#Delenn/Sinclair

[tallysgreatestfan]

Wanted to draw a rudimentary timeline of this both because I had these OCs and other headcanons for quite a while but never really saw them on paper, and also because I was in the mood for drawing portraits.

I like to imagine that Delenn had quite a diverse love life we just don't see much of because over most of these people she is pretty much over.

This is for the AU I am working on currently, but honestly I imagine that it goes in the same order in the canon timeline, only that the time where she actually ends up with Lennier is much, much later.

More detailed headcanons on each of them below the cut:

Neroon: Not sure if he and Delenn knew each other long beforehand or he only changed to her school shortly before they fell in love, but their clans have an arragnement where they often work together like this. He is the grumpy, intimidating bad boy and she the shy, timid girl, but they make it work. She learns to come out of her shell more, and he learns calmness. They are about eighteen or nineteen, and it works out for about three years. They also take quite a while before they have sex, but their have their first time with each other. Their different duties due to being of different castes ultimately brings them apart, but they stay in contact

Cassuan: Delenn met him on Bord of the Grey Council flagship as an accolyte, as he was an assistant technician. They bonded over their shared like for deep talks and for both being nerdy. He also introduced Delenn to more complex sex rituals, what humans would call BDSM. Their relationship lasted even until Delenn became Satai, but Cassuan couldn't deal with Delenns behavior in the war against the humans and broke up with her, which still haunts her for the rest of her life. She tried to contact him several times but he just completely broke off contact.

Kaya: A human ambassador assigned to the same planet as Delenn after the war, they ended up in lots of contact that grew more and more personal. Delenn could not admit that she was attracted to humans, but she grew to desire and finally love him more and more. He never really picked up on it and she was also not his type. Delenn was heartbroken, but also, as she could not admit that she was attracted to an alien, tried to rationalize her pain away in the most absurd justifications of what happened instead.

Accolon: Her and Delenn met as they served at a spring rite aka sex ritual together, but liked that experience so much that they stayed in contact after that. Delenn admired how openly different and proud of that Accolon was, even if at this point she was not the shy, timid girl anymore, Satai and pretty much driving force behind the Babylon project on the Minbari side. Apart from that, they are quite different people, Accolon being spontaneous and literal and outgoing, but they can talk well. Their sexual attraction and Accolon teaching Delenn even more BDSM, which she acted out both as dominant and submissive pretty much carried the relationship. After Accolon, as an priestess and scholar, travels on to another planet, their relationship pretty much fizzels out.

Jeff: You saw their philosophical talks and Delenn trying to flirt and deep bond and how Delenn was more or less responsible for Jeffs trauma. Delenn could never quite admit that he would never return her feelings, because the prophecy said she would end up with a human. So she just continued pining until he was gone.

Lennier: Pining and face touches and things you would clearly never say or do to someone just platonically, but its never communicated. A beautiful mess. In my AU, there comes a point where Delenn can't bear not knowing what the hell she is feeling anymore (even if it is not love, its too destructive and timid and raw to be love), and Lennier suffers to much to not ask for clarification. So Delenn starts... something with him, to find out what it is. Its painful for Lennier, but its still better than just pining. They try to go with the rituals, but there are no rituals for something so complicated and messy. So they ease into an actual romantic relationship. They pretty much enable each others psychological issues, so that is another thing they have to figure out, but against what Delenn secretly believes, it works out. Their sex life works out surprisingly well, though. Sure, Lennier is inexperienced and knows more or less nothing, but once he knows something, he is very attentive, and turns out he is kinky too. And they know each other so well that its very easy to read what the other wants.

Susan: At the point where Susan comes closer into Delenns live again, becoming leader of the Anla'Shok, in my AU Delenn and Lennier are a couple for quite some time, and over their issues, and have a happy open relationship (in the canon timeline both probably happen around the same time, idk, I don't do much with the canon timeline?). Actually adding someone to their relationship as an genuine same level partner instead of secondary partners is new, and its a mess to figure out at first. But Delenn and Susan now have processed their trauma enough to be open with each other in a way and depth they could not on Babylon 5. Its a new beginning. (Lennier at first has his old fears about not being good enough and being replaced come up again, but also he goes along surprisingly well with Susan, so it is easier to get over it).

[mortalstrife]

There is a hole in your mind.

minvember prompt 2: lie

[vertigoartgore]

Babylon 5 Season 1 Cast Photo (1994). When Delenn (Mira Furlan) didn't have any hair yet (before the season finale "Chrysalis")

[therighthandofvengeance]

you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me

[lochley]

For the Minvember Prayer palette! I just think it's fun how the backbone of the entire Minbari religious system rests on gaslight gatekeep girlbossing some guy named Jeff.

[stardustinthesky]

Do you trust me? With my life.

[woodsfae]

Babylon 5 S03E16 War Without End: Part One previous episode - table of contents

From the preview image that Tubi chose for the episode I see that Sinclair's back?? My old friend!! As well as our first glimpse at Minbar outside the Grey Council chambers, I believe! It's beautiful: very sculpted in a sort of sci-fi Rivendell way which fits the Minbari's space elf vibe. 

Entil'Zha is being presented with a sacred box, which has waited for over 900 years..in which there is a letter for Jeffrey David Sinclair! Dun dun dun. Prophecy is real, Babylon 5 is a high fantasy as much as it is sci-fi. 

Another prophecy, this one of the sci-fi variety: Babylon 5 gets a transmission of Ivanova calling for help, saying "they're killing us." 

This show gives me so many fanfic ideas and I haven't looked to see if anyone else has done them yet, because I'm avoiding spoilers. So I really don't go looking for info on B5 or interact with fandom works much. But this episode reminds me that I keep toying with the idea of an AU where Sinclair never leaves at the end of s01 and the whole plot plays out with him. I miss him, he got into my heart so fast and I had no inkling he was leaving the show till well after I was attached. 

It's nice to see Sinclair has had Minbari friends in his time running/recruiting/training the Rangers from Minbar. 

Partner just asked me what my predictions were for Sinclair and then when I went on a ramble just stared at me and told me to write it down. So here: my prediction of Sinclair's fate. In a separate post, because it's a bit too much of a tangent.

I've paused for long enough for only being six minutes into, so we're going to move on now, but if you wanna hear meta thoughts on what I think might happen with other characters end games, I could ramble about it.

Ivanova: this recording is fake. my analysis is based on logic: I didn't do it, ergo it is fake. Garibaldi, living for some sci-fi shenanigans: what if it's time travel.

They have Garibaldi positioned poorly before a dark path in the backdrop and it looks like he has one, huge pouf of hair sticking out one side of his head, lol.

Sinclair's back on Babylon 5! Zack Allen is in plainclothes, so perhaps all staff have the option? Or Zack wasn't invited to their special senior staff matching uniforms? 

Delenn being a drama queen. It's one of the qualities they hire for on the Grey Council. 

Lennier: "It must be done or the dream will die, and countless others will die."

o m in o u s

Eight days since the last Vorlon attack, per Marcus. 

Sinclair looks so good in Sci-Fi Rivendell clothes. Eeeek, I missed him, I love it. 

Oh it's Zak? Zap? Zathras? Yes! Zathras! Wow, I wasn't sre he'd be back, let alone that he'd be in shenanigans with DraalPlanet, OR that DraalPlanet would be doing something with time travel! 

And Sheridan! Is also wearing Minbari fashion! Some very snazzy robes over his uniform. 

Ivanova's message from the future is so grim. The captain is dead. "They" are coming in all over the place. External cams: Shadows. The Shadows have weapons lock. Explosions. Seems pretty straightforward and I bet it'll play out exactly like that with no twists. :P /hah

As Sheridan is doubtlessly about to find out, it's always going to be a normal evening when you are asked to swear you trust someone with your life before events can commence. 

Delenn has a powerpoint presentation about the Shadows. And a battle where the shadows were driven from their home, Zha'Dum. But the Minbari were losing at the time. Until Babylon 4 appeared! Delenn says without Babylon 4, they would have lost the war. 

Even while Babylon 4 was in construction, the Shadows attacked to destroy it. And the White Star was there! Delenn says they must go through the temporal rift that Draal is widening, protect B4, steal B4, and send B4 around in time. End Presentation! Everyone agrees with her flawless logic. And because she brought receipts in the form of video archival footage from DraalPlanet's surveillance system: Epsilon 3. 

That I didn't see coming, either. But like Garibaldi, I am so on board for the sci-fi hijinks. 

Oh, Delenn's plan goes farther! She and Sheridan will take B4 on the entire time travel trip and personally fight in the historical fight against the Shadows. Ten thousand years ago, right??? Damn, Sheridan and Delenn are going to stride through time and strike titanic, decisive blows in a war that felled entire species of sci-fi space gods!! That's so fucking epic. 

Ivanova is floating the idea that she was calling for help from an alternate timeline. But Garibaldi thinks it's the timeline they're planning now, where they take B4. 

I'm sure that SInclair's quippy references to Sheridan are super funny, but sadly I do not get the references. 

Zathras is here again. I...don't get Zathras. He's ehh funny. But extremely plot useful! Sinclair is meeting Zathras for the second time, but for Zathras it's the first time. But Zathras is well-informed, because he's very super honored to meet Sinclair and Sheridan, but also that's on the list of things Draal told him not to mention. 

Ahh, this Sinclair has already lived through the destruction of Babylon 5! He's already experiencing the world nonlinearly and is trying to do differently on this loop - damn! Or he's having visions from an alternate timeline but at some point you gotta agreee those are almost the sme thing, structurally, experientially, and thematically.

Time travel requires the use of devices that act as anchors. Zathras is handing them out and they're all being clipped visibly on a belt or sash, thus guaranteeing that someone will lose theirs. Sinclair? 

Aww, Sinclair sees Delenn and Sheridan holding hands and smiled. That makes me wistful for the Sinclair/Delenn endgame that exists in my personal, unwritten AU. 

Garibaldi is due an arc of making good, upstanding decisions and not doing police brutality so it hits extra hard when he blows up with Babylon 5. Or he makes it two more seasons, idk. I wouldn't mind if they lost a few characters and he was one of them.

Especially not if we could swap him for Talia back. I can't decide if I think she (or her personality that got overwritten) will be back or not. 

The White Star has been ugraded with Vorlon skin, so it deflects attacks better, which Sheridan affects to be unimpressed by.

Garibaldi guesses "Hello, old friend," as the password which Sinclair used to lock a goodbye/sorry video Sinclair left for him. Which makes me softer for Garibaldi. That's what I think of when I think of Sinclair, too! 

Oooo, Sheridan's time stabilizer got hit and now he's unstuck in time. Space is big. Hope he lands on something with an atmosphere. Delenn can pick him up later, I'm sure.

Sheridan always automatically turns to Delenn for backup, but Sinclair automatically turns to Ivanova, and I love that. 

Sheridan just time traveled to the future where Londo is the Emperor of Centaur! And it's "just in time to die."

Are they currently losing a war in the future? Perhaps Centaur is now a holdout in the war for existence against the Shadows in an alternate future and Sheridan will be meant to save the future as well as the past? 

So funny how taken aback Delenn is that Sinclair speaks Minbari now. He lived there! Marcus, who was being trained as a Ranger there learned Minbari as what he implied was a necessity. But Delenn is so surprised. Their heart to heart is so sweet. *shipping intensifies*

Back to the future! Sheridan and Londo seems like he's blaming other people for his own support of the Shadows' agenda coming back to bite Londo and Centaur in the ass. "Ohhh if only you'd joined me in collaborating I wouldn't have had to face any consequences!" He'll get everything he ever thought he wanted and learned that being Emperor lost him everything he'd ever cared loved.

That's a pretty good hook and a cliffhanger. And a ton of interesting information was revealed! It's too late for Part Two tonight but I pinky-promise I will watch it tomorrow. I wrote up some predictions after I did a Sinclair one and an other-characters one before I watched...

War Without End: Part Two

[nicnacsnonsense]

The revelation that Delenn is actually Sinclair’s many time great-granddaughter certainly makes that one time she stealth married him in season 1 awkward.

[tossacointoyourhotmess]

Babylon 5 + Shakespeare: The One + Twelfth Night

In my stars I am above thee, but be not afraid of greatness. All Minbari believe is around three. Three castes; worker, warrior, religious. Three languages; light, dark, grey. The nine of the grey council; 3 x 3. All is three, as you are three. As you are one. As you are The One. You are The One Who Was. You are The One Who Is. You are The One Who Will Be. You are the beginning of the story, and the middle of the story, and the end of the story that creates the next great story.

[tallysgreatestfan]

The Satai will see you now

Sorry, there just had to be a point where I had to make this joke about kinky Delenn/Sinclair art

Full picture at my twitter @ TallysFan

[atomiclena]

I’ve always wanted to make one of these, and since shows like Babylon 5 never had any of these, here you go.

This or That - Babylon 5 edition.

[kenaran]

New fic.

Real short, but it's the first thing I've managed to write in many months, so I'm disproportionately happy about it.

G-rated, 384 words

Focused on Sinclair and a quote from The Gathering. Contains spoilers for seasons two and, arguably, three.

[walks-the-ages]

[ID: a photo edit of the original version of Ambassador Delenn from Babylon 5 pilot/movie 'The Gathering' so that she has the trans pride flag overlaid over her. She is an alien with pale, spotted, wrinkled skin, a large yellow-white bone crest over the back of her head that resembles a seashell, and is wearing multi-layered robes. end ID]

Delenn was going to be canonically, literally transgender (instead of being a very pointed metaphor/analogy), but unfortunately the heavy prosthetics and voice work were too much for Mira Furlan, so the initial explicit transgender concept was scrapped.... but we still got her absolutely fantastic transition :)

Honestly, trans Delenn still works perfectly in canon, if you realize she's simply socially transitioned before medically transitioning ;)

Maybe even Commander Sinclair used his position to help stop any transphobes on the station from causing a problem, and this was one of the things that cemented their Old Friendship :)

[therighthandofvengeance]

[onsomekindofstartrek]

I ship Delenn/Susan, but like, in the alternate timeline of the pilot, where Delenn was a trans woman that presented as male in season one and then transitioned at the same time as becoming human in the triluminary chrysalis.

It puts such a different cast on the scenes where Susan is (mostly offscreen) bathing her, teaching her how to take care of her hair and so on. Idk maybe it goes along with a trans!Susan headcanon, which isn’t something I’ve really thought about but actually I kind of love it.