#and also a lack of communication because everyone on the first council is STUPID

[thescrolls-haveforetold]

yknow?

[reiven2017]

Delicate steel.

Summary:

Rachel wanted to go home. She just wanted to get home. The only thing that held her back were the two huge wolves outside the door, the iron lock, and the fucking fate that had clearly decided to laugh at her. As it was, everything was fine...Oh, right! She's also getting married soon. But I have no idea for whom yet.

Notes:

In general...I decided to finally finish this chapter, because what I published earlier was just a draft and it happened that I deleted the work. Ahem, ahem.

Chapter 1: 1

Chapter Text"I don't know, damn it," Damian snarled back, his lips pinched into a thin line. His patience was running dangerously red, and his annoying family never stopped asking him questions, and Damian didn't know how close he was to killing each of them. "What do you mean, you don't know, Damian?" Your eighteenth birthday is coming soon! "I'm aware of that. Damian said dryly, turning to the window and trying to ignore the circle of people gathered around him. Sometimes, in his head, he would quietly start hating them all. The boy heard his sister snort at his answer, and before she could open her mouth to say something even more irritating and irritate him, his father intervened. "Damian." Bruce called coldly — " Stephanie's right. The day of the Blood Moon is approaching, and whether you want it or not, you must find a mate. It's a tradition." — Steph smirked like the Cheshire cat. "Come on, Dad. Maybe our little Alpha likes to go to "girls". " - Damian gritted his teeth and said nothing at Jason's snide remark, hoping that if he continues to ignore them, then maybe everything will be fine?The alpha genes were already boiling in him, the wolf was growling in frustration, and Damian was ready to howl in helplessness. He hated family advice, but when it came to his marriage and finding a true mate, it didn't seem so bad to hang himself and rot in a barn somewhere. Maybe now from the outside he looked like a "little capricious Alpha" with his behavior and an offended frown, but if such a strategy would bring him the desired silence, Damian was ready to play along. Despite the fact that he was the future Alpha of the pack, the new leader, and should have been able to solve problems diplomatically, or be able to kick ass, now he would have been happy to be somewhere in the mountains. Or on another planet. He could have left at any moment, ignoring the drama of Stef and the grinning Jason, if not for the glaring eyes of his father and mother. Damian knew he was being stupid. But he did not know the answer to the question that had been nagging at him for about a year. And every day it annoyed him more and more.From the very first day of his birth, Damian was different from the other wolves. Even in the cradle, he was different. The guy turned early to become a wolf, too early for any measurements, and after the Alpha blood in him awoke with extraordinary speed and as it turned out, he is the new Alpha, which further complicated the situation since he was the youngest son and theoretically could not inherit the Alpha genes. But no, it did happen. Everyone expected that his older brother Richard, kind, cheerful and resourceful, able to talk or at least tolerate people, and most importantly already having a couple, would take the place of the leader and everyone would be happy to the point of screeching bones. How wrong they all were, and how no one expected the Alpha genes to wake up in their youngest son, the rude, silent, and insufferable Damian, known as the walking mess and without a true mate at 17. Many people only laughed when they heard that the Alpha Force appeared in the younger heirs, but when they met with Damian, not a single question remained. He was young, but the Alpha genes had awakened in him with the strength and power of a mature wolf, which gave him even more advantages in the piggy bank of oddities. His relatives got married almost from the first day of birth, his sister was already engaged, his friends were already engaged and even some children in the sandbox already wore special marks saying that they have a couple! And Damian... Damian was broken. Broken almost from the very first day of life. The day of his coming of age was approaching, and the council and the entire pack were now on edge, watching his every move and not losing the chance to slip him a wolf at every opportunity in the hope of finding the one that made him even more exasperated. During this week, he had seen so many women's faces that they were all mixed up in one mess, and he didn't even remember their names. His position in the

pack is already pretty shaky, and if he doesn't find a mate before his birthday, Damian may not be the leader. < i>Worst of all, he won't last long without a pair. "Well, look at him! He's not even listening to us!" — Stephanie fell silent again, seeking support from her father. Of course, her position doesn't weigh in the balance, and the whole pack doesn't sit on her neck and fall asleep with eternal questions that he doesn't know the answers to. Bruce sighed heavily, casting a pleading glance at his wife. He knew that it wasn't easy for his son to come to terms with his new Alpha status and his new status in the pack. Despite all the responsibilities Damian had to deal with, he was pretty good at it, but the question of his true mate was always going to be a hell of a lot harder. Talia gave him a quiet smile, putting her hand on his shoulder. "But if brother can't find a mate on his own, then we have to help him! Damian chuckled softly. If only it were that simple, but only the Gods themselves could help him. - "Dad! I know who is perfect for the role of the Moon! Christy! She is younger than my brother, but she is a beautiful and strong wolf. Christy will fit perfectly into our family! " - Steph screamed again to her father. But then Damian's patience reached the end, driving the Alpha genes in his blood, and his wolf growled inwardly at his sister. Damian didn't like that part of himself, but he was grateful for the Alpha Force now, as Stephanie immediately fell silent. "That's enough," he said, as his sister jerked behind her father, hiding her eyes in shame. "Just because she's your friend doesn't mean she's my mate, Steph. His voice, menacing and guttural, turning into a growl, echoed off the walls of the mansion, causing Steph to shudder slightly and hunch over, hiding behind her father. His emerald eyes, a little silvery, swept around the room, and when they met his mother's distressed gaze and his father's frown, he frowned sternly. Maybe tomorrow he will regret his lack of restraint, but right now the only thing he wants is to get as far away from them as possible, so as not to see himself as a leper.***Perhaps if the town of Date, in northern Switzerland, could be described in three sentences Raven would have said " Forest. A large forest. The devils of the big forest. " and it would be clear to everyone what kind of place this is. It wasn't that she was against nature, but she had lived most of her life in gray and gloomy New York, so the forest was her first shock when she moved. Her mother recently remarried after a failed marriage with Raven's father and an accident with her sister, and now they are all together, the whole friendly family decided to change their place of residence. As if they don't have enough problems. Rachel didn't listen much to her mother's speech in the front seat, plugging her ears with headphones, knowing that she was talking more for her stepfather. Ben wasn't a bad person. He joked stupidly, smiled affably and believed in a happy life, dreaming, according to him, of a large family. He didn't touch Rachel, and he didn't bother her with father-daughter chatter, so he was the best option for her and her mother, Angela. To be honest, he never bothered Rachel at all.When Ben expressed a desire to move, to give in to a quiet life, Rae was not so against it. She didn't have any friends in New York, or anywhere else, so she was neutral about the idea of moving. So she ended up in Switzerland, in the back of an elderly pickup truck, in the middle of the woods and 7 miles from the city of Data. "Rachel!" — through the wall of music, the girl heard her mother's displeased voice and quietly rolled her eyes. - "Yes? Rachel replied tonelessly, still wearing her headphones, and turned to the window. She stiffened quietly. Maybe this way they'll know she's not in the mood to talk. "Could you please put the music down, young lady? I want to talk to you. "- "Well, of course to talk, and I thought we were going to drive the ball." barely restraining the sarcastic remark that was about to fly off

her tongue, Rachel still put the headphones in her bag and raised an eyebrow at Angela questioningly. "So? — " "There's a new school waiting for you, Rachel. New acquaintances". Angela's words flowed smoothly, and her sweet smile suggested doubts, and Rachel inwardly guessed that this conversation had been planned in advance. The girl chuckled to herself. "Ben and I are well aware of your difficulties in communication and all that concerns friendship, and we are immensely grateful to you for so easily agreeing to move, but if you have a problem again, like last time..." Rachel's eyes dimmed. Her heart stopped for a moment, silent for a second, and her nails dug painfully into the soft skin of her palm. The world seemed to stop, and my lungs were on fire. So that's what it was all about. Her lips parted in a venomous grin, and Rachel gritted her teeth. Rey saw a small flicker of pain cross Angela's face, her lips pressed into a thin line, and her face lost any hint of a smile, and with a curt nod to Rachel, the woman turned away. Rey exhaled heavily, holding her breath. She leaned back in her seat, pressing herself as close to the window as she could and crouching in a corner of the darkness, only now feeling the pain in her arms. She slowly opened her hand, coldly watching the tiny drops of blood gather on the skin that had been severely pierced by her own hand, and immediately closed her hands. She didn't have the energy to look at it again, and the only thing that distracted her was the huge sign with the big black letters "Date. A place where people become one with nature.»

[pumpkinparade]

Palpatine, Obi-wan, and tea

So, this is a very stupid idea, but I needed to get it out of my head before I did something extreme like writing fanfic. As a heads up, I've used real-world meanings for various details since there presumably isn't a Star Wars equivalent.

The story begins when Anakin is late for a social engagement. Both Palpatine and Obi-wan are anticipating his appearance. The Sith lord presents a kindly and patient front but fumes at this egregious waste of his time internally while the Jedi pushes his dissatisfaction into the force. He disapproves of the Chancellor, but his former padawan's discourtesy is off-putting. The fact that he has put the Chancellor of the Republic on hold merely aggravated the situation.

The Jedi informs the politician that Skywalker should arrive shortly. He doesn't. The chosen one is with Padmé at present and has forgotten he's meant to be elsewhere. Kenobi ultimately invites Palpatine to offers him some tea aboard his ship while they delay action until Anakin materializes.

Normally, Jedi eschew worldly possessions, but Kenobi owns an old miniature tea set that once belonged to Qui Gon. His tea supplies are generally supplied by colleagues who offer him the leaves when he's not on Coruscant. The ship is equipped with an electric tea kettle and a portable Hot Plate for cooking. He goes about preparing Green tea for both of them when he remembers the Sencha, while excellent in quality, has since gone somewhat stale. It hasn't gone bad, but it has lost some of its fresh flavours.

Jedi are practical(in theory), and tea can be costly.

Lower-income individuals in certain Asian countries have roasted stale green tea to enhance the taste. As this is an accepted practice, he takes the loose leaf tea in his possession, grounds, roasts, and serves it with minimal preamble. Palpatine debates whether or he'll actually drink peasant tea. When Anakin appears, apologizing profusely for the delay before noticing his ex-teacher has brewed tea and claims a cup for himself, supplementing copious amounts of sugar. On Skywalker's recommendation, the Sith decides to take a chance. It's not bad, so he compliments it. The evening wraps up without an event. http://mattchasblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/experiments-with-re-roasting-stale.html?m=1

Later on, the bureaucrat invites the Jedi to attend a senate afternoon tea party. It's an opulent affair. Flowering (Gyokuro) tea with Jasmine flowers bloomed within transparent glass teapots sat next to elegantly designed tiered trays. On hundreds of tables, they rested; the flat surfaces were loaded with the first, second, and third courses, from petite pastries on the top to the tiny tea sandwiches on the bottom, the aggregate sum had been skillfully prepared for the guests. Palpatine had the wherewithal to afford a party grand enough to unsettle a Jedi. To his delight, he had succeeded.

Nearly everyone in attendance had been bequeathed a box of 16 Jasmine Pearls green tea blooms, the dried bundled ball of tea leaves and flowers would open like a plant in "bloom" when placed in hot water.  

Kenobi had "accidentally" received 17,  an unlucky number. In Roman numerals, 17 is XVII. One anagram for XVII is VIXI. In Latin, vixi means "I have lived," the implication being that the person(Obi-wan) is now dead. Jasmine is a plant that symbolizes purity and takes its name from the Persian word "Yasmine". This term translates to "gift from God". Put together; your death is a gift from God(the Sith'ari). Darth Sidious finds himself deeply amusing.

Obi-wan is grateful for the tea, especially since he's recently finished off his supply and always felt sheepish defending the expenditure to the Council. Official regulation dictates that he's not permitted to keep the gift. However, Jedi can distribute the donations to others in the order or, better still, add it to the communal ownership and shared at the temple. There are enough in the box for all parties to experience the high-end tea, so he gladly donates it to the Jedi temple and appreciates it along with everyone else.  When Sidious hears what happened to his gift, he's pleased his secret message was brought to the rest of the Jedi as well.

Obi-Wan is averse to socializing with lawmakers in general and Palpatine in particular. Still, he makes a mental note to invite Chancellor to have tea with him again next time Anakin has them waiting for him as recognition for the expensive gift. Nevertheless, the opportunity doesn't come along until a few months later. Thankfully this time, the tea isn't stale. Unknown to Obi-wan, Anakin is in the middle of winning an illegal pod race. Skywalker wanted to purchase a present for Ahsoka, but as a Jedi, the lack of personal funds to his name meant he had to be creative if he wanted to show the people that meant the most to him how much he loved them, rules against attachments be damned.

This time he has Maghrebi mint tea. Traditionally the drink is sweetened, but he hasn't used sweetener. There is a bowl of rock sugar grown in the shape of tiny purple lightsabers on the counter. It was available if either party wanted to utilize the sweetener. The ingredients, as well as the tea, had come from Mace Windu.

Jedi were generally not meant to accept gifts from clients unless it's culturally necessary for them to do so. The tea was a regifted thank you gift from an ambassador. As the items couldn't be shared equally with everyone, Mace decided Obi-wan, as Anakin's minder had a more significant need for it.

After all the passive-aggressive messages he'd sent at the party, Sidious isn't expecting anything to receive any in return but still looks for any possible messages Obi-Wan might covertly send him through the tea anyway.

His actions don't seem to convey a particular message... unless Kenobi considered serving him a herbal tea that also happens to be an appetite suppressant is a message. Perhaps he intended to inform the wealthy politician that the Jedi felt Palpatine's tea party Palpatine had been too lavish and wanted him to know he'd offended the man utilitarian sensibilities, but that was likely a reach.

The tea itself was one of hospitality, meant to welcome guests by the male head of a family. As Kenobi poured the tea in three rounds as expected of tradition, he wondered if he had missed something and resolves to reflect on it more in the future. Each of the three rounds poured has a different meaning: life, love and death. The sugar represents the sweet aspects of life, and Sidious wonders as the sugar dissolves within his cup if the Jedi is aware of what he's saying about his life by going without it.

The Chancellor certainly knows the symbolism of prolonging the second cup to avoiding the third. Love as a concept was not something he neither wanted nor needed, but he had no fear of it. He drank to the idea without hesitance. If he played his cards right, Anakin's love would pave the way for the ascendancy of the Sith. As for death, he had designs on immortality. He would pass on even the metaphorical notion of his own demise.

When Anakin arrived, he doesn't go for any of the tea. He's tried the tea Mace had given his former master. It's tolerable, yet he has another target. Instead, he seizes the rock candy and laughs when Obi-wan protested that grinding on the purple sugar crystals might ruin his teeth. Nevertheless, he drops the bowl back on the counter after taking two and takes off with Palpatine.

Obi-wan is surprised the next day when the Chancellor has a package delivered that contains four(because four means death) kombucha starter kits(kombucha was considered to have "yang" energy in traditional Chinese medicine) and silver needle tea. As before, Obi-Wan gives the white tea to the temple, but he feels self-conscious. This incident marks the second time the Chancellor has given him something extravagant, and he feels like there are strings attached to the gift even if the politician hasn't said as much.

Politicians don't give gifts without reason—especially politicians who are not friends with the receiver.

Uncomfortable by the thought, he waited until one of his friends gifts him with tea.  It's Bant who visits him first—intending to give her friend Pu'er tea(flavoured with dried honey ginger chamomile) she'd received at a medical conference. Obi-wan explains the situation and asks if he can send the tea to the diplomat as a sign of gratitude. Bant isn't bothered by the question and wishes him success.

Little does he know that although he intended nothing untoward with his regift, Palpatine had, after considering the possible implications, managed to be offended by it. Pu'er tea was often used to treat hangovers(among other things). His former teacher, Darth Plagueis, had once kept several kilos of it in his home. The muun would consume premium Poo Poo Pu-Erh Tea the morning after he'd had a night of excess on Sullustan wine. After he'd given the Jedi kombucha, a very mildly alcoholic beverage, he'd apparently proceeded to criticize the gift by implying he (Sidious) was a drunk who needed it. Indicating he shared the same weakness that had gotten the deceased Sith Lord murdered was exasperating, even if Obi-wan couldn't have identified the reason.

And that's when the situation becomes, for lack of a better word,"serious". Obi-wan thinks they're exchanging gifts, almost they're friends, but he's becoming increasingly frustrated because they're uneasy allies at best. Still, he doesn't want to feel like he owes the Chancellor anything, so the cycle begins anew. His financial circumstances still haven't changed, so he's been forced to regift a few presents from his friends to have something to present to the politician who won't leave him alone.

Kenobi is frustrated by this. He already spoke of the issue with several of his friends. Usually an honest man, he felt compelled to share what might happen to tea they might give him. Always while out of Anakin's earshot. They're sympathetic but unsure what could be done about the man who holds so much power, especially considering the relationship his former padawan has developed with the politician. It's difficult to entirely avoid the man without avoiding Skywalker, who would notice any attempts at evasion and likely take umbrage, even if the Chancellor did not.

Palpatine, for his part, is honestly surprised to learn how very snide Obi-wan appears. He can sense the Jedi's frustration building and is aware it's related to the tea. That said, he hasn't guessed the actual cause. Instead, he believes Kenobi has managed to guess at the intent of his gift and is ostensibly reacting to the Chancellor's actual message.

Amused, he no longer sends veiled death threats. If he does it one time too many time, someone at the temple, likely Yoda, will start asking awkward questions he doesn't want to answer. Yet, he continues to send hidden messages with the intent of antagonizing the Jedi as he proceeds to misread the situation. As the other Force-user's better, Darth Sidious refuses to be out-performed in a game of pettiness by Obi-wan Kenobi.

Anakin assumes they're just two older men who love tea and have found a way to bond over that. He's pleased to finally witness two people he respects burying the hatchet and getting along. Ahsoka doesn't have the heart to tell him that Obi-wan is not happy with whatever madness he's been dropped into. Madame has resigned herself to remaining silent regarding her husband's bond with her former friend. She no longer trusts the Chancellor and knows bringing up her feelings with Skywalker will only end in arguments with the man she loves.

Matters take a turn for the weird when Obi-wan receives cacao maca tea from Quinlan Vos. His fellow Jedi had gotten it from a secret admirer with a crush. After tests came back proving it wasn't poisoned, he'd given the herbal tea to his tea-loving friend.

Like most of the gifts he'd received lately, obi-wan presents it Palpatine. He wouldn't have the ability to keep up with the bizarre back and forth otherwise. He doesn't have the money. He's thankful his friends understand how much he dislikes the idea of being beholden to Palpatine and encourage his efforts to circumvent it.

What he'd failed to account for was the reaction he'd spark by presenting a herbal tea that was viewed, by some, to be an aphrodisiac. Obi-wan himself hasn't realized he'd done anything problematic. Vos hadn't mentioned maca had a reputation because he hadn't known himself. When he'd dropped it off, he'd simply named the vitamins the healers had said it contained.

Palpatine is confused. He's politically powerful and comes from a wealthy family, so it's hardly the first time anyone has been interested in pursuing him. However! Just the other month, they'd been politely abusing one another. There hadn't been any reason for the change.  

Sidious can't decide Obi-wan attempting to insult his virility since maca is reported to help with reproductive health or if the Jedi is propositioning him. He hadn't thought Kenobi was interested in hate-based romantic overtures. That said, making mockeries of a sexual nature is astonishingly inappropriate given their positions. He wasn't offended, the possible slight was far too childish for him to take it sincerely, but he hadn't taken the General as the type of man who would make the insult in the first place. Complicating matters is the fact that the General is Anakin's former master.

He's hesitant to assume the situation would work out in his favour if the Jedi is twitterpated and if he should allow it... whatever it was, to persist. Would developing a relationship with Kenobi hasten Skywalker's fall to the dark side, or would the interaction convince the boy to turn his back on Darth Sidious.

Sexual relationships were irrational, messy little things and far more unpredictable than pretended friendship. He tended to avoid non-transactional sex due to the wildly unpredictable nature of the beast. If an uncompensated connection didn't service his ambition, didn't cultivate his power or influence, it was deemed irrelevant and discarded. An ill-defined situation occupied a troublesome grey area he despised, leaving him in something of a quandary on how to advance his agenda. Sidious knew he'd have to adopt a resolution expeditiously, and that inaction was as much a choice as any other.

[dameronology]

somewhere only we know {obi-wan x reader}

summary: after a rough patch in your relationship, obi-wan takes you back to the place where it all began (based on somewhere only we know by keane) 

warnings: swearing, angst 

it’s 6.30am and i’m writing this so pls don’t expect the proof reading to be that good lmao i’m so sorry but i hope you enjoy❤️

- jazz

Things weren’t the same as they used to be. 

Relationships changed. Times changed. People changed. You knew that. It felt a little stupid to let yourself think that your relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi was always going to be a constant. Even when he had promised himself to you and sworn that he’d never leave your side, you’d had your doubts. But, despite those qualms, he was your escape during hard times. You hadn’t truly known love until you’d known Obi-Wan. He never failed to make you feel safe and he could always bring a smile to your face. The solace you sought in each other had bonded you for life. The Council would have had a field day if they’d found out but it never mattered - not in the moment, at least. 

Things got harder. Your jobs were hard enough before the Clone Wars, let alone during. You were both all over the place - Corellia; Tatooine; Bespin; literally anywhere that Obi-Wan wasn’t, it seemed. Your long weekends together turned into stolen kisses behind pillars and rushed moments in dark corners. Catching a break was wishful thinking but catching one together was laughable. What had once been your forever felt like it was running on borrowed time. 

You reached your breaking point on a cold Thursday afternoon. There was a grey cloud hanging over Coruscant; the air was filled with a mix of fog and petrichor, marking the end of summer and the beginning of another long autumn. That meant colder, darker nights fighting Separatists and muddier, messier battles. You used to enjoy fall time as a kid. What a sad fucking thought. 

You hadn’t expected to see Obi-Wan. He was supposed to be on a distant planet, investigating a threat to the Republic. That’s why you almost uppercut his left jaw when you felt someone grab you. The feeling of his hands on your waist should have been familiar but who you were kidding? It had been ages. You’d forgotten what he felt like. He was practically a stranger. Maybe that’s why your first instinct was to cry. The man you loved had become a foreigner to you and seeing him would force you to admit that. 

'It’s me!’ Obi-Wan grabbed your hand when it was mere millimetres from his face, holding you by both the wrists. ‘Calm down!’

‘Fucking hell - you scared me.’ You fell back against the wall, taking a deep breath. 

‘It’s lovely to see you too, darling.’ His tone was teasing, but you could see the tiredness in his eyes. ‘Come here.’

In one swift motion, you fly-tipped any worries you and fell forward, allowing yourself to fall into his chest with a hearty thud. Obi-Wan wrapped his arms tightly around you, pinning you to his body as he rested his head on top of yours. It took all the self-control you had not to burst into tears there and then. The sudden warmth and familiarity was something you hadn’t realised you’d been craving. It was like coming home after months away. 

‘I thought you were on Dantooine.’ You glanced up at him, arms still firmly on his waist. 

‘The mission ended early.’ He replied. ‘Alternatively, I ended it early because I heard you had the weekend off and I haven’t seen you in weeks.’

You both tried to communicate where you could - but, with the presence of the Council and the stress of your jobs, it could become hard. The fact you spoke to the man you loved as often as you spoke to your distant colleagues was fucking heartbreaking but it was also a fact of life. It was one you’d been accepting for a long time. When long become too long, you didn’t know. You might have reached your threshold already and simply lacked the ability to admit. 

‘That’s so sweet of you.’ You forced a smile, softly brushing your lips against his.

‘What is it?’ Obi-Wan frowned.

‘What?’

‘Something’s off.’

Fucking Force connection. Not only was he closely connected to you, but Obi-Wan was one of the best Jedi out there. If you were feeling something, chances are that he knew about it. Stubbed your toe? He felt it. Tripped over nothing again? He felt that too. Crying over how cute a little droid was? Ditto. You couldn’t hide anything from him. It really took the element of surprise out of your relationship.

‘I’m fine.’ You insisted. ‘Better now that you’re here-’

‘- please don’t lie to me.’ Obi-Wan’s grip on your waist tightened. ‘Something’s bothering you.’

‘I...’ you trailed off, eyes falling to the floor. ‘Can we talk somewhere private? I feel a little exposed behind this pillar.’

‘Of course.’ He faltered slightly - why did you want to talk in private? Surely, that wasn’t a good sign.

You both waited a moment before breaking off and heading to your quarters. As to avoid suspicion, Obi-Wan took a different route to you. It was something you did out of habit, really. After years of sneaking around, you’d both learnt to start taking precautions. Once you were both there, you unlocked the door and headed inside.

‘Is it bad?’ Obi-Wan asked. ‘Has something happened? I know I’ve been away for a while but I try to keep up with-’

‘- nothing’s happened.’ You turned away from the door as you shut it behind you, coming to face him. ‘Not physically, anyway.’

‘Talk to me.’ He put his hands on your shoulders, gently trailing them down your arms and to your hands. 

‘Things have been hard, lately.’ You admitted. ‘I...I keep thinking about how things used to be - like when we could wake up next to each other and spend actual days together. Now, it’s like you’re here and I’m there and we’re never in the same place anymore.’

Obi-Wan pondered for a moment. ‘We’re in the same place now.’

‘Look at the bigger picture, Obi.’ You murmured. ‘I haven’t seen you for weeks. I know our relationship has never been conventional but we’re really taking the piss here.’ 

‘What are you saying?’ He didn’t even try to hide the worry in his voice. Cloaking his emotions was never something he’d had to do with you - not then and especially not now. ‘Do you want to break up?’

‘No!’ You quickly replied. ‘I just...I miss you. I miss you so fucking much and I don’t know what to do about it.’

Obi-Wan paused for a moment, pondering to himself. He missed you more than anything; every time he got to saw you, he took a moment to look at you. He let himself stare, to ensure that your smile was engrained in his head and that your laugh was fresh in his mind. Those memories of you were what kept him going when things got rough. The idea of you was what brought him back to you. 

It was your earlier memories that he held closest to your heart. Before the war - before shit had been thrown into the intergalactic ceiling fan - you’d often explore different planets together. On your weekends off, you’d choose whatever place in the Outer Rim that your heart desired and you’d just go. You could escape the watchful eyes of everyone at the Temple and just be together. If it hadn’t been for those days, you probably wouldn’t have made it this far now. 

‘I miss you too.’ Obi-Wan finally broke the silence between you. ‘What if we went somewhere tonight?’

‘Like...for dinner?’

‘No.’ He shook his head, pondering for a minute. ‘Somewhere off of Coruscant - not too far, but far away enough to get out of our heads for a little while.’

‘I would love to.’ You smiled. ‘I’m not sure I know anywhere though - at least not somewhere that isn’t plagued by the war.’

Obi-Wan returned your smile. ‘I know a place.’

--

Yavin.

You could have recognised the place anywhere, even if you hadn’t been there in years. The little village that you used to frequent was almost identical to how you’d left it almost seven years ago - a little more gentrified, perhaps, but the fact it was even still standing was amazing. It was an acclimation of white huts and mud trails, winding in and out of different streets. The sky was tinged pink with the impending evening, blending in beautifully with the remaining blue of the day. The air was clear and crisp, a refreshing change from the stuffy air of the capital city.

‘It hasn’t changed at all.’ You murmured to yourself, glancing up at the sky as you stepped off the jet. 

You turned around to face Obi-Wan, letting him wrap an around your waist and pull him into your side as you walked. Not much had been said on the jet: things were a little tense, but that was to be expected when the words break and up had been thrown into the conversation just an hour earlier. Perhaps the idea of coming to such a special place had come from a moment of panic, but Obi-Wan realised now it was the right choice. You were no longer tense, no longer acting like you were walking on eggshells and he wanted nothing more than for you to be able to relax with him. That was his main concern. 

‘Do you remember what happened last time we were here?’ Obi-Wan asked.

He intertwined your fingers with his and lead you away from the small village, towards a dirt path. It veered up a hill, twisting and turning around tangles of trees and a few seating areas. Your body automatically moved, as if it knew exactly where it was going. 

‘Hmmm.’ You thought for a moment. ‘I’m pretty sure this place is logged under the relationship milestones sector in my brain but my filing system is a little fried.’

‘This, my dear,’ he continued, dragging you to a grassy verge at the top of the hill, ‘is where I told you I loved you for the first time.’ 

Of course. It was not long after you’d passed the knight trials. You’d had a stressful first few weeks on the job and Obi-Wan had packed you onto a jet and insisted that he knew a place. After a short ride and a little walk, he’d taken you here. You couldn’t remember the exact speech he’d given you - something about your eyes, the stars and leaving the Order - and then he’d dropped the L-bomb. Come to think of it, that might have been the last time you truly felt at peace. 

‘I remember.’ You smiled, dropping down onto the grass next to him. ‘I’m surprised you remember the exact place.’

‘And I’m insulted that you don’t.’ Obi-Wan flung an arm over your shoulders, allowing you to rest against his side. You dropped your head onto his shoulder, savouring in his touch for the moment. ‘It’s a flashpoint moment in my mind.’

‘Mine too.’ You quietly murmured, observing the tangle of trees and greenery around you. 

‘I thought I’d been in love before, you know.’ He continued. ‘Then I met you and I realised that I didn’t have a clue. I still don’t, really.’

You laughed slightly. ‘Me neither. I wish there was a manual on this thing because I don’t know what to do sometimes.’

Obi-Wan briefly released his grip on you, shuffling around to face you. He guided you with him so that you sat opposite one another in the grass, his hands clasping yours. For once, his expression was unreadable. He looked...worried, maybe? A little concerned, at the very least. 

‘Neither do I.’ He said. ‘I promised that night that I would always love you and that I’d never let you go. I still mean that, now more than ever. I know things are tough at the moment, probably tougher than they’ve ever been, but I am holding onto you. Onto this.’

That’s when the tears finally sprang. You knew that Obi-Wan couldn’t read minds - but if anyone could, it would be him - but he’d managed to say exactly what you needed to hear. He always said things as they were, never sugarcoating anything or taking shortcuts to soften the blow. If he said that you could pull through, he meant it. And you believed him. 

‘Everything in the universe is so complicated.’ Obi continued. ‘But I never feel that when I’m with you. It’s you and it’s me and nothing else matters.’

‘I love you.’ You tearfully smiled. ‘I love you so much.’

‘I love you too.’ He pulled you towards him. 

The kiss was passionate; deep and fiery. A testament to everything he’d just told you. Obi-Wan had always had a way with words but he’d never laid himself that bare before. It was terrifying for both of you because it meant committing to your love - seeing it through to whatever grisly end this war had. It also meant relying on strength that you weren’t sure either of you had.

It was worth the gamble though. That had always been the case with Obi - your love for him was never in doubt. Whether it was breaking the Jedi code or promising to commit to each other no matter what, you never questioned if he was worth it. You just knew - and that was enough. 

taglist (the link to join is in my bio!): @snips-n-skyguy0501 @obeewankenobi @princessxkenobi @catsnkooks @puntasticpaige @ohhellokenobi @weirdfangirl2416 @umpoedameron @karasong @saintlaurentkenobi @rentskenobi @naivara-duneimith @blue-space-porgs @bb8sworld @cherieboba @corellians-only​ @kaminobiwan​ @hounding-around​

[vampiresuns]

Cassano Arianamenzi | The First Of The Cassano

picrew credit

Cassano Arianamenzi: The clever Court Archivist who would become Consul

I have mentioned in a couple of places, but particularly in this post, that the Cassano (and the Radošević-Cassano by extension) aren’t nobles, and they only ended up with the Consulship through a scheme, and no one quite knows how they did it.

Well, that’s not entirely true. This is Cassano Arianamenzi, the woman who would change the history of the Vesuvian Consulship forever.

Name: Cassano Gizem Arianamenzi.

Meaning of the name: ‘Cassano’ is the name of a series of towns, while ‘Gizem’ means ‘mystery’ in Turkish.

Nicknames: Cas, Ari, Arianamenzi

Family: She is the eldest of five children, and the daughter of a Philosopher who earned a Court Position as a scholar (Father) and an artisan who made instruments (Mother). They had her while fairly young so she was raised by her grandparents and great aunts for a portion of her life. This never brought her problems with her parents, who were very present, but taught her the importance of community. The Arianamenzi all raised their children that way and lived in a multi-generational household.

They lived in the edge between Goldgrave and Centre City. They were never particularly well off, though they had enough. All of her siblings studied through apprenticeships, and she did so on a scholarship on the account of being the daughter of her father. She often said rich people and aristocrats mistake education for class (for a reason), but once they learnt you had had an education without being like them, they suddenly praised you through romanticising your position in life, thinking anyone who wasn’t like them must’ve starved to be able to spell their names, because naturally everyone who wasn’t like them was stupid.

Clearly, these people got on her nerves.

Their siblings were: Riparte (she/her), Flavius (they/she), Eziz (he/him) and Nora (he him).

Favourite Food: Spicy Mussel stew.

Favourite Drink: Kvass

Favourite Flower: Cherry Blossoms

Birthday: September 7th

Age: 37 for the relevant events in her timeline, but she was born 377 years before the events of the game.

Zodiac: Virgo sun, Aquarius Moon, Aries Rising

Patron Arcana: The Devil (always reversed) and the Page of Pentacles

Devil, Reserved: freedom, release, restoring control.

Upright: ambition, desire, diligence; Reversed: lack of commitment, greediness, laziness

 Pronouns: She/Her

Languages Spoken: Vesuvian (common tongue and old dialect),Firentian, Prakran, Galbradan Bulani.

Magic: Language magic and language manipulation — she can tell the intention and honesty of people through their words, both spoken and written. She is able to perform different kinds of incantation, manipulate glyphs, and temporary and limited alteration of the world around her through words.

Being a ‘language manipulator’ is one of the few magical traits the Cassano possess. She wasn’t the first language manipulator in her family, and the Arianamenzi don’t know who was, nor they care. It skips generations, however.

There’s a couple of them between her and the current generation of the R-C, but the last language manipulators of the Cassano have been Vitale Cassano, Consul of Vesuvia, Aelius Anatole Radošević and Artemisia Cassano.

Familiar: A mongoose (Egyptian mongoose) called Pearl.

Song: Centuries, Fall Out Boy

The Poison Plot of The Vesuvian Court & Facts about Cas Arianamenzi.

Cassano began working as an archivist, handling the paperwork of the Court and the Consul, when she was 27. By the time she was 33 she was working directly with the Consul, though she mostly worked in the archives department, and the old Palace’s library. A year after she landed the position the Poison Plot began.

In the span of three years, three Consuls and two temporary placeholders were poisoned in the Vesuvian Court, as well as five other officials and a diplomatic envoy.

Cassano had began putting the pieces together on her own, mostly thanks to her magic and her job as an archivist, but she was able to win a new perspective on this when the Count of the time, a magician named Sibona, began venting to her, trying to escape both the Vesuvian summer and late spring heat, and her Court.

After the last of murdered Consuls was poisoned, Sibona, who had already figured out Cassano was also a magician, asked her why didn’t she solve it. If she did, Sibona would make her the Consul.

Cassano declined originally, telling she had no Courtly aspirations nor wished to end up dead, but eventually agreed. Count Sibona realised she knew more about politics than what she gave away, and decided to trust her gut about her.

She wasn’t wrong. Cassano was able to solve the plot and restructure some of the Court functioning, including the basic functioning of the Consulship as related to the City and working with a seven people integrated council (which you can read about here).

One of the reasons she was able to solve it was because Aristocrats dismissed her for not being one of them. Court Archivists and Court Staff were seen as invisible and she took advantage of it, as she did of her magic.

The Palazzo, however, wasn’t endowed to her. It belonged to the one of the murdered Consul’s who had no open succession. Whether Sibona let her get away with manipulating who it would pass to, or she never realised, Cassano didn’t know, but given how her magic worked, it was extremely hard to prove she had forged anything to begin with.

That Consul didn’t really use the building. Up to her, the Consuls lived in the Palace with the Count. She refused this because she couldn’t leave her family alone. Her family and friends were also the reason why she tried to procure the Palazzo in the first place. It was less about the status symbol and more about “these goddamn Aristocrats have entire empty buildings and for what, for fucking what.” She was able to safely house her entire extended family along with more than one friend.

She is the entire reason why the Cassano have the tradition of having the Palazzo opened to the people — the Arianamenzi realised that with this building, they could now help their community in an even bigger scale. While she “inherited” (aka took as a squatter) the Palazzo with everything in it, most of the collections have been donations from friends. The space is supposed to be communally kept. A lot of the paintings in it, and some of the oldest murals are there because she gave the opportunity to friends of her family by commissioning them, so she could show rich people their work.

They did try to poison her. She was able to anticipate it through her scheming and was, in fact, waiting for it, to the point she contacted one of her friends, an alchemist who was an expert in poisons from South End, to help her with a preventive antidote.

Most of it was to show Aristocrats what a little fraternity between people can do.

She firmly believed she had more in common with people in the street than the rest of the Court. A lot of what she believed and how she carried herself as the Consul is the origin of a lot of ways to be that the Radošević-Cassano as a family now have. She is also responsible for the saying “nothing mortal can kill a Cassano” (because the poison didn’t kill her).

When asked about how rulers should be, this was her reply: “A ruler shouldn’t be feared, nor loved. A ruler should be competent. Discussions of punishment or morality only detract a ruler from their one true command: to do their goddamned job.”

Count Sibona liked her because she thought Cas was weird.

It wasn’t Cassano who came up with the Consul ascension ceremony, it was Count Sibona who most likely came up with it to be a shit about Cassano taking an entire Palazzo without asking.

Her wife’s name was Caterina.

Because I believe Arcanaverse rapiers to be an invention of at least 150 years after she was alive, her sword was not a rapier. She learnt while she was studying and apprenticing under a scholar because she was bored.

She wrote two books in her lifetime: a book about political philosophy, and a book in the old Vesuvian Dialect about the origins, secrets and magic of Vesuvia. It is not, however, a history book. Instead is mostly about language magic and Cassano’s own theories about how to interject with the magic of the Canals if needed. It also has the knowledge passed down from Count to Count, because the Consul has always been supposed to be privy of it, because the Consul has always been supposed to rule in absence or incapacitation of the Count or their heirs.

This book has never left the hands of the Cassano family, except for a brief period during the life of Vitale Cassano (Anatole’s great great grandfather). In the Janiverse (@apprenticealec​‘s and my Arcanaverses combined) the book is stolen by the Scholars of the Sea Palace, but Amparo Mediavilla, wife of Vitale intercepts the middle man before it’s too late. In my regular Arcanaverse, it is taken for similar reasons, and Amparo still retrieves it.

Count Sibona also described her as a mongoose with the skin of a woman.

Her name became a surname with her brother Nora (the youngest), who takes after her as the Consul for around ten years before a niece replaces him. Nora introduced himself as “Nora, Brother of Cassano” which got constricted to Nora Cassano. Kin of Cassano was also very normal to refer to both her family and friends by Aristocrats so it stuck

[bopinion]

2021 / 26

Aperçu of the Week:

"If Europe were once united in the sharing of its common inheritance, there would be no limit to the happiness, the prosperity, and the glory which its people would enjoy."

Sir Winston Churchill

Bad News of the Week:

Over the years, the EU has evolved from a purely economic alliance into a community of values. Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union makes this "respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights." And these values must be defended. Unfortunately, not only externally in bilateral relations with the whole world, but increasingly internally. Two incidents of the last week fill me with concern in this regard.

The highest body of the EU is the so-called Council, consisting of the heads of government of all member states. The presidency rotates every 6 months, and since July 1, 2021, it is held by Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša. The former constituent republic of socialist Yugoslavia and of it since 2004 first EU member is a European success story. A member of NATO and, since 2007, of the euro zone, Slovenia is now the most prosperous country in the Balkans. According to a 2020 assessment by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, it has achieved above-average success in its economic transformation and political development. And the United Nations Development Program ranks the parliamentary republic among the countries with very high human development.

So the European community of values should actually be in good hands with the head of government of this model student of democratization. Actually. Because Janša, to put it mildly, is polarizing. He repeatedly doubted that global warming in the context of climate change was man-made. He argues for the right of Slovenian citizens to carry firearms. He considers "cultural Marxism" a key threat to the European Union. He congratulated incumbent Donald Trump on his election victory in 2020 before the vote count ended. He has been investigated several times for corruption, once resulting in a prison sentence. He sympathizes with Identitarian movements. He constantly tries to undermine freedom of the press and independence of the judiciary. And and and...

Usually, an EU Council president is expected to moderate, to seek balance, to mediate, to push the general agenda forward, etc. But this agenda currently includes possible sanctions against member states if they do not respect the defined values. The headliner here is, of course, Viktor Orbán. And now Janša has backed Orbán in the dispute over a Hungarian law restricting minors' rights to information on homosexuality. It is to be feared that he will instrumentalize his temporary office - for the first time in its history - to support personal interests. And he will gladly do so against the EU itself.

Another essential body of the EU is the directly elected parliament. In it, the political camps form factions according to their basic orientation, with conservatives, social democrats, liberals and greens dominating. This stable structure, which reflects the preferences of EU citizens, is now facing a challenge: the right-wing populists.

Under the leadership of Marine Le Pen of France's Rassemblement National, Matteo Salvini of Italy's Lega and Viktor Orbán of Hungary's Fidesz, 16 parties explicitly belonging to the right-wing spectrum are preparing to build a new alliance. In addition to the above-mentioned parties, the corresponding parties from Poland, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria and the Netherlands are also part of the alliance.

The planned alliance is the "first stone" in the construction of an alliance to "reform Europe," according to the official declaration of intent. This alliance is the "basis of a common cultural and political work," adds Le Pen, Salvini calls the agreement a "charter of values" on the basis of which a Europe is to be built that is based "on freedom and identity instead of bureaucracy and standardization." In other words, they are planning the overthrow.

Good News of the Week:

A fundamental pillar of every democratic legal system is the principle of "giving the accused the benefit of the doubt". Even in ancient Rome, "In dubio pro reo" applied, and it is still true today: everyone must be presumed innocent until proven guilty. That is good and makes sense. In the 19th century, people in this country spoke of preferring to let twelve guilty people go free rather than hang one innocent person. Innocence weighed more than guilt. So far, so civilized.

Another legal principle in ancient Rome was "Ne bis in idem": (You can) not (be accused) twice for the same. This principle, too, has made it into the modern rule of law. Until last week. Because then the German Bundestag decided to change the underlying law. The background to this is the availability today of forensic and criminal technology resources and tools that did not exist in the past. The decision is causing a great deal of discussion among legal experts.

On the one hand, some see it as calling into question the legal authority of the judiciary. After all, the verdict must be valid - forever. Publicist Franziska Augstein (yes, she is his daughter) denounces this with verve under the headline "Forever suspect". The law would subject once accused to lifelong fear. They would face a lifetime of having their case retried. So what? Victims always have to suffer the consequences of a crime for life.

On the other hand, in some cases it is possible to prove guilt after the fact. I can remember a case in which, after twenty years, fiber and DNA traces led to the conviction of a perpetrator who had kidnapped a child and left it to die in captivity. But at that time he was acquitted for lack of evidence (which was technically not usable at that time). And therefore - "Ne bis in idem" - he could not be charged and convicted again. He remained a free man despite proven guilt. How do you want to explain this to the parents of this child? Everything in me bristles.

Other news of the last days: Bill Cosby was released early from prison. He was the first legally convicted celebrity in #metoo. So why was a clearly guilty man who drugged and raped women released early? For one thing, because many of his at least 60 victims were not considered in court because his acts were "time-barred" - another one of those issues that doesn't sit right in my head without complications. On the other hand, because there was a legal "formal error" in the agreement between two prosecutors. I also find it difficult to acknowledge this.

In this respect, I am satisfied that resourceful - and expensive, since it is usually the financial strength of a defendant that determines the quality of his defense (this, too, does not correspond to my sense of justice) - lawyers now have one less legal dodge at their disposal, which is questionable at least in some cases. For there is one principle of jurisprudence that cannot be shaken: proof beyond reasonable doubt. In my opinion, this has to count. And it should count regardless of when it came to light, by whom, and under what circumstances. Likewise victims should have a higher value than (proven!) perpetrators. After all, Justitia is supposed to be blind - and not stupid.

Personal happy moment of the week:

In French, my son got an A on a team assignment. That is remarkable. Because according to his own statement, he "hates" this school subject. Which is a shame, because after all, his stepmother, a French Canadian, and I speak and love this language. However, I have to concede to him that, especially at his age, the teacher is crucial (I just leave it there). And that the first year of a new subject under "pandemic circumstances" is anything but ideal. Nevertheless, his big sister should finally stop picking on this belle langue - after all, she is a role model!

I couldn't care less...

...that Germany has been kicked out of UEFA Euro 2020. The Belgium vs. Italy match on Friday, for example, clearly showed that there are simply much better teams at the moment. And apparently also better coaches - I really don't understand any of this, but some tactical lineups seemed questionable even to me. But that doesn't mean that I would root for England now ;-)

As I write this...

...only with the right hand, I suffer from the so called "Moderna arm" - it's a good thing that as a right-handed person I had the first COVID vaccination put into my left arm. My daughter had still told me to let my arm rotate vigorously in order to avoid exactly that. But when everyone else in the waiting area looked at me a little irritated, I let it go. That was probably a mistake.

[chaoticspacefam]

OC Worldbuilding Tag Pt 2!

...electric boogaloo! I’m sorry I know this joke is old now but I cannot help it, it’s ingrained in my brain XD

I got another tag for this from @a-master-procrastinator , thank you! :D

I think all my friends & mutuals have already been tagged for this one? But I’ll throw a couple out here if you want to, no pressure as always!: @mercurypilgrim​ , @actualanxiousswampwitch and @sleepswithvillains maybe?

Some more Saarai, because I love her. Some very slight spoilers for some of the differences in the Subterfugeverse plot points but nothing major! ;3 Long post warning again, as well as some brief mentions of Valkorion being a dick and causing a mass-genocide but all on the same level as the presented game canon.

- Saarai is psychometric and has been since she was pretty young, a Force power she inherited from D’leah’s mother, Saa’thri, because it “skipped” D’leah and Saarai got it instead. Though she didn’t realise it at the time and it wasn’t until she brought it up to her mother and D’leah went “oh yeah, your grandma had that too :)” that she realised it was actually A Thing.

- She’s not always good at recognising when a vision is from the Psychometry and when it’s just “her imagination”, particularly when she’s younger (which gets her into some trouble, see: the whole Tsâhis thing). Even after she gets used to it, sometimes it still hits her out of nowhere and if it’s a particularly nasty vision she’ll sometimes lose her footing and hit the deck - thankfully, because of their Force bond, Ni’kasi can usually figure out what’s happening and react fast enough to catch her before she smacks her head on something.

- Nathema was...not fun for Saarai thanks to the Psychometry. She’d wanted to go with them to protect them and ended up having to be dragged back to the ship and wait there because the moment she tried to touch anything there the Force went “Oh hey!! would you like some Detailed Flashbacks About What Happened Here!!” and yeah...she did not have a good time. Going to Nathema was kind of a mistake for her. Woops. (She gets through it though, Lana gets her back to the ship and she gets a handle on things but definitely doesn’t go all the way into the facility with Vano and Lana. Probably a good thing, too, if she’d picked up that toy of Vaylin’s I think she would’ve found those visions quite upsetting to watch, too.)

- She and Lana don’t share a Force bond, only because she has one with her sister, Ni’kasi instead. Neither of the twins are exactly sure when it formed, but they’ve had the connection for as long as they can remember. When they’re separated while Saarai and Ty are on Rishii, it’s harder for them to communicate because of the distance between them and Kas putting up barriers “just in case” the Sith tried to interrogate her at any point, she didn’t want to give Saarai away. They knew enough to know the other twin was probably still alive, but not to know exactly what was going on with each other until they finally reunite with the first Coalition on Yavin IV. That was the final relief for the twins, actually getting to see the other one standing there and definitely very much alive, there were hugs and a lot of tears, absolutely. <3

- Saarai is very much a “reluctant leader”, she never wanted to be a figurehead in the Alliance nor did she want to be telling people what to do, but circumstances “forced” her into the role and she had to stumble around awkwardly and adapt. With Vano gone and stuck in carbonite, somone had to step up and make sure the people that were working with Vano stuck together and didn’t fall apart (Not all of Vano’s crew disperse, Broonmark, Pierce and Jaesa always remain with the Alliance. Quinn ends up in jail after the Quinncident and Vette goes missing during one of their attempts to search for Vano’s whereabouts only to reappear as in canon later ;)) With Marr dead and the rest of the Dark Council under Zakuul’s heel or missing, that left Lana, Ni’kasi and Aria as alternative “leadership” figures. Lana lacked the ambition for it and was more tooled to be an advisor and while both Ni’kasi and Aria are bossy enough to delegate tasks, they’re abrasive and people don’t like them. But they like Saarai and they listen to her. So everyone kinda went “Okay cool you’re in charge now :)” I’m sorry, Saarai, you’re symultaneously the most and least qualified for this job but you got it anyway :P She settles into it eventually, though, but will be the first one to adamantly insist that it’s a team effort between not only herself and Vano once they have her back, but Lana, Koth, Theron and all the other trusted members of the Alliance acting as advisors in their respective fields of interest.

- In Subterfugeverse, I headcanon that Vano and Saarai share the command of the Alliance once Vano returns. Vano has the Commander title and handles most of the battle tactics and strategy, whereas Saarai handles things like conflict resolution and public relations, as well as controlling the Eternal Fleet. Things work very differently in Subterfugeverse in terms of the Throne so I’ll try to keep it brief but essentially:

Valkorion “took over” the Sith Empire from the Ahaszaai, Saarai’s ancestors. It was a very hostile takeover and currently Saarai, Ni’kasi, Ty, eventually Ni’kasi’s kids, and their uncle Vowrawn are the only four Ahaszaai left in the entire galaxy.

While they didn’t technically have claim to the Zakuulan throne, the original Sith homeworld before Valkorion’s bullshit was Medriaas (which is canon, I’m just borrowing this part because it fits in nicely ;)), which became Nathema after Valkorion did his whole “planet eating” thing.

Vano is initially the only one who can control the Throne and the Fleet via the whole “Valkorion is in her head” loophole. However, that loophole becomes defunct once Valkorion gets yanked out of her mind since it was Valkorion that gave her the ability to control it in the first place.

I’m assuming for the sake of plot flow that it’s based upon two specific “checks” and that’s 1) direct blood ties to the Emperor(ess) in power and/or 2) said Emperor(ess) currently controlling the throne directly and willingly passing their authority over the throne to a successor - which is how Valkorion is able to give the Outlander/Vano control of the Fleet while he’s in her mind, even though she’s not blood related to him.

They’re able to, with some research, deduce that they can exploit this apparent loophole in the system, to avoid losing control of the Fleet entirely and risking any of the GEMINI droids turning into another SCORPIO; and Vano essentially rescinds control of the Throne/Fleet to Saarai, everyone (including Ni’kasi herself) agrees that Saarai is the responsible choice because she’s not going to get a bee in her bonnet and with an errant thought accidentally set the Eternal Fleet on the Jedi or something of the sort.

Since Saarai has direct blood ties to the original ruling Sith before Valkorion userped the title from them, and Vano willingly gave the Throne up to her, the Throne can’t throw a tantrum about it and just has to deal with it. XD

- Once they do manage to track down where Vano is, before Lana and Koth head to Zakuul to actually break her out, Lana comes to Saarai for help with that. Ni’kasi has to stay to watch Ty and also try and keep a tenuous line with the other Sith thanks to her position on the Dark Council, Aria’s too emotionally charged to think straight and Lana is rightfully worried she might make a mistake that puts the whole rescue mission in jeapordy, so they ask Saarai instead. It’s kind of awkward and she and Koth rub each other the wrong way at first, they bicker for two thirds of the entire trip there and Lana almost throws them both out of the airlock for it, but eventually do find a way to bury the hatchet before they actually arrive at Zakuul to rescue Vano.

- By the time they find the Gravestone, Saarai and Koth have made up and though they are not yet involved with eachother at that time, have both agreed that fighting over Lana is stupid and they can make this work without making things difficult for anyone else, so the whole interruption in the Gravestone’s cargo hold, for Subterfugeverse, is genuinely an accident. Saarai heads up to check on him afterwards and they have another amicable and productive conversation and end up growing a little closer. Their side of the relationship is a little slower to form, but they do eventually end up developing deeper feelings for each other, though it’s strictly non-sexual between Rai and Koth and they are both 100% happy and okay with that.

[alicepink-me]

The New Guardian

Story Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is an adult in the real world, guarding the Miracle Box in Master Fu's place. She's in love with Chat Noir, but refuses to tell him her feelings. New holders appear to fight the duo and shake up their lives. Marinette makes a tough decision about her future as Ladybug.

Chapter 14: The Trial

Marinette was sat down in a chair at a small table. Two guards stood behind her. As her eyes scanned the room, Mantis surprisingly disconnected her chains and cuffs. The entire council sat at a higher crescent shaped table across from her, looking down on her. The room was a mock of an actual court room. Mantis rolled up the chains and hooked them back on his belt.

"Seems you trust me more in this room." Marinette said, showing her wrists.

"You're powerless, so what can you do in here? You can't run now." Mantis said, walking to his seat. "You probably noticed your weakened state in that room. As a defense mechanism, we decided to weaken you so that even if you somehow stole your miraculous back, you could not transform."

"You all might be overreacting just a little bit" Marinette said. "It's not like I have access to it."

Mantis dug in his pocket. "No, but we do." He pulled out the familiar black and red box.

Marinette sat straight. "And why are you telling me its location in your pocket? I could fight you for it right now. Why risk such power?"

"Would you be so stupid to challenge us?!" One of the woman shouted. "You're just as dumb as I thought."

"You can't defeat us, Marinette, so there's no use." Mantis said, sitting down as he shoved the box back in his pocket.

"Do I at least get an attorney for this whole trial?" Marinette asked, leaning back. Her thoughts were slowly aligning.

"Of course not, you don't deserve one!" The other woman objected.

"Now now, Rain, we don't have all day to bicker with her." One man said.

"I don't care, Amethyst." Master Rain huffed. "She's an entitled brat." Marinette rolled her eyes.

Mantis held the bridge of his nose. "Alright already! Saber, would you care to proceed?"

"Gladly." A man stood up with a piece of paper. He shot a snarky glance at Marinette before looking down. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng you are here today to stand trial in front of the grand council. You have been accused of a series of crimes, including, unfit possession of a miraculous, abuse of power on many accounts, and failure to cooperate with your superiors." Marinette's mouth fell open. "You may object or add to any of these accusations to better our discussion. We, the council, will decide on a punishment and future for your miraculous that we see fit."

"First order of business." Another man stood up, adjusting his glasses. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the most famous Ladybug miraculous holder, stationed in Paris, France, given her miraculous at the age of thirteen. Her guardian was Master Wang Fu, since passed, who studied at the temple until age fourteen. Fu fled to Paris where he later handed out miraculouses, starting with the Ladybug and Black Cat, to teenagers for them to fight a villainous threat to the city who possessed a miraculous himself."

"Is everything correct so far, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" Saber asked.

"Yes." She agreed.

"As everyone knows, guardian training is not a simple class that you can pass at age fourteen, so Wang Fu had actually cheated the system." The man continued. "He failed a short test and caused the complete destruction of this temple as well as everything inside of it. Instead of fixing what he started, Fu ran away without completing his own training, taking an entire Miracle Box with him, and he left the downfall of our nature behind him. Two miraculous were lost that day, which were later used against Paris, France, resulting in the need for two heroes, including yourself, Marinette. You should have never received a miraculous in the first place. If it wasn't for your guardian's complete and utter incompetence, you would never have been in this situation."

"Do you agree, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" Amethyst asked.

"Not really." Marinette shook her head.

"That doesn't surprise me." Master Rain snarled.

"What's the issue?" Sabor asked.

"Master Fu was told to leave the temple." Marinette said, Mantis holding his breath. "When the damage had spread too far from Master Fu's sentimonster, one of your own instructed him to take the box and run before he was crushed with everything else. Master Fu told me he never understood why he was the one to be freed, but he imagined that his Master had entrusted him to bring everyone back. Eventually Master, Chat Noir, and I did restore the temple and everything inside of it. We succeeded." Marinette leaned forward, glaring. "And as for my superhero status, I was amazing." The crusty, old women scoffed. "I was needed from the very beginning aside from the whole Hawkmoth and Mayura incident. You may have forgotten, but I didn't just protect Paris from those two. The Star Five, several bandits and burglars . . . everything. Master Fu even sent Chat Noir and I to Algeria then Egypt for a week to fight a trio of villains." Marinette squinted. "Are you taking notes? You really should be taking notes. This is important stuff that you need to remember, especially since I'm part of your students' curriculum now. You might as well teach them the truth."

"How dare you!" Rain shouted, standing and slamming her fists on the desk. "None of us would ever dare let an immature student achieve such power without proper training! How dare you make such accusations about our roles at our own academy! How dare you promote your missions to us!"

"Rain!" Amethyst stood, giving her a stern look. "We must remain calm."

There was a pause and a moment of silent rage between the two before they sat down. Saber took a deep breath. "Auror, continue."

The man flipped to his next page before reading on. "Alright, objective two. Unfit possession of a miraculous." He took a deep breath. "As mentioned before, Wang Fu had not received proper training himself, so his disciple wouldn't even come close to a real master. Marinette has insisted that his teaching was beneficial, but her points are controversial. Marinette has been at the academy for two weeks now and has shown significant improvement, but no matter her training, she will never reach the potential of every other holder or guardian."

"Marinette has received some training from Fu, even if it's incomplete, but are you sure she isn't able to catch up?" Saber asked. "A few of her trainers have sent positive feedback."

"But the point of this academy is to catch the children at a young age and before they ever form attachments to people or places." Master Digit spoke. "Marinette received unnecessary power at age thirteen whereas most students may receive one after graduation at eighteen and with over a decade of training. Besides her immaturity and lack of skill, Ms. Dupain-Cheng is quite popular in France, resulting in her several ties to important people, including celebrities like Jagged Stone and Gabriel Agreste. If she were to slip up once, that news would practically be broadcasted, risking all of us and exposing her own life to the world. Our sole purpose of raising them young about this is to prevent our students from creating relationships like those." He sighed. "So considering that, if Marinette keeps her miraculous, we are all in danger, not matter her experience or strength up to this point."

"I agree." Rain nodded.

"What if Marinette were to cut those ties?" Mantis asked, forcing the conversation on. "She could completely rehabilitate her life here. She has already moved here to train for at least a year without any communication with her past. With her well improvement and good behavior, Marinette has already taken steps to enhance her future. If we give her a chance, she might surprise us all."

"How could you say that?!"

"How dare you?!"

"She could do better!"

"Marinette is practically a child, so it's hard to tell."

"She won't ever be right for the job and you'll never convince me otherwise!"

They all stood, screaming at each other. Their arguing was comical.

Marinette looked confused, her squinted eyes moved between each of them. They were too hard to read as a whole. They weren't completely against her, mostly Mantis, but they were extremely fired up screaming about her. If she was lucky, they wouldn't agree on her punishment in the first place or maybe she can make a quick exit while they argue. Although, she'd need to make it past security. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long either way.

"Let's just skip to her punishment!" Marinette blinked and straightened as she heard that. The room fell silent. Rain spoke. "I think we have plenty of evidence to convict her."

"That seems fair." Amethyst agreed. "After all, we're only adding to the case against her by continuing."

Auror looked over his papers, adjusting his glasses. "That appears true. Several pieces of information are repetitive throughout her crimes. Marinette has committed several injustice acts, but they have also been done over again and again during her time as a holder. Adding on would just give more examples of her mistakes."

"I'm usually against rushing such decisions, but maybe it is time to decide on a punishment." Digit said.

"How can you possibly say that?!" Mantis questioned. "This trial is hardly finished. This isn't-"

Saber held up his hand, stopping him. "Obviously we must put forth the most thought in her punishment because it will affect the rest of her life, but what do you have in mind, Rain?"

. . .

Mint placed her hand on the stone wall, feeling the room on the other side. "Now Ginger." She spoke, concentrating harder.

Ginger extended her leg in front of her, drawing a line straight back. She drew another mark perpendicular to it before bursting into a pirouette. Her shoes began to glow as she stopped and drew a circle around the edge with one foot, staying centered and balanced. Ginger closed her eyes, grabbing Lavender and Mysteria's extended hands.

"Multiply and magnify." Ginger spoke, a copy of the floor's mark appearing on their hands. "We're linked. You can now use your power infinitely for the next ten minutes." She opened her eyes, turning to the others. "I'm sorry I could only increase two of your powers. I'm new at these spells." Ginger apologized.

"We all have our own limits." Mysteria said, putting her hand on Ginger's shoulder. "Some of us train to increase our uses of our miraculous before our transformations wear off and Lavender has only worked up to three, so your helped was needed and appreciated."

"You did alright." Mint said. "We should be fine as long as Lavender does his part."

"I just wish Magenta was here. It's just not the same to be fighting on a team without her." Ginger sighed.

Mint exhaled. "Well I wish Sage was here as well, Ginger, but they were both sent on separate missions when we got back. And this isn't exactly an approved mission on our part, but working with new teams is an important skill to have."

"I know." Ginger said.

. . .

The elders had been huddled together for the past fifteen minutes, leaving Marinette to sweat over their possible decision. She was going to run while their backs were turned, but she remembered the two guards that were standing behind her. An escape from this room was near impossible and she had no idea if the council had some hidden powers that they'd fire at her if they became suspicious.

"Alright." Auror turned around, adjusting his glasses before keeping his hands behind his back. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, we have come to a decision." Mantis leaned his forehead against his hands. "From here on out you will never possess a miraculous and that includes that Ladybug one you specialize in. The Miracle Box will be returned to us and you will never see it again."

"What?!" Marinette yelled, standing. "You can't be serious!"

"Sit down, Ms. Dupain-Cheng." Saber ordered.

Marinette complied.

Auror continued. "After the miraculous are out of your life, you must completely seclude yourself from any memories of them. Your memory will be erased of course, but you must be relocate to a new country, possibly continent, as well."

"No! I am not doing that!" Marinette yelled, standing again. "My memories are mine and Paris is my home! I won't leave!"

Saber glared at her and before Marinette blinked, the two guards forced her back in her chair, keeping her locked in place for the moment.

"It is inevitable, Marinette." Auror said blankly. "You must forget anything and everything to do with miraculous or this temple. You will live a normal life in another country, to be determined later. Just think on the bright side. You can leave all magic behind you to have a husband and create a cute little family without the stress of our lives."

"No!" Marinette struggled against the guards. "No . . . "

"I'm not finished." Auror stated. "There are a few more-"

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted before destroying the back wall of the court room in front of Marinette.

Marinette saw two shadow figures through the dust and rubble. The council began to panic, but form fighting stances at the same time.

"Freeze!" Mint declared, a mist rapidly flowing into the room.

"Mint?" Marinette mumbled.

Marinette definitely couldn't see anything now that she was blinded and a few of her senses were dulled, but she didn't care. Chat Noir and Mint were here and probably others as well. Marinette covered her ears. If her hunch was right, Lavender could be here, or maybe another miraculous involving the sense of hearing. It'd be best of her to wait for Chat Noir to find her or to finish their plan.

"Sleep!" Lavender shouted.

Marinette didn't hear, but she felt several body sized thumps on the ground that made her jump. The mist whooshed back to Mint, disappearing. Marinette blinked her eyes, regaining her sight. The council was spread out around the room, passed out on the floor, along with the guards. Marinette looked up to see Chat Noir, Ginger, Lavender, and an unknown blue hero standing before her.

Marinette smiled. "You all came for me."

"Did you expect us not to?" Chat grinned, a feeling of relief in his heart.

"No, I trusted you." Marinette looked at each one, stopping at the blue hero. "Who are . . . "

"I'm Mysteria." The heroine smiled. She wore a royal blue, skater dress with a halter neck. She had black spandex leggings, blue ankle boots, and wore white gloves. Her hair was halo braided and she had a lacelike, royal blue mask. "But you know me better as April."

"April?" Marinette mumbled.

Chat Noir eyed the small, black and red, octagonal box on the floor. He walked over and picked it up, prying it open. Two spotted earrings laid inside. "Your miraculous." He said.

"Chat Noir!" Ginger yelled, dragging a body. "Give Marinette her miraculous so you guys can get out of here. This is all new to Lavender, so we don't know how long his power will last on them."

"Got it." Chat turned back to Marinette. "You okay?"

Marinette formed her hands, ready to catch. "Yeah, I'm fine." Chat Noir tossed the box to her and walked back to the others for their plan. Marinette opened it and beamed at the sight of her kwami flashing out. "Tikki . . . I missed you." Her eyes began to water as she put the earrings back on.

"I missed you too, Marinette, but I think we need to save the chit-chat for later." Tikki looked at the bodies lying on the floor.

"You're right." Marinette agreed. "Tikki Spots On!"

Chat Noir and Mint pulled the last remaining council members and security guards along the wall. A loud bang was heard, causing Chat Noir to stop and Mint run into his back.

"Must you stop in front of me like an idiot?" Mint snarled.

"Sorry." Chat anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. He turned to where the sound came from and saw Ladybug had jumped on top of her table. She was wiping away her tears. Something was off. "Ladybug?"

The other heroes stopped to look at her. Ladybug lifted her head, staring blankly at them. "What do you want, Chat Noir?" She asked bitterly.

Chat inhaled. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Why do you care? It's not like we're aren't friends." Ladybug glared.

"Why is she acting like this?" Mysteria asked. "Wasn't she smiling like two seconds ago?"

"Obviously her boyfriend here did something wrong." Mint crossed her arms.

"But I-"

"He's not my boyfriend." Ladybug replied. "He's an enemy just like you three are." She launched her yo-yo, Chat Noir deflecting it off his baton. The heroes took a step back.

"Marinette . . . " Mysteria squinted her eyes, focusing.

"We aren't your enemy, Ladybug." Chat pleaded. "We're partners."

"I would never choose to side with a stray like you!" She yelled. "And I most certainly won't let you convince me otherwise!"

Mysteria held her breath. "She's . . . "

"I am not your teammates, but I will take your miraculous!" Ladybug pointed at them. "You all have committed acts against this temple and you will be punished!" She grinned. "Each of your miraculous will soon be mine." She laughed. Chat Noir looked horrified.

Mint felt the change in the room. She crouched and placed her hand on the floor. She felt Mysteria's heartbeat change. "You're focusing." Mint analyzed. "Do you see something?"

"Is she spelled?" Chat asked.

A flash of red flickered over Ladybug's eyes. Mysteria gasped. "I think her miraculous is."

"They did something to it?" Mint asked.

"The council can easily do a spell on a miraculous." Lavender spoke. "They know these powers inside out and know every secret we don't. I'm assuming they've thought ahead partially and spelled the Ladybug earrings incase Marinette were to retrieve them again. Even if they lost, her punishment would still be served."

"What punishment?" Chat asked, staring at Ladybug who kept nightmarish eye contact with a smile. She was really trying to haunt him.

"To destroy and forget us." Mysteria answered. "Marinette has been turned into a killing machine. She can achieve their dirty work for them in the case that they aren't present to do so."

"You all are adorable." Ladybug gushed. "I wish I had the power to minimize you and use you as my puppets or maybe place you in a snow globe, but . . . that's not as fun as killing you."

Chat saddened. "Ladybug . . . "

"Don't act like you know me, alley cat! I will kill you!" Ladybug leaped forward and kicked him in the stomach. She grabbed his face and held tight as she pulled him to eye level. Her smirk grew. "We won't ever be friends." She gritted her teeth. "I'm only a nightmare to you."

[yurireview]

Cinder and Neo an unlikely friendship

Hello dear followers, here is a new review about RWBY but this time we will talk about the hated Cinder and how the structure of her character took her next to the beloved Neo and how this dynamic is unique to the character of Cinder.

As you know, in this volume we have had great dynamics.

The development of the Bumbleby The companionship between Mercury and Emerald The closing of the JRN team with Phyrra

but I think the fandom ignores the duo of Cinder-Neo and it's understandable...in the long time I've been in this fandom there are 2 things that always stand out:

-The hatred of Cinder and the love of Neo Although the coolest thing about this is that Cinder and Neo are apparently the most opposite villains of the show.

If this is true, how could this be the perfect team? ... although many do not believe it, just like other great RWBY dynamics, the very opposite character of both leads to that point.

That is why I will explain the fundamental characteristic of the character of Cinder

Cinder has no companions

Many believe that their "ambition" for power is their main characteristic ... but I do not think so...being honest the Cinder of the first volumes is very good villain (conspires very well, kills without mercy, manipulates, subordinates) besides that 90% of their plans were successful

-Engaging everyone in the School -Reclude to those of the White Fang and Mercury-Emerald -It made the people distrust the established order and cut communications in the world -Destroy Ozpin -Consided the powers of the Maiden

But even with these achievements and his power, I must say that she would have had total success if she had friends ... but of course that at that time was not possible.

In the first 3 volumes Cinder was authoritarian, not only did She not have respect for his subordinates, but she made them know ... let's just look at how he treated Emerald and Mercury (especially Emerald who was like a lapdog) and scenes not missing.

Even Roman who does not treat him as a dog but as an ally but who is also subject to her and has control over him ... it was interesting as from the first chapter this was clear

Each event is moved according to its threads and that makes it feel very good ... but at the same time you can notice that lack of true companions.

In the final stage of the operation she could easily have said that her subordinates escorted her ... but she was so confident in her own power and wanting to take away the glory that that became her only mistake in her entire plan, since Mercury and Emerald could have stopped Ruby or any other intruder...the story would be different, but she never saw them as "peers" they were just her pawns.

the duel between Cinder and Phyraa is epic ... but the first clue to Cinder's belief base is when our beloved champion says "You believe in destiny"

The phrase that Phyrra told her before his death makes a lot of sense in Cinder narrative, but that will be discussed later.

After his defeat at the last moment we see her at her worst moment in Volume...but the first action we see of Cinder is that she continues to treat her subordinates in the same way.

The members of the Salem council are not even close to real comrades, in fact they bothered her a lot because of her condition ... especially Tyrion that is a reminder of what would happen to her if she did not kill her power and that attitude so " unpleasant "that we know.

Her relationship with Salem is interesting ... it is obvious that Cinder is very afraid of her, but at the same time the Dark Lady treats her differently than the other members of the council ... although the mistakes are not allowed even for her.

it is clear that this is the relationship that defines it and made who it is now, in fact there are many parallels between the two but that is for another post

The times she appeared in that volume we can see clearly why she always has to emit an intimidating and clear presence to be as she is ... because they would literally eat her alive if she did not, her fear is quite genuine.

In the Volume 5 to recover Salem gives his orders and just responds to the stupid criticism of "Cinder forgot his hatred for Ruby and was the same again" when this is a lie, Salem ordered Cinder keep her alive.

Ruby why did not I pay attention?" When she made the deal she did not want to kill Ruby, since she has a mortal fear of Salem is obvious. ..but that does not mean that she could not "hurt her”. It means killing her uncle, her friends and leaving her hopeless ... just for that reason she accepted those conditions

In fact, it stands out in the end of chapter 12 again. Why does the fandom want it to do things that have no logic? ... Volume 4 showed us what would happen to Cinder if it "lost its usefulness" and, of course, if did not have the attitude that she possesses could not survive in the Salem council

Now Cinder defeat in the end. Why was it? It could be said that the same as in Vol 3 but there is a slight difference ... in this case the Narrative focuses on how important it is to have real friends (Something that Cinder does not have).

In fact the song of All Must Die describes its cycle of self-destruction and does not justify it but transmits its errors...The Cinder we met died

How does Neo enter the narrative of the new Cinder? How does Neo enter the narrative of the new Cinder? ... to understand the best quality of Neo.

Neo and Roman

I think they were duo of Villains par excellence were Neo and Roman ... neither of them had a toxic dynamic and best represent the dynamics of equals that many partners do not have ... From the beginning she is a villain who has what Cinder never had.

In fact since the first appearance of Neo is also established that she is stronger than him and even so is his partner without being the boss.

I still remember the beating she gave on the train to Yang and as always Roman never gives him "orders" besides that of the 3 duels on the train she was the only one to win with an overwhelming advantage.

In fact the capture of Roman was because he was very weak against Blake...Neo unlike Cinder does not ambition the "Power" in fact he looks well satisfied in his adventures with Roman

Again in volume 3 our beloved Neo saves his boss, without orders from Cinder or from Roman himself and in fact the sentence that Roman says in his release tells us that they have passed this situation many times and Neo was simply going to save his friend

The team of Neo and Roman was very lethal ... in fact it is the second best combo I saw in the series, they beat Ruby ... but we know how the battle ended (Death of Roman) Neo lost his boss and dear friend, now the only thing she wanted was to take revenge on those she considers responsible for Roman's death.

This series of events would be those that would take Neo to his predestined meeting with Cinder

Cinder and Neo Vol 6

In this Volume the new Cinder comes into action, unlike before it is not the same. Why do I say it? Even in her weakened state she was still next to Salem, she still had subordinates, she was still part of Salem's plans ... but in this volume it is very different.

-It does not have subordinates -Salem abandonment -It has no more allies -It has no room - Now seek to eliminate it.

With that in mind, she only has two motivations (Revenge and Survival), she searches for the information and meets Neo that in a certain way has not changed anything, the only thing that she lacks now is her great companion... in fact she honors a lot Roman memory.

What I like about this scene other than the great fight ... is that unlike the way Cinder recruits Emerald-Roman-Mercury here Neo not only does not see her "Fascinated" with Cinder but they have an agreement in base to a common goal...even the small scene where she points out that she is mute is a small advancement that her dynamic of both will be very informal

At the moment they seal their alliance they do it as "Equals" unlike their other alliances, many said "Look at a parallel with what happened with Raven ... I bet she going to betray her" ... but here the circumstance is the opposite.

In this case Cinder has no allies, has no subordinates, has no place to return...instead with Raven had Allies, the Base of Salem, her Subordinates she made that alliance not in a committed way, in the chapter Raven itself she talks about betraying her ... so that alliance does not even remotely follow her.

In this alliance not only Cinder lost almost everything that makes her feel "powerful" but really has no reason to betray Neo ...in fact unlike the situation with Raven ... here Cinder spends time with Neo because ( she has no one else) It is ironic that his whole life led him to spend time with someone who tried to kill her weeks ago ...but thanks to that, she is already forming what could be Cinder first Friend.

this is the character development that many were waiting for

In fact, something that many forget is that the first time that Cinder and Neo interact, both praise each other without underestimating each other while Emerald and Mercury are back as subordinates and they are together as equals is a well done scene.

I liked the scene where Neo stops Cinder without fear of being "reprimanded" (Cinder surprised face is great) in fact that scene suggests that she got the transport without orders from Cinder because she does not order , but I also like it when Cinder makes a sarcastic comment about that Neo lacks boots and this one rolls his eyes without fear or anything because she is not faking anything in front of her

But at the same time she shows her happy side without problems and unlike Cinder's subordinates, Neo is informal with her and I love it.

But at the same time we also have Cinder showing expressions that in other volumes she did not show, without arrogance just enjoying time with his partner

I think the cherry on the cake was when Cinder tells Neo without reason the phrase of "Destiny" whichs she did not do with anyone, in fact she never talked anything trivial with anyone, it's great because despite all the events she is satisfied with what happened and that both are united in the goal of killing Ruby

It is an irony that as with Cinder and Neo ... the subordinates of Cinder (Emerald and Mercury) even in the midst of their hostility are forging a fellowship due to the circumstances, in addition to discussing something that all the fandom knew (Cinder not cares about his subordinates) Is not it ironic that right in this volume we see a new facet of Cinder that she did not have with them?

Conclusion

I know that many assume the worst of Cinder because of the hatred that fandom has ... but I think many have lost perspective of their character and the same happens with Neo but in reverse...She is not "calculating" all her actions, but the dynamics she has with Cinder came naturally and it's great because is happy now to have his first partner and we will see how they will develop their dynamics in the future and I think that Neo will be the one that makes Cinder learn the meaning of companionship and having a friend even though they are both villains

Many wonder: What is Neo past? What is Cinder past? well now that we have them together, this will be answered in the next volume.

[mdelpin]

Shadowlight Week 2019 Prompt: Dawn AO3 | FF.Net

This follows the events after It’s Always Darkest... (Day 7: Dusk), His Own Destiny (Day 4: Command),  High Hopes (Day 2: Symbols) and A Scent Like No Other (Day 1: Scents)

Before the Dawn

Summary: The promise of better times lay ahead, nestled within the lingering warmth of held hands and secret kisses.

 "Tomorrow is the dawn of a new day for us,“ he said,  giving voice to all the hopes and dreams they had nurtured for so long.

During the week that Rogue was gone, Sting did his best to keep busy. He tried not to think about what might be happening and focused on the things he wanted to say. Lector and Frosch tried to help, and Sting was happy that they kept him company. He was so anxious he might have gone crazy otherwise.

Jiemma, never one to miss an opportunity to pit his wizards against each other, devised a contest to determine which wizards would be representing Sabertooth in the Grand Magic Games, even though pretty much everyone was sure he’d already made up his mind. As soon as Rogue and Rufus returned there would be a tournament, the top scoring mages would go to the Games.

For once Sting was grateful for his Master's machinations, all the wizards were so determined to at the very least make a good showing that there were plenty of people to spar with. Most of them were not very challenging, but he was able to learn some fighting moves to complement his magic. His lack of control was still a concern for him, most of his moves were light based, and they could seriously injure someone if he weren't careful. 

He'd begun trying to direct the energy to other parts of his body, using it to enhance his punches and kicks rather than always depending on his lasers. By the end of the week, he'd become somewhat adept at it. There was one thing he knew he still had to work on and it was his speed. Both times Jiemma and Minerva had bested him it had been because he had not moved fast enough. He rather hoped that when he mastered his new power that would change.

Rogue and Rufus arrived laden with books they'd been allowed to check out from the library. Sting tried to sniff Rogue as discreetly as he could, but by the outrage on Rogue's face, he wasn't subtle enough. He walked past him to Master Jiemma's office without a word, obviously annoyed. Rufus laughed and with a wink went straight to his room. Not a good start.

o-o

“Is that what you really think of me?” Rogue startled him from his training a few hours later, causing him to be knocked off balance by the training dummy as it spun outside of his control.

“What?” Sting attempted to act dumb, running a hand through his hair while he looked for a towel to wipe off his sweaty chest and back which he couldn’t help but notice Rogue was openly staring at. He looked around for his shirt and put it on.

“You know what,” Rogue snapped, “You were scenting me to make sure I hadn’t done anything with Rufus.”

"You're right, I'm sorry. It's just that, " Sting went on to explain what had happened when he and Rufus had gone searching for Minerva, but Rogue interrupted him.

“I know, he told me.” Rogue sighed, “I know I hurt you, but you have to believe me when I tell you, I never meant to.”

Sting nodded, “I know that. I don’t really know what came over me, it felt like my world had ended. Stupid, huh?” He looked at Rogue nervously waiting to see how he would react to his words.

“It wasn’t entirely your fault,” Rogue conceded, confusing him, “I learned a lot about our magic in the time I was gone, and about our bond. Things the dragons never told us. What you were feeling, it’s what they call your inner dragon reacting to what it felt was a challenge on your claim on me. Because we’ve never fully mated it makes you feel very insecure.”

Sting had no idea what that meant, and it must have shown on his face because Rogue chuckled and held his hand out to him. Sting quickly took it, hungry for any contact with his mate no matter how small.

“Come on,” Rogue said dragging him with him to the guild’s library where the books he’d brought back were already laid out on a table. They sat down next to each other as Rogue showed him different passages in the books that referred to what he’d explained, while his other hand was held captive by Sting under the table.

Neither of them had been this happy in a long time.

O-o

"So I still don't get it, there's a dragon inside each of us?" Sting asked the following day. They were standing in the guild's backyard, getting ready to try a few things Rogue had found in the book. When Jiemma learned of the possible amounts of destruction involved, he allowed them to train outside in a seldom used area of the guild.

Rogue held his tongue, not wanting to break the peace they had settled into. “No, there isn’t a dragon inside of us. As part of the spell Weisslogia and Skiadrum enchanted us with, our bodies adapted to be able to accommodate their magic. For example, our lungs were modified to be able to not only consume our elements but produce our roars.

Sting nodded in understanding, “So, no dragon?”

“No dragon, “ Rogue agreed patiently, “I suspect it’s more like instincts that are so primal that they automatically became part of us once we were enchanted. Dragons are very protective, and also quite aggressive.” A smirk played on Rogue’s lips as he added, “Although I suspect Weisslogia was more dramatic than most.”

Sting pouted, and Rogue snickered in response. He sat as close to his mate as he dared and looked at the book in his lap.

“How did you get Jiemma to let us spend so much time together?” Sting whispered so that only Rogue could hear him.

"By telling him parts of the truth, and showing him the books, so he knew I wasn't lying." Rogue enjoyed the feel of the mid-morning sun on his skin. "It's why I asked for permission to check them out."

"I didn't find anything for the first few days, then I found some references to some books, but when I couldn't locate them, I was told they were in a special collection, and I needed permission from someone in the Magic Council to be able to read them." Rogue explained, "We communicated with Master Jiemma, and he was able to get us access."

“It turns out that Dragon Slaying magic is considered a Lost Magic,” Rogue shrugged, “I’m still not sure of how the lacrimas are made or how they work.”

“You said you wanted to show me something?” Sting quickly changed the subject before Rogue got too enthused on the topic. They were meant to be training after all.

"Right," Rogue grinned sheepishly, opening the book to the chapter he had wanted to show Sting. "So I think I figured out what the problem is," He pointed at the illustration on the page, it showed a person who had scales drawn over parts of their body and they seemed to be glowing. "There are all sorts of spells that we can learn, secret arts and other cool stuff, but this here is what I think is happening. It's called Dragon Force, and it's supposed to be something we shouldn't be able to do for a long time, but the potential has always been inside us."

Sting looked at the picture with interest, “So you’re saying the lacrimas gave us the ability to access this Dragon Force?”

Rogue nodded, and he punched Sting on the shoulder proudly, "That's exactly what I'm saying! The other problem I think should sort itself out."

Sting tilted his head as he considered Rogue's words but remained silent. With a smile Rogue explained, "Our magic is tied to our emotions, and because we have been uhm... disconnected from each other, our magic has been that much harder to control."

“So all we have to do is work out our differences?” Sting looked unconvinced.

Rogue smiled at him, “Something like that, yes, at least I think so.”

“Okay then,” Sting checked to make sure no one was near them. When he was satisfied, he placed his hand over Rogue’s and looked deep into his mate’s eyes, wanting to make sure Rogue was convinced of his honesty. “I didn’t mean what I said, I just wanted you to feel as hurt as I did.”

"And I don't care if it was instincts or whatever that made me do it. You never set out to hurt me, but I knew full well how those words would affect you, and I said them anyway." Sting bowed his head, ashamed of what he'd done. "I'm so sorry, if I could take it back, I would."

Rogue felt relief to hear those words from Sting, but he knew he had a lot to apologize for as well. "It's okay, I should have realized. It wasn't until after I saw how you reacted that I understood what it was I had done."

His bottom lip jutted out as he thought about how futile the whole thing had been in the end. “I guess I just wanted to believe there was a way out of here, you know?”

Before Rogue knew what was happening Sting had wrapped him in an embrace and whispered in his ear, “We will get out of here someday, I promise you that.” Rogue went to struggle, afraid of being discovered but Sting only held him tighter. “Don’t worry, there’s no one around. Something else I’ve noticed, my senses are even better than they used to be.”

Rogue relaxed and snuggled into the hug, starved for Sting’s touch. They spent a few minutes holding each other and immersing themselves in the other’s smell. When they separated Sting smiled, a real one that made his blue eyes crinkle prettily, and Rogue found himself falling in love all over again.

He leaned forward craving the taste of his boyfriend, Sting eagerly meeting him halfway. Their lips connected softly, pressing fervently against each other, both afraid of pushing their luck but wanting to reconnect in all the ways they had lost. The kiss didn’t last long, but for the first time since they had woken up at Sabertooth, Rogue felt like he was home.

"I love you," Rogue whispered, watching in awe as Sting's eyes lit up when he heard the words, his grin stretching so wide he could see his mate's fangs. Rogue reached out to touch Sting's cheek marveling at the grainy stubble that hadn't been there the last time he'd been allowed to touch.

Sting grabbed his hand and kissed it before replying, “I love you too.” Rogue reddened, even though he had expected the words. Everything was finally okay between them again, better than okay even.

Sting got up pulling Rogue along with him by the hand that he was still holding. They were both smiling, and Rogue squeezed Sting's hand one last time before letting go.

“Now what?” Sting asked looking back at the book Rogue had been showing him earlier.

"Now we fight," Rogue laughed as they faced each other. They got into their fighting stances, Sting beckoning him to come at him with his hand and Rogue immediately went into his shadow form and lunged for an attack.

They fought hard for the next thirty minutes or so, both ending up sweaty and bruised, but it was clear their control had already improved a little. With smiles on their faces and lighter hearts, they realized it had been too long since they'd been able to spar for fun.

“So what are these secret arts you were talking about?” Sting questioned with interest.

Rogue wiped his hands on his pants and looked for the relevant chapter. He stopped to look at the sun and realized they would miss lunch if they didn’t hurry. “Come on, I’ll show you at lunch.”

“Oh great, I’m starving!” Sting cheered. They walked back towards the building making sure to leave some space between them so no one would notice the change in their relationship. One person had seen them though, and even though it had hurt her a little, she was glad.

O-o

For the next two weeks as everyone sparred and practiced tirelessly in preparation for Jiemma's tournament Sting and Rogue continued to train outside. Jiemma and Orga had placed some training dummies to allow them to practice their long-range attacks. Now that the games were closer Jiemma did not want to risk them injuring each other accidentally. They practiced nonstop learning more and more powerful spells. They found that using these intermediate spells helped ease them into their growing power and by the last day of training they had both been able to enter Dragon Force at least once in front of Jiemma, who looked more pleased than they had ever seen him.

The day of the tournament arrived, and it was obvious in short order that Sabertooth's team would consist of Minerva, Orga, Rufus, Sting, and Rogue who were by far the strongest mages the guild had. Jiemma confirmed it, having made sure to keep them from fighting each other.

The last week before they departed for Crocus was spent training in more mundane ways. Jiemma was reasonably sure they could win the fights easily but the contests were an unknown, and that was something he didn't like.

All five of them were put in a regimen that included running, archery, shooting, cooking and eating contests and anything else Jiemma could think of. It was great fun for the other guild wizards to see their strongest mages struggle with things they considered ordinary. Orga struggled running, although he had a lot of muscle he lacked stamina, Sting and Rogue didn't know how to swim, Rufus was incapable of cooking if he wasn't given a recipe to memorize, and Minerva could out eat them all even though she had a tiny frame. By the end of the week, they were all grateful to be done and finally be on their way to Crocus.

Sting and Rogue were excited to be leaving the guild building together, it felt almost like an adventure, and it reminded them of better times. They suffered through the train ride, arriving in Crocus by late afternoon. When their stomachs finally calmed down, they walked with the others, looking around in awe at how vibrant everything was. Crocus was by far the biggest city they had ever seen, and it was beautiful. The buildings were large and colorful, and everywhere you looked there were different types of flowers creating a pleasant fragrance that permeated everything.

“Do you think we’ll get a chance to explore?” Orga wondered aloud, “I’ve never been to a city this big before.”

Minerva snorted, “Right… you have met my father, haven’t you? We’ll be lucky if he lets us out of the inn.”

Rufus made a muted sound of agreement, seemingly overwhelmed by all there was to look at, his quick mind memorizing everything even when he didn’t want to.

There were colorful flags strung around the city and they quickly figured out they represented the competing guilds as soon as they found the Sabertooth one mixed in among them. Sting and Rogue recognized many symbols from back when they read Sorcerer Weekly, but there were also plenty they didn’t know.

Sting and Rogue stopped in their tracks when they noticed a symbol they hadn’t expected.

“Is that?” Sting began as he saw the symbol of the Fairy Tail guild, the surprise he felt soon overridden by the pain he had never quite gotten over.

“Yeah,” Rogue answered quietly, “I suppose it’s to be expected the guild would continue without them.” The thought filled him with sadness though, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d thought about Gajeel, Natsu or any of the others who had been lost. They had all seemed bigger than life, who could have possibly replaced them?

Their hands snaked out towards each other, fingers lacing, squeezing and quickly separating before anyone could notice. That day had been the one that had set them on this path and they both needed solace from the memories.

The guild members continued to trudge behind their Master, gawking at everything on their way to their inn. They checked in, every competitor getting their own room, while the others would have to share. Sting and Rogue wished they could share but knew better than to make the request. Jiemma had been extremely lenient with them, but that would surely be pushing their luck.

Just as Minerva had foreseen, they were ordered to stay in the inn until the next day's opening events.

The mood in the inn was very somber, there was nothing to distract them from their nerves about the upcoming competition or to keep them from worrying about what would happen to them if they didn't manage to take first place.

O-o

Sting lay awake in his bed long after Jiemma had done the bed check. Lector, who he had managed to smuggle in his bag, snuggled against him snoring softly. Sting felt restless, this competition could make his dream come true, and he was anxious for it to begin, but no matter how hard he tried, sleep evaded him.

A soft breeze entered through the window he knew he had closed and it brought the soothing smell of Rogue with it. He felt a small body land on the bed and settle itself next to Lector while a shadow solidified into the body of his mate.

“What are you doing here?” Sting whispered urgently, “If Jiemma catches you, he’ll kill you!”

"No, he won't," Rogue declared, "He wants to win this competition, and he won't do anything to jeopardize that. Who would he replace me with on such short notice?" Rogue sounded very smug, and Sting chuckled even as he made room on the bed for him.

“And even if he did, he knows that would mess you up.” Rogue pointed out as he climbed in, “For the first time we have him exactly where we want him.”

Sting turned on his side so he could see Rogue better. “I guess that’s true.”

“Are you nervous?” Rogue asked.

“I just want to get started,” Sting groaned with frustration, “What about you?”

“I just want it to be over,” Rogue answered honestly.

Sting chuckled, “You’re worried over nothing, this is going to be fun.”

“If we win,” Rogue pointed out.

“We will.” Sting leaned forward and kissed Rogue on the forehead and then continued peppering his face with kisses until he got him to laugh.

“That’s better,” Sting teased moving onto his back and waiting for Rogue to cuddle up against him as he’d used to. Once Rogue had settled on his chest Sting wrapped his arm around him holding him even closer and leaning down to kiss his head.

"Tomorrow is the dawn of a new day for us, " Sting murmured drowsily, he hadn't realized it before, but this is exactly what he'd needed, "And whatever it may bring, we'll face it together."

Together, there was a time when Rogue had thought that word but a distant memory. He squeezed Sting tightly, and as he drifted off to sleep in the arms of the one he'd always loved, he couldn’t help but smile. They’d both struggled to work through their problems but in the end, their love had triumphed. And no matter what surprises lay in store for them, that was all Rogue needed.

A/N: I know I said I was planning to get to Sting becoming Master and I do intend to, but I was overly ambitious and ran out of time. I decided I’d rather leave them in a hopeful moment for the end of Shadowlight Week. I plan to continue this in other one-shots starting with their appearance at the first Grand Magic Games. Thank you to @x-thekid for once again helping with the summary!

[howlsmovinglibrary]

So i noticed you reblogged a lot of got. I followed you bc of your book reviews. I wonder if you read ASOIAF? It'd be cool for you to review it. And also it'd provide me see your stand towards the writing of the last season, & your perspective towards Arya as retconned Night King slayer, the dull (and abusive) romance bw jnerys, jon's character assassination and the lack of his POV, and the show being Dany's show (at the expense of other chars).

Oh wow anon, it’s very rare that I get asked to go off, but I’m more than happy to take you up on the invitation to rant!

In answer to your first question, I have read the first book of ASOIAF, but unfortunately I personally feel George R.R. Martin’s strength is his plotting, and now that the show has kind of unmasked the plot of those first books I find it difficult to slog through his writing style, just because it’s not suited to me. I got to 100 pages from the end where Ned Stark is wondering whether or not he’s gonna die and was like…I kind of know how this ends.

As for my manifold problems with the writing of this last season, I have them, although they don’t seem to be lined up with yours exactly. I have placed this under the keep reading tag, because Long Post. And Spoilers.

Arya

Ok, so as for the Arya plotline, I actually didn’t mind this. I realise it goes against a lot of the material of the books (which I haven’t read), but I think that however much of a retcon it is it makes a lot of logical consistency within Arya’s storyline itself. I was personally getting to the point, with Arya going around Winterfell and not really doing much, of wondering “why did she go to assassin school again?” I think that her getting to kill the Night King validates a lot of her plot arc, whereas before her training was slowly becoming useless and irrelevant to the current situation the writers had put her in - of course this goes out of the window come the last war.

I would actually argue that this decision, bar its illogical and rushed execution, had elements of why I loved GoT’s more established plot twists. You had a strong fantasy genre trope, the Chosen One, in Jon, and then reality intervenes and breaks it. Jon is trying to fight a fucking huge dragon, and is therefore, logically, preoccupied. So someone else gets the kill. I liked that. I mean, it seems like prophecy has just been UTTERLY DISREGARDED in this entire season rather than twisted or subverted, so I guess if we’re feeling particularly generous (which no one is) it might even be “making a point”.

 And yes, we haven’t seen any of her assassin powers over the course of this season (because the writers are retconning her into a nicer ‘antihero’ and not outright eviscerating psychopath), which makes me wonder why she even has them. But I’m actually ok with her getting the Night King kill.

And I’ll dream of the alternate universe where Arya kills Cersei wearing Jaime’s face, actually utilising her skills, getting her ‘green eyed’ kill, and fulfilling Cersei’s prophecy.

Danaerys

So, I hate Danaerys, but I don’t really agree with your viewpoint of her. I don’t really feel like this became ‘her’ season at all. In fact, I feel like this season was just a lesson in how to gaslight a woman into madness and relegate her entirely from her own fucking story.

I will outright state that, I wanted Danaerys to go Mad Queen. I think her character has had problematic elements from very close to the beginning: regarding her sense of entitlement which is not underpinned by an actual competency in regards to ruling, her idealism, and her tendency as a white character to weaponise the brown people she essentially colonises for her own goals. These are not the reasons D&D give to justify her ‘madness’. In fact, they say she’s always been mad for punishing abusers. It just shows now…because of a bad break up.

Danaerys’ “descent into madness” was so badly written that I get mad just thinking about it. It essentially comprises all the men around her having conversations with each other saying “I think she might go mad”, and then her doing a Bad Thing for no discernable reason. This is 1. BAD WRITING, because SHOW NOT TELL. Also, NARRATIVE CONSISTENCY. If you have to have Tyrion outright narrate what you are retconning as her evil past, which is what he did in the final episode, you have not written a consistent plot. Viewers are not stupid. And 2. It’s just awful in terms of gender. Literally, Dany is a woman who becomes isolated and the men around her pathologise her as mad rather than communicating with her and allowing her the agency to authorise her own existence. It’s like The Yellow Wallpaper. There’s so much gaslighting! Everyone says she’s mad for thinking people will betray her as they betray her in the same breath! Jon says he loves her and then punishes her for desiring him! It’s just absurd. I wanted this to happen and they still fucked it up.

Once her sexual desire is just for her and no longer consumable by the male viewer, because its incestuous, and her ambitions outstrip the men around her, suddenly she’s evil. 

And do not get me started on all the awful racial connotations of her story a) being fuelled by the pointless fridging of the only named black woman and b) being utterly endorsed by all the people of colour within the show unquestioningly while all the ‘good’ white men suddenly have their doubts. The way Dothraki war cries were basically used as background music to signify evil savagery made me sick. They literally weaponised race as a way of connoting fear and evil. The fact that her “evil speech” was basically a straw feminist recycling of her liberation rhetoric in a way to condemn all her thoroughly understandable and initially intentions from the very beginning was just a way to validate every Incel’s fear about SJW discourse. Instead of, I don’t know, CRITICISING HER AS A COLONISER. Maybe unveiling her hypocrisy? Nope! All black people are evil and will never question orders because they have been consistently stripped of their humanity! They are a faceless army of non-whites! And oh yes, all women are evil for wanting to enact violence on those who want to abuse them!

Honestly, I think this season of the show has been as much at the expense of her character as anyone else’s. Because it’s not been written well, or believably, and it feels like a complete reduction of the very real potential she had as a critique of imperialism. She’s just a mad woman. 

Jon

I can’t really talk that much about Jon. I kind of cover it above. I’m not sure if you think Jonaerys is abusive to Dany or to him, I would argue the former because of the gaslighting. 

But I will say, he must’ve taken his refresher course in Stark Honourable Stupidity after actually being competent in Season 7. According to D&D’s logic, if he had simply slept with Dany, a woman he loves, she wouldn’t have gone mad. It’s only in GoT that I can justify incest, but he should’ve taken one for the team. 

And maybe kept secrets better.

Just…the show in general

Really, I’m just so disappointed with the show in general. The plot, like Jaime’s characterisation, is so profoundly circular.

We still have an iron throne. We still have an utterly corrupt council elected through nepotism (although I guess we’re supposed to like them now?) Fuck, we still even have a wall even though ALL THE WHITEWALKERS ARE GONE.

Everything was so rushed and irreverent to the point of incompetency - I mean, everyone has seen the coffee cup. Prophecy and foreshadowing was utterly disregarded (I’ve spared you my Jaime Lannister rant because you didn’t ask), nuance was completely lost. I cannot believe that Cersei’s death was an anticlimax, that she didn’t do anything in that final battle but shed a manly tear, had barely any lines of dialogue despite the fact that she is one of the strongest characters of the entire series. And yet EURON GREYJOY got a triumphant death. It is so disingenuous. I really don’t think the fanbase would’ve been that hard to please but it seems like everything was denied us in the name of ‘subverting expectations’.

And however well shot the battle scenes were, I found it profoundly boring because there was no real motivation to drive the action. It was just screaming, and death, and oh yes some gratuitous rape because that’s what every viewer is here for, right?! I watch Game of Thrones for the character intrigue, not the violence or the blatant misunderstanding of what “authentic medievalism” entails. The fact that I watched the finale of my favourite show and did not cry once - me, who cried four times in a single Critical Role episode - is just a testament to how hollow and heartless the writing became.

[bhavael-song]

[shore leave post] facing the past

Harry is seated on the bed of a nicely appointed room. As he hears the door open, he pushes the assorted brochures off of his lap and bounds towards the unsuspecting entrant. "Celes, remember that Thromboian stringed instrument I was telling you about? That I was regretting not getting? They have a similar one here, but it has recursive tuning abilities! I think I need it."

Not expecting him to move so quickly, Tal lets out a half-shriek when he catches her in a welcoming hug, one that soon turns to laughter at his enthusiasm.  “Then you should definitely get it.”  She squeezes him around the waist.  “Though, you’re going to start running out of storage space in your spare closet unless this one compacts itself into a PADD-sized box like the Natimastean harp you showed me last week.”

"I'll figure something out. I know I've got a lot.  It’s just that, music is important. Documenting the cultures we come across, finding similarities with our own," Harry says as the palms of his hands graze across her hips, "Finding common ground...it’s all a part of why I signed up for deep space missions."

Tal nods in agreement, ignoring the blush that heats her cheeks at his wandering hands.  “The differences can also be quite fascinating to learn.” She momentarily frowns, then it fades. “At least when we find friendly people like the ones here on Laethea.”

"So far, so good. How was your evening?"

“Good.  What time Mariah didn’t spend browsing for gifts for Swinn’s upcoming birthday, she spent taking photos of every type of plant that grows in the marketplace area.  The Laethean shop owners were all very amused.  She did have one man offer her some seeds for one of the flowers when she explained we have a hydroponics bay and like to get samples when we can.  It sort of looks like it could be related to the flower that Kes a—noticed by the lagoon.  Maybe it’s a domestic version of that flower.  Anyway, he’ll have the seeds by morning, he told us.”

"Plants, music, they're two sides of the same coping, aren't they? But Celes," Harry's hand glide up her arms to rest on her shoulders, drawing her gaze to his. "How are you?"

“I’m okay.”  Her slight frown returns, while her mind turns over why he would ask such a question.  “Do I....look like I’m not?”

"No...you look as beautiful as our last shore leave, in that enchanted forest, but I've also come to know you well enough to know that your still waters run deep. You can talk to me. About anything."

So he did see me flinch at dinner.  Damn it.  Resisting the urge to silently curse her brother for bringing up the past, she sighs quietly.  “I guess I do owe you an explanation about what happened earlier.  I wanted to tell you about it anyway but—I wasn’t sure how.”  She moves out of his arms, and towards the cloud-looking couch opposite the bed.  “We’d better sit down.  It’s....kind of a long story.”

Harry curses to himself and wished he'd been off the mark. How much more can she handle?  As he sat on the couch, he resists the urge to take her hand in his.

Sitting beside him, Tal instinctively reaches for his hand again, needing the warmth of his touch to ground her.  “It’s probably stupid but—it was the name of that person sitting behind us that startled me.”  She shrugs but ignores the sting of humiliation that normally would have stopped her from saying more.  “And my brother unthinkingly brought up in his last letter to me an encounter with someone I would have rather never thought about again.  Eloser Layan.  Layan was...well, we were almost engaged.”

He'd be lying if he said that the word hadn't surprised him.; but he'd been engaged himself. Libby had meant a great deal to Harry. But why had Celes never mentioned Layan to him before now? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was opening up to him. All he cared about was that she trusted him; with her heart and her past.

“We all grew up together, though he was Sovan’s friend exclusively when we were children.  It wasn’t until our ih’tanu that Layan paid any attention to me.  Any ih’tanu is a cause for celebration, of course.  But, for twins, it can become a big deal.  As we were the only twins in La’tai of our generation, almost everyone showed up for the gathering after the blessing at Temple—from our closest companions like Harti, Olata and our individual friends to total strangers from the far edges of the colony borders.  The adults often encourage the guests of honor to speak of their intentions for the future and their adult lives ahead.  Sovan just jumped right out and started talking; meanwhile, I couldn’t think of a thing.  So when Olata finally asked me and I found myself having to come up with something, I said I was thinking of applying for Starfleet.  And the minute I said it aloud, I realized that WAS what I wanted. The chance to learn and do more and perhaps bring something back to contribute to the community.”  

She shrugs and shakes her head.  “I don’t think anyone but Olata and my brother believed me.  Layan certainly didn’t.  We were together for nearly three years, and if Starfleet or the Federation was ever mentioned in our conversations, he would change the subject or get annoyed.  I was young and stupid enough to assume that, if I could actually get into the Academy, he’d accept it and support me.  I turned out to be wrong.  Very wrong.”

Harry nods as half a dozen remembered conversations gain greater clarity. Reassurances provided, confidences boosted. How can she believe in herself when someone she cared for so deeply didn't? He remains silent, his thumb rubbing over her knuckle, urging her to continue.

“The Academy scouts received permission from the governing council of Resda to visit the colonies and they arrived in La’tai the day before my seventeenth birthday.  I had the chance to speak with the sponsor, Commander Kuszewski, that morning and take the entrance exam.  Layan and I snuck out that night to be together.”  She blushes but ignores it.  “We’d been sneaking around like that for a couple months and I know Harti and Olata knew exactly what we were up to, but all Harti said was to be cautious.  I thought they meant getting boosters.  Looking back, I think they realized what type of person Layan really was and was trying to warn me.  But that night, he gave me the betrothal bracelet.  And I went to bed that night happy, because I had a message on my personal comm from Commander Kuszewski saying I’d passed the exam and could sign up for the next year’s classes.”  

“Harti, Olata and Sovan were surprised, but happy for me.  Layan....was another story.”  Her hand unconsciously tightens its grip slightly.  “First, he laughed, not believing me.  Then, he tried to tell me as his future wife, he wouldn’t allow it.  I kept pushing back at him, and that’s when he lost his temper.  He has always believed that the Federation’s lack of action meant they had just as much Bajoran blood on their hands as Cardassia did.”  Her voice shakes at the memory.  “He even accused me of betraying him, the memory of my parents, and my people. That’s when I slapped him and tried to walk away.  He in turn grabbed me by the hair and threw me on the ground.  For a minute, I feared his intent was rape but all he did was rip the bracelet off my arm, spit on me and storm out.  Sovan found me an hour later like that.”  Her vision blurs and she swipes at her eyes with her free hand. “He had it out with Layan the next evening and their friendship was over.  He didn’t let me wallow either and even asked the commander if there was a way I could get in to an earlier class so I could get away from Layan.  Luckily, there was a summer session and she was able to get me into it.  I was in San Francisco a month later.”

“I haven’t even had a real relationship since then.  There wasn’t anyone I felt I could trust that much....until you.”  Her eyes lifted to his.

It was a lot for Harry to take in. But looking in her eyes, all he knew what how much he needed Celes in his life. He pulls her small frame into his arms, and rested her head on his chest. He tries to keep his breathing low and even and strong even as his blood boils at the thought of anyone treating her so callously and cruelly.

Feeling the tension he was obviously trying to hold back, Tal tries to control her own breathing despite the few tears that escape.  Blinking them away, she rubs a hand along his arm.  “Say what you need to, Harry.  Don’t keep it in.”

"If I ever meet him, I'll kill him."  Feeling Celes startle with surprise, Harry bends down to meet her mouth with a sweet kiss. "That is, of course, unless you would prefer to do it yourself." Another kiss seals the lighter moment, and its lingering touch restores solemnity. "Celes, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. No one deserves that treatment, especially from someone they love. But, your past has made you stronger than you realize. You don't see it, but I do, and so does Seven, and Billy, and Captain Janeway. I love you, Celes, not just the person you want the world to see, but the person that I am so honored you let me meet."

Harry's words stun Tal.  The declarations of love, she accepts and expects, but the idea that she possesses some great inner strength is a concept that's foreign to her.  She swallows back the automatic denial and instead hugs him tightly. "Thank you," she whispers after several moments of silence.  It seems inadequate to say just that but it's all she can think of.

His arms wrapped around her, Harry breathes her in. For so long, he was convinced he'd lost his chance, and now he regrets even more that he had let her go - that he let her think that maybe he didn't care - even if they had found their way back to each other. He understood so much more now. Releasing her from his arms, he lifts her chin to look in her eyes. "Celes, there is a lot in life we have zero control over. Like what astronomical anomaly will throw us off course, or what Neelix decides to serve for lunch. But I can tell you point blank, here and now, I will never do that to you. I can also tell you," Harry was suddenly aware that dinner was several hours in the past, "that I'm starving." Harry thumbs away a stray tear from Celes' face and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Dipping his lips to hers, he whispers, "are you hungry too?"

Tal realizes that the tension she’d been carrying in her shoulders since she’d received her letter from home has suddenly vanished.  Maybe forcing herself to face that particular boryhas of her past had been what she needed.  Leaning forward that last inch, she presses her lips to his in a quick, tender kiss, then leaned her forehead against his.  “I know you never would be so cruel.  And as to your question....”  Sneaking another quick kiss, she adds, “I wouldn’t say no to a second dessert before bed.”

"Tell you what, I'll load the file of local music I picked up and you grab some of that fruit over there." Harry stood and pulled Celes into his arms. With an easy spin, they dance across the room.

She laughs as he spins her round several times and finally has to beg him to stop when she grows dizzy. The next two hours is spent poring together over the pile of brochures while the soothing sounds of Laethean woodwinds provides a backdrop.  Eventually the soft music begins to make Tal drowsy, but she does her best not to show it for as long as possible.

He could see her eyelids getting heavy. When her head begins to droop, Harry knows what he has to do. Scooping her off the low couch, Celes' weary head came to rest on his shoulder. He places her gently on the bed and starts to go through the motions of removing her shoes and making her comfortable. When he looks back up at her, he sees her sleepy smile and can't resist crawling up her form and peppering kisses on her arm, shoulder, collarbone, and ear. "We should rest," Harry whispers.

“’kay,” Tal mumbles, lifting an arm in a clumsy gesture to tug at his sleeve, then patting beside her. “But only ‘f you do too....”

Kicking off his boots, Harry lifts his legs onto the bed and makes himself cozy against Celes' side. Winding his arm around her waist, he finds himself suddenly exhausted. "Nothing on this planet could tear me away."

[survivor-mesopotamia]

Ep. #2 - “Shit ain’t over till the fat lady sings and I didn’t warm my pipes.” (Cameron)

Day 4: Well. I survived my first tribal council of the season, and even though it went exactly according to plan, while I slept my entire day away, I'm still really hesitant to tell myself that I'm doing well on my tribe. I'm really nervous that my tribe mates are playing me, and that I'm really boo boo tha fool here. I called Megan post-tribal, and I was finally able to get some closure on something that happened between us in our personal lives, which felt really good. After that, she asked me about the idol, to which I had responded "Wait, Julian didn't tell you?", which hopefully sows some seeds of doubt in Megan about Julian. Ideally, if the Enlil tribe has to go back to tribal council, the four of us can bear witness to a Megan vs. Julian war. Because unfortunately, the connections I have outside Enlil, are shared with either Julian or Megan. If Megan and Julian are going after each other pre-merge, or during a swap scenario, I don't have to share those connections anymore. After that, Megan and I just talked about the nudes we received during quarantine ~ I then promptly ran to Will to tell him about the potential crack I just formed between Julian and Megan, which was met with genuine excitement. I think I'm really gaining Will's trust, and I think we vibe so well together. Love that guy! Overall, it wasn't a very productive day because I woke up at 4:30p PST. Love that for me, thanks for shading me @ Tribal Bodhi.

going into this scavenger hunt as the tribe that went to tribal last is worrysome. It's a challenge that's fully dependent on our activity, so we are at a serious disadvantage against the other two tribes that get to choose someone less active to sit out. We don't have that luxury. The point/life system eases the blow, however, since we can get less active players 1 life while more active players can get 3. In case we lose, I'm trying to connect with everyone on the tribe. I really don't want to vote anyone out though. I have an alliance with Julian and JJ, and one with Will on the side. Chrissa wants to work with Julian, JJ and myself, and I think Megan and JJ have something on the side. I'm nervous for who would be the target in the vote, and any vote would hurt all of our games collectively. Hopefully we win because the next vote will not be easy AT ALL.

Done w typing this sheet

jj and zachary are so fucking annoying to this challenge and if i vote for you first at the swap, its probably because youre typing too much during this challenge sorry not sorry xoxo - sincerely johnny a month from now

let me be clear with andrew I was not calling his hosting unfair i was calling the fact that a majority green item giving him a point unfair not the hosting but lack of yellow, also i have a headache i don't feel that good. and I just don't think zach should have had a point for it nothing against hosting obviously i watch a movie trivia thing where literally they have a challenge to challenge any questions that are unfair, that doesn't mean they are calling the question writers or the answer writers unfair. 

Zach just won the tribal challenge for us which is fantastic. We can maintain the illusion of a unified tribe longer, which keeps us together in a swap situation, and Zach has clearly painted a challenge target on himself over the last two challenges which will make him go before me if our Triforce ever becomes the minority. I'm really happy with my position in the game right now

me and monty trying to find the idol and decode this annoying ass video https://imgur.com/a/lu7sbMu

Forgive me father for I have sinned it's been approximately three days since my last confession so far can't complain really we be winning they hating we be riding pretty damn clean I've got a majoritu alliance I didn't start so odds of it falling around me and being the first voted out slim to none thank the sweet baby jesis and all that good shit. Oh well that's all for now

JULIAN’S HOST CHAT GUEST, ZEE:

I am filling in a confessional because you told me to. I am in front of my fan because it's hot. I'm thinking that it seems pretty stupid to ask me for a confessional. Julian's prod chat isn't very interesting because he's distracted.

also just threw out madison's name to johnny. if this shit backfires on me ill be ):

https://youtu.be/Pqck1gayfJU

https://youtu.be/FMay7NycsPw

yo yo yo homies!!! fuck the scavenger hunt and the mobile Skype app !! Lowkey scared but I think I’m close with everyone on the tribe except madi soooooooooo that’s probably who will go tonight. I’ve connected a lot with Monty and am hoping we can work together closely moving forward 💕not sure how useful my relationship with Zach is going to be come swap/merge bc it seems like he’s ALREADY making himself a target like the big doof he is. More later 💋

https://youtu.be/Qg47yupj1bQ

https://youtu.be/vUK8A1qWVoA

Hello tumblr survivor world! Sorry I didnt confess for episode 1, I was going to but i accidentally exited out of the page when i almost finished writing it. Anyways, it was just a cast assessment for my tribe so tl;dr everyone on my tribe is great and its really sad that we have to vote someone out now. So this whole weekend I was away so I was REALLY worried that I would be voted out since I sat out of the challenge. But after talking to Johnny and Isabelle, it seems like Madison will be voted out tonight. Which is so bad bc this her first game in a year, but hey it's our first vote and it's not me so it's not really the time to make a stand. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Okay I took a break from writing this confessional and there's moreeeeeeeee so part 2 I guess. So I had a call with Johnny and we came up with an alliance of me, him, Isabelle, and Benji. What an iconic alliance, right? But also while Johnny and I talked we got onto the topic of idols and why it is that there hasn't been an idol post yet. I brought up that wayyyyyy back when in Malaysia and some other games around that time, some of the idol hunts were less clear cut. We ended up looking at the blog and clicking the "idol system" tab and it brought us to some weird crab video with audio that sounds like a pokemon cry? Idk part of me thinks its just a joke but I also have to consider that it might be SOMETHING. It said remember to like and subscribe so I sent a screenshot of me liking and subscribing to see if that would do anything but nope. Johnny said he'd do some thinking about it and get back to me later if he figures something out. Also tribal seems super clear cut so I'm a bit less worried now but y'know how it is I can't not worry about tribal.

i just spent $8 on a spectogram and STILL cant find this fucking idol im gonna kms... monty im sorry im steam rolling ahead looking for this thing without telling you, but thank you for the first clue xoxo... if i get stumped in the future ill reach out for SURE (but idt you trust me that much so this seems kinda valid to me) ((FOUR HOURS LATER: i told monty lololol)) ALSO FOR FUCKS SAKE I think madison is gonna go, and truthfully, im fine with it because it's the easiest thing to do due to her poor performance in the past few challenges and just being the least AROUND the tribe, but i know that it'd probably be better for me long term to get rid of abby because i just dont see her as a long term ally for me. i think she's close to JJ and Megan on the other tribe, and she's becoming much more acclimated to the tumblr survivor community that i just BET that she maybe has an additional connection on the rookie tribe. If I can attempt to break that up before we get to a swap, I think that's what im going to have to do figure out if we lose another challenge before a swap... i dont really want to see ANYBODY else go besides abby if im thinking about a second boot. i bet it wont be easy to take her out tho also, if madison goes, this is like...... lowkey vindication for game changers???? last night i talked about this with monty and i was like hmmmm "is it ugly to bring up past game history?" and his response was "not if it's within the same series" .... so. vindication

---

omg i just told madison how to find the idol system thing i hope she doesnt tell anyone i told her about it LMAO........ this almost seems too easy.i got added to two alliances today. why do i not feel safe? is it me going? WTF IS GOING ON

excited to be first boot because no one will TALK TO ME! 

Things haven’t changed much since my last confessional! As far as I know the tribe hasn’t started into alliances and we’re all riding some excitement at having so far avoided tribal. I think the rest of the tribe and I are all feeling good and just focusing on making the tribe switch without losing any members.

from round 2 https://youtu.be/fk002uG2HoI

Hi sorry I forgot to do a confessional this round so this will be short imma just say a few things 1. I don’t trust julian one bit he can stop being shady to me 2. I can’t believe we aren’t going to tribal I’m so fkn happy i was able to pull out the win for our tribe because I didn’t want to lose anybody else 3. I love and adore will with all of my being and he’s my number 1 ally right now 4. I find it highly doubtful that there’s only one idol in this game and that you can’t find it until merge but that’s as far as I can get in the idol search for now so I guess there’s nothing I can do about it 5. I’m still having fun can’t wait to fuck up another flash game yay!!!

My Purple edit is amazing right now. But having played more games than most of these newbies, I have decided to take on the role of teacher and becoming more of a "role model" for these newbies. I feel like I have the closest bond with Zach, and I need to get a little closer with Collin. I have Grace from past games, and then there are the others who I do not really have any strong bonds with at the moment. I guess I need to start going to them more and show that I want to work with them.

https://youtu.be/yhwXzqrTcsA Confessional 2 for round 2

https://youtu.be/TVnpwqc8XLY

Madison voted out 6-1

[warwickholdingwords]

A Blackfoot in Brighton

I'm not sure which came first, 'the flats' or Indian Dave, but I think perhaps they came as a package. What I remember is that they were both red and grey. The flats had a gloomy red ashen exterior and were a product of the Councils 1930s slum clearing, built on the same land, by the same slum tenants.

The flats were a single long tenement, of soot stained brick, topped with dirty grey slates, splattered with bird shit. The block lay like a forgotten turd, and ran parallel, to its neighbouring block, which punctuated the steep hill, running up from the Royal Pavilion. There was a stench of fish and rotten fruit from the next-door municipal market, which mixed with the smell of urine in the communal stairwells, and lingered in the air like a London fog.

We were looked down on by the nearby residents, and the higher up the hill, then the better the folk thought they were, and which if you came from ‘the flats’ you were scum, if you came from our flats, then you were barely more than beggars. We did our best to live up to this, often stealing fruit and veg from the market, or taking trips up to the shopping centre, to ask passers-by, for bus fare home. September would see us on street corners asking, ‘penny for the guy’ and we would be carol singing the day after bonfire night.

Growing up I lacked a father figure, but thanks to my mum, was never short of uncles, and Indian Dave started out as an ‘uncle’. He sported a buttock length ponytail, of thick grey hair, scraped back from his high forehead, accentuating a face as red as a sunburnt baby, and an eagle beak of a nose. He wore bright coloured clothes and moccasins, with a tasselled suede waistcoat. It may have been this look that attracted my mother to him, as she modelled herself on a Native American singer called Buffy Saint Marie. The actual romantic relationship did not last long, and Indian Dave was banished to the front room, so that my mother could focus on younger, more handsome men, musicians mainly, with a Jim Morrison or Frank Zappa look.

Our front room was furnished with a bed, that doubled as a sofa, and one wall was covered in silver embossed wallpaper, which was covered in women, who were covered in nothing at all. My friends loved coming round to look at the breasts, and we spent many fun times counting the nipples on show.

We were often visited by our local vicar, and I’m certain I heard him counting under his breath, more than once. I think the highest count was about 167, but we were hindered by the bed which was against the wall, and to be fair, there were a lot of nipples.

Even in his new role, Indian Dave was good to us, and hand washed our tatty clothes, and kept us clean and fed, he also punished us, and I was often spanked with a large black clothes brush, as I was often naughty, and brought home by the police for some reason or other. My mum was never around much, normally because she had a new man on the scene, so Dave did it all, maybe in the hope he would be allowed back in her bedroom one day.

Ever since Dave had appeared, I had always been curious about him, and one day I asked‘Why do they call you Indian Dave? it’s a stupid name for an Indian’ He went on to tell me that his real name was ‘Chogan’, which meant Blackbird, in his native tongue of the Blackfoot tribe. He explained that he was born on a reservation in Alberta, Canada, and he had been forced to come to the UK, after his parents had died. He told me tales of how his folk were buffalo hunters, fierce warriors, who had fought in wars, with settlers and other Indian tribes. I was awestruck when he described the great ‘Chief Crowfoot’ who wore feathered headdresses, and how they lived in Tepees.I sat transfixed, listening about wisdom that was passed down to the next generation of the Blackfoot tribe. I loved the stories, and I was a big fan of Little Plum from the Beano at this time.

‘Ha Ha, Dave’s a smelly foot like Little Plum’ I shouted gleefully.He whacked me round the head ‘Cheeky little bastard’ he said, and he was right. It all made sense, his red face, the long grey hair, the dodgy coloured sweaters, he even had blankets just like they had in the cowboy films although I hoped they were not carrying this smallpox virus, he had mentioned. He also loved gambling on fruit machines, and explained that many native Americans now owned Casinos. He went on to say that this was the main reason, we had to wait for hours outside the local pub for him, while he tested the new machines to report back to his tribe.

 I was six or seven at this time, and we were living on the poverty line, we had no fridge, we had a TV with a meter on the back of it, my clothes were donations or bought from jumble sales, I had never been to have my haircut, and my nickname was ‘Fleabag’. Although it’s odd that my mum always had cigarettes and went out. I was constantly bullied and picked on at school, for my bad haircuts, tatty clothes, and hippy mother and her friends. I always felt ashamed, and part of me believed these bullies were right, I wasn't as goodas they were, I probably did smell, and I was a freak. There is a part of me that still feels like that to this day, but at last I had some ammunition to hit back with.When the other kids started to mock me for having a weird mum and a strange hippy living with us, I could finally answer back.

'Yeah but he looks like that because he is a real Red Indian'

I remember a feeling that I'd never experienced before. I was proud of something for the first time in my life. It was fantastic, I felt different, I started to believe that I could be better that I could be accepted, and maybe one day be normal. I would tell the tales of Dave chasing Buffalo over cliffs and skinning them, and how he was the best bow and arrow shot ever.

‘That’s why he was called 'Dead Eye' I would say, and repeat and embellish his stories, making him a hero, and even more fascinating. So, just for a while, it made me interesting to the other kids, they would listen in awe, to my tales of the Real Red Indian from 'The Flats'.

One particular story Dave told me, was supposed to have a hidden meaning. It was the story of a baby bird who had fallen from its nest, and was shivering with cold and chirping loudly because it was so hungry. Just at that moment a buffalo came over and stood over it, the buffalo let out a great big dump, and the steaming pat completely covered the little bird, which was instantly warm and snug under the massive heap. Now although warm, the baby bird was still starving so carried on chirping loudly. Then a nasty coyote, on hearing the baby bird, crept up to the big buffalo pat, and hooked the baby bird out and swallowed it in one gulp.I did not understand the story then and Indian Dave would not explain what it meant, he told me that I would figure it out one day. When I asked other people what it meant, they could not tell me either.

Indian Dave moved out after about five years, after realising that he was no more than a live in babysitter, and although I saw him a few times, it was not until my mother’s funeral some twenty years later that I got to talk to him again properly. Maybe it was because I was older, maybe it was because I was wiser, and harder to impress, or maybe it was because Indian Dave asked everyone at the wake if he could borrow some money. Whatever the reason, I found him quite boring and very annoying, all he talked about, was how he had taught my sister and I to boil an egg. I didn’t see him very often, after that, even though I knew where he lived, I occasionally met him for a quick drink, in his local pub. He was still testing the fruit machines even then. He continued to bore me, which was a shame, as I wanted to remember him as the hero from my childhood who had given me a reason to feel proud and hold my head up high.

In 2001, I was thirty-one years old. I was married, had travelled and had my own small business. It seemed I had finally got away from the poverty, and misery of my childhood. I was happy and in control of my life. My younger sister called me one day, to tell me that Indian Dave was in hospital, and that she was planning to visit him and asked did I want to go. I chose not to, as I was working and very busy at the time. It’s a decision that I will always regret. He never came out of hospital, and sadly died shortly after. My sister told me the news, and that he had also named us as his next of kin, which I thought was quite sweet, until she went on to say that we would have to pay for his funeral, which only a few attended, other than us. We held a sort of wake, after the service and visited various pubs that Indian Dave had frequented, and I was asked in each one, if I was going to settle his large bar tab, which Iobviously declined.

As his next of kin, we were also expected to sort out his affairs, which included registering his death, at the town hall. I went alone, and was asked questions that I could not answer properly. I told the registrar that he was born in 1938 on an Indian reservation in Canada, and that I did not know how he had ended up in Brighton. I explained his relationship to me, and after giving me some very strange looks, I was given a death certificate which I have to this day.

It was a few days after the funeral, that my sister and I were clearing out Indian Dave's dark and dingy little bedsit. This was a very depressing job, in a very depressing place. It saddened me to see how he had ended up living, and I could not help but to cast my mind to the stories he had told me.

To come from the Great Plains of Montana and Saskatchewan, where buffalo roamed, and eagles soared, and battles were fought. To end his days in a backstreet bedsit, was very upsetting to me.

Whilst sorting through his very few belongings, I did hope in all honesty to find details of a secret bank account, or a stash of cash, or items of high value and when I came across a locked little metal box, I got quite excited. I could not find a key, and had to force it open, which took some time.

On opening the box, I found a bunch of papers and photographs, and even a few of my sister and me. I flicked through the papers looking for some hidden treasure, and finally found a birth certificate, which I read, and read again. I felt cheated, I felt anger, and I felt ashamed and quite hurt. I was devastated, and I am happy to admit that I cried like a baby.

“What have you found?” asked my sister, when she heard my sobs. “Oh my God” I shouted, “you will not believe this, Dave was not a real Red Indian, he was born in Blackpool in Lancashire” ‘Yes, I know’ she replied, ‘everyone knows that’ and started laughing. ‘What are you saying?’ I blubbered, ‘why did no one tell me?’ ‘I thought you knew’, was all she could say, and laughed, as only a sibling can.

I don’t believe that I am a gullible person, I like to believe that I am street smart, but I can honestly say, I really had believed him for all those years. I had never doubted him, and I started to wonder what other lies people had told me over the years. I was half expecting to find out that Santa Claus did not exist either.

I have questioned why and how this had happened, and how I had missed the reality of the situation, and after a lot of time pondering, I came to the conclusion that it does not really matter. What is important, is the fact that I had belief in his stories, and that had stopped me being ashamed of being poor and living in those flats. I was able to look beyond what I thought I was, and of what everyone else told me that I was.

I could be interesting, I could be an equal, even if it was for a short time, people had listened to me. Most of all I believed that I could be a storyteller, which even in middle age, I still believe today.

I like to think Indian Dave, knew what he was doing, and wanted this for me.

Maybe my journey through life, would not have been as good, had I not been proud, that very first time. So, he will always be Indian Dave to me, although Lancashire Dave is probably more appropriate.

It was only recently that I finally worked out what the moral of the baby bird story was, and although it has no real bearing on this story. It was fantastic advice, and I will it share it anyway.

This is my interpretation of the story. Sometimes, people who dump you in the shit, are not always out to cause you harm. Sometimes people who pull you out of the shit, are not always trying to help you.

Saying that, I think the most important point to the story is this. ‘When you are up to your neck in shit, its best to keep your beak shut’. Indian Dave wherever you are, I will say this in native Blackfoot.

“Ah dah mah tsee noo tsee yoop”

Which translated means,

“See you again”

[hunnybadgerv]

Furia & Eli: 2, 7, 13, 24, 26, 31, 40; Cinq & Shaundi: 4, 6, 11, 20, 36, 38, 43; Ravi & Co: 8, 11, 16, 22, 28, 30, 44; Remy & Matt: 5, 10, 18, 24, 32, 35, 45; Wei Sheng & Lin: 3, 13, 19, 23, 33, 39, 42

The Big Ship Question List

Furia & Eli

2. How’s their team work? Do they share well?Furia shares very well. In the domestic AU, Eli can still kind of be on the self-absorbed side and doesn’t always see his own selfishness. Mind you he’s also quite giving, but there are moments. Overall, their teamwork is above average. There are things they could still work on, but it’s good.

7. What annoys them the most about their partner? Would they change it if they could?For Furia, it might be the playing with the food and talking with his mouthful, but even so I don’t think she’d change that about him. I think the thing that might make Eli crazy is that she tends to not be as forth coming as he might prefer. Sometimes she beats around the bush and tries to come at a thing through metaphor and figures of speech. And that I think might just irk him.

13. What do they do for fun? Do they have a favorite activity or do they like to switch things up?Dancing, singing, going out to clubs, dinner, and amusement park/street fairs. These two like to switch things up. Neither of them are particularly scheduled and they both are on the spontaneous side.

24. Any doubts about the relationship?In the beginning, maybe. I think Furia remembers the thought that Eli was a great lay. And she still finds herself surprised every once and a while that he’s become so much more. But I think the doubt faded once Eli admitted how he felt, perhaps up to that point she probably felt foolish feeling more than just a tingle between her thighs for a musician--let alone a musician with his reputation.

26. How do their friends feel about their relationship? Their families?I think initially Furia’s friends and family thought it was just going to end in a bonfire (of all his shit). They figured Eli would hurt her. Once he became famous they were more certain of it. I think of everyone her friends and family are the most surprised, and it take them the longest to come around and realize he’s not a total cad. 

31. Do they finish each other’s sentences? Pick up any phrases or habits from each other? Know when the other is hiding something?Oh, yes. On all counts. I think Eli’s picked up some choice phrases in Spanish that just thrill the censors in television interviews. Furia’s picked up some of his words and sayings as well. She’s more likely to finish his sentences, than he is hers. But they both know how to read one another, especially well enough to know when something is being hidden.

40. Any special memories? Do they have a special place they like to go to?I think the way Eli proposed is a memory they’ll share. He’ll never forget how nervous she was when she found out about their first child--he still has the ultrasound picture in his wallet. Their special place to be with each other might sound boring to most, but they just like being home together, because for them it is a rarity. 

Cinq & Shaundi

4. First impression of each other? Was it love at first sight?Not necessarily love, but there was probably some lust at first sight. Cinq always appreciates a well-built woman, which Shaundi was, and I think Shaundi was attracted to him as well. 

6. Any tasks that are always left to one person?Cinq tend to let her handle the electronics, and to a point he tries to keep her out of the line of fire--but only in part because she’s important to him. He also knows that Shaundi is one of the Saints most valuable resources and he doesn’t want to squander her talents on some dust up.

11. Do they celebrate holidays? Anniversaries?Yes, all of the above. Even stupid little holidays like cherry cheesecake and grilled cheese day. 

20. What does their home look like? Their room?Once they start sharing a space, it is a mix of his sleek style and her more comfortable one. The leather bed and slick black furniture is set off by plush chairs in a deep shade of purple. So there is a mix of decadence and opulence in their bedroom. And it’s surprisingly neat and free from clutter.

36. What’s their greatest strength as a couple? Their weakness?I think their greatest strength as a couple is the fact that they fill in the places where the other is lacking. Cinq can be smooth, but he doesn’t always leave a good impression. Somehow, Shaundi can manage that and more. Their weakness is probably based on the fact that he’s a little over protective and she’s headstrong. The two traits don’t mesh well and it create friction.

38. What are they like in the bedroom? Any kinks/fetishes/turn-ons? Anything they won’t do?Even with as much as he trusts Shaundi, Cinq won’t allow her to completely restrain her and he’s not into abusive talk--that actually will rile him and ruin the mood. Other than that, these two are pretty open to just about anything. Shaundi loves to be teased, which Cinq indulges in. Cinq is a bit of a voyeur--he likes watching Shaundi on her own, and loves to watch her when they are together. Luckily, she seems pretty keen on the save a horse, ride a cowboy idea.

43. Do they talk often? What about?They do talk a lot. While most of their conversations in a day are about “work,” in the bedroom that topic becomes off limits. They talk about little things there--the last game of skeeball she played, the band at the club the night before, the fact that some idiot threw up on his brand new loafers. It’s just things and stuff, nothing weighty. 

Ravi & Co.

8. What do the like best about their partner?I think one thing they all have in common that they like a great deal about one another is their openness.

11. Do they celebrate holidays? Anniversaries?Holidays not so much, but they do celebrate anniversaries.

16. Do they keep secrets? Lie? Cheat?Johnny is keeping a secret from both of them, and several from Matt. None of them cheat on one another. But I do think all of them lie to some degree, even to one another.

22. Does their work ever interfere with the relationship?Occasionally. Though they don’t really bring their alien overlord fighting into the bedroom so to speak. Their relationship is usually a place of relaxation, release, and solace from the stress of fighting for their lives.

30. Could they manage a long distance relationship?Oh, no. I don’t think they could. I’m pretty sure that would be more than any of them could stand, except maybe Johnny and he’d only probably work that hard for Ravi. He loves Matt, but I’m not sure he’d get into the whole cyber thing, though he could pull off and deal with phone sex, I think.

44. Are the comfortable with each other? Anything they have to have their privacy for?They are all very comfortable with one another. Johnny would be the one to say far too much so, because according to him, a man needs to be able to take a shit in peace.

Remy & Matt

5. Nicknames? Pet names? Any in-jokes?Oh, there’s kind of a joke centered around Matt trying to convince her to give him five minutes. There are nicknames Matt would like to be called, but that only happens rarely, if at all. And Remy is a nickname. 

10. Who drives? Cooks? Does the handiwork? Cleans? Pays the bills? Handles the public?Driving: RemyCooking: Neither--though they can both make a few thingsHandiwork: Both--depending on the type of work neededCleans: RemyPays the bills: Matt--I’m sure he wrote a bot for thatHandles the public: Remy

18. What are their dates like? How long do/did they date? Do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other?They didn’t date prior to the Zin invasion, so a lot of their “dates” tend to center on cuddle time or sex in one or the other of their quarters, and occasionally, elsewhere. They haven’t really gotten to a point of needing a break from one another, unless Remy drags Matt into the sim, then there are moments where he just wants to leave because he doesn’t get the same thrill she does from combat situations.

As for the how long? I don’t honestly know how long they are together overall.

24. Any doubts about the relationship?Remy has more doubts than Matt and all stem around her lack of experience with relationships. She’s only been in one other and it was a horrid one. That one didn’t offer a chance to learn anything more than not to be in a relationship like that again. She actually took the lesson to the extreme until Matt and never really had an actual relationship.

Matt’s doubts spring from Remy’s in a way. He’s had a few and knows that communication is key, but Remy tends to keep her own council which leaves the pair of them scrambling sometimes because she’s not always immediately forthcoming about things. It can sometimes leave Matt wondering where he stands in terms of their relationship.

32. Do they ever get into trouble? Is it serious, or are they just mischievous?Yes. Both. Sometimes there are pranks and silliness. But they’ve been stranded on new planets together. Nearly been killed more times than I can count. And their relationship goes through some rocky points due to silly misunderstandings, as well as some deeper concerns.

35. Do they bring out the best in each other, or the worst? Do they have a fatal flaw?I think Matt brings out some better and more hidden parts of Remy’s character. She can be kind of gruff, but she tries not to be that way with him. I’m not sure if it is a fatal flaw, but their age difference is a little strange for both of them from time to time. If I had to say, I think the only fatal flaw in the relationship, at least in the boss’ opinion, is Remy, herself. She really does think she’s all wrong for him, and that he deserves someone more like him, and someone who’s not so much trouble.

45. Any special dreams or goals they have as a couple? Any heartbreaks? Regrets?Matt regrets that he didn’t have the gall before the Earth ended to attempt something with Remy. I also think Matt might just be harboring pipe dreams of a family with Remy, though I don’t think he’s brought it up to her.

Wei Sheng & Lin

3. Are they open about their relationship? How do they feel about public displays of affection?At first, no, and that trend continued through the move to Steelport. Then it became more open-ish. But Lin wanted it to be known that she was her own woman. She never wanted anyone questioning her or her place at the head of the Triad in Stilwater (yes, that’s what happens after she survives the Rollerz attempt on her life). She has no doubts about Wei Sheng’s opinions of her, but it is the others that concern her, given the cultural expectations that are pervasive in the Triad. While she proved herself, like any man in the organization has, her place isn’t as solid as her uncle’s had been. 

Before the Saints there was no issue with PDA. Once she was infiltrating the Rollerz, their relationship went underground, and there it has stayed since. It does place a limit on public displays of affection, but they deal with it.

13. What do they do for fun? Do they have a favorite activity or do they like to switch things up?Given the fact that their relationship has been sequestered, they are big fans of ordering in something extravagant and watching a movie together. Sometimes it’s curled up on the couch, sometimes it’s more upscale. But that’s their main thing.

19. What do they fight about? What are their arguments like? How do they make up?One thing they fought about was just how far Lin was willing go and just how hard she was pushing to get information on the Rollerz. Wei thought she was going a little hard at it, tried to convince her not to rush the job. It’s a bit of lecturing and raised voices, perhaps a little yelling in Chinese. 

When it comes to making up it can range from heated kisses because Wei won’t leave without a kiss even if she’s pissed at him, and that usually can diffuse the situation. Other times it’s a little more tender--cuddling, nuzzling, whispers, and soft kisses.

23. How do they hug? Kiss? Tease? Flirt? Comfort?They hug like it’s a goodbye, even when it’s hello--like they might never see one another again and they don’t want the last embrace they shared to be lacking in anyway. Wei always loops one arm tight around her waist, and pulls her tight against him. 

Wei Sheng showers Lin with kisses--her shoulder, the back of her neck, her eyelids. I’m certain that at one point or another he’s kissed every inch of her body. Outside of sex, Lin limits her kisses to his mouth or cheek/temple.

Lin’s flirtations are mostly in her gestures--touching her neck, tracing her collar, running her fingers down his arms. Wei’s are generally in the looks he gives her, the things he whispers in her ear.

33. What kind of presents do they get each other? Do they only do it on special occasions?Wei likes to lavish surprises on her--everything from tools to unique and custom jewelry. Sometimes they are things she needs. But more often than not they are the things he happens across incidentally, the ones that remind him of her that he ends up picking up. He’ll do it whenever he sees something, though it’s just as possible that he’ll forget the holiday coming up and just give it to her the day he purchases it.

Lin is a little different. Her gift giving is more structured--holidays, birthdays, anniversaries. And she usually buys him a weapon of some sort--swords, guns, knives, things of that nature. It helps that he is a connoisseur and collects them.

39. Who initiated the relationship? Who kissed who first?  When did they realize they were in love?Wei Sheng initiated the relationship. He thought she was beautiful from the start. She rebuffed him because he approached her like he might any other girl. They finally got to know one another, and it was only then that his interest was returned at all. 

The way their relationship started set Wei up to follow Lin’s lead, which is why she kissed him first. Wei Sheng realized he was in love first. Lin took much longer, in fact I think it’s possible that she didn’t realize quite how she felt about him for certain until the grief of losing him struck her.

42. Do they let each other get away with things that would normally bother them?No, not in the least. Wei will grump at her when she gets grease on his jacket and she nearly shot him once for stealing one of her cars. He called it borrowing. She did not see it that way.

[doedipus]

LP D&D: Your Reward is the Satisfaction of a Job Well Done

Between sessions, Ludovik and Rich’s longstanding rivalry came to a head, and Ludovik decided to leave. Thankfully, the group was able to work things out like adults, and the separation happened pretty cleanly. To this day, I don’t really get what was going on between them, but I guess everything worked itself out in the end, so whatever. I’m just glad the saga didn’t turn into the kind of clusterfuck people on /tg/ like to talk about.

At the beginning of the session, Rap was playing around with a voice changer for whatever reason. Apparently, one of the presets sounded enough like me that nobody could tell the difference. Am I truly a unique person, with my own wants and needs, or am I some sort of construct off an assembly line, an excitation in the Kim field no different than any other? Is there some hidden land of Kims deep in the woods, where we could find solace from the often terrifying and confusing non-Kim world, free to swear like sailors, nurse our wounds, and watch Neil Breen movies long into the night? 

...Uh, that took a weird turn. Content under the break.

Merrow thanks the party for saving his life

Hier is arrested

Graham lays hands on Esmeralda

Nudge nudge, wink wink

Coy attempts to locate the body of the gnoll shaman, but is unable to

Coy retrieves a handful of the coins the sisters use to communicate

Escrima and Graham try and retrieve some lost equipment

The ship and estate are on fire, so the gang decides to bounce

They make it back home without incident

Lucas wants barkeep to get him the strongest drink on the multiverse

Coy goes to say hi to Akim

Akim thinks the explosions are the hypest

Coy wishes him a happy birthday

Akim thinks her hugs are better now

The players think about that too much

Graham hangs out with Frederick, his squire

He breaks the news of Osric’s death

Graham declares himself “duke”

Fred reminds him that “those of the fairer sex” aren’t in the line of succession

Graham suggests they consider his uncle, then

The alcohol is strong, and everyone is completely smashed

Except Coy, since she was away for the first round

“Did I ever tell you about the time I rescued Esmeralda from a dragon?”

Coy orders a round of coffee for the party so they can sober up

And then orders a round for herself

She’s a little buzzed, but not like the others

“Coy, I love you, I don’t care what your hair looks like, I don’t care if you cut your hair, you’re a beautiful butterfly... creature...”

Greg has a personal crisis

He starts his routine in the pond

GregnLucas ERP in the pond

Coy pulls them out so they don’t drown

Connie has an epic battle with the stairs, and loses

The next morning afternoon, the party wakes up, and is hungover

Except Graham, because paladin or something

Thankfully, Rocky keeps potions of restoration in the attic

Coy stays in “bed” for some short rests

There’s some mail

One letter is from Rolen

He says that the hallucinations he’d been having have gotten to be too much, and he is heading to mithril hall to search for his ex //Honestly, the most disappointing thing about the whole OOC situation was that we never got to figure out what that stomach spider bullshit was going to go

One is for Coy

That will she altered turns up. Apparently she’s owed some inheritance. The attorneys want her to drop in //During the vampire subplot, Coy found some victims dead in their apartment. She also found their will, and wrote herself in

One is from the sheriff’s office, for Lucas

They are grateful for our help

They’ve found out what happened to his brother

Lucas runs off to check it out

Graham gets a letter from Merrow

It’s about Hier’s trial

Hey Coy, what’s that in your pocket? //Coy stole a pendant off a noble later revealed to be Merrow a couple sessions back for no particular reason

Is that Merrow’s?

Coy says she’ll commit seppuku before telling

It might be a good idea to get it back to him somehow

Connie gets a letter too

It’s from her parents, Ida & Ingo Cooper

It’s been circulating for a while

Ingo has died. Ida wants her to come to the funeral. It’s in Neverwinter

Apparently, they’re waiting for her to get there

Lucas goes to Castle Waterdeep

On the broom

He’s broken a law, is he stupid?

But I saved the ci-

WATERDEEP IS A CITY OF LAWS, NOT OF MEN

Lucas tries to rules-lawyer his way out of a 500 gp fine

WATERDEEP IS A CITY OF LAWS, NOT OF MEN

Saving cops isn’t worth edgyLucas’ time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WRrAeQqVs8

The gang catches up to him

Graham asks for a copy of the paperwork

Coy tries to steal the money back

Despite a poor sleight of hand roll, she gets 800 gp

Graham and Lucas have a brief heart-to-heart

They’re the only original party members left

Coy totally didn’t steal that money back

She becomes inspired again

She gets pissed at Lucas for fucking up pronouns

Before they get to the sheriff’s office, they pass by the attorney’s office

Coy decides to pop in

She says something offensive to the gnomes that work there about their tiny baby arms

Coy signs some paperwork, and obtains a winery estate, and a house.

Winery is in Baldur’s Gate

House is in Waterdeep

They arrive at the castle

Vigo is happy to see the gang

He has a report on Lucas’ brother.

He was wounded in the raid of Mossstone

He was later redeployed to the front lines again

Apparently the sisters’ army has sacked Athkatla

Lucas wants a flying license

It’s 1000 gp

Gotta take tests and stuff

Lucas no longer wants a flying license

The gang remembers that they only have like 5kgp, and decide to confront Rockseeker about it

Rocky congratulates us of our victory

But he reminds us that they remain a threat

He predicts that they will throw everything they have against the city soon

Connie tells Rocky about the coins //Soldiers in the Sisters’ army carry coins that their superiors communicate through

Apparently, they’re stones of sending

Rocky says they’re short range only. Lame!

He says he can reset them to work for the party, so that’s cool

He tells us that we’re to participate in the trial of Lord Hier, and shouldn’t leave town yet

Lucas wants cash

Rocky is reluctant to pay up

He points us towards Merrow

Lucas breaks the news of Gandalf’s death to the party

Lucas says that he killed him

Necromancy, torture, I had to do it, pushed into lava

Angered with their lack of compensation, the gang decides to go see Merrow

Of course we have an appointment! Who do you take us for?!

Someone who doesn’t have an appointment, duh

Graham just tells the guards who we are

The guards are “a little bit pissed off, having to like, do things”

Merrow’s assistant says he’s busy, and we should wait a while

The anteroom is pretty nice, though, so it’s okay

Coffee and pastries are served

He wants a DEAL

Connie gets promoted to LORD OF WATERDEEP HOLY SHIT

Representing Athkatla, of course

You know, since she’s been a lord from there for like two weeks

Merrow offers us 500 gp

He wants Graham to serve as a judge during Hier’s trial

Merrow assures Lucas that the matter of Beydale will be addressed soon

Kim reminds the party about the black shield of blackness //A suspicious magic item from before my time.

It’s a +3 shield! Holy cow!

PVP!

Coy is brandishing her sword, and accidentally makes a swing at Lucas

It goes straight through Lucas’ leg

He pulls it out, spraying leg viscera all over the ground

Lucas cures wounds

He’s not giving the sword back

Shopping ensues

As per usual, the party gets in a fight with a shopkeeper for not having good enough wares //We should’ve waited until Connie could go the the dark assembly the Waterdeep city council meeting to pass a “more expensive stuff” bill

Max wants to learn minor illusion, and JP says it’s gonna be tough

Connie goes to get her clothes fixed.

It’s gonna be a week

The gang visits Coy’s new house

It’s a little bit of a wreck

The bed’s still gross

Coy wants to set Akim up there with a tutor/nanny

He’s looking for Julie Andrews

Or Dick Van Dyke

Probably that guy

She spends a few days looking for a suitable caretaker

Coy leaves him in Waterdeep with Rich, the tutor

Akim is ecstatic about the house

He gets his own room!

He can store all his toys

Like his ragdoll, and, uh,

That’s kind of it, actually

It’s name is “Alfie”

Coy thinks about getting him some new toys

“Will you be my mom, Coy”

Coy gives him a noncommittal answer

Rich the tutor gets 7 gp per month

Coy decides to take the displacer cub with her to train

Akim is devastated

Constanza sends a letter back to her folks detailing her situation

She also summons Paz, the slithering metal gear reference //It’s a tsuchinoko

During the ritual, she has a vision of her parents finding her as a baby, and also some commotion

Lucas and Graham resume shopping

Lucas orders a suit of medium armor with Graham’s help

They head to a jeweler next, to look for a decent wedding/engagement/whatever ring for LucasnGreg

Coy gets some daggers/throwing knives

Graham goes looking for a bag of holding

A shady street vendor approaches him

It’s 1kgp

It’s covered in blood

Graham doesn’t want to know where he got it from

He buys it, and the guy runs off

Coy goes to sell the shield

The shopkeeper isn’t buying that the shield is magical

Coy offers to demonstrate it

The shopkeeper is convinced, and pays 300 gp

Lucas wants some Lupe venom

Escrima is gatekeeping her “precious fluids”

They get half a vial of venom

Graham attunes to the shield

Lucas tests out sending to talk to everyone he knows

He gets no reply from his parents

He recalls that Baldur’s Gate uses anti-magic materials in prisons. Oh no!

His brother and his buddy are okay, though

Lucas teaches Coy minor illusion, in exchange for more draconic later

Coy gives Akim a hand crossbow. It’s giant and dangerous

The warehouse roof is finished //We wanted to have the roof of Lupe’s hangar open on the off chance we could use her for something

As are the other orders we placed

Summons for Hier’s trial arrives

Items are recovered from Rolen’s room

Connie is to be at peaktop aerie at midnight for confirmation as a lady of waterdeep

Connie asks the whole party to accompany her

Merrow arrives in a carriage to take the party to the aerie

Merrow reminds the party that only the lords are supposed to speak

But they can appoint an assistant that can whisper to the lord

She appoints Graham

Apparently, Rocky is a lord. This surprises nobody

A lord asks where Catarina is

A nat 20 convinces them that she’s not full of crap //In-universe, “Catarina” is a kingdom in a children’s book Connie used to like. “Constanza de Catarina” is not actually her given name. She just made it up because it sounded cool and foreign.

They seem to like that the party saved Amswater

All except one lord vote to confirm

What a bitch!

Connie suggests they move to retake Beydale

Some lords agree

Rockseeker throws some shade over the sisters of dawn incident

If the army secures Esmeralton, they’ll move for Beydale

Other topics of discussion include

Increase the number of garbage collectors

A motion to increase taxes on magic shops gets shot down

50k soldiers are to be drafted to the war in the south

Merrow talks about Hier’s trial

Meetings are monthly, but not mandatory

The party gets some winter clothes

During the week, Escrima handled Lupe. She seems trained!

Greg is grateful for Connie’s assistance at the council meeting

He’s also disappointed that Lucas is gonna have to leave again

Lucas suggests that he try and pick up bard-ing

The gang gets a message from Narcovi saying that they couldn’t find crazy eyes’ body

Jake had moving stuff to do, so the session was called there.