#the soldier proficiencies just made more sense and hes probably done some work since

[vigilskeep]

playing around with a few of the exile’s different backstory variants because the most important thing is choosing whichever one turns out to have the most unhinged parallels to the companions. for my health

[serene-victory-77]

Why The Crows Being Teenagers Is Actually Perfectly Realistic

There’s a TL;DR are the end because wow I like to rant.

I lightly discuss the general situations they’re all in to explore how they are frighteningly mature and competent, but it’s not particularly depressing or descriptive, it’s definitely lighter than the books

I thought about this post with a joke first: “People who think that Six of Crows is unrealistic because they’re so young clearly have not spent much time with traumatized honors students.”

It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the point stands.

But I decided that, hm, actually, I could make a point about this. I totally agree with the aging up of the characters in the Shadow and Bone show, but when people straight up say that the books are wrong or unrealistic for having a young crew, I get annoyed, and here’s why (other than me reading the books for the first time when I was 13 and thinking ‘Huh okay, I see it’ and now being lowkey offended when people say they ignore it for being unrealistic):

On Inej

- At first I thought Inej’s wisdom and general demeanor was one of the most unrealistic things in the book

- When I thought about it longer, I was like “Actually, she’s 16, right? I’ve sent some of the most lyrical philosophy trying to help my friends while in high school. My friends have done the same. It’s valid.”

- Frankly, teenagers love hard-hitting philosophical truths. They love repeating what they’ve read or heard in movies and in books and from family stories. They love sharing little bits of wisdom they have come up with

- Inej’s ability to hear and understand philosophy and wisdom that she was surrounded by for 14 straight years and then sit on it and elaborate it for her friends to understand, or even just to piss them off in Kaz’s case? 

- Teenagers have that. They do it. So, Inej’s Wisdom passes, to me. It’s valid. 

As for her being calm

- You know how everyone jokes that Kaz seems calm on the outside but when you get to his POV he’s like “What the fuck” at the Van Eck house or just straight up “Huh, is this revenge for making tree jokes” at the Djel River thingy in the Ice Court?

- Inej is like that, too. And she gets angry, and she gets confused, or exhausted.

- AKA every quiet kid ever. Like, are you kidding? Have you ever been in a situation in which it’s literally chaos all around you, people are screaming and things are being destroyed (think middle school classroom with bitchy long term substitute and even worse students), and you’re just, calm? You pick up your things, you do what you need to do?

- That’s Inej. Like, what else is she gonna do? She’s smart enough to know that panicking won’t help anyone, and so she just rides it out. Internally she might be like “Why is this happening” but frankly, her being quiet and controlled in most situations is probably a coping mechanism and I respect that

- Pretty sure this is also based on the fact that the Suli have no land for their own and constantly have to keep moving. It might align with generational trauma, I’m sure someone could explain it better than me, but being able to keep your cool while constantly having to change and adapt to new situations, in, say, a country with hellfire politics and no land to call your own? Seems like a hereditary trait that could be useful in Ketterdam, although it’s sad.

On Inej’s abilities

- Simone Biles started training when she was 6 and went to the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships when she was 16, where she qualified in all the events. 

- There are videos of people walking over tightropes as young as three years old. We know Inej didn’t start that young, but not only was she naturally talented at it, but she spent a lot of time practicing. I think it’s valid. Plus, some of her family members do some pretty crazy things in her flashbacks, because that’s the whole point of what they do. 

- Youngest person to beat American Ninja Warrior was 16 year old Vance Walker

- Inej has a variety of of tools that help her wall climb, and while it’s true that she started young and got good really fast, she already had a history of physical work that would help her, and from what we can gleam from the book, a surprising amount of free time in which she was actively encouraged to learn everything she could. 

So that’s Inej! I think her skills are perfectly possible for someone with her history and situation. It’s true that she’s naturally skilled, but that’s not actually all that unusual. And her demeanor and wisdom do fit in with what a lot of teenagers are like and the circumstances she was brought up in

Onto Kaz!

- One thing I hear about is that Kaz is too smart for not having gone to school and also too young to know all that he does

- Do you all KNOW how many self-taught people there have been in this world? The word for people who are self-taught is autodidacts, and honestly a huge amount of famous people apply. Like many, many other people in history (there’s a whole list of them in Wikipedia), he had an vested interest in a field and he learned all he could. Sure, those fields were magic tricks and math, but still.

- Suddenly I have a lot of thoughts

- Okay, think, hyperfixations. That’s essentially what Kaz’s thing with magic tricks was, right? Have any of you ever spent time with an eight year old that clearly really, really loves dinosaurs? Those kids can spout names and facts and identify them by their skeletons and frankly know more than I ever will. Kaz’s was magic tricks. All kids are special.

- Kaz continued working on magic tricks and practicing them for years, so, I think that gets a pass. 

- As for the math! Look, a Fact Of Life is that some kids are just Like That, whether it be possibly from neurodivergence or other factors:

- Flo and Kay Lyman are twins with Autism who basically have the calendar of EVER memorized. Kaz memorizing card decks is sensible, and these ladies don’t need to look up anything to figure it out, so Kaz doing sums inside his head seems plausible. His “photographic memory’ isn’t impossible, although the term itself might be incorrect.

- Katherine Johnson who worked at NASA (yes, the lady from Hidden Figures), was so good at math that she was in high school by age 10 and went to college at age 15. It’s true that she had some teaching, but 1. There’s no evidence Kaz had absolutely no schooling, even if it was just at home with books and 2. Kaz was 9 when he came to Ketterdam, and after Jordie died, when he wasn’t surviving, he was learning. 

- Human calculator is a term that is applied to children a lot and there’s definitely plenty of videos showing how smart these kids are and them doing mental math easily, which he does in the books

- He had a LOT of pressure on him to figure out all he could, and if he wanted to move forward, he was going to have to learn a lot. He spent hours practicing magic tricks, for all we know he spent hours practicing math too. We know Jordie was a bit of a bookworm too, so Kaz from a young age probably already had a reason to learn. Personally, a lot of my love for books was inspired by my older sibling when I was younger

- Young people are adaptable. Kaz is incredibly adaptable. The term prodigy exists because of people like him through history. 

- As for him being rational, there’s no other way to survive. Some of the greatest soldiers in history have been very, very young, and very, very smart. It’s true tacticians are generally considered to be older, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been very young ones. 

- A lot of the generals I found were like, 19 years old, but Kaz is 1. not a general and 2. in a place where young people take up the mantle really, really quickly, and frankly it’s been like that for a long time. I still think this passes. This isn’t relevant but William the Conqueror was apparently called “The Bastard”?

- Frankly, underground communities of thieves probably don’t go around publishing their escapades so to me it makes sense that I can’t just look up “famous young thieves” and get anything that makes sense, but I did try

- Y’all I tried to do research on youngest escape artists since I think Kaz qualifies and I found myself in what I think is a magicians forum? It’s from 2002-ish and I feel like I’ve just found a relic. I can’t definitely prove they’re all saying the truth, but some of the people there talk about 10-11 year olds at magic camps, so, it’s not impossible for this to be a skill Kaz learned really young, particularly when he made a habit of following around magicians

- I think he passes the realism check overall

For the other Crows:

- Nina being so proficiently multilingual makes sense to me, because she’s been in the Little Palace almost her entire life with all the best teachers they could afford at her disposal. Some people just click with languages. One such would be Timothy Doner, who spoke 23 languages at 16. 

- Nina is a child soldier. She of course can handle the battlefield, although I imagine there’s a degree of trauma that she has to deal with (although it’s true that most of her work was always meant to angle her towards being a spy).

- Jesper was taught to shoot from a young age by Aditi, who was likely incredibly proficient. Plus, there’s mentions of him and his father being on some sort of frontier at one point in the books, so, it’s likely that Jesper got his fair share of ‘being a child soldier” since he would’ve been 15 or younger. Plus, with being a Fabrikator, he gets a leg up

- Jesper’s smart y’all, he just also likes to have fun

- I am a little terrified by the fact that I looked up ‘youngest sharpshooter’ and found out about a 9 year old girl (Addysson “Addy” Soltau) who can indeed shoot guns, but uh, it does prove my point

- Matthias... I haven’t heard anyone really argue about Matthias. He’s the oldest at 18 and again, he’s essentially a religious child soldier. Of course he would be built af and know how to handle himself in a fight, and in a flashback about meeting Trassel, we’re told that he was actually distanced from the other boys and was the biggest and strongest/smartest of the group. Perhaps not compared to Kaz, but still

- We know how Wylan ended up how he is, so I don’t think i have to defend how he’s both a musical prodigy, good at math, and good at chemistry. Plenty of kids who can’t do one thing will immediately gravitate to a different field (think AP math students who can’t write essays, or those kids who could analyse a book and it’s metaphors in class but didn’t understand geometry).

- Granted he took it far but it’s kinda implied that  his father ignored him eventually and what else was Wylan going to do

- I don’t really know how he did chemistry while not being able to read the symbols and stuff, but that’s likely because I’ve never had to learn the way he did and also I really suck at Chemistry, but I refuse to believe that it invalidates his capabilities

Final Thoughts:

- They’re Traumatized Honors Students

- People might say that “it’s unrealistic that all the smart ones somehow ended up together” but again they’re traumatized honors students and those gravitate to each other

- Of course the smart ones ended up together, they’re the ones in those crazy situations precisely because they are prodigies. Nina wouldn’t have met Matthias if she wasn’t skilled and a spy, Kaz wouldn’t have known Inej if she hadn’t been skilled at silence (I can’t explain that one but uh ninjas did/do exist and it IS still a fantasy world). Kaz would have never been a leader of the Dregs in a position to find Jesper if he hadn’t been so determined to rise to the top, and Jesper wouldn’t have been in Ketterdam if his father hadn’t thought that Jesper was smart enough to get that chance.

- You know how those fringe revolutionary artists for new eras end up knowing all knowing each other and even hanging out? That’s them.

- I have decided there is a strong basis for Autistic Kaz, someone who is more studied than me should feel free to explore this.

- I read this book a few years ago, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. It’s about this guy’s experiences as a boy soldier and it’s a painful read so I’m not sure I recommend it as a casual read, but he talked about these young kids being able to actually make competent military strategies and handle warfare. It’s an extreme example of what I’m trying to explain when it comes to them being able to handle the brutality of their situation, but it’s true, essentially

- They are definitely serious, but if you think they’re not teenagers I just, disagree so much. They have moments of lighthearted banter, they make light of their situation, they try to support each other Nina covers it so well in her farewell at the end of Crooked Kingdom: The little rescues of laughing at each others jokes or eating together and just supporting each other, is not only a very human thing, but a very teenager thing. 

- Scary experiences that shape us happen all the time, and although for most it’s not the things that the Crows experience, picking each other up is a big part of why they do read as teenagers to me. I’ve seen kids be able to seriously converse about things like being questioned by the police, or being left to their own devices for days at a time, or the general impending doom they all feel, and it’s dark, but they’re also going to joke about silly puns 20 minutes later. 

- Teenagers aren’t exempt from terrifying maturity and competence

- Finally: Despite all I said, it’s a fantasy story and doesn’t have to be realistic

In the end, everyone can believe what they want to believe, but this is my case for my opinion.

TL;DR The Crows are all prodigies and a lot of their achievements and capabilities are based in reality and there are real people who actually achieved things like what they’ve done. Messed up prodigies gravitate to messed up prodigies, hence how they all end up together. When it comes to their mental state, most of them have been brought up their entire lives in situations that required for them to problem solve and keep their cool even when things are going to hell.

[maeglinthebold]

Roswell, New Mexico D&D (5e) Character Sheets

Liz Ortecho, Human Wizard (Sage: Researcher)

Max Evans, High Elf Paladin (Soldier: Officer)

Maria DeLuca, Half-Elf Druid (Folk Hero)

Michael Guerin, High Elf Artificer (Criminal: Fence)

Alex Manes, Human Fighter (Soldier: Scout)

Rosa Ortecho, Human Barbarian (Criminal: Pickpocket)

Isobel Evans, High Elf Warlock (Noble)

Kyle Valenti, Human Cleric (Acolyte)

Day 2: Characters for @rnmweekendwarriors

Character sheets are built to level 1, ready to play and free to use (I call dibs on Kyle)!

Build thoughts and links below:

I tried to translate the 8 main characters’ personalities, skills, and tools using D&D 5e Rules. The only things I didn’t include were spell saves and spells/day for the magic users.

I tweaked minor things in favor of maintaining character integrity, but otherwise I stuck to the rules building them as 5e 1st level characters. Things I adjusted (though still within the rules) were moving around ability scores (1 to 1) from the standard array plus racial bonuses, and made some of them proficient in skills that were strictly outside of their classes/backgrounds. I also played with their equipment and starting gold as made sense for their characters.

Obviously this is a result of how I personally understand the characters. Some further discussion, explanations, and justifications below:

Races: I made the aliens High Elves so I could give them each a Cantrip (Max, lightning hands; Michael, telekinesis; Isobel, talking directly into your brain); thus part-alien Maria is a Half-elf. (Maria and Rosa by all rights should probably have bonus cantrips, too, but I stuck with the rules for balance.)

Magic: Kyle and Max are the healers, Max with his Lay on Hands and Kyle with his Cleric spells. Maria and Isobel have some overlapping spells due to their related ancestry (and similar mind powers). You would be right if you thought that Maria maybe should be a Bard based on her personality and occupation, but I went with Druid for her for the Divine spellset which works much more like Maria’s premonitory/divining powers, especially beyond level 1. I made Isobel a Warlock thinking about Noah as her otherworldly patron (which, ew!), so she’s in the market for a new one now that he’s gone. Liz and Michael have all the spells you want to watch out for.

Combat: Rosa is the heavy hitter as the barbarian, though Alex is no slouch, either: both of them can take a licking and keep kicking. I gave Isobel and Michael scimitars because it reminded me of Louise’s sword. Kyle has a breastplate to represent his bullet-proof vest. Crossbows are for the characters who we know own guns. I gave Maria a longbow because of Heather Hemmens’ Instagram and an axe because of the cornfield incident.

Disability: Though there are no official D&D rules for disabled characters, the game is all about balance, so I reduced Alex’s walking speed to 25 ft (compared to the standard 30ft; and actually oops there is a mistake because Rosa’s base speed should be faster as a barbarian) and gave him an extra Inspiration die. If I were the DM I would rule that Alex can have up to 2, while normally characters are limited to hanging onto 1. His “quarterstaff” functions as his crutch which he may or may not beat people with. I didn’t work out mechanics for Michael’s hand or Rosa’s addiction, but would be happy to chat with anyone who might want to work out the mechanics of how those would function in-game. 

Languages: I thought about assigning languages beyond Maria’s Druidic language, but the fantasy equivalent to “Spanish” that Liz, Rosa, and Kyle speak might vary by DM/setting. The “aliens” do not speak Elvish by design, since they know next to nothing about their heritage. 

Alignments: are bullshit, anyway. As written in the show, all the mains are effectively Neutral Good, I just played with the options for a bit of diversity.

Backgrounds: I had the most fun using the standard D&D “backgrounds” to choose Personality Traits, Goals, Bonds, and Flaws based on the options given in the rulebook that resonated with their canon selves. If they sound a little weird, it’s because I pulled them from the book as written. I really got to lean into Liz’s mad scientist vibe here.

Credits: D&D character sheets were downloaded from Wizards of the Coast. Images are from promotional material for Season 2 (Rosa) and Season 1 (everyone else) released by the CW and pulled from the Fandom Wiki. Overlays were done through Lunapic.com.

[mistoelectra]

Why Jack Harkness deserved better

I said I was going to write this so here it is

WHY JACK HARKNESS DESERVED BETTER (SPECIFICALLY FROM THE TENTH DOCTOR)

Okay, so this is something I’ve been meaning to write for a little while, because I’ve been rewatching New Who from the beginning, and Jack is probably one of my favourite characters, and seeing the way Ten acts towards him makes my heart hurt. It also makes me really wish they could have brought Jack back in to interact with other incarnations of the Doctor because I feel like seeing the different dynamics would have been really interesting (also let’s face it, John Barrowman would be hella up for it).

This is gonna primarily focus on Doctor Who events but draw on things from Torchwood because that obviously gave us a lot more info on Jack and his past. But also I’m not going to go too in depth with Torchwood stuff, because that’s a whole different essay with full in-depth vaguely shitty psychoanalysis (I have a degree but I am far from proficient).

Let’s start at the beginning with Jack’s first appearance in The Doctor Dances/The Empty Child, which are admittedly two of my favourite episodes of series 1. Admittedly, he does at first come off as cocky, brash, a little callous, and of course, a self-professed con-man and criminal. Except at the same time, we already get to see some of his heart. His cons are based selling space junk to (what seem to be) rather wealthy parties, then getting that junk destroyed before they find out what they’ve actually bought. He himself states that he believes the Chula ambulance was completely empty, so wouldn’t do any damage, and specifically programmed it so it wouldn’t hit anything living. While this doesn’t necessarily make things any more moral, it still says something about Jack. There are plenty who wouldn’t have even bothered to do that. There’s also the fact that he’s not doing it for money, but in an attempt to get back his stolen memories.

Continuing on, Jack rescues Rose and the Doctor from the hospital, proving further that he is not quite as callous as he might make out to be. Given he now knows they’re time agents, there’s technically nothing stopping him from just abandoning them and getting the hell out of this time period (except possibly his time agency training reminding him that he may have done fucked up and he needs to fix it). He almost immediately places his trust in the Doctor, jumps at the chance to help him, and when the time comes, he doesn’t even hesitate in getting the bomb (and don’t tell me he doesn’t know the risk to himself, because he totally does. He knows his chances of getting out of this are slim, but Jack Harkness is a self-sacrificing bastard if ever there was one).

(Brief sidetrack to Torchwood- Jack mentions in Countrycide (1x06) that he’s proficient in torture and once had a reputation as a go-to guy for getting answers, but it’s never really made clear when this occurred, or if it’s even truthful. Was it the Time Agency? Was it Victorian era Torchwood? Who knows?)

Next appearance. Boom Town. That interesting outfit choice. But that aside, this is where we get to see how smart Jack is. Sure, he’s from the future so he’s going to have knowledge that will sound impressive, but there’s also his plan to catch Margaret, which is pretty tactically sound. Again, Jack was a time agent, so he’s definitely not going to be just any old idiot, not to mention he was a soldier as well. We also see him working on the TARDIS, which is pretty much something we don’t really see other companions do much of in New Who, and certainly not in their third episode, which I think says a lot, both about Jack, and about the trust the Doctor now places in Jack.

The final two episodes. For one, and on a different tangent, Jack keeps a gun up his ass. Is this a common thing? Is this just so the Doctor can’t take it off him like he did before? How is this safe? For two, and on the same tangent, Jack stop groping the robots. Finally, can we appreciate how efficient Jack is? Sure, he’s a little confused at first, but he throws himself into the situation, lets them give him a few different outfits, then calmly takes them down, makes himself a gun and gets out of there without much hassle. His reaction to Rose’s ‘elimination’ absolutely breaks my heart just as much as the Doctor’s, because while the Doctor is just completely silent and lost looking, you can hear and see Jack absolutely going off in the background, lashing out. Similarly, his reaction upon realising that Rose is alive…just yes.

Second side track- how quickly did Jack get that TARDIS key? I mean, I know there were multiple adventures between episodes, but regardless, he had a key by Boom Town. That’s hella speedy.

And then there’s dealing with the daleks. Jack knows how big a deal this is, he was a time agent after all. One hit, that’s all it takes. The Doctor probably would have let him leave Satellite 5 if he’d asked, but he didn’t. He stepped up, almost certainly knowing he was going to die, but willing to do whatever he could to give the Doctor any little scrap of time he could. And he gets killed for it. And then he gets brought back to life, and he’s surrounded by dalek dust, and he gets to watch the TARDIS leave without him. And his expression is just so heartbroken, and it hurts so much. What is he thinking? Is he hoping they’ll come back for him? Does he think that they think he’s dead so they’ve left without him?

And this is the first of the Doctor’s assholery (albeit this is still 9 and not 10). He just abandons Jack, without any form of explanation as to what has just happened, on a satellite surrounded by dalek dust and corpses. While I appreciate all the Doctor was going through and the whole ‘Jack now makes me physically sick’ thing, like dude, c’mon, you owe him an explanation. He has literally just died for you, it’s the very least you can offer.

And then there’s all the shit Jack goes through before they reunite again. I could spend all day going into depth on this but let’s just summarise it: managing to get back to Earth, ending up in 19th century Cardiff, 150 years of waiting which include: dying a lot (like seriously, he has at least two separate times where people essentially kill him on repeat just because he can come back, don’t tell me that doesn’t have an effect on your psyche), being tortured, being more or less coerced into a job, two world wars, several lost loves, his boss killing the entire team and then himself, being forced into a leadership position that he does not want, recruiting his own team, Canary Wharf and Rose’s name on the list of the dead, Suzie, being shoved into the rift (Thanks Ianto), a cyberwoman in his own basement (Thanks Ianto), being blamed by his entire team for the faeries and Jasmine, watching another man out of his time kill himself and being unable to do anything but keep him company, watching one of his team more or less let a weevil attack him, being mutinied against and killed by a team member (Thanks Owen), and then getting his life energy devoured by a legitimate hell beast.

And then the Doctor shows up, and Jack runs for him, and the Doctor runs away. Nothing like a stinging sense of rejection and a jaunt to the end of the universe to help your self esteem. And pretty much the first thing the Doctor does is criticise him. And what’s worse is that the Doctor won’t even admit that he abandoned Jack. ‘Busy life. Moving on.’ It’s just such an incredibly callous statement that just completely ignores Jack’s feelings and just seems to treat him as a piece of trash to be discarded. And Jack would be wholly within his right to go off at the Doctor, but he doesn’t. Instead he asks about Rose, and there’s the hug, because he can just tell that the Doctor has something against him, but Rose is a somewhat neutral territory.

Cue the Doctor being blatantly rude to Jack for an entire scene about both his vortex manipulator and his abandonment, as well as making it more or less clear to Jack that he knew all along about Jack’s immortality. That him being left on the Game Station was no accident. And that’s just cold. And yet despite all this, the moment Jack’s with them again, the Doctor’s immediately controlling him. Dictating what he can and can’t do, and in all honesty, it feels very much like he’s still treating Jack as the brash playboy he knew in his last regeneration? Like he can’t see just how much Jack has changed since they last met, how he’s most certainly not the same man he was. He also willingly throws Jack into a situation which is dangerous and will probably cause him pain (don’t tell me that radiation chamber didn’t cause Jack pain. Just because it can’t kill me doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt) just because he knows Jack will do anything for him (and also Jack would probably volunteer anyway because he’s that sort of person). And he admits to Jack’s face that he’s known all along, that he ran away from him. He point blank tells Jack to his face that he’s wrong and that he can hardly bear to look at him, without so much as a thought to how that’s bound to feel. Asks Jack if he wants to die. The whole conversation just makes me feel on edge because it does not feel at all like a healthy friendship.

Then, when Jack tells him he’s with Torchwood, there’s the Doctor’s reaction, and it’s just so vehement. His lack of belief in Jack is just heartbreaking, because it’s such a switch from his relationship with the 9th Doctor. It’s like Jack isn’t a companion to him anymore, but more of a sort of tool. And in the Year That Never Was, we pretty much get implied that Jack gets repeatedly tortured and killed for at least the third time in his existence, over and over for an entire year. It seems pretty likely too that the Master probably executes the rest of the Torchwood team too, probably using them in an attempt to break Jack. Sure, it all gets reversed, but it clearly fucks with Jack (and we can see that in Torchwood series 2). But Jack holds up the brave front, destroys the paradox machine. And you can bet it probably hurt him like hell when the Doctor mentions keeping the Master in the TARDIS, because it kinda seems like he’d rather have the Master there than Jack. And sure, he offers to let Jack come with him, but I feel like it’s an empty offer. He knows that Jack has found something else in their time apart, knows he’s probably not going to accept. And then of course, he breaks Jack’s vortex manipulator. While I do understand this, it also makes me sad, because if he’d at least left the teleport function working, there’s a chance that Owen and Tosh could have been saved.

Jump to their next reunion after Jack has faced the following: dealing with the psychological trauma from all the shit that just happened to him, losing Owen, bringing him back, finding his long lost little brother and being stabbed by him then buried under Cardiff for nearly 2000 years, being frozen for like a century, having to stop his little brother, losing Tosh, losing Owen again. And when the world needs saving, Jack doesn’t hesitate to jump straight in, especially once they get through to the Doctor, even though he is quite clearly terrified of the daleks. He’s the only one to actually be somewhat calm and methodical when the Doctor is shot. In the dalek ship, he willingly sacrifices himself in order to be able to explore the ship more and find some way to help them. But the moment he starts making threats, there’s the Doctor’s disapproval back again. But they do it, they save the world, they go home.

And then Children of Earth happens. Jack’s entire world shatters. He loses Ianto. He has to sacrifice his own grandson to save the world. The Doctor is nowhere in sight. Jack leaves Earth, crushed. And the Doctor does his little journey through the companions to say goodbye. He saves Martha and Mickey. He gives the scratch card for Donna. He saves Luke for Sarah Jane. He visits Rose just to see her again.

And Jack?

He gives Jack Alonso. And maybe it’s just me, but I find it wholly uncomfortable. It’s a possibility the Doctor doesn’t know about the whole affair with the 456 and what Jack went through, or that he more specifically doesn’t know about Jack’s losses. But it’s also possible that he does. And he feels like the best thing he can do is to essentially offer him a shag. Even though he’s very clearly heavily grieving (No hate to Alonso, I love him) and has just lost someone he deeply loved. It feels like further confirmation of the fact that Ten still sees him as the playboy he was. Because let’s face it, Jack still flirts like a champ, but Torchwood very much paints him as that only extending to his flirting. Any further seems to fall exclusively within having relationships, which are considerably infrequent in the series (with Estelle, Angelo, Lucia and Ianto seeming to be the principal partners in his life over his 150 years). To be fair, this ‘gift’ to Jack doesn’t really seem so much an asshole move, as just Ten no longer understanding Jack, not in the way he used to.

But yeah, this got kinda longer than I initially expected and could probably do with severe editing but oh well, here it is in it’s entirety anyway.

[fanwright]

Out of the ATLA characters, who would be best to use as a template for a Star Wars clone army? Would you use only one for the template or multiple characters? If you use more than one, for what purpose would you assign their clones?

So this made me think quite a bit, and its harder to answer than expected.

On one hand, my first instinct is to select any of the main characters. All of them have qualities of some kind that can be seen as highly coveted in a clone template for the Grand Army of the Republic. However, there are some significant down sides to each main character being used as a single template for an entire clone army. 

I actually had a very long winded response to this going through all the main characters and pointing out why one wasn’t suited while the other was, but at some point I realized that... almost none of them are truly ideal for being a candidate for a clone template. Shocking, I know, but I did say almost none of them. Now, this doesn’t mean that any of them can’t be a good individual soldier or officer or star ship captain or whatever you want them to be. As soldiers in their own right they would be good. I dare say some of them would be heroes, even legends. 

But I wasn’t looking for heroes or legends. I was looking for someone who could just be a soldier. I was looking for someone who I felt was of fairly decent character, mentally stable, who could follow an order regardless of whether or not it was the right call, accomplish a task regardless of whether or not it was mission critical or trivial, and one who I felt could tolerate military life without many complaints and just... do it. In short, I was looking for someone who I thought could fit the role of a standard clone trooper. Someone who wasn’t out to be a hero or a legend, nor compelled to be a villain.

And that someone turned out to be Suki.

And in my opinion she’s actually kind of the only real choice out of the main cast of characters we see. And this doesn’t necessarily stem from the fact that we see her in a kind-of-military role already through her association with the Kyoshi Warriors, though I will admit it helped a little in making the choice. 

Think about.

I consider Suki one of the main characters in the show, but she has this aura about her, for lack of a better word. A kind of aura that lends well to being the “every-woman” of any given situation that needs something to be done. She’s not really out to be a hero, though she possesses that capacity, nor is she out to be a villain, though I can see her doing more questionable things without any complaints or scruples, if need be.

She’s one of the only characters we see consistently see in some kind of uniformed role. More importantly the uniform is not meant as a disguise or for some other ulterior motive. When she puts on the uniform, she wears it to be a part of something, to do something required of her. When we first saw her in her first episode, I am willing to bet we were all sold on her being a Kyoshi Warrior. How she trained and how she believed in the tenants of her organization. When we saw her again in the show, this time at Full Moon Bay as a guard taking in tickets, again it wasn't as a disguise. She even said she did it just to assist people there, even if it was just doing something as mundane as punching in holes for tickets. On a regular basis, As if it was her job.

And in a way... she kinda is like a clone trooper. 

Clones have been noted to perform a variety of roles despite coming from the same template. And while many were of course trained in those specific roles, the character and personality of the template itself is a factor in how each clone adapted to their role. Now, it is noted that the genome provided by Jango Fett had to be tailored and modified so that the standard trooper could follow orders more obediently, diluting Jango Fett’s more independent and volatile tendencies  while keeping the qualities that made him ideal as being the candidate. The Republic needed a soldier that was tailored and trained to follow orders obediently, one that could “get the job done”. Guaranteed.

With Suki, you potentially have a candidate that is similar. And this is where we get to the darker side of the clones, one where it got me thinking “Okay, who can we change up just enough to have their personality remain intact when their genome structure is tampered with, to the point where they are bred to be a good trooper?” Again, to me, Suki is the only real candidate. Why? Think about what would happen if you spliced up Zuko or Azula or Sokka enough to have them be bred as the genetic version of an ideal soldier. In my opinion, it means taking away what makes them truly unique. To me, that meant diluting Azula’s sense of ambition, sharp wit, and intense independence, possibly screwing with  her mentality even more and making her seem almost lobotomized. That meant making Zuko less emotionally unstable and less angry, but also turning him into a literal drone in a way, completely obedient to whoever commands him. That meant diluting Sokka’s sense of humor and a bit of his creativeness just to control him, as well as smashing his moral compass to the point where he would be a serious asshole. You gain all their fighting qualities and what makes them good on the battlefield, but you loose what makes their characters unique if you have the Kaminoians have their way. And you know what perfectionists they are. Anything they don’t like, they’ll splice it out or dilute it.

With Suki, you don’t loose that much, as terrible or surprising as that might be to hear. If I was a Kaminoian cloner, I’d look at her and think “Hm. This one seems ideal. She has a sense of independence and seems to have a moral compass, but I can work with that. Not too much genetic tailoring to change that. With her template we will have a clone that can follow orders obediently, regardless of morality. She seems to come from a warrior caste with a strong sense of team work and cooperation. It seems to have been instilled in her at a very young age. This can work to our advantage in making a satisfactory product for the Galactic Republic. It helps that she is a proficient warrior as well. Her training has prepared her physically and mentally. Our clones will be able to benefit from this if we can tailor the genome correctly.” I do not believe much of her personality will be changed through this process, though she will come off as being a bit more “darker” or perhaps more amoral. Still, after giving it some thought, these changes wouldn’t be as severe if the cloners were to tamper with the others’ genomes. Hell, the Kaminoians would probably reject of a few of them outright for not being suitable candidates. 

Now, there is also the issue of Order 66 and the Sith being involved in (or rather hijacking) the Clone Project. If I’m getting the information correctly, Master Sifo-Dyas, foreseeing a war that would engulf the Republic, wanted to commission a clone army for its defense. To my knowledge no clone template was decided on by Sifo-Dyas before the Pyke Syndicate killed him. He did contact the Kaminoians though and from what I understand they were merely just waiting on a candidate to start cloning with. Count Dooku was the one who paid Jango Fett to be the template for the clone army and at the behest of Dooku, the control chips embedded inside each clone were intended for them to forcefully comply with Order 66, which was not their intended purpose when Sifo-Dyas proposed the plan. 

Now, with Suki, I still think there is a way to recruit her and gain her genetic template for a project like this. It involves a bit of crafty manipulation by the Sith. Perhaps someone comes up to her and offers the opportunity up in a noble way. “We have selected you as the candidate for a military project that will ensure the safety of all those in the Republic.You are the galaxy’s best warrior, short of a Jedi.” Perhaps Suki would feel a great sense of honor or pride in being selected, even taking pride in training the clones (As a contrast, Jango Fett was paid to be the template after consideration from the Sith since he was considered the best bounty hunter in his trade. He took no pride in the clones he trained and merely saw it as a job.) The Sith finds ways to manipulate and get what they want. I believe putting on a noble face to do so wouldn’t be out of the question.

So yeah. Suki would be my candidate for the clone template for a Grand Army of the Republic. That’s if I had to choose only one character.

If I had to choose multiple candidates though, thats where we get to have some fun! If that was the case, then other characters would be viable as candidates for clone templates.

We can get something like the Bad Batch, or Clone Force 99, from the Clone Wars show, but on a massive scale and with more templates instead of splicing up the single one.

Anyway, that’s my answer for now.

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

More AA Star Wars AU, now moving to the Next Gen.

Kristoph is a Senator from an old, powerful political family who seems initially favorable to the Jedi. He worked with Phoenix during Phoenix’s initial investigations into Senator von Karma’s corruption, but he’s just been biding his time to figure out how he can frame the Jedi for treason against the Republic. Which he does. The Republic’s armies turn against the Jedi and it’s a little less massacre and a little more civil war, albeit a short one that ends with the Jedi being pretty badly massacred. But the chaos of a galaxy being suddenly plunged into a short war against what were supposed to be its peacekeepers - though who have been more and more disdained for more shutting themselves away in their temples and less trying to keep the peace - leaves time for some actual treason against the Republic to be committed.

Kristoph is busy attempting to consolidate some power and position himself as the power behind the next chancellor, and every chancellor after, and then he kind of looks around and finds that the planet of Khura’in has done some actual treason against the Republic and actually gone off and straight taken over, and this is an Empire now, with Empress Ga’ran at its head, and her husband ruling Khura’in specifically. And Kristoph is just like “what, no, this was supposed to be MY power-grabbing opportunity!” and he turns around and starts trying to track down the last of the Jedi so that he can organize them into a rebellion against this new Empire, so that when it falls, Kristoph can be the hero who leads a new government out of this empire’s ashes.

Phoenix is aware that Kristoph is a backstabbing bastard, but since he’s not running a shoot-on-sight policy against the Jedi right now, Phoenix deigns to work with him. Phoenix doesn’t trust him enough to let any of his friends work with him, though.

(I’m gonna say that the Gavins are from Naboo, simply because I think it’s funny and also makes sense that they would come from somewhere with such culturally extravagant fashions. Also this from last time we were on about this AU:

Klavier with two different extravagant hairstyles every day and Apollo’s like “we are rebels and smugglers on the run how the fuck do you do that”. I’ll come back to Klavier later.)

Miles, Franziska, Gumshoe, and Ray fled to Zheng Fa, a planet that was nominally part of the Republic, but always valued its freedom and distance from the Senate, and which has now pulled even further away from the Empire. Zheng Fa is in a position that it can be neutral on the Empire and maintain that independence, bolstered by support of its clone army, identical and terrifying soldiers in black loyal only to the royal family. Lang, no longer a Senator, is now the general of this army. Justine remains in the Galactic Senate, the powerless body that it now is, but she has sent her son to take sanctuary on Zheng Fa, afraid that someone may try to use him to get to her. Sebastian, like Lang, has left the Senate; he has some weak connection to the Force, not enough that he was taken by the Jedi, but enough that Miles is now training him in secret. Lang is glad to have their help, having previously been betrayed by his lead bodyguard, Shih-na, who turned out to be a Clawdite assassin. As is the kind of shit that happens here.

Right before the fall of the Jedi, Phoenix was given an apprentice, a Togruta girl named Trucy, who he hides away on Dathomir. He trains her as a Jedi whenever he can sneak away back to Dathomir, and while he is gone, Maya and Pearl train her in the ways of the Witches. 

Returning to the topic of Khura’in, it has always harbored dislike of the Jedi, much like Mandalore, despite Khura’in being a core world. Members of the Khura’inese royal family are often uniquely gifted in the Force; the Jedi have historically sought to bring them for training in their temples, while Khura’in refuses to give up its royal children. However, without the rigid structured training of the Jedi, these often become dangerous to themselves and their people - reckless, cruel, and susceptible to corruption by the dark side. Khura’in is often rocked by infighting, and it sees frequent turnover in its representatives in the Galactic Senate as new Queens come to power and appoint new senators. 

The citizens, and the Republic and the Jedi at large, hoped for some stability when Queen Amara gained power. She opened her planet to the overtures of the Jedi and soon married Dhurke, a Jedi Knight who had been sent on assignment to Khura’in. This is wildly against the Jedi Code, and he probably should’ve been tossed out of the Order, but the Council made an exception for him because they were desperate to build a relationship with Khura’in. Dhurke and a few other Jedi founded a training academy on Khura’in; Queen Amara was still reluctant to give Force-sensitive children up to Coruscant, but bringing aspects of that Jedi Temple training to Khura’in is a compromise everyone was willing to make. On giving birth to her first child, Amara agreed that as soon as he showed signs of Force-proficiency, she would allow the Khura’inese academy to train him, and eventually, when he was older, allow him to go to the Temple on Coruscant for further training. 

Unfortunately, Amara was assassinated, and it was blamed on her Jedi husband Dhurke. He managed to escape from the planet, taking with him the Force-sensitive children he had begun to train, and the Jedi who had come from the Temple, into exile. Some Jedi chose to stay and fight in Khura’in’s civil war to overthrow Ga’ran, while others returned to the temple on Coruscant and were told that the Jedi could not intervene, as this was a civil matter for Khura’in. After several years of fighting, Dhurke sent most of the Khura’inese padawans to Coruscant’s temple to keep them safe there; he kept with him only his own child, Nahyuta, fearing that some agent of Ga’ran’s would find Nahyuta were he in the Temple on Coruscant. 

Apollo is a Togruta boy who was found alone orphaned on Khura’in, where Dhurke took him in and began training him as a Jedi. Apollo was then sent to the temple on Coruscant and trained there; he was a teenage padawan when the Republic turned against the Jedi and he managed to escape the fighting. He eventually joined on to the crew of the Cosmos, a trader ship whose crew included pilots Starbuck and Clay, mechanic Metis, Mandalorian-exile weaponsmith Aura, and an ever-increasing number of droids that Metis and Aura built. 

Aura and her brother Simon were the children of Death Watch exiles living on Mandalore’s moon. After their parents were killed in the fighting between Death Watch and the Mandalore governing forces, the two of them left their home to sell their services as mercenaries. There they met Metis and her daughter, Athena, a Force-sensitive child who Metis refused to give up to the Jedi, and she has been on the run since, determined to keep her child whatever it took. They travel together for years and get a small ship of their own, but they are caught in the civil war between the Republic and the Jedi, attacked, and separated. Metis and Aura make it out to join a freighter crew with their skills; Aura privately blames Athena for the loss of her brother, being sure that the Republic/Empire came after them because of Athena’s Force-powers.

Simon and Athena, however, do survive, and with them Simon’s droid TK-A4 (”Taka”). Unsure of what to do next, they return to Mandalore and for a time join the Mandalorian fight against the new Empire. While they’re there, Simon steals the darksaber, because why not. Nobody else here deserves it! When Mandalore falls to the empire’s control, the two of them flee and become bounty hunters, seeking any Jedi survivors who would be able to train Athena. They hear rumors of Phoenix, and on hunting him down, he sends them to Zheng Fa for Athena to be trained by Miles.

Meanwhile, Klavier, Kristoph’s younger brother, who Kristoph’s been hoping to raise into a staunch and loyal political ally to help Kristoph with his end goals, decides that he doesn’t have the temperament for politics, and together with a member of Kristoph’s guard, Daryan, runs off to become bounty hunters. They aren’t terrible at it, but Daryan has more love for money than he does sense in his head, and deciding that it’s the real best way to get rich, Daryan, against Klavier’s wishes, turns their crew to spice smuggling and gets them caught up in a terrible triple-crossing scheme that ends with their whole crew, except Klavier and the blind Togruta bounty hunter Lamiroir, who hired onto their ship a few months prior, dead.

Left stranded, and regretting every choice that has led him to this moment, Klavier almost considers returning to his brother, and politics, but Lamiroir talks him out of it. She reminds him about all the monstrous deeds they’ve seen that the Empire has done, and how ineffective the Senate is. If they want to do something to save the galaxy, it’s got to be done from the front lines.

Apollo separates from the crew of the Cosmos, hoping to find his way back to the Khura’inese exiles and find Dhurke and Nahyuta again. He ends up crash-landing on Dathomir, where the Fey clan find him and rescue him. Trucy latches on to him immediately, eager for news of the galaxy at large, and having hoped for a pilot to find their way to Dathomir to help Trucy leave and go looking for Phoenix again, having sensed that he’s in trouble. Apollo agrees, not wanting to piss off a clan of witches when he’s at their mercy, but once they’re off the planet, Apollo and Trucy quickly find that they were both Jedi once, and bond over that and the fact that they’re both some of the only Togruta they’ve met, having both grown up amidst other species in the time since the Jedi were destroyed.

Their quest to find Phoenix, which has already waylaid Apollo’s quest of finding Dhurke, is further waylaid when they pick up a distress signal and go to the rescue of Klavier and Lamiroir. They end up banding together in opposition to the Empire, which is after them for reasons unknown (it’s Lamiroir; she doesn’t remember she used to be a Jedi), and several crime syndicates who are after Klavier for what Daryan did to screw them over. Klavier still believes the lies about the Jedi, that they were enemies of the Republic, which makes this a bit of a difficult arrangement for Apollo and Trucy. Their weird little crew is finally rounded out when Trucy’s search for Phoenix brings them to Ema, a part-time mechanic, part-time medic, who is very sick of her dull life, which has been dull since she met Phoenix like, over a decade ago, and signs onto the ship without any of them asking her to come with them. (Trucy was gonna ask though.)

They pretty much just careen around the galaxy helping people, fighting criminals and Imperials, and doing crime themselves.

-

Species Breakdown:

Human: Klavier, Kristoph (Naboo), Simon, Aura (Mandalore)

Togruta: Apollo, Trucy, Thalassa

*I decided Apollo’s a Togruta because they’ve got the montrals that could be like Apollo’s hair horns, so now the rest of his family is, too. Maybe Trucy’s only half Togruta? Maybe Zak was human. I’m not sure what concept I like best.

And everyone else again, I don’t know! Suggestions?

[scarletxmoon]

Can You Trust A Fox? - Chapter 1

For 8 years Neil had been running for his life trying to escape a fate that had been laid out for him since his birth. He might be a powerful wizard that bad people want to use for their own greed. He might just be a boy who wants to run and disappear. But when he meets a group of adventurers who happened to be part of the Foxhole Court a well know guild full of misfits and possible criminals. He forms connections with them and he's not sure if he wants to run anymore. He might just stand with the Foxes and fight for his freedom.

Dungeons and Dragons inspired fic

AO3

Running. Thump thump. Running that's all Neil had known. Running from his father; running from Lola; running from death. Thump thump. The sound of his feet hitting the ground as he pulled his spell components into his hands. The guttural sound of a monster broke the silence of the forest. Harsh breaths and the quiet patter of his feet against the ground.

He broke into a clear then stopped panting heavily—he pivoted on the balls of his feet turning to face the lumber monestrous mass breaking through the treeline. It ran at him with colossal speed swiping at him.

Neil speed allowed for him to effortlessly dodged it. He ready a fire bolt and aimed it hoping for the kill. It hit the monster square on the chest sending it back a few steps; it swayed as Neil held his breath.

The head snapped up emitting a low threatening growl towards him—it ran at extending it's claws. This time Neil was unlucky and did not move fast enough as it's claws slashed across his stomach. He gritted through the pain as he pulled out more spell components focusing on the spell he released sphere of an acidic substance; the creature dropped to the ground hollering out in pain—the smell of melting flesh filled Neil's nostrils.

Once the screams died down Neil allowed himself a moment to breathe as he stared down at the melt body before him. He went to move but pain spiked up his body quickly looking down at the wound the creature gave him. A parch of blood formed through his tunic; deep red mixed with a black substance.

Neil pushed it from his mind as he rummaged through his satchel fishing out a vial of a red liquid. He removed the stopper place the bottle to his lips—knocking the liquid back. He gave himself a moment longer to breathe; allowing the potion to do it's job.

He stared up towards the treeline looking for something specific—a blur of movement caught his sight as a small creature bolted from the trees towards him. He slipped down to his knees as a the creature stopped in front of him; a cat stared up at him mewing and purring as he rub himself against Neil's hand. He stood turning towards the direction he had just come from; looking down he smile at the cat nodding it to follow. They started their way back to village that he had been staying at the past two months.

It was a tiny village near the border of the Empire. He noticed the presence of a few Empire soldiers; pulling his hood up he tried his best to avoid them as he made his way towards the guardsman outpost.

The guards outpost was a shabby little shack with a board out front—parchment pieces attached to it listing the various jobs that need to be handled. He stopped at the door giving it a gentle tapped and a stern and broad guardsman answered the door looking him up and down.

"The job is done the monster has been eliminated." The guard looked at him suspiciously. Neil knew what he was thinking; how could this scrawny short wood elf take on an abnormally large monster that no one else had been able to defeat. Neil sighed but still look at him expectantly.

"You managed to defeat it?" Shaking his head he turned back inside to grab something. "Well colour me impressed I would not have though someone like you would have been able to that. Well as promised here's 100 gold." He handed a satchel of coins to him; Neil accepted it slipping into one of the pouches on his belt. He gave a quick thanks as he turned to leave.

He headed back towards the inn that he had been holed up in to collect his traveling pack. He didn't know where to head to next but he knew he had to get away. He could sense that something was coming he felt sure it was likely his father or someone who worked for him.

He had been running for the past 8 years of his life; since he was 10 when his mother pulled him from his bed and ushered him out the door towards a horse that was packed with few bags of food and clothing. At the time Neil hadn't understood why they were leaving but as the years went by his mother had filled him in with some facts but it only left him with more questions.

He knew his father was a bad man vicious and violent—Neil bore the scars of that violence. His father had become darkened; his thirst for more power drove him to insanity. And naturally he knew his son was adept with magic and he sought to control his powers and him.

After few years of running his father people caught up to them. They dragged his mother back to his father where it gave the strike that would serve as the killing blow. Before death could take her; she grabbed Neil using the last of her strength she used dimension door to get the them away from his father.

She made him promise with her dying breath to keep running and keep fighting. And he did; he ran—he fought—he tried to make his life the best he could despite the circumstances. But as the longer he was alone the more he wanted to just give in. He was tired but the will to run was much stronger so he ran.

The sun began to drop behind the tall pines; he settled for the night; setting a fire up. The slight chill from the autumn air went through to his bones—pulling his dark green cloak closer to his body trying to keep the warmth from fire within. He ran his finger through his dark hair as he stared at the fire. Sir was curled up at his side purring, his hand dropped down to Sir's head as he scratched behind his ears—pulling quiet mew from him. He settled in closing his eyes to attempt sleep hoping no nightmares would find him.

But as his eyes began to close he sensed something amiss—his eyes snapped open, he attempted to move but he was not fast enough to react as he felt cool metal against the skin of his throat.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." a low voice growled. Fear crept across Neil's features as his eyes widened and he froze. He knew it would only be a matter of time before his father people caught him. How had he been so stupid to let his guard down? He could hear the hissing of Sir beside him as he stood ready to attack the person behind him.

"Andrew!" another voice yelled from in front of him this time; a dark skinned halfling came into view. The dagger dropped and Neil used the chance to bolt. He ran or at least he tried to run but dizziness over took him as he clambered to ground shaking and shivering.

"Shit did you nick him with your knife." a third voice called out as he felt someone hovering over him. He could feel someone touching him; feeling around for wounds. He caught flashes of blond hair and hazel eyes as he slowly slipped into darkness.

"No please." Neil tried to speak but his words slurred.

"He's poisoned." Was the last thing he heard before the darkness finally took him.

Neil opened his eyes as the world came back to him—above him wooden ceiling instead of tree branched and stars. He shot up and noticed he was in a bed in what seemed like an inn. He could not remember getting to a town; last thing he could remember was a knife against his throat, a halfling and then darkness.

His eyes scanned the room—empty potion bottles and bandages littered the table nearby; a fire place emitting warmth from the low fire burning. His eyes shifted to a blond halfling boy wearing light gray robes with a orange fox crest on the front. His eyes were closed his breath was even—sleeping.

Neil looked down; his cloak had been removed same with his tunic. He panicked knowing who ever this person was had seen his scars. He was very self conscious of his scars; they were questions he didn't want to answer—a reminder of his father.

His hands grasped the fabric of the bandages that were wrapped around his torso. Confusion took over; who were these people? If they worked for his father they would have left him bloody and close to death—not save his life.

'He's poisoned' he recalled a voice saying before he blackout; that would explain why he was unable to get away and how he was unable to sense them sooner.

Neil tried to move but pain seeped up his body causing him hiss. Which was enough to startle the halfling boy from his sleep he looked up he pressed his lips tight; shaking his head slowly as if tell Neil not to move.

"You are awake finally" His voice was quiet as he sighed; standing up walking towards him. Neil gripped the sheets his eyes darting from the boy to the door not far behind him. "You must really have a death wish." The boy cracked a slight smile.

"What do you mean?" Finally Neil found his voice even if it was slightly cracking. The boy stood at the foot of the bed staring at him.

"Well that monster you fought it poisoned you. You are very lucky we found you or you probably would have died in your sleep."

Neil looked down at the bandages once more. The reality of the words struck him. He almost died and they saved him. He looked back up to the boy eyes taking in the every detail; blond with hazel eyes. He recalled back to what he saw before he blacked out.

"Who are you?" He finally got his voice under control.

"I am Aaron the healer of my group. I'm a cleric of the Foxhole Court. And you are lucky I'm very proficient in curing poisons." He grinned. "So who are you?" He asked, Neil just stared at him words dying on his tongue.

Neil didn't know if he should tell him; after all he was a stranger—a danger if he said the wrong thing. As he worked to carefully choose his words the door burst open; the dark skinned halfling from before barged in.

"Nicky!" Aaron snapped at him. Nicky just shrugged in response.

"What? We heard talking so we figured he must have woken." Neil tensed at the 'we' part as his eyes snapped back to the door. A mirror in dark clothing the same blond halfling that was in front him—a twin. But the person behind him cause him to freeze.

Tall tanned skinned human male with striking green eyes; dressed in fighter attire—a Fox crest replacing what should have been a Raven. This was someone from his past whom he hoped would never see again. Kevin Day adoptive brother to Riko Moriyama—a family with close ties to his father; his father's boss.

Kevin pushed his way past Nicky and the other twin; he recalled the name Andrew being called before he lost consciousness. Kevin stopped right beside him; eyes searching his—looking at his face then his hair. Neil's eyes widened when he realized that his disguise had fallen when he blackout.

"Nathaniel?"

-----

Author’s Note:

Neil is a Wood Elf Wizard Andrew is a Halfling Rogue Aaron is a Halfling Cleric Nicky is a Halfling Bard Kevin is a Human Fighter The rest will be listed when the chapter they are in is posted. I do have this plotted to the end so this will be a complete fic unlike some of my previous fics.

[phroyd]

America, can we talk? Let’s just cut the shit for once and actually talk about what’s going on without blustering and pretending we’re actually doing a good job at adulting as a country right now. We’re not. We’re really screwing this whole society thing up, and we have to do better. We don’t have a choice. People are dying. At this rate, it’s not if your kids, or mine, are involved in a school shooting, it’s when. One of these happens every 60 hours on average in the US. If you think it can’t affect you, you’re wrong. Dead wrong. So let’s talk.

I’ll start. I’m an Army veteran. I like M-4’s, which are, for all practical purposes, an AR-15, just with a few extra features that people almost never use anyway. I’d say at least 70% of my formal weapons training is on that exact rifle, with the other 30% being split between various and sundry machineguns and grenade launchers. My experience is pretty representative of soldiers of my era. Most of us are really good with an M-4, and most of us like it at least reasonably well, because it is an objectively good rifle. I was good with an M-4, really good. I earned the Expert badge every time I went to the range, starting in Basic Training. This isn’t uncommon. I can name dozens of other soldiers/veterans I know personally who can say the exact same thing. This rifle is surprisingly easy to use, completely idiot-proof really, has next to no recoil, comes apart and cleans up like a dream, and is light to carry around. I’m probably more accurate with it than I would be with pretty much any other weapon in existence. I like this rifle a lot. I like marksmanship as a sport. When I was in the military, I enjoyed combining these two things as often as they’d let me.

With all that said, enough is enough. My knee jerk reaction is to consider weapons like the AR-15 no big deal because it is my default setting. It’s where my training lies. It is my normal, because I learned how to fire a rifle IN THE ARMY. You know, while I may only have shot plastic targets on the ranges of Texas, Georgia, and Missouri, that’s not what those weapons were designed for, and those targets weren’t shaped like deer. They were shaped like people. Sometimes we even put little hats on them. You learn to take a gut shot, “center mass”, because it’s a bigger target than the head, and also because if you maim the enemy soldier rather than killing him cleanly, more of his buddies will come out and get him, and you can shoot them, too. He’ll die of those injuries, but it’ll take him a while, giving you the chance to pick off as many of his compadres as you can. That’s how my Drill Sergeant explained it anyway. I’m sure there are many schools of thought on it. The fact is, though, when I went through my marksmanship training in the US Army, I was not learning how to be a competition shooter in the Olympics, or a good hunter. I was being taught how to kill people as efficiently as possible, and that was never a secret.

As an avowed pacifist now, it turns my stomach to even type the above words, but can you refute them? I can’t. Every weapon that a US Army soldier uses has the express purpose of killing human beings. That is what they are made for. The choice rifle for years has been some variant of what civilians are sold as an AR-15. Whether it was an M-4 or an M-16 matters little. The function is the same, and so is the purpose. These are not deer rifles. They are not target rifles. They are people killing rifles. Let’s stop pretending they’re not.

With this in mind, is anybody surprised that nearly every mass shooter in recent US history has used an AR-15 to commit their crime? And why wouldn’t they? High capacity magazine, ease of loading and unloading, almost no recoil, really accurate even without a scope, but numerous scopes available for high precision, great from a distance or up close, easy to carry, and readily available. You can buy one at Wal-Mart, or just about any sports store, and since they’re long guns, I don’t believe you have to be any more than 18 years old with a valid ID. This rifle was made for the modern mass shooter, especially the young one. If he could custom design a weapon to suit his sinister purposes, he couldn’t do a better job than Armalite did with this one already.

This rifle is so deadly and so easy to use that no civilian should be able to get their hands on one. We simply don’t need these things in society at large. I always find it interesting that when I was in the Army, and part of my job was to be incredibly proficient with this exact weapon, I never carried one at any point in garrison other than at the range. Our rifles lived in the arms room, cleaned and oiled, ready for the next range day or deployment. We didn’t carry them around just because we liked them. We didn’t bluster on about barracks defense and our second amendment rights. We tucked our rifles away in the arms room until the next time we needed them, just as it had been done since the Army’s inception. The military police protected us from threats in garrison. They had 9 mm Berettas to carry. They were the only soldiers who carry weapons in garrison. We trusted them to protect us, and they delivered. With notably rare exceptions, this system has worked well. There are fewer shootings on Army posts than in society in general, probably because soldiers are actively discouraged from walking around with rifles, despite being impeccably well trained with them. Perchance, we could have the largely untrained civilian population take a page from that book?

I understand that people want to be able to own guns. That’s ok. We just need to really think about how we’re managing this. Yes, we have to manage it, just as we manage car ownership. People have to get a license to operate a car, and if you operate a car without a license, you’re going to get in trouble for that. We manage all things in society that can pose a danger to other people by their misuse. In addition to cars, we manage drugs, alcohol, exotic animals (there are certain zip codes where you can’t own Serval cats, for example), and fireworks, among other things. We restrict what types of businesses can operate in which zones of the city or county. We have a whole system of permitting for just about any activity a person wants to conduct since those activities could affect others, and we realize, as a society, that we need to try to minimize the risk to other people that comes from the chosen activities of those around them in which they have no say. Gun ownership is the one thing our country collectively refuses to manage, and the result is a lot of dead people.

I can’t drive a Formula One car to work. It would be really cool to be able to do that, and I could probably cut my commute time by a lot. Hey, I’m a good driver, a responsible Formula One owner. You shouldn’t be scared to be on the freeway next to me as I zip around you at 140 MPH, leaving your Mazda in a cloud of dust! Why are you scared? Cars don’t kill people. People kill people. Doesn’t this sound like bullshit? It is bullshit, and everybody knows. Not one person I know would argue non-ironically that Formula One cars on the freeway are a good idea. Yet, these same people will say it’s totally ok to own the firearm equivalent because, in the words of comedian Jim Jeffries, “fuck you, I like guns”.

Yes, yes, I hear you now. We have a second amendment to the constitution, which must be held sacrosanct over all other amendments. Dude. No. The constitution was made to be a malleable document. It’s intentionally vague. We can enact gun control without infringing on the right to bear arms. You can have your deer rifle. You can have your shotgun that you love to shoot clay pigeons with. You can have your target pistol. Get a license. Get a training course. Recertify at a predetermined interval. You do not need a military grade rifle. You don’t. There’s no excuse.

“But we’re supposed to protect against tyranny! I need the same weapons the military would come at me with!” Dude. You know where I can get an Apache helicopter and a Paladin?! Hook a girl up! Seriously, though, do you really think you’d be able to hold off the government with an individual level weapon? Because you wouldn’t. One grenade, and you’re toast. Don’t have these illusions of standing up to the government, and needing military style rifles for that purpose. You’re not going to stand up to the government with this thing. They’d take you out in about half a second.

Let’s be honest. You just want a cool toy, and for the vast majority of people, that’s all an AR-15 is. It’s something fun to take to the range and put some really wicked holes in a piece of paper. Good for you. I know how enjoyable that is. I’m sure for a certain percentage of people, they might not kill anyone driving a Formula One car down the freeway, or owning a Cheetah as a pet, or setting off professional grade fireworks without a permit. Some people are good with this stuff, and some people are lucky, but those cases don’t negate the overall rule. Military style rifles have been the choice du jour in the incidents that have made our country the mass shootings capitol of the world. Formula One cars aren’t good for commuting. Cheetahs are bitey. Professional grade fireworks will probably take your hand off. All but one of these are common sense to the average American. Let’s fix that. Be honest, you don’t need that AR-15. Nobody does. Society needs them gone, no matter how good you may be with yours. Kids are dying, and it’s time to stop fucking around.

Written by a very smart man!

Phroyd

[thecorteztwins]

Mutant Empire: Salvation, Chapters 5 &6

Magneto isn't in these chapters either but we get some Juggernaut insight in Chapter Five, and we also get a neat moment between Charles and Senator Kelly in Chapter 6. I thought both were worth writing about. Tagging @malakhvent and @profxisajerk in case you’re interested in either of these things at all.

CHAPTER FIVE We're reminded at the beginning of this chapter how Cain's father abused him and the rest of the family. I like the detail that it was his father's cold words and hard looks that hurt more than the physical abuse. And how he saw his stepmother quivering and Charles withdraw into his studies, and he (Cain) started to hate them. He feels that they were weak, they deserved what they got, and Cain vows to himself to not be like them, to be strong, to never show weakness. Basically, it seems to me like Cain feels the abuse is his fault, that if he's not weak this wouldn't happen, and he's projecting that on to his fellow victims rather than his abuser. And so he becomes a bully in the schoolyard and worse to Charles, and becomes a criminal once he becomes the Juggernaut. And he always thought kindness and friendship were weakness. But then he met Black Tom Cassidy. Black Tom, for those who won't know, is Banshee's evil cousin. He and Jugs have been pals'n'partners in crime for a LONG time in the comics. And we learn that it was kindness and friendship from Black Tom that showed Cain he was wrong. Because Black Tom is the kindest and most ruthless person he's ever known. And he realizes that friendship is actually a desirable thing. It's specified this doesn't change at all how much he hates Charles, how hard he fights the X-Men, or that he's a criminal. But he's still changed in this way. And I really like that. I love villainous friendships and villainous character development that doesn't make them stop being villains.

We also learn that Cain has always felt condescended to by the X-Men, that he finds them “holier-than-thou”, that their offers to “help” make it seem like he's weak, and how from his perception they treat him like gum on their shoe...”the same way Charles had always treated him.” Which I'm sure is objectively NOT how Charles treated him, but I'm fascinated this how Cain perceived and/or remembers Charles. I don't know if Cain has ever like...acknowledged his father as abusive and wrong, but if he hasn't, I'm really starting to think he directed all his anger and pain at Charles not just in the form of physically abusing him, but in making HIM the bully in his own mind because he COULDN'T bring himself to blame his ACTUAL abuser, whom he probably had a much strong familial bond with seeing as how that was his father whereas Charles was just some random kid he was now living with.

And Cain is thinking how Charles knowing his precious mutant soldiers are going into battle alongside the Juggernaut will just get under Charles skin so much and how he loves that and it's worth it even if Magneto hands his ass to him....Cain buddy boy do I have news for you. Seriously, I feel like Charles would be THRILLED to know that Cain has teamed up with the X-Men against Magneto even though there's nothing it for him.

We also learn Cain didn't finish high school idk if that's news to you

And he considers mercenaries to be scum. Which is weird cuz he openly admits in the same breath he's into crime for personal gain, calling himself a “career criminal”. I guess maybe to him robbery has some dignity and class (which he says mercs don't) but being a soldier for pay in a cause you don't care about doesn't? I guess that has a certain logic. He also seems kinda into cowboy movies, mentally seeing himself as one of the “black hats”, a bad guy/outlaw who still has some kind...again, class and dignity are the words he uses, I'm not sure if they're the correct words, I guess maybe...standards? Not so much morals or ethics, but standards. He'll rob a bank for the cash, but he won't do guerrilla warfare for a fee, basically. He'll work for a bigger criminal on a heist for a cut of the profits, but he won't align himself with a cause he doesn't believe it just because there's cash in it for him. And he takes blatant issue with the those who do. So that's really interesting. And not something I would have expected from Cain. Once more, Christopher Golden is being really great about giving every character some depth and POV, I'm honestly impressed by how many times he's done that, especially for villains and minor book-exclusive background types. CHAPTER 6 I would like to remind everyone that at this point I canon, Xavier was NOT known to the public to be a mutant or to have anything to do with the X-Men. The book reminds, however, that he is a celebrity “the way politicians ad scientists became celebrities.” That is to say, he doesn't have fans or the like, but his opinion on mutant issues is valued by the media and he's considered the most powerful pro-mutant proponent on the subject, so lots of major news stations have requested him for comment on the current goings-on in Manhattan. As a small note, it always bugged me that Xavier seems to not simply be the most important public person who is pro-mutant/human peace, but the ONLY person. We never see anyone else, let alone ACTUAL humans, who are vocal public figures about that UNLESS they're anti-mutant. We do get some “public figures who preach mutant/human peace” during the 90s (Haven and Empyrean) but they're short-lived, super-minor characters that no one knows or remembers. I kinda wonder why Moira MacTaggert was never asked on any TV show or radio debate that I can remember (she's a scientist who is the leading expert on mutants in the comics, not a CIA agent) then I remember that unlike the diplomatic Xavier, Moira has no patience with any bullshit and wouldn't pretend to. I guess the meta answer is because Xavier is one of the main characters and this lets us see him doing something, something that the other X-Men can't do, something that advances his beliefs without violating his morals or involving secret paramilitary groups of child soldiers, and I like that. I'm just saying I think it's weird they can't at least stick in one other famous person who agrees with him. Then again, I guess that also helps to show that this isn't an equal battle, the odds are against him. Anyway. Tonight he's going to be debating Senator Kelly on ABC news. I look forward to this. Kelly gets a really bad rap in fandom, and I do understand why, but a lot of people don't realize that in the comics, he's actually a very moderate guy whose concerns come from a rational place, in contrast to the usual frothing bigots like Pierce, Hodge, and Graydon Creed. Speaking of Graydon, Xavier finds it strange that he has all but disappeared from the “media circus” since last evening, something you'd think he would be taking advantage of big-time. Charles suspects that whatever the outcome of Magneto and Manhattan is, Graydon is simply waiting to pounce on the backlash. Me, I think there might be a bigger plot afoot. It also makes me suspicious when a news anchor Charles had made a connection to in previous books, an Annelise Dwyer, surprises him when she approaches without him sensing her first. He figures he's just tired. I figure this is a foreshadowing. During the debate, Charles is impressed by how calm and rational Senator Kelly is, and how clear it is that Kelly is a man who understands the power of words and does not wish to use them to cause a panic, but instead presents them in a responsible way. It makes him that much more pleased that Graydon Creed isn’t here. Kelly closes with an argument that I myself have made many times before: that the different in humans and mutants is not the same as a difference of race or religion or anything else like that. He says that though “all men and women were created equal, even if they are not treated so” until mutants came along, and that “Mutants are not equal to the rest of humanity. Mutants are greater. I do not say better, but greater. More powerful, and thus inherently more dangerous. For the good of the entire world, all mutants must be registered and monitored. Now, I do not agree with the registration and monitoring part, but I do, as I said before, agree that concern about mutants is not the same as concern about black people or people who are transgender. Because those traits don’t give you more power than everyone else. Mutation does. There is real concrete reason to be worried about people who can make you explode when they’re angry or wipe your mind with theirs. This is what I like about Senator Kelly---he doesn’t hate mutants for what they are. He doesn’t call them freaks or lesser beings, he doesn’t want them exterminated, he does not wish for them to be harmed simply for existing. He’s just raising the very rational question of, what about the rest of us? And I don’t like his answer, but I do like his contrast to the usual way anyone who doesn’t 110% love mutants is portrayed as a mindless straw-bigot who just wants to wipe them all off the face of the Earth. Xavier then makes his closing statement. He starts by praising Kelly as an intelligent man concerned for others, and that there is cause for concern after seeing what Magneto and his followers have done. But, he adds, one should be no more afraid of mutant terrorists than any other terrorists, that the men bombed Oklahoma city and the World Trade Center (note: He does not mean 9/11, this was written before then, this is in reference to an event earlier in history. Just thought I’d mention that so there was no confusion over when this is set) are dangerous too, not because of any powers at their disposal but the hate in their hearts. He says that there are many people proficient with guns and martial arts who could also be considered “greater” than other humans, yet no one has discussed taking away their civil rights. That every American has a right to life liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and privacy. That criminals, including mutants, should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, but innocent civilians should have their rights preserved, that if all mutants were an evil conspiracy they would rule the world already, and that the fact they don’t is proof most simply live in peace. But that whether they get to “is up to you.” I do very much agree with him about leaving civil rights intact, but I have a lot of counterpoints to the claim mutants aren’t more dangerous than regular terrorists, but I feel like that would just veer into too much a tangent, so I’ll continue the summary instead. Especially since we’re getting to the part I really like!

After they finish and the broadcast is no longer running, Kelly approaches Xavier. And Kelly says something amazing to Charles: “I know you’re right.” Seriously. He says that. He really does. But he then follows it with that he believes that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Basically, he agrees with Xavier’s principles, but in practice feels the only way for the majority to be safe is for mutants to have their civil rights restricted, even if, as he concedes, that’s morally wrong. Xavier counters that mutants are PART of the many, and that people like Kelly are what forces them to splinter off and see themselves as something else entirely, as though they are another tribe at war with so-called “normal” humans...and if they are made to feel this way, what happens when mutants become the majority? You know, in his own way, Xavier is capable of motivating by fear as much as Magneto is. Like, this is NOT an appeal to compassion, this is PLAYING on the fear of mutant abilities with a “be nice now or else later” Which, admittedly, might be sensible. Kelly says he takes his point. He also says that he hopes this whole thing in Manhattan is resolved as quickly and “painlessly” as possible. Xavier says that’s at least one thing they can agree on. They shake hands, and Xavier’s “thoughts returned to hope.” I liked this :)

[ultravioletsoul]

A Woman’s Duty  [ Salen Kotch x F!Reader ] - Part 1 / 2

I know I still haven’t finished the other Kotch fic, but I promise this one is complete so you won’t have to wait too much for me to get my butt in gear. I only need to revise and edit part two and hopefully we’ll have a two-shot. Clouded Judgement is still in the works, as well as several of my other projects *curls in a ball in the corner and cries*. This is what I get for writing like three different stories at the same time.

This one in particular takes place several years before the events of Infinite Warfare and Kotch is younger, of course. Either way, I hope you enjoy it orz

Thanks to Lucía and Lala for the help and support. Love ya!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Call of Duty Infinite Warfare or its characters. They all belong to Activision and Infinity Ward. No copyright infringement intended. All I’m trying to do is provide entertainment to the readers and by no means do I have lucrative purposes.

Warnings: Unbetaed work. Misogyny. Implied abuse. Squick. Cousincest (depending on your views on such relationships). Possible OoC. OCs. English isn’t my first language.

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Part I

Senet was said to be the oldest board game in the history of mankind and it was one you enjoyed playing with your father, Emin, whenever you had the chance to see him. Those moments weren’t a common occurrence, unfortunately. As a member of the High Council of the Settlement Defense Front, he was a man with many responsibilities to deal with. Nonetheless, he always made time for you in his  busy schedule and that was something that had always filled you with joy.

Despite the fact that sons were coveted and treasured over daughters— for the reason that boys were the future soldiers that would serve the regime— there was no denying Emin always had a predilection for you, out of all his children. It was no secret that your mother, one of his many concubines, had been his most beloved mistress when she was alive. Not even his lady wife had been the recipient of such open affections, but that probably was because their marriage was based on convenience rather than some sort of emotional attachment.

No one had told you much about your mother, and she had passed away when you were too young to remember. However, you had a strong suspicion that she’d been born in Earth and was brought to Mars during the Secession Wars. The fact that she had no known relatives to speak of, in a society where large families were the norm, made you consider the possibility. Not to mention the patent animosity your father’s wife seemed to have for the memory of his former lover, despite the fact she’d never been bothered by other women warming her husband’s bed.

It wouldn’t be strange if she had been a prisoner of war once, taken to this planet against her will as loot, though you had no way to confirm the veracity of this story. What you knew was that she’d caught the eye of a senior ranking officer and initiated a love affair from which you were born.

The practice of men—particularly those who held great influence and privileges— of having Earthen women as mistresses wasn’t uncommon back in the day, and it had been an inevitable outcome of the war. You’d met several of these ladies during your lifetime, and most of them had gladly accepted— or appeared to, at least— the attentions bestowed upon them but, of course, that could have been just a front. However, there were also whispers about their unhappy lives behind closed doors, which made you question yourself whether your mother had been in the same situation before. In spite of your suspicions, Emin refused to go into detail about her past and it only served to strengthen those beliefs. Still, after all these years, he lamented her demise and sought your company because of how much you reminded him of her.

While part of you longed to uncover the truth, another doubted if it was a good idea. If he kept you ignorant of it for so long, then maybe it was meant to never be disclosed. The implications of such reflections didn’t bode anything good and, to be honest, you were scared to find out what really happened to her, so you chose to believe Emin’s version— that she’d caught some sort of incurable disease and succumbed to it. At least it would be easier to stomach than the idea of her having a miserable existence because of your father’s obsession.

You threw the senet sticks and got three white sides, the number you needed to get your last pawn out of the board. With a clap of excitement, you announced, “oh, it seems victory is mine once more!”

“Well done, my kitten,” Emin commented rather amused as he eyed his many pawns that had been left behind. “You’re merciless at this game, just like your mother used to be.”

Going by the stories he shared with you, your mother had been an enthusiast of senet and played with him on numerous occasions. She was proficient and very few people could beat her. Such was her fondness for this game that Emin had gifted her a turquoise box with exquisite engravings, completed by a set of pieces carved in black sapphire and white opal— an acquisition that now belonged to you, her only daughter.

“Don’t exaggerate, dad. You’ve always given me trouble when we play, but I noticed you’ve been distracted today. Is something on your mind?”

“Perhaps,” he mumbled with a lazy smile, gazing at you with softness before taking your hand in his. “Have I told you how beautiful you’re growing each day that passes?”

Rolling your eyes playfully, you giggled in delight. “A parent always thinks their children are the most beautiful creatures in existence and you, sir, are no exception to the rule.”

“But more than sharing an opinion, I am stating a fact. You are a beautiful young lady and, though you may not have noticed, I’ve seen the longing you stir in the hearts of men— the looks they give you whenever you are with me.”

“I find that hard to believe. Who would be stupid enough to leer at the daughter of a great councilman unless they had a death wish?” you joked, resisting the urge to cackle as you put the pieces in place for another game that you’d definitely win again.

“Indeed, but you would be surprised at how daring some of them can be. After all, women are fair but dangerous creatures that can make us lose our minds if given the chance. Your mother did that to me,” he laughed, before letting go of your hand to sip at his glass of cool beverage that you’d requested to have prepared— along with other snacks to spend the evening together in the garden pond of the greenhouse. “Speaking of surprises, I have one for you but I was wondering whether I should tell you now or wait until everything is arranged.”

“Oh, what is it?” you asked excitedly, shifting to sit on your knees on the divan. “Now that you’ve spoken, you can’t leave me in suspense!”

“Ah, some things never change, do they? But sometimes it’s difficult for me to remember that you’re not that little girl with pigtails anymore, clinging to my legs and begging me to carry her in my arms.”

What was he going on about? “Dad, you’re acting strange today.”

“My dear, you know there comes a time when a father knows he needs to let his children walk their own path in life. Your brothers have already followed in my steps and swore to serve and protect our home with their lives, if necessary. I have no worries about them as they can fend for themselves, but for a woman the reality is different. She has no one else to care for her other than her parents or her husband, and that is where the deepest concern for me lies.” Suddenly, everything started to make sense and you were aware of where this conversation was heading. You weren’t sure if you’d like what he was going to say as an idea formed in the back of your mind, and you couldn’t say you were thrilled by it. “It is the duty of her parents to secure her future—”

“You mean marry her off to someone,” you blurted out and, suddenly, the amenable mood became awkward whilst your father cleared his throat.

“I won’t live forever, unfortunately. It’s imperative for me to see you well cared for while I’m still alive, so I can be at peace knowing I made the right choice. What is more, I would like to see my grandchildren— your children— running around the house,” he paused, taking notice of the displeased purse of your lips. “Why the sad face? Is it such a bad prospect for you? Any young lady would be happy to hear these news.”

Well, from what you’d seen, some of your sisters and cousins hadn’t been happy about it. Alas, in most cases their opinions weren’t taken into account, so you doubted you’d be brimming with joy when it was your turn.

“You said there was an arrangement. May I ask who do you have in mind?” The mirth in your voice had vanished despite your best efforts to sound unaffected.

“You don’t have to worry about it. I have found a suitable man for you and I trust he will take good care of my daughter.”

“Who is he?” you insisted, trying to conceal your frustration as you didn’t want to be disrespectful.

Nothing could prepare you for the shock of his revelation, however.

“Salen,” Emin said without further preamble, and all was silent as you took a moment to process what he’d told you. You blinked in confusion, and when the name finally registered in your mind it was impossible to hold back a noise of discontent or hide the dismay on your face.

“Salen?!” You couldn’t believe it. Did your father actually intend for you to marry him? To you such a union had been unthinkable and, if you were given a choice, you would never be with your cousin even if he was the last man left in the solar system.

Ever since he was a child, he’d done nothing but torment you and you couldn’t feel affection for him as a friend, let alone see him as a man and definitely not your husband. He was nothing but an arrogant youth who had always gotten on your nerves by antagonizing and making you feel you were worth nothing— mainly because your mother was an Earthen, as though his ancestry hadn’t hailed from that planet too. The fact that you’d never been keen in putting up with this  sort of behavior, and on several occasions argued with him, made his attitude much worse, as he’d always thought that being a girl meant that you had to submit to his wishes and his every whim. But you refused to be complacent with Salen and so you’d always clashed— an aggressive trait of your personality that you’d unfortunately inherited from your mother, your father’s wife had observed once. It didn’t help the fact his parents tried to make up excuses for him by saying he liked you but didn’t know how to approach you, as though such inane reasons justified his ill-mannered actions.

However, when it began to escalate into physical fights, it was decided that you should perhaps not see each other for some time since your parents didn’t want to encourage aggression between you two. As the memory played in your mind, you started to wonder if your father and his  brother hadn’t been planning this match for a long time, and whether that was the reason they insisted so much for you two to reach an understanding.

When Salen was taken away by the SDF for military service, as it was mandatory for every male scion in Mars, you couldn’t believe you’d actually been sorry to see him leave. While not much was known about what happened during the period of training and military education, except to those men who had actually gone through it, there were some shady stories that the friend of a cousin of someone else’s friend had heard. Needless to say, their nature was scary and they seemed to gain credibility when the sons of some families returned as corpses— dead by a tragic accident, the explanation went in most cases. It was disturbing to see mothers with their hearts broken as they mourned, and fathers who wouldn’t even show grief for the son they’d lost.

Something was very wrong and you’d feared for your brother, who had left almost a year ago and… even for Salen. You’d hoped that his time away would make him mature and value his family and friends more. You were willing to put differences aside, if he changed his ways and respected you more— acknowledged that he’d treated you poorly all those years.

Well, he changed but not for the better as you had expected. Instead, the flaws in his character became unbearable as he grew more unfeeling towards others and authoritarian when it came to those he considered were beneath him. What could have been the start of a friendship with him went sour, and you abandoned your efforts when you realized he still cared little about what his words and actions did to you. Whatever happened while he was away, it had most certainly affected him deep inside but you didn’t think you could ever have the chance of a heart-to-heart.

“What’s the problem?” Emin arched an eyebrow and you frowned, looking away. You’d never wanted to disobey your father but this idea was… absurd to put it lightly. What on Mars made him believe that you and his nephew would be an ideal couple?

“Father, you know Salen and I never really got along. It seemed like hate at first sight when we met and he doesn’t find me agreeable, neither do I him. I would prefer a man that’s better suited for me, if I’m to marry.”

“Nonsense, it was a silly childish spat. You know how boys tend to be, always assertive and domineering among their peers, but that’s how they are. You can’t blame him for trying to impress you, either. I’m sure he only wanted to catch the attention of the prettiest girl he’d ever seen in his life.”

“He mistreated me because he wanted to impress me? Sorry, but that’s just one big fallacy. If you like someone, you don’t treat them—”

“(Y/N)…”

“With condescension and disdain. I can’t stand his superiority complex and being in the same room as him is unbearable. I cannot imagine what an ordeal being his wife would be.”

While you’d been taught to be demure and not very outspoken in the presence of men, given that boldness was an undesired quality in a woman, Salen’s conceit and disregard for your feelings was enough to make you forget your manners. It was something that had brought trouble to you on several occasions, so you preferred to avoid him altogether.

“Salen may be rough around the edges when it comes to the ladies, and I’m aware of that, but I wouldn’t have chosen him if I wasn’t certain of what kind of man is my future son-in-law.”

“You are a crocodile…” you muttered with squinted eyes. “Don’t you feel sorry for your poor daughter?”

“You are precious to me and that is why I’m doing what I consider best. Salen will be admiral of his own fleet in a matter of years, and I have no doubts that one day he’ll be part of the High Council. He is a brilliant and capable leader with a promising future ahead. Your mother and I think he’s the best suitor for you and I won’t settle for lesser than him.”

He meant your adoptive mother— his wife, of course. To be honest, you were hardly surprised to discover she was involved in this decision. Despite what Emin would want to believe, she’d never been much fond of you and surely saw this as an opportunity to get rid of your presence in her house. You had no problems in giving her what she wanted, but she could have at least tried to persuade her husband to find you someone else.

It wasn’t her fault, however, as she had no choice but to do what you father said.

There were better options you could have considered but Emin would never allow you to choose a man of low rank, as that would be a clear disparity of social classes. Status was determined by ties and loyalties to the Front, so the higher a man was in the chain of command in the military the more prominent and influential his family became. It happened this way because your society was heavily patriarchal, and women were more or less confined to the sidelines. For those who were daughters of the council— like you— their options were very limited, and they ended up being given away in marriage to other officers in most cases. On the other hand, women that belonged to the lower classes had relatively more freedom to choose what they wanted to do, so to speak, whether it was working for an income or staying home to care for their families. They were encouraged to serve the SDF in support roles, study and get degrees, as well as develop professionally, but under no circumstances were allowed to take arms and, as far as you could remember, you’d never seen any woman occupying positions of power or being part of the High Council.

The military was most certainly a world dominated by men, but there was a good reason why the SDF wished to keep females at home. After all, it was a woman’s duty producing children for the regime and raising the soldiers of tomorrow. Considering the population of Mars was still small compared with that of Earth, it made sense they wanted to preserve their means to procreate. In this aspect, the task seemed to be of utmost importance to the SDF. Without women, there wouldn’t be anyone to give birth to the children that would add to their armed forces. In spite of this, it was a sad irony that a baby girl wasn’t received in the family with the same joy as a boy— and, sometimes, it was considered a disappointment.

“Are you listening to me?”

“He will never agree to this.” You tried to convince yourself this couldn’t be happening.

“Believe it or not he already did and, unlike you, trusted his father’s judgement. Now I do hope you see reason and accept him, too. Years ago, I promised your uncle Valeriy if your mother was expecting a girl that she’d be Salen’s wife. You don’t want to break his heart, do you? After all, you’re his favorite niece.”

He wouldn’t change his mind that easily, would he? You’d never thought Salen would accept but, according to your father, he did and it left you at a loss for words. Of course, that didn’t mean Salen had feelings for you— something you considered very unlikely and neither did you find appealing— as this had nothing to do with what both of you wanted. Despite his sisters always teased that he was interested in you in a more romantic level, you’d never wanted to believe it. They were only making fun of you because you couldn’t stand being told that you and Salen should just kiss and makeup, as though you were in an obligation to feed his ego. The nerve they had…

“I know, but…” We won’t be happy together, that was what you wanted to say but would it matter, at all? As a daughter, you had to do what your patriarch said and Salen had to do the same but, unlike you, he had a way out of an unhappy marriage. He could keep as many mistresses as he wanted, if he didn’t have them already, while you’d be expected to remain faithful to him throughout the years.

Maybe being married to a man you didn’t love would make it easier to watch him bestow his favors on other women. At least you wouldn’t be jealous of them or their children but, still, the thought that this was the kind of life you’d have to content yourself with was… depressing.

A hand caressed your cheek and you stared into Emin’s dark brown eyes, knowing you wouldn’t be able to refuse. “In time you will see I was right, my kitten.”

If only it were true.

A/N: Well, oh gosh, I’m always happy to post more works for readers to enjoy.

I tried to do a little world building with the information available in the game. Yep, the SDF military and society of Mars are dominated by men and there’s not much gender equality like in the UNSA. Have you seen the wanted board in Reyes’s quarters? The big fishes of the SDF are all men and there are no women in power.

Concubines? Well, there was one colonel who apparently had like 24 children and another councilman had 12 children, which implies their families may be large, so a good possibility is that these men (or, at least, high-ranking officers) have mistresses. The biographies also mention patriarchs.

Why do I think the SDF training is brutal and may be the cause of death of several recruits? In the wanted board we have Nicholas Rado, a SDF major, whose name seemed to appear quite a lot in the descriptions of the SDF training methods. Not much is explained in his biography, but it mentions that one of his training exercises was pushing recruits out into the vacuum of space with minimal oxygen reserves and a punctured suit. Those who failed died, of course. I’m pretty sure there are more terrible examples of these methodologies they use to ‘harden’ their draftees, who are child soldiers seeing as the age of conscription in the SDF is 12 (and it’s compulsory for all males).

Next part: [here]