirs, descendant from noble excess, can still be a threat.

She doesn't know what lengths her mother went to in order to keep them all safe after she left. She supposes the military service of her siblings may have shielded the family. But she knows her mother calculated the loss, and weighs that debt on Naielle's soul.

She wishes she could tell her she gets it, or thinks she does. That she understands the responsibility her mother is unjustly laden with. The blood on both their hands.

Aedelie - Naielle's older sister, 201

Naielle and Aedelie have almost a century in age between them, and its a very different dynamic than to any of their other siblings. Aedelie has to carry that torch, borne by Saroel and Oriphira, of being the responsible one. Being measured, and careful, and keeping everyone safe.

And Naielle always felt very safe. Her older sister was gentle and kind, a bulwark against anything that might hurt her. No monster under the bed would dare lay a finger on her when they knew Aedelie was never far, and even when Aedelie enlisted in the army she left her strength with them.

Aedelie's married, you know. She married a human man around 5 years ago, a fellow soldier in her cavalry unit. They have a little elf daughter, cherubic and giggly, just 2 years old with a wide toothy grin. Or so Naielle's been told.

If she waits out the collapse, she might never even meet her brother-in-law, a kind and soft-spoken man with a reflexes of an acrobat and hair like beach sand. She might never meet the man who makes her stern sister smile softly, with eyes that sparkle. A man whose duty, such that it is, is to protect Aedelie's life with his own.

Naielle is terrified for them both. War wages, and the Empire swings the proverbial club high overhead and demands blood, and her sister and brother-in-law must provide. None of them might see the two of them again. Forget the mortality of a human, anyone is mortal in the line of fire. And Naielle happens to know of a weapon, currently travelling by sea towards that firing line, and she fears what will happen when it goes off.

Quenaris - Naielle's older twin brother, 122

What can you say about a twin that isn't obvious? Peas in a pod, identical up until their mid 30s when he shot up like a stalk and left her a few inches shorter. The two know each other better than anyone else, Naielle is certain. She knew his adult name long before he told anyone, and he hers. She is him, and he is her, and they're two halves of a great whole.

Quenaris knew something was wrong, didn't he? That Naielle was lying when she said she had everything under control. That Naielle was hiding something, sparking like a fire in a cave, desperately being smothered. He saw the glitter in her eyes and knew it wasn't emotion that shone through, even if he couldn't identify the source.

She told him everything was fine. She didn't apologise for lying when it became clear it wasn't. That the situation had spiralled out of her control, that her warlock pact - a grave illegality as it stood - had shown her things she shouldn't see, and sent a beacon to the empire to observe.

He knew she lied. And she couldn't apologise, because to stay and do so would have seen her treason identified and laid bare before the Empire's vast apparatus. It would see her killed. She had to flee.

It ate her alive, it truly did. She didn't know how much he knew, how much he held against her.

She was lucky enough to see him, for only a few minutes. To hold him tight, as though by a hug they might be one and whole, and to cry, and tell him she was sorry. That he accepted her hug, and shed tears of his own, is enough for her.

It would still hurt if she never saw him again. Less, maybe, now that she knows he misses her too. Or more, to have given him a glimmer of hope that things might be normal in the future. She's scared of facing his ghost centuries from now.

Mariela - Naielle's younger sister, 110

Where do you even start?

These sisters have never been close. Each claims the other is irresponsible, too easily distracted, too something. There's always something wrong. Naielle isn't patriotic enough, Mariela is too patriotic. Naielle is too wrapped up in her books and shit that happened centuries ago, and Mariela is too concerned with her magic and the things that will happened soon, months and years in the future.

They're similar, and very different.

Naielle had no particular feeling towards her sister when she was forced to flee. To never see her again would hurt, but not as much as with others, a feeling tempered by the knowledge that Mariela would have some snide remark or another on her return. She lied to Mariela, but Mariela wouldn't care, would she? Naielle can't fathom the idea that Mariela cared either way, beyond that Naielle had embarrassed them.

Then Naielle came back, briefly, briefly, just to marry her fiance, and got roped into capturing Mariela.

What's Mariela been doing? Well, she'd taken what remained of Naielle's notes, on old histories and the magic so thusly entwined, and turned it into a weapon. A different weapon entirely, one worse than most others, and which Mariela saw simply as a tool. Naielle was a fool, she said, to focus on the historical implications of her research, and not to use its practical benefits. Look what lies in our grasp - the power to unravel reality!

Naielle was furious. She took Mariela as a prisoner of war.

And then her patron took her as a warlock.

It was not willing - Mariela made no deal, was offered no bargain she could stomach. Her will was superseded, Naielle's consent to the idea assumed, and her body made to channel magic it rejected.

Naielle did this. She did not know it would happen, had not even considered the possibility, wanted none of it. Mariela will probably never believe her.

It doesn't matter what Naielle thinks of Mariela's original ideas, her plans to turn utter destruction into a military tactic. It doesn't matter the differences of their personalities, that the two don't get along. Naielle did this. She forced this on her sister, intentionally or not, and she intends to make it right.

She expects she'll never right her initial mistake, the pact that brought her into exile in the first place. She fears she'll not right this. But it's in her power to do so, and whether Mariela wants her there or not, Naielle will fix it. Naielle would betray almost anyone to fix what she's done, burn most any bridge, because it almost isn't about Mariela anymore. It's a proxy for every mistake she's ever made, every harm she's brought, a way to try and make up for the life she ruined for herself by ever doing this.

If all goes well, Mariela will go home. Naielle can only hope she understands how much that means.

Yivien - Naielle's younger brother, 104

Probably the person for whom Naielle has the least consideration, a fact that would invariably infuriate the poor boy. The two have somewhat less in common than Naielle to Mariela, but do have one key thing - their academic focus. While Naielle is a historian, Yivien is an architect, and spent much of his youth fighting for their father's attention, to little success. Naielle was his daughter, following in his footsteps - Yivien's achievements weren't as important.

If Naielle was honest, and looked critically at herself, she would concede that Yivien is the smarter sibling. His grades are better, his grasp of abstract fundamentals stronger, he's quicker on the draw. It isn't fair, she reckons, that she was given that attention. The boy earned it, or ought have done.

She would struggle to tell him that. She doesn't think its pride - she never said she was the smartest sibling. What she struggles with is the idea that she needs to correct it, when surely, that burden lies with her parents for not acknowledging him better when she was around. Did she hog their attention? She isn't sure.

But as days grow darker, and doom grows nearer, she wonders if she should have said it anyway. Care or not, guilty or otherwise, he deserved their attention, and it was denied him. And she's responsible, in some capacity. Shouldn't she have tried to fix it? To say she was sorry?

The longer it goes, the more she thinks maybe she means it sincerely this time.

Xistina - Naielle's wife, 135

God, what could she say to her that she hasn't said already? Her most dearly beloved, a part of her soul, the keeper of her heart in turmoil. They've known each other nearly a century, and Naielle can only hope for centuries more.

Xistina wasn't in the country when Naielle went into exile. She was on business, sailing the sea, plying wares and doing trade under the gleaming sun. She would not hear news for months, till she landed in a bustling port and spotted no beaming face amidst the crowd, no-one all but ready to leap aboard before a gangplank was ever lowered. Naielle didn't know what she'd heard. She wished, dearly, that Xistina could have heard it from her.

She doesn't know what Xistina knew. She doesn't know if her fiancee saw the stars in her eyes and saw the meaning behind them. She spent years in dread. At least her siblings, her family, heard of the matter directly, that she'd had a feeble chance to defend herself in the hours before she fled. Xistina knew naught, and could learn less, and Naielle could not reach out for fear of potential consequence. Her fiance could not be party to treason. Her distance would keep her safe.

Her fiancee knew more than she thought, had an ear to the ground and the sea, and loved her still. She wore Saroel's ring proudly as a token of their love, and kept it in care over the decades.

Xistina knows it all, now. Naielle travelled across the planes to see her, to know her truly, all secrets bared on both sides. Pirate and Warlock, Traitor and Traitor. Let the empire declare their treason in love if they wish, for she has it.

And it scares her to think she might let it go. That, having come so close, having even successfully married her after decades apart, that they might lose it all. And that it will be Naielle's fault in totality. Her fault for her treason, her fault for leaving for the distant lands, and her fault for not staying when she had the chance. Who better could have ferried a wanter criminal than a rebel corsair? Where else could Naielle find that kind of safety? And yet she left, for she felt a duty to a war that still wages, and she knows there's a chance she will never return. That she will have given her wife - her wife! - false hope of a future together, of merry centuries in a free Sylvian land, or aboard a ship in the glittering sky, where no mortal government dared tread.

She fears she's given her wife a lie, and did not know it when she spoke.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

Silver Lady by Mary Jo Putney

Dangerous Gifts #1

Interesting, intriguing, introduction to a new series that will showcase paranormal gifts in the main characters of historical romances. Great start to a new series!

What I liked:

* The introduction in which Rhys and Gwyn Tremayne find two small, gifted children – Caden and Branock – and take them home

* Bran: abandoned at three, escaped with Caden and made it to London, taken in and raised by the Tremaynes, works for The British Home Office, problem solver, researcher, knows people and can see threads – knows he needs to go to Cornwall and not because he is last in line to inherit a barony

* Girl: a mind-wiped woman, kidnapped, gifted, to be used against her will for something big – liked finding out who she really was and how her life would play out

* The closeness that Caden and Bran have both as tiny boys and later as men

* The idea of “gifts” and how they are explained in the story

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* The way the gifted characters felt and followed their intuition

* The relationship between Bran and Merryn and how gifted often find the perfect mate

* Getting to know Tamsyn, Matthew Davey, Glynis, Annie, Alice, and wondering about Cade’s younger half-sister and if she will show up later in this series will be

* That I liked and cared about the characters and felt I would like to have them as friends

* Knowing that there is another book in this series to look forward to

* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* Thinking about war, spies, treasonous acts, and the evil men and women will do for money

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

Cornwall calling! From New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney, the first in an intoxicating historical romance series set on the rugged Cornish coast, filled with swashbuckling adventure and real-life history, intrigue and an unshakeable love—perfect for fans of Poldark . A smoldering nobleman and a beautiful amnesiac with paranormal gifts discover they share a powerful passion, a unique legacy—and a common enemy. Together they faced the past . . . A sense of duty sends Bran Tremayne to Cornwall to confront his heritage of British nobility. Abandoned at birth, Bran wants nothing to do with the embittered remains of his family. But as a special agent for the Home Office, he senses trouble brewing along the coast. And he can’t turn away from the vulnerable woman he encounters in the Cornish countryside. Merryn’s amnesia makes her past a mystery to them both, but with her life in danger, the only thing Bran knows for sure is that the beautiful stranger needs his protection . . . But would they share a future? Leaning into Bran is difficult enough, but can Merryn trust the strong bond—and the powerful passion—she feels for her rugged rescuer? She has no choice once Bran uncovers that she is at the center of a plot between French agents and Cornish smugglers. From misty woodlands to stormy shores, the two join forces with a band of loyal Cornishmen to bring down a common enemy. Yet will their growing love survive the coming peril?

[attourney-at-lycan]

zane hates irene because she never answered to his prayers whenever he needed guidance. she never answered when he used to ask how could he become a better devotee to her. she never answered when he needed someone to talk to. she never answered when he was confused about why he was even doing this. why did he need someone to believe in? she never answered when he had nightmares of her. she never when he asked if she hated him. 

i think zane slowly began to come to terms with the fact that they should not depend on gods to save them. the illusion of irene the matron coming down to save them all was slowly fading and it died when he learned that she was no longer around. that she’s.. sleeping? she’s sleeping while there are people are praying to her to save them, to save their families, to save them from dying?

as a priest, he receives confessions and prayers from people who believe he has the power to talk to irene, to get her to help them. he’s recieved prayers of parents begging irene to save their dying child. from emanciated families who simply ask irene to give them a couple of gold coin. from older couples begging to help their children who are at war. from himself.. who just wanted to be loved by those he looked up to.

what is he supposed to do? how can he live in peace knowing he’s giving these people false hope? because if they don’t receive hope, if they don’t have a goddess to believe in when they feel like they cant control their destiny, who will they go to? how will they have the will to go on?

so it’s no surprise that suddenly, zane realized that irene was useless and undeserving of her title of goddess. if he were irene, if he were a god, he would help those in need.

if.. he were a god.

maybe if- maybe if he had irene’s relic he’d be a god. he would be as powerful as irene. he would help those in need. he would not sleep eternally. he would not abandon humanity.

this thought process is was really started to get zane’s thoughts going. in the beginning it was just wishful thinking. he didn’t really believe it was possible for him to become a god. only thing he did was research everything he could on relics and irene’s origins. it’s only that he realized there wasn’t information that he didn’t know about already. but no. there has to be more. there has to be some traces of irene that no one’s been able to find somewhere. maybe he’ll be the one to get it first.

from then on i think honestly it’s been zane actually losing it and becoming so obsessed with his research on irene and the idea of actually becoming a god getting closer that.. he lost his original goal in the first place.

when he first killed someone, or ordered someone to be killed, he almost couldn’t cope with it. he begged irene for forgiveness (which is ironic since he’s out to replace her), but it didn’t help. it just made the guilt worse and worse until a small voice in his head said, “does it matter? you’re going to become god to save many more lives. what’s the life of one person over the entirety of humanity.” the voice helped him rationalize his actions, albeit in a twisted manner, but… is he wrong? if he doesn’t find irene’s relic, more people will suffer. he has to do this as soon as possible or more lives will be lost and more people will lose hope.

garte also fits into this somehow. growing up, garte’s always lost any sort of pretense around zane. it’s why he’s so attached to him. his father trusts him enough to show his “ugliest” side. he must be special since garroth never got to see this. he’s never hidden the fact that he has killed many others from the smallest reasons to treason towards zane. perhaps in reality he doesn’t care or he knows that his action is keeping zane at his side but.

what im saying is- it’s not too shocking to zane about killing someone and not long after trying to rationalize it. garte showed him how its done, jf he can do it why can’t zane?

but anyway. i rlly like this a lot? i love villains who just lose their way and believe what they’re doing is just. they believe that they are the only ones who can do this because no one can. they believe they are in the right because their end goal is right! and i love it when they don’t realize how much they’ve changed from that initial goal. that what they have done.. was it really necessary? is it something they want??

[phoenixyfriend]

Anakin Assists the Jedi Council While On Medical Leave

AU brainstormed primarily by @atagotiak, @gelpenss, and myself.

Basically, a fix-it based in Anakin getting a peek into the daily life on the Council early, and accidentally Figuring Some Shit Out along the way, mostly because Palps Fucks Up.

So, Anakin gets injured in a way that limits him to Coruscant for a few weeks. He can still walk and talk, but he can't fight. The specific injury doesn't matter, just this:

Anakin runs errands on behalf of the council and sits in on meetings to take minutes as a "you're on medical leave but we need all hands on deck, congrats you get to be the secretary until we can send you on stabbing missions again" thing.

Also, there just aren't a whole lot of people with Anakin's clearance level. They had to send out Stass Allie to handle the mission that was originally next on Anakin's roster, and Anakin's the most convenient person to substitute into her position.

He's not super happy about this but he can more or less understand the point of it. Given that he gets antsy about needing to fight almost immediately, he can acknowledge the worth of having something useful to do, if only as the person who's writing down who says what and making sure everyone has the right file on hand.

(Besides, Obi-Wan jokes in a way that Anakin thinks might be encouraging, this is good practice if Anakin ever wants to be on the High Council himself!)

(This is a very helpful conversation.)

BASICALLY, Anakin is resigned to this but agrees because "Usually we have Master Allie handle this but we need her running that mission that was originally set for the 501st, so you get to fill in for her until you can switch back. Think of it as training for eventual mastery or admin or--listen, we're just really stretched thin."

Here's the key thing, though: Anakin isn't supposed to leave the Temple, for medical reasons, so Palpatine doesn't know Anakin is sitting in on Council meetings. They haven't met up since Anakin's last surgery, and because [muffled hand-wave reason] he didn't find out another way, like Anakin comming him or the Council giving him the heads-up about the change in attendance.

It's fine. He's just taking notes and doing preparatory research, he has the clearance, the Chancellor likes him anyway. Hell, they'd have had someone's Padawan doing this, before the war increased the necessary clearance levels. They'll toss in a quick message in the brief they send to Palps that he never reads anyway, and that's really all they need to do. Skywalker's getting some rounded experience and this way the medics won't be freaking out about him stressing his heart after getting electrocuted by trying to spar too early.

Palpatine doesn't talk directly to the Council, he just sends a recording the first time Anakin is there. It's a bit weird, but nothing goes wrong. Anakin's off-screen from whatever device they use to send a response, since he's not technically a member, just assisting for a bit on the part of Master Allie's duties that he's actually allowed to touch (and not the bits that are getting added to Mace, Plo, and Shaak's stuff).

The first four or so meetings are like that. Anakin starts having a bit of sympathy for the Council as he sees how many things they want to do that are hampered by the need for Senatorial approval, things that he would also want to do and didn't think required this much red tape.

About a week in, still mostly recordings with Anakin just sitting on the side playing paralegal, the wheel of fortune turns a few pegs.

Palpatine hands over a an order on the range of injury that a soldier should be treated for, "to ensure that republic resources aren't being wasted on clones that, while expensive, would actually be cheaper to replace than repair."

Oh, he dresses it up in prettier language than that. Anakin doesn't process it as such first.

The Chancellor manages to couch his phrasing in "prioritizing resources for taxpaying republic citizens and employees of the GAR," which... well.

The natborn commissioned officers pay taxes. The Jedi are employees. The clones are neither, because they're slaves.

Probably he frames it as the employees thing, very much the kinda language that sounds halfway ok unless you’re fluent in political bullshit.

And Anakin is really confused at first about why the council is upset by the order because, okay, he would PREFER to be able to use medical supplies on refugees when possible, but he understands prioritizing the soldiers?

He just looks up, totally lost, when someone groans and goes, "That's the third time this year, is he trying to get us all killed?"

And it vibes as such a genuine, aggrieved, sad reaction that Anakin is completely blindsided because it's not the sarcastic, petty resentment he kind of expected? It's just... desperate depression.

And someone gently has to explain that this is the third time they've had resources restricted to only GAR employees and that it's a polite way of saying "prioritize natborn officers, stop wasting resources on clones, we can replace them easier."

Or maybe he doesn't ask, because he's just there to take notes, not argue, and he can see the masters drawing up a response that amounts to "We would like to remind you that our soldiers do not fall into that classification, and to limit their access to our medical supplies is liable to cause a loss of life that we find unreasonably high. Please see the annotations attached to adjust wording so that the clones may receive the same level of care."

Anakin's internally just like "Yeah, that's phrased nice and addresses the main problem, Palpatine will obviously agree and change it!"

And then he comes in the next day and the response comes in and it's just dripping condescension about considering the clones actual people.

"This is why we can't use the bacta tanks on clones anymore, just the patches. We could use them at first, we had a few of the CCs get through fatal injuries with them, but they cut that off and said we could only use the tanks on Jedi and non-clone officers a few months ago. The Banking Clans keep tightening their belts on the army, and the Chancellor insists we put citizens first, and the clones aren't citizens. We've been arguing back as much as we can, but he keeps going on about the economy and we can't... we just can't, Skywalker. We're trying to save as many of our men as we can, but..."

Something like "Allocation of resources reiterated, the Kaminoans have assured the senate that the Jedi are far from exhausting the resources ordered."

And Anakin's like. He can't blame the council for lying about Palpatine's past or future actions. He just saw Palpatine's actions. Those actions were to order people under his control to throw away lives he saw as replaceable commodities.

These are his friends' lives.

His soldiers are being thrown away by a man in a tower that he trusted.

And then that man has the gall to suggest it's the council's fault.

Palpatine is good at what he does, especially in public, he dresses it up in flowery language and everything, but Anakin's just like "Those are my FRIENDS and also this is??? How slavers talked about their property on Tatooine???? FRIENDPATINE, WHAT THE FUCK."

Anakin can be passive aggressive sometimes as well as outright aggressive. So if he brings up the guidelines and why they make him upset in general terms, and Palpatine says something about how he’s sad the council doesn’t care about the clones...

Anakin, internally, having just watched the council scramble to save as many clones as possible within the guidelines that Palps handed down: Uh-huh.

(Anakin is just the gay horror teeth gif from queer eye.)

Just. “Yeah, funny you say that, Palpatine! Because as I remember, you told the council not to waste more resources than necessary while Mace Windu was arguing to expand the treatment range!”

Palps doesn't even have time to salvage the situation or attack Anakin because Anakin just bulldoze rants for fifteen minutes and then storms out.

Anakin... maybe does a little treason and gets a copy of the orders so he can ask Padme "Hey, can you explain the politics of this?" and doesn't tell her who wrote it so she isn't biased (he tells her that this is why he's not sharing the author's/speaker's name), and just lets Padme pick apart all the 'this is a nice way of saying they don't view the clones as people' details.

Alternately, someone on the Council sees Anakin dithering and manages to get him to admit that he's not great at political language and wants to ask someone to help him understand the full implications. The person--Mace? let's go with Mace--is aware that Anakin is on good terms with Senator Amidala, if not necessarily aware of the depth of said relationship. Mace points out that he's probably going to be seeing her soon just because he usually does and, as a Senator, she can get easy access to these sessions since they're not about specific missions, just allocation of resources, etc. It's not an optimal solution, but she's got a bit more free time than anyone else Anakin knows with the clearance levels, like Order members that are actively involved in the war effort.

Anakin dithers and panics and Mace, trying to be helpful, tells him that plenty of Jedi have made friends among the Senate over the years, didn't you know Qui-Gon Jinn was a personal friend of Former Chancellor Valorum?

At any rate, Anakin goes to Padme and asks her to explain it to him, because she knows how to phrase things so he gets it.

Anakin has to have her pause and he goes outside and destroys some things halfway through.

(Anakin maybe thinks back to the times Padmé or Obi-Wan were really obviously frustrated and when he asked, they said stuff like “I can’t stand Palpatine rn, sorry Anakin I know he’s important to you and you don’t want to talk about politics, let’s just talk about something else.”)

(Obi-Wan: I don’t trust Palpatine Anakin: you just don’t like politicians in general Obi-Wan: yes that is also true)

(Obi-Wan does like Bail and Padme but he does also talk a bit about how politicians generally aren’t to be trusted.)

[knockyasocksoff2022]

Chapter One

1,363 Words

"FIRE! Fire! Fire! Everyone out of the building! There is a fire! A fire is burning! Everyone out of the building! A fire is burning! Fire! Fire!" The voice of a young boy calls. His name is Davies, and he's a mere 11 years of age, but his job is to stand about the labs and inform everyone when a fire breaks out.

He's been rather busy lately, as a scientist as controversial as he is known, was solicited to help Queen Mori's army triumph overseas. It is rumoured that he was a recluse, of all things before he took the position. He was eager for the job though, far too eager some might say.

In the middle of the rush off staff comes the 14-year-old Prince Tarou, shivering as his footman escorts him out onto the grounds, a thermometer still under his tongue. 25-year-old Yosano Akiko, the royal physician follows close behind, grumbling at having her day interrupted by the sudden commotion.

"I know who it was, it was that damn madman Motojirou, and he calls himself a doctor. Unbelievable! He could have killed all of us! He should be tried for treason for endangering the prince." She fumes, but she doesn't really intend to bring charges, already busy fretting over her favourite patient now that her anger has been voiced.  As she follows the crowd she does try to spot the scientist in question, hoping to pass along a menacing glare.

Quickly, they reach the north lawn of the Royal Research facilities (which house the royal clinic and laboratory) where they will stay while the other fire boys come and take care of the small flames. (and hope the Royal Fire Brigade doesn't have to get involved) Doctor Yosano is on any other day a big proponent of "Better safe than sorry" but now she just wishes to be back inside.

'The fire was tiny anyway, they could have just cleared his laboratory. That godforsaken looney case, this is the third time this month, has he not a single shred of sense? Or have his creations blown it all to smithereens?'

She's drawn out of her seething by a tap on the shoulder.

"Ah, there we go." She tuts as she retrieves the thermometer. The reading is no more or less than normal. "Normal, you are in as good a health as ever. Now relax, it is simple nerves for the start of your first social season. You will do fine. But do bundle up, before you really catch a chill."

He smiles, "Thanks, Doc."

"Of course, Ranpo-chan. It is my job after all."

His smile only widens at the nickname and he shakes his hands excitedly.

Boys, like girls, have their debuts in society, though, of course, things are different and they are not judged quite so harshly. Their families would announce them ready to enter society and allow them to begin attending hunts and games as adult men. Their adulthood is perceived by society to be much younger than that of women, though personally, Doctor Yosano thinks for most men it comes far, far later. This is the prince's first season in society after a life of sequestration.

Men are not expected to marry in their first season, but when they are ready it is hoped that they have matured enough that they will have their pick of the season's ladys. As for now, the prince will be able to enjoy the social season without these pressures, still with his unique mind and outlook on life, the future events are a source of anxiety.

Doctor Yosano cannot exactly relate, seeing as she has never been part of these practices herself, but she likens it to the pressures of secondary school and its social structure and tries to help that way.

~

Across the lawn, the aforementioned "damn madman" and "godforsaken looney case" stands clutching several citrus fruits, lemons to be exact.

He sees the royal physician, Doctor Yosano Akiko, glaring out at no one in particular, and laughs. 

'What's got her so upset today? The weather is lovely? Granted, I would rather be in my laboratory, I could easily have extinguished the flames myself, but, hey, what's life without a little adventure?'

"That doctor is rather uptight, don't ya think?" Motojirou asks his assistant who cowers in fear from flames that cannot possibly reach the group out here.

"Erm, I erm . . . She is, well, quite particular about things, yes but I do think it would be necessary for someone in her profession to be organised and focused. W-would it not?"

"Fair, but still, what a stone statue! She ought to loosen up, I mean, who doesn't love a little lemonade?"

"Respectfully, sir . . . I-f I may?"

"Why not? Let's hear it."

"Well, I think, sir, that she may, erm, hate you."

"Oh? Now why in the world would that be? I assure you I am most lovable!"

"Y-yes, of course, sir."

~

As they head inside, Ranpo chats excitedly about what he hopes his first season will bring, from decadent desserts to finding his favourite author, a person shrouded in great mystery.

He continues his chatter over the next week. Uninterrupted by any fires, though Yosano is not sure if she would have preferred that. She adores his enthusiasm, yes, but only wishes she had a bit more time with the small boy sitting on her lap.

'Perhaps this means he has reached the solution to his scientific quandary and will conclude his work and leave this place for good. I shall be very glad if that is indeed the case. Lord, let me be rid of him and his freaky fruits.'

Yosano smiles in encouragement as she brushes through his wild hair, getting Ranpo ready before his assistants arrive to help him dress. "It's a good thing I'm doing this now, I feel bad for the poor person who has to deal with this. You ought to brush your own hair like a big boy, you are an adult now, after all."

"Eh, maybe, but why should I when I have a most skilled doctor to do it for me.."

The two laugh at this.

"More important than hair bushing is your social season."

Yosano furrurs her bows in confusion, then with understanding, "My social- Oh, silly boy you know I do not participate in the events of teh high society."

"Usually, yes, but this season is going to be different."

"Ranpo, you know I-"

"Nonsense, it is my first season, and I want you there with me since Mama and Father cannot be. Together we will track down Lady Lenore a eat many, many sweets."

She smiles indulgently. "You of all people know that I cannot enter the season. I am not Nobel, I have not been debuted, and even if I was what purpose would it serve me?" Ranpo starts to speak, but she shushes him, "I have no time or use or patience for such decadence. And no intent to marry. So the entire thing would be a waste of everyone's time." Ranpo pouts, so she adds, "I mean, it would hardly be fair to all the other ladies if I went, now would it."

"Hmph." he huffs, popping a sweet in his mouth with a look that says he hasn't given up convincing her.

Yosano knows she will never find a husband, but that hardly matters, she is not looking for one, of course not. Why would she be when her career is all she has time for? 'It would be unfair of me to try and get a husband when I could not give them my full attention due to work. I do not ever want to feel guilty for devoting myself to doing what it is that I love.'

She cannot lie to herself much longer though, this much she admits. Whenever work is done, or she has any scrap of free time, she is lonely. She covers the feelings by helping Ranpo, but now that he has made his debut, his assistants will take over that role, and with Ranpo, her only distraction, about to enter the world, go off and find his own way, she knows she won't be able to hide it anymore.

(A/N: Yeah, I played with the regency social dynamic, deal with it. I never said this was going to be historically accurate)

Butterflies & Lemons

Yosano Akiko x Motojirou Kajii

A regency AU