#and even though they had allies in all the other empires

[pocket-sized-nightmare]

hey can we talk about how princess katherine of glimmer grove was canonically eighteen years old. how the great witch shelby was young enough to be a student in school. because that is a really fucked up part of their character arcs that does not get mentioned enough

[scribbling-dragon]

im gonna be thinking about the implications of joel’s video for a long time now. why did he have to do this to me ;-;

[found-family-tournament]

Found Family Tournament Round 2 Part 7 Group 31

Propaganda and further images under the cut

Archive Staff: Jonathan Sims, Sasha James, Tim Stoker, Martin Blackwood

Mighty Nein: Caleb Widogast, Nott the Brave/Veth Brennato, Fjord, Jester Lavorre, Caduceus Clay, Beauregard Lionett, Yasha Nydoorin, Mollymauk Tealeaf/Kingsley Tealeaf, Essek Thelyss

Archive Staff:

They’re trying their best to understand

Mighty Nein:

Originally, they were only seven, and the Nein part of their group name was a running joke about rolling nines and Caleb's German accent. Then, after Molly's untimely death, the group picked up Caduceus, making seven again. Later, they ally with Essek, who makes eight. And finally, through the power of love and found family, they defeat a villain named Lucien (who inhabits the body Molly had, it's all very complicated), and revive the body to become Kingsley Tealeaf, who looks at Molly as his brother but ultimately makes the group Nine. His revival is literally an act of divine intervention, fueled by the love and loss they all felt after chasing their beloved friend across the continent.

Internally there are other fantastic family bonds. Caleb and Nott/Veth having an incredible bond, Caleb and Beau being the Empire siblings, Molly and Yasha being the circus kids, Beau and Fjord, Cad and Fjord, the chaos crew, Nott and Jester, it goes on and on. They all change each other so significantly, they grow together, and canonically even though they live apart, they all have regular meetups in the tower Caleb created for all of them, with a stained glass window in Molly's honor and rooms dedicated to each member of the group. Even now in the new campaign, they've had cameos that prove years later they still work together and have each other's backs.

This is THEE definition of found family, these assholes were thrown together through circumstance and mostly hated each other to begin with right up until three of their own were kidnapped and then it was ON. And when Molly died, they took his ideals and turned them into a legacy SO POWERFUL they took Essek from a cold, self motivated war criminal to a man willing to die for his friends. They refused to let Beau face her abusive family alone! They helped Yasha heal from her trauma! They took down the whole Cerberus Assembly for what they did to Caleb! They saved the whole dang world together WITH THE POWER OF FUCKING FRIENDSHIP 😭! THEY LOVED MOLLY SO MUCH THAT IT SAVED THE WORLD! THEY NAMED THEMSELVES AFTER A STUPID PUN AND THEN THERE REALLY ENDED UP BEING NINE OF THEM! I WOULD DIE FOR THEM!!!

official art by Ari Orner, fan art by exmakina and tobyjamessharp

[moodcrab]

Fixing Delphine

This bitch.

I actually like that they made a character that is on your side but is somewhat unlikable, Delphine is Team Dragonborn, but she's not really one of the good guys. And that's cool, conflict means drama. So what's the problem? Well unfortunately, this drama is surface level and isn't used to drive the story, so It's kind of just annoying.

People oversimplify their hatred of Delphine into "She wants you to kill Paarthurnax," because unlike Delphine, people actually like Paarthurnax. Understandable, but barely scratches the surface. We'll get to The Paarthurnax Dilemma in time, but that quest is a symptom, not the illness itself.

If I could sum up Delphine in a word it would be "inconsistent." For example, she's a fugitive waging a one woman war on the Thalmor from the shadows, who's only survived this long from sheer paranoia - but she also uses her real name and leaves a note in Ustengrav for whoever happens to pick it up with directions and a pass word to her secret hide out.

She needs to go through her super secret contact Farengar to use the Jarl's resources to go into Bleak Falls Barrow, a tutorial level dungeon she can see from her house, and she's impressed that you did it - but she also goes personally to the other side of the country to delve alone into the massive Ustengrav to steal the Horn of Jurgan Windcaller, no issues, just a quick in and out twenty minute adventure.

She takes the fact that you found her Ustengrav note as proof you're the Greybeard's new guy and not some Thalmor plant even though she herself, a non Dragonborn, had also completed Ustengrav and taken the horn proving it's totally possible. She even points this out in her own dialogue then demands we prove who we are, even though that was the whole point of the Ustengrav note. It's also a pretty big assumption that just because I'm the guy the Greybeards call Dragonborn that I can't ALSO be with the Thalmor.

We are left with this awkward sense that the writers are flailing to make us think this woman is competent and objective, without actually having her do anything that clever. Just act like the dumb thing was smart and have her act like a cocky brat if questioned about it.

Inconsistency. It's her thing. Does she hate the Thalmor? That would make sense given what we know about her. But that gets dropped half way through the main story and suddenly she hates The Greybeards, for absolutely no reason at all. She gives a reason, but it's bullshit.

In her own words, "If the greybeards had their way, the dragonborn would sit on a mountain talking to the sky." But that's not true is it. We know The Greybeards, they encouraged us to fulfill our destiny. Even if you say you want to follow their Way of the Voice, they'll be glad to hear it but warn you not to let it get in the way of what needs to be done. Delphine even uses Tiber Septim as an example, which is even stupider because The Greybeards actively encouraged Tiber to conquer Tamriel. Have I read more in game books than the dialogue writers??

But that's not the end of it, when it becomes convenient for the plot this hatred is flipped once again from The Greybeards onto dragons. Not Alduin. All dragons. Despite the fact that, as a Blade, she should know about Nafaalilargus, a dragon ally of the Empire and the Blades for thousands of years, and the Blades don't just indiscriminately kill all dragons no matter the circumstances, and that Tiber Septim himself almost certainly met Paarthurnax at some point, she suddenly seems to be acting like she has a personal grudge against dragons. Which brings us to the Paarthurnax Dilemma...

See here's the thing, you could easily write off the frustration everyone feels towards this quest as Bethesda's crappy design, where there is no conclusion other than to kill Paarthurnax, or else leave an unfinished quest languishing in the menu. Bethesda apparently didn't consider the idea that anybody would actually prefer to turn on the Blades, even though the Blades have become a bit of a running joke among the fans, or that anyone would take umbrage with Delphine giving out orders and ultimatums.

But no, it's so much worse than that. Delphine being a surly unlikable c u n t from the day we met her is one thing, but the fact that she has been wrong about almost everything she's ever said in game, and still having the AUDACITY to treat us like her work bitch and us never, not once, getting the opportunity to put her in her place... That's not poor quest design, that's the game gaslighting us.

Let's do a quick list of every one of Delphine's theories, and how many were actually correct shall we:

You are not the Dragonborn ❌

The Greybeards shouldn't be trusted to identify a Dragonborn ❌

The dragons aren't just coming back, they're coming back to life ✅

The Thalmor have something to do with the dragons returning ❌

Esbern is dead ❌

The Greybeards just want the Dragonborn to sit on a mountain and meditate ❌

The Greybeards wanted Tiber Septim to just sit on a mountain and meditate ❌

Paarthurnax, having lived in exile for thousands of years, deserves corporal punishment ❌

As ACTING Grand Master of the Blades, she gets to boss around the Dragonborn ❌

She deserves a seat at the peace negotiations ❌

And these are just the things that are factually wrong, leaving aside opinions on her morality and shitty attitude. This is the woman the game presents to us as a shrewd strategist.

BUT I CAN FIX HER!

Like I said I like the idea of a character who is on your side but is somewhat unlikable. It actually won't take much to make Delphine endearing to the fans. We have to do a Boromir on her. A Lot of people dislike Boromir throughout the Fellowship of the Ring but weep at his death. We have to tweak three things to have the same thing happen to Delphine:

1. Make her actually competent and useful so that while we don't agree with her we can see why she does the things she does, and desire to keep her around.

2. Have her mistakes called out and have consequences.

3. Have her redeem her mistakes with a badass honourable death.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Wilderness: The Secret of Grist Ridge

Taking its name from the its centuries old owner, the rolling highlands known as the Domain of Daldivain still bears the scars from when it was vast salve farm that fed the armies and granaries of the old empire. Since the empire's fall the people of the domain have maintained small settlements and scattered villages, herding over the the valleys and rises their debt-bound ancestors once toiled to cultivate.

All is not as peaceful as the picturesque vistas of the domain would suggest; cloud drakes, once a rarity and folkish sign of good fortune have become invasive in the region, beginning to prey on livestock and even lone travellers as their numbers swell.

After having several of their homesteads savaged by the beasts, one of the villages has sent for the party: The majority of its residents including the majority of its elders want the party to hunt the beasts back to their lair, but their wisewoman claims to have had a vision that points them to Grist Ridge, the old ruins that lay at the heart of the old autarch's domain. Most have no idea what the mushroom addled crone is talking about, but there is some rumour of treasure in the old mill that may make it worth checking out.

Adventure Hooks:

Early in their journey our heroes encounter a band of warriors led by Haltri Drakesbane, a woman who sees herself as the protector and future leader of the domain's people. Already having proven herself by slaying the beasts that preyed upon her kinsmen's land and several other villages, she's more than happy to ally with the party and split the glory if it means driving the drakes out for good. Her offer is not without caveat: Haltri hopes to leverage strength of arms into a unifying authority over the scattered peoples of the domain, and her detractors (including the village elders who sought the party out) fear what her ambitions may lead to if she goes unchallenged.

Feeling an inexplicable desire to wander, the journymage Enilo (along with his fluffy familiar, Cloudchaser) has sought out the ruins at Grist Ridge, spending days exploring and journaling about his experience. Enilo doesn't know it yet, but he's been called by the goddess of sky and enlightenment to receive a revelation that may change the future of the domain, provided the party's willing to have him tag along during their exploration and later defend him when Haltri shows up sometime midway through the delve to take the ruins for herself.

Though a number of the usual dungeon denizens have made their home in Grist Ridge, there is something malevolent skulking around its deepest reaches, filling the tunnels between the old windmills with the echo of scraping chains and a distant grinding sound that unsettles to the bone. It leaves handfulls of corroded coins from the old autarchy in places where others may find them. The locals know not to touch these, as it seems accepting the gifts of the lurking horror means inviting it to follow you home.

Background: One of many such sites left over after the fall of the old Autarchy, the ruins today known as Grist Ridge once surveyed a vast domain of slave farms owned by one of the old empire's richest men, Lord Daldivian, who's mark on the region endures even centuries after his death.

The old lord bought up the debts of hundreds and dragged them off to work in his fields, grinding them down much in the same way his mills ground down the grain they cultivated. Because he didn't need to pay his workers he was able to sell grain for less, bankrupting score upon score of the region's old farming families and creating people desperate enough to sell either their ancestral land (expanding Daldivain's domain) or themselves into bond slavery for fear of starvation, swelling his workforce from hundreds to thousands.

Daldivane was of course using lives as grist for his ambition long before the first mill was built: The region that came to be his was originally open wilderness along the Autarchy's border inhabited by worshipers of the goddess Yithini, who the old empire considered heathen and thus worthy of extermination. Lord Daldivane used his in with the imperial military to raze their homes and shrines, sowing his first fields with meal ground from their bones. He also used this military connection to hunt the endemic species of drake near to extinction, both because the beasts were sacred to Yithini and because they threatened to impede his expansion.

Further Adventures:

Enilo's observations of the region and the ruins (built on the space of Yithini's demolished temple) will eventually lead him to a series of revelations: The drakes aren't invasive, they are merely returning to their natural population levels after being culled. The environment is healing because of the return of its natural predator. There were people who lived in the domain before who's existence and subsequent elimination Daldivane concealed, who lived in harmony with the drakes through their worship of the now forgotten sky goddess. Unexpectedly finding himself a prophet, Enilo will return to the people of the domain and begin expounding on this secret history, reawakening the worship of Yithini in what was once her sacred land and sparing the people from further clashes with their draconic neighbours.

Haltri does indeed have ambition, taking the exactly wrong lessons from the stories of Daldivane she imagines herself as a new, kinder, autarch, seeking to reclaim the mills of Grist Ridge and rebuild the economic engine that made the old lord one of the richest men in the known world. This will of course require the denizens to be put to work in the fields once again, but in her opinion its the least they can do to repay her for driving the drakes away and keeping them safe. Its up to the party to uncover these ambitions, or perhaps look aside for the sake of their new, increasingly powerful ally.

The thing stalking the foundations of Grist Ridge is a demon born of Daldivane's pittiless greed and the sorrow of those he enslaved. Stalking around the lowest reaches of the ruins and emerging only at night, it resembles a man dressed in tattered finery of the old autarchy with his legs fettered together and his arms bound to a yoke. Where its face should be there is only a cracked millstone, grinding forever and ever over its bleeding and lipless lower jaw. Most disturbingly of all It hungers for bones: placing severed limbs or whatever stray mice it can catch in its mouth and grinding them to powder, sometime after its meal coughing up bloody autarchy coins the way an owl might a pellet. Though it does not speak or perhaps even really THINK the demon of Grist Ridge believes in fair commerce, as any who feed it are due a compensatory amount of treasure just as anyone who takes from its offerings owes it in some way.

Art

[flightlessangelwings]

Ktober 2023 Day 7- Slow and Soft

Cal Kestis x gn!reader

Word count- 1.5k

Warnings- s.mut (18+ ONLY!), fwb, hurt/comfort, mutual pining, feelings, no use of y/n

Notes- Cal my sweet baby boy I love him so much!!! Prompt list made by me! This definitely will not be the last time I write for him cause I just love him so much!! Set closer to the second game where he's a bit older. Enjoy!

@flightlessangelwings-updates is my update blog so please follow that too and turn on post notifs to stay up to date on my new fics!

~

Working for Saw Gerrera was tough, there was no doubt. But, the sacrifices were worth it to keep the Empire at bay. Things got better though when a cute, red-headed jedi joined up. He was as powerful as the stories said, and you and Cal Kestis became quick friends among the chaos of the world around you.

It started by accident; you and Cal would come to each other for comfort and to offer support after missions, and things blossomed before you each realized it. The two of you would lay together for hours in the evenings, just embracing each other, and sometimes more. Neither of you knew what to call what you had, so you left it unspoken.

One particular night, you were in your quarters when Cal knocked on your door. When you opened it, he looked defeated, and bruises littered his face.

“Cal,” you breathed, “Come in,” you ushered in inside and closed the door, “What happened?”

Cal grunted as he settled himself in a chair and exhaled deeply, “Got ambushed,” he sighed as he closed his eyes, feeling safe for the first time that night, “We lost too many today.”

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, not knowing what else to say as you grabbed your med pack and dabbed some bacta patches on his face. When Cal winced in pain you furrowed your brows, “Sorry,” you repeated.

“Thanks,” he breathed your name as he gave you a soft look. It was always a relief to Cal to come back to you, even if neither of you expressed your true feelings in words. What started as something physical quickly grew to more for him, but he kept his mouth shut.

“I’m glad you’re here, Cal,” you said, “I don’t know where we would be if it weren’t for you.”

Cal looked at you with a pleading look in his eyes and a hint of a smile on his face, “Always happy to help,” his voice was low as he knew exactly what you meant. Having a jedi on your side sometimes made the difference between life and death, and he was a powerful ally to have. 

But sometimes you worried that Cal did too much for everyone else, neglecting himself in the process. You let out a sigh as you placed the med kit to the side, “Let me take care of you, Cal,” your tone was hushed as you brushed a lock of hair off his brow, “You carry too much with you. Let me help you tonight.”

He groaned your name softly as you straddled his waist and ran your fingers along the tight muscles of his neck. You always had a way about your touch, and it made Cal melt under your hands every time. You made him feel safe, and he hoped you felt the same way about him.

You hummed softly as you watched Cal’s eyes flutter shut. You ran your fingers down the sides of his neck and squeezed the tense muscles in his shoulders. As you did so, you leaned forward and placed soft, light kisses on his forehead and temples. Cal’s hands rested on your hips as you slowly rocked them on his lap.

Cal moaned your name as he felt himself starting to harden underneath you.

“Shh,” you cooed as you continued to place feather-light kisses all over his face. Your hand stopped kneading his muscles as instead gently held onto his shoulders as you kissed your way to his lips. Once there, you took them with your own in a soft yet passionate kiss. He immediately parted his lips for you to deepen it, and in response you rocked your hips just a little bit faster.

As your tongue danced with Cal’s, you grazed your hands down his torso and slipped them underneath his shirt. He shuttered into you and you felt goosebumps erupt on his skin as you tickled him. Cal’s grip on you tightened as he felt your hands run back up his body and land on his chest. You gave his pecs a soft squeeze and savored the low moan that Cal let out.

Breaking away, you tugged his shirt up and off his shoulders, and Cal took the opportunity to do the same to you. But, before he could move, you crashed your lips into his once more. This kiss was still slow and soft, but the desperation was there still. You felt Cal’s hands slide up and down your sides as you rubbed his nipples with your thumbs. Your hips continued to rock and back and forth, teasing him as he hardened more and more underneath you.

“Babe,” he breathed as you broke the kiss and started to nibble your way down his neck, following the same path with your mouth that your fingers did before.

“I’ve got you, Cal,” you murmured against his skin as you gently sucked at a sensitive spot at the base of his neck, “Let me take care of you today,” you repeated your words from earlier, but this time in a lower tone.

“You always take care of me,” Cal whispered as he cradled the back of your head with one hand and wrapped his other arm around your waist.

“And I always will,” you moaned as you kissed your way back up and took his lips with yours once more.

His moan was stifled by your lips, but the way his cock twitched underneath you told you what he wanted to say. Breaking away once more, you lifted yourself up just enough to tug at his pants. Cal immediately got the hint and helped you yank them down before removing your own pants. When you settled back down, it was skin to skin, and it made both of you gasp.

Every time it felt like the first time with him. Every touch always felt electrical, like it jolted your heart awake from its slumber. Cal’s warm skin lit a fire under your own and when you bucked your hips against his length, it sent a wave of pleasure up your spine. Your mouth dropped open, but before you could let out any sound, it was his turn to capture your lips in a heated kiss.

As your lips locked, you lifted your hips just enough to position yourself over his cock. Cal fumbled around blindly as he helped you, teasing your entrance with his fingers for a moment as he did so. He laughed into you as you let out a little yelp of surprise at the feeling of his fingers against you.

“I’ve got you,” Call mirrored your words as he guided you back down on his cock.

Both of you gasped loudly as he slowly pushed into you. Inch by inch, you lowered yourself onto Cal’s lap, taking him in as you did so. There was no rush, you had all the time in the galaxy tonight. And you liked taking it slow with him, savoring every little feeling every inch of him. You grabbed onto his shoulder to steady yourself as your hips met his once more, only this time, Cal was deep inside you.

“You’re amazing,” he murmured as he kissed your eyebrow softly.

Your eyes fluttered open, and you hadn’t even realized you closed them. But the way Cal looked at you made your heart skip a beat. Without another word, you kissed him deeply, tangling your tongue with his as you lifted your hips just an inch or so and lowered back down again. Both of you groaned into each other as you repeated your action. Again and again, you rocked yourself against Cal, feeling the jolt of pleasure that shot up your spine as you took his entire length in.

Cal moaned your name as he wrapped his arms around you, running his hands along your back in a comforting motion. You leaned forward and rested your forehead against his and mirrored his actions. It was slow, yet full of emotions. Cal gently thrust his hips up to meet yours and soon you both found a rhythm together as you rode him.

“Cal…” you moaned as you felt the familiar tingle build up from deep within you.

“I know,” he grunted softly, “Me too.”

You sighed as your moans started to get louder from your approaching climax. And Cal’s matched yours as he sped up just slightly. The two of you clung to each other, only needing a few more thrusts for your peaks to hit one right after the after. You crashed your lips together as you came together, spilling yourselves against each other. 

With one final exhale, you fell forward, but Cal caught you, wrapping you securely in his arms as you nestled yourself in the crook of his neck. His softening cock stayed inside you, but neither of you cared to move. You both were too comfortable, too content to even think about moving. Tomorrow would bring a new challenge- it always did- but for now, you and Cal could stay in comfortable quietness.

[milolunde]

So, Sonic Forces! … again. Posts like this will be put under Forces!RW from now on, just so I can keep things together.

Following this post, I’ve been thinking about my reimagined Sonic Forces a lot. It’s high up on my list of things to rewrite, but… that list is quite long and is made up of stories that, for the most part, will live exclusively in my head. However, I had so much fun making my last post that I wanted to make another.

I wanted to touch on an aspect of the Phantom Ruby: how it’s able to make hordes of copies at Infinite’s will.

In my mind, the Phantom Ruby makes clones with the same attributes as any other illusion. Those made to witness the illusion will be unable to control feeling, despite reason, what they are witnessing is real. This enhances the Phantom Ruby’s powers, making its illusions able to affect the world as if they were real.

However, copies are different as they can perform most of the abilities their source can, but only if Infinite has a solid grasp on what those abilities are. For example, Chaos remains in his base state because Infinite does not understand his evolution, but he does understand chaos energy and chaos manifestation, so Shadow’s copies is able to harness Chaos Spear (though its nowhere on the scale of a true Chaos Spear. It gathers available chaos energy and turns it into a weapon, but without an emerald the copy has to draw upon the natural chaos energy around it). This is also one of the reasons Zavok is so… lame, for lack of a better word, and why Infinite resigns his copy to being Sonic’s jail keeper.

Why, then, would Eggman have Infinite stop at making copies of Zavok, Chaos, and Shadow? Of course, it’s because he finds them worthy allies as they have all put Sonic in close life or death situations and all have beaten Eggman himself at least once. If they worked together, they would undoubtedly be able to take Sonic out without the need for more manpower.

But… why not copy Sonic himself after his capture? Eggman chooses to copy Metal Sonic so, with Sonic himself imprisoned, having Sonic’s speed and agility on Eggman’s side would be a valuable resource.

————

vvv Continuation + Close Ups/Textless Art vvv

————

Eggman told Infinite they should make copies of Sonic to torment the world they were conquering. Having their precious hero, or at least his likeness, working with Eggman would destroy their moral… Infinite proposed, instead, not only was it too soon to show their cards in Infinite’s full abilities, but that tormenting the world with their hero acting against them would be nothing compared to the psychological play of allowing the world to believe Infinite, a hand in the Eggman Empire, had taken him out for good. Letting a likeness of their hero wander around could work against them, influencing people to gain a “hope against all odds” approach.

While Eggman agreed, it wasn’t until after he had Infinite show him the Ruby could, in fact, make a copy of Sonic. Despite not wanting to, having the copy ended up working in Infinite’s favor. After commenting on the pest Sonic was, the Doctor agreed that, yes, looking at that hedgehog for too long was giving him a migraine; he didn’t want to imagine what having hundreds of him would do… Good. Because Infinite thought Sonic was too annoying to waste his power forging copies of him, anyway.

Infinite looked at the copy. He could appreciate the hedgehog’s indomitable spirit and his ability to ruin things. He could even acknowledge that, yes, he was enough to be the world’s hero.

Until now.

————

Five, closing in on six months after Sonic’s defeat, Tails found himself miles from his live-in workshop, the last one left after Eggman’s takeover. He managed to gather supplies before his home was invaded and made it out by his scruff on the Tornado, but she hadn’t gotten them out without taking severe damage. Still, she flew, and she landed, and Tails could start repairing her to the best of his ability. He didn’t need a plane since the sky had been put under lockdown, but the Tornado was Sonic’s. He’d hate for Sonic to find out he had wrecked the Tornado and done nothing to fix it.

While sorting out the damaged parts, Tails heard something scuff behind him… He tensed before he moved, much too caught up with the Tornado to remember he should defend himself first, worry later, when his eyes caught the source of the sound.

Impossible.

Tails didn’t think it was possible, but he tensed more at the sight of his brother, his big brother, the sight of Sonic walking idly past him. Something slipped past Tails’ lips, maybe it was supposed to be words, but he didn’t know which ones. His big brother stopped. And turned towards him…

————

Gotta cut myself off from my more story-writer way of telling this before I get carried away. Apologies! But, if I’m able to work on this more, maybe there will be a full scene in a full chapter in a full story for this? Perchance…

Shadow would appear and, before Tails could process it, would be fighting the copy down the street. Shadow’s been dealing with Phantom copies since day one of Eggman’s invasion, and he knows Sonic well enough to be able to spot a fake from anywhere.

Tails would, of course, chase after them, leaving behind the Tornado and all of his supplies. As far as he knows, it was Shadow who helped take Sonic down in the first place and he’s ready for answers as to why, and answers on how Sonic got back, and why they’re fighting again, and…! Well, a lot of answers!

By the time Tails gets there, Shadow would have already taken the copy down; it’s on the floor, lifeless, and starting to disappear. Tails would launch himself at Shadow, claws and teeth bared, kicking and scratching out of everything he’s thought and felt about Shadow for the last five months, but Shadow would easily subdue him. Tails is tired, and hungry, and most of all he’s devastated.

Once Tails is able to hear anything Shadow tries to tell him, he would tell Tails about the fact Eggman is generating copies. Shadow has a certain soft spot for Tails, especially in his current situation, so while the scene would be to get information about the Phantom Ruby to Tails, it would also serve to give him the comfort he needs, and closure that no, Shadow didn’t hurt Sonic and, no he’s also not looking for him but, if he hears anything, he’ll let the kid know.

————

I don’t know if I’ve said it, but I’ve got a biiiiig list of media I’ve rewritten entirely in my head for fun and that usually means I have the most barebones chapter layout for them and even some ‘first drafts’ for certain chapters; like this hypothetical chapter!

That’s it, really. I had fun talking about Forces and showing how I would do things! I tend to get carried away a lot when I’m writing about the things I like. I really didn’t plan to write this post out the way I did. Hopefully the difference between my presenting the concepts and writing them out for a more entertaining read of what I would do wasn’t too confusing.

[tropes-and-tales]

Bound to You: Prologue

Poe Dameron x F!Reader

WC:  2012

Other Pieces:  This is part of a larger miniseries that can be found here.

CW:  Arranged marriage trope.

Poe Dameron rose quickly through the ranks of the Resistance.  General Leia Organa trusted him, and more to the point, he always got results.  Always.

Rare intel into the First Order’s movements?  Recruiting missions to convince disgruntled members of the New Republic to join the Resistance?  Errands to build relationships with allies in the Outer Rim?  Poe did it all with his own unique panache and ineffable charm.  Being a handsome bastard with an appealing smile didn’t hurt. 

Sometimes, admittedly, his charm failed him and he found himself in…uncomfortable situations. 

Like now.

Leia had dispatched him to a planet in the Core, a technological powerhouse that built state-of-the-art spaceships.  The goal was to get a deal for new crafts.  The problem was that the Resistance had little money (read:  no money) and even fewer prospects for more.  This planet, however, seemed to prefer the benevolent neglect of the New Republic over the authoritative grip of the First Order, and they had suffered under the Empire, so there was hope that a deal could be made.

Poe’s tricky situation came from two obvious facts.  First, the planet was run by a King and his attendant family – a very rich, very powerful man.  His wealth lay in his shipbuilding facilities – the technological know-how, the expertise of his engineers, the pride in superb craftmanship that left nothing unattended.  His wealth also lay in his vast progeny:  he had three wives and, well, countless sons and daughters.

The second fact of Poe’s tricky situation was that this planet, this king, his multitude of children and wives – the entire populace, in fact – was ruled by a very stringent, very precise set of rules.  There were rules for everything:  how to shake a hand (hand-on-forearm for no more than five seconds), how to sip the strong tea they served (from a lacquered cup, but only after the host sips theirs first), how to open negotiations (after precisely one lap around the King’s pleasure gardens and after saying, three times, that General Organa sends her well-wishes and highest regards).  How long to hold eye contact, how to smile, which color shirt to wear to signal certain feelings in certain situations.

Poe would have likely always ended up messing up the negotiations.  There was no way for a single person outside of that culture to learn all of their fussy, particular little rules.  Of course, Leia had tried to send C-3PO along – the droid had tried to explain all those rules - and Poe had waved her off. 

“How hard can it be?” he had said, flashing her a cocky grin.

How hard was it?  Well, it happened like a slow-motion explosion.  First, Poe had held on a beat too long with the opening handshake.  Then he glanced away while the King’s advisor was giving him an exhaustive tour of the King’s sculpture garden.

The worst, though, was when Poe inadvertently insulted the King’s second wife.  He wasn’t even sure how it happened – there was a huge dinner, and he used the wrong fork at the wrong time, wore the wrong shirt and looked her in the eye too long, and it devolved into Poe being tersely removed to sparser quarters which, it turned out, was just a prison.

And then, there was a trial (of sorts) which just involved the King’s advisors and astrologers and high priests, who all consulted their histories and star charts and rule books.  Poe would have laughed at how ridiculous it all was, except the guards who held him carried top-of-the-line blasters along with wicked-looking scythes, so he wisely kept his laughing to himself and tried to look contrite, though he wasn’t sure where contrite looks ranked with the King.

At last, it was decided (though Poe would never quite be sure if it was due to a historical precedent or some alignment of this system’s dual stars) that Poe would be released and gifted a cruiser, along with a promise of twenty premium gunships. 

The cruiser was a wedding gift. 

For Poe.

“The laws of our people demand an allyship in blood,” declared one high priest, and Poe’s heart clenched at his implied sacrifice.  Then, the priest added, “so you shall marry one of the King’s daughters.”

So the sacrifice wasn’t implied after all.  Poe was to be sacrificed on the altar of matrimony.  His heart seized up even more, but….a cruiser and twenty gunships?  The Resistance desperately needed it, and he could always get a marriage dissolution afterwards.

The slow-motion explosion continued, and if Poe thought he’d at least get to pick his wife (the King had eleven daughters), he was sadly mistaken.  Not that it mattered:  the women of the royal court (and many of the men) were bound to the strict dress codes of their strange laws.  Long hair bound and woven into intricate designs.  Long, enameled fingernails.  Faces and hands painted in delicate filigrees of designs.  Dresses with so many layers that the person’s original shape was lost.  It made the Queen of Naboo look like a fishmonger on Quila.

The day of the wedding, Poe found himself sick to his stomach.  He’d been given his own clothes back to him, clean and pressed, and his fingers shook as he buttoned his shirt.  He raked his fingers through his curls and tried to size himself up in the mirror in his room.  He looked wan underneath his tan.  Like a man on the way to his own execution.

Him, married.  He’d had plenty of casual flings, a few girlfriends, but nothing even veered close to long-term dating or marriage.  He was too devoted to the cause of eradicating the First Order from the galaxy, and that’s what he told himself he was doing now:  securing those ships, building an alliance for more.  He gave himself a nod in the mirror, as if to reassure himself. 

All that opulence and elaborate court gesturing, and the guards led him not to a large ballroom or hall, as Poe expected.  Instead, he found himself in a small antechamber with only a few people present:  an advisor, a high priest and priestess. 

And a young woman.  Poe’s intended.

You stood placidly a bit apart from the others, and though you weren’t as elaborately done up as others Poe had seen at court, you were still hidden under layers of paint and brocaded cloth.  Your hands were folded in front of yourself and that probably meant something in your culture, but you kept your eyes carefully fixed on the floor in front of you.

“Is this it?” Poe asked, incredulous.  He couldn’t quite believe that a wedding would have less pomp than the palace’s afternoon ceremony for tea and biscuits.  He glanced over at you, and you seemed to cringe at his words.

“She is the third daughter of the third wife,” the advisor said dismissively.  “The occasion of her marriage does not warrant more than this.”

So that was the other side of the equation, Poe realized.  A cruiser and some gun-ships to offload an unwanted daughter.  He tried to look at you a closer, but you seemed to sense his gaze and shrank even more from it.

The occasion of your marriage amounted to a few muttered words by both the high priest and priestess, and then first you and then Poe signed an official looking document on thick, heavy paper.  The advisor folded it carefully, then tied it with a white ribbon, then handed it to Poe.

That was it.

No exchanged vows or promises of love.  No rings placed on fingers or hands bounds together while prayed over.  Not even any eye contact – every time Poe glanced over at you, your eyes were focused elsewhere.

And afterwards?  There was no celebration.  Not even a goodbye from your parents or any of your multitude of siblings – you and Poe were both ushered away from the palace and onto the promised cruiser.  The craft that Poe had arrived on was safely stowed on said cruiser, along with your dowry (some jewelry, some personal effects, and enough gowns to outfit the entire fleet of pilots in the Resistance).

After you were cleared to take off, Poe did just that.  He marveled at how well the ship handled, and he practically twitched in anticipation for those gun-ships.  Leia would be so happy.  If Poe returned with a wife in tow, well…that was the price to pay.  He could take care of that situation later.

He set the coordinates for D’Qar and felt the ship ease into hyperspace so smoothly he almost missed the streaks of lights that flew past.  He was only two days away from being home.  No, not just he anymore.  You and he. 

Poe stood up from his pilot’s seat and stretched.  He felt the weight of the past few days slide off of his shoulders, and he felt like he could sleep until the ship exited hyperspace.  But there was a new weight laying on him, and he left the cockpit now to go face it.

You were still sitting in the galley, exactly where he had left you to take off.  You gifted him with the barest glance before you returned your eyes to the floor. 

You were, like everyone else in your court, off-putting.  A human with no shape under the leagues of fabric encasing you.  A person with a face so painted that there was no room for expression.  And, possibly, a person who didn’t talk.

“I’m Poe,” he said slowly and loudly, and he kicked himself internally at how the bark of his voice echoed off the shiny new walls of the space craft. 

He swore he saw the corner of your painted lips twitch – a smile maybe? – but your face resumed its placid surface before you murmured quietly that yes, you knew his name.  Of course - he had signed it beside yours on the marriage contract.

“Do you have a name?” he asked, a little gentler.  “Or are you just numbered off by birth order?”

That did bring a smile to your face, and you lifted your eyes to meet his gaze for a brief second before returning to watch the space on the floor between you and him.  You told him your name in your quiet voice.  “Or you could call me number eight, if you prefer,” you added with a hint of a smile in your words.

The eighth child.  Third daughter of a third wife.  Poe had no idea what you really looked like, and more to the point, what you liked.  What you didn’t like.  What you’d think of D’Qar and its rough-and-tumble, scrappy quarters.  What you’d think of the people in the Resistance.  How much you’d stick out in your elaborate gear, how the hems of your sharply pleated skirt would be muddied within seconds of walking through the forest. 

Poe could have sat beside you and tried to get to know you.  There was some time, after all, and you likely hadn’t asked for marriage any more than he had.  But he was keen to get ahold of Leia and report his success, and he wanted to discuss his next mission, which they had already talked about beforehand – finding her brother, Luke Skywalker.  Apparently there was someone on Jakku who had a map, and that mission pushed every other thought out of his mind until Poe quite forgot about you. 

So when you landed on D’Qar, Poe sprinted ahead of you to find BB-8 and Leia, leaving you behind to fend for yourself. 

As you descended the craft, you watched the retreating back of your erstwhile husband.  Poe Dameron left you behind.  Other women of your court might throw a pretty tantrum or pout winsomely, but you were the third daughter of the third wife.  You didn’t rage or pout.  You were used to being left behind and forgotten.

So you did what you did best:  you squared your shoulders, steeled your spine, and prepared yourself for a new life in this strange world. 

As Poe Dameron’s wife.

[antianakin]

Honestly when people call Cassian Andor morally gray, mostly from the movie, I kinda side-eye? Because he doesn't really fit that. He's, he's a spy but the two things I see called morally gray are:

Shooting the other spy in the beginning, which was a sad choice to make, but the man was injured and they were being chased. There's no way for him to carry the man to safety while fleeing the stormtroopers, and leaving him there would have been a fate worse that death, we know what the Empire does to suspected spies, along with not risking intel leaks.

And setting out to assassinate Jyn's father, who at that point, nobody had confirmation he was anything other than a man loyal to the Empire, building a weapon of mass destruction. Its reasonable to think getting rid of the head engineer behind that project would either delay it or cause issues. The Rebellion was operating with less information than we, the audience had.

Both hard decisions made during hard times, but to me, Cassian Andor at least is an average guy, trying to make the best decision he can in basically the worst times ever.

I mean, I think that a lot of this is what MAKES Cassian morally gray. Being morally gray doesn't have to mean he doesn't care, or that his ultimate goal isn't something generally good and altruistic, either. Cassian is fighting for the greater good, he's trying to take down a tyrannical fascist Empire, he's doing what he's doing because he firmly believes that it's what's best for the entire galaxy and because it will ultimately save a lot of lives in the long run.

Being morally gray just generally means that the character operates outside of the more strict dichotomies of "good" and "evil." Luke Skywalker is pretty unequivocally "good" and he would likely never do the things Cassian does even though they both are aiming for the same goal. Luke would never even AGREE to assassinate Jyn's father, especially if he has to use Jyn to find her father in the first place. This would be something that Luke would consider wrong and he'd refuse to do it, even though there are reasons to think Galen might be working for the Empire and that it could be better for everyone if he was dead. And on the other end of the spectrum you have someone like Palpatine, or even Anakin (specifically during the OT) who aren't out for the greater good at all and are always motivated solely by selfish greed and nothing else.

So someone like Cassian operates somewhere between these two extremes. Cassian is willing to kill an innocent man who is his ally because he cannot take the risk of either of them getting captured by the Empire. He can presumably trust that HE'D hold up under torture, but he cannot trust that this informant (who has been pretty anxious and flustered so far) would do the same. Cassian's options are to stay and get captured with him, escape without him, or give him a quick and painless death and then escape on his own. The honorable option that we'd probably see a character like Luke choose is the first one, staying with the informant and trying to find a way for both of them to escape even though it runs a VERY high risk of both of them being captured. Killing an innocent man is an objectively evil thing to do, but Cassian looks at all of his options and weighs the risks and ultimately chooses the option that is best for his cause even if it requires doing something objectively evil.

And you ARE supposed to recognize that. There's this whole moment immediately after Cassian kills the guy that Diego Luna makes this really devastating face where you can tell he HATES what he just did, he HATES that he felt like he had to make that choice at all, but then he lets it go and escapes. This is not something that he just brushes off like it's nothing, it's something that does weigh on him and that's part of his whole arc within this film. He has to decide how to live with the choices he has made and the reasons he has made them and whether those reasons are worth what it costs to him personally. He obviously ultimately decides NOT to kill Galen because he cares about Jyn and he knows that killing Galen will mean ruining the connection that's been beginning to build between himself and Jyn. For the moment, he chooses to care about Jyn and Jyn's happiness more than he cares about the cause of the Rebellion. And at the end, he and the other volunteers all choose to go to Scarif because they cannot just abandon this cause that they've all given up so much for, that they've all had to do objectively evil things for. It HAS to be worth something, killing that informant HAS to be worth it or what does that make him? Without the cause, he's just a murderer.

And all of this is part of what makes him such a compelling character. Often these days we see morally gray characters in the position of the villain, where they have perhaps a sympathetic motivation but they're going about it all wrong and they have to be stopped because they've let their desire for a better world be corrupted into simply a desire for power. Some of these stories get done better than others, obviously, but this can be a really powerful narrative. But Cassian sits slightly differently where he is unequivocally one of The Good Guys, but the narrative posits the idea that sometimes sacrifices are required to achieve "the greater good." When your enemy is pure evil and willing to use tricks and lies to beat you, sometimes you have to give up some of your own moral code in order to beat them at their own game and protect as many people as possible. Sometimes being selfless looks like setting yourself on fire so that everyone else can stay warm.

And like I mentioned in the Andor post that I assume this is probably in reaction to, what I love most about this is how it relates to the Prequels Jedi and the themes therein, the struggle they have with maintaining who they are and the morals they live by when there's a galactic civil war going on and the other side of it is willing to commit massive atrocities in order to win. By fighting in the war, the Jedi are having to compromise, but if they refused to fight at all, they would lose everything that made them who they are. The Council chooses to commit treason in order to save the Republic from its own elected Chancellor. It's objectively morally wrong to commit treason, but it lands morally gray because of the motivation and the circumstances of the choice they are making.

Often doing the right thing isn't the same as doing the easy thing. Being selfless usually comes with making sacrifices. We see the the bigger "cosmic" version of this with the Prequels Jedi during the Clone War, but Rogue One and Andor show us another version of it from the perspective of the little people, those whose names and stories will never be remembered by history, but whose sacrifices paved the way for people like Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa to step in and be the heroes who took down the Empire. Cassian and the Prequels Jedi fall into a very similar thematic category in their stories and it's honestly SUCH a compelling story and I love the way Rogue One and Andor chose to follow up on that theme.

[crepes-suzette-373]

In chapter 1066, Shaka explained this story about the Void Century. It was a big dramatic reveal scene, and most of the chapter was about Ohara and their research efforts on the Void Century. In the cover, sensei chose to depict a zoomed out view of the Germa castle, with all its "66" banners.

Is this a coincidence or a hint?

Based on the fragmentary snippets that we've heard of Germa's history, it sounded almost like... Germa's destruction is a "smaller scale" version of what happened to the ancient kingdom. They were able to continue to exist somehow, but their history was so obscured that barely anyone know the truth about them.

Even someone like Brook was only able to vaguely know that "they conquered North Blue".

Previously I assumed that World Government destroyed the empire, but I now consider the possibility that the other North Blue kingdoms just allied together to defeat it. A mirror of the Void century history, but localised in the North Blue instead of the whole world.

Judge had said he wanted revenge against the North Blue kings. It would stand to reason that he might have wanted to do that because the other kings banded together to take down Germa 300 years ago.

Germa might have been allowed to continue to exist as a smaller kingdom because WG is not involved in the destruction. They just turned a blind eye towards its destruction.

That being said, though, I have been suspecting for a while that Germa is hiding knowledge related to the old Void Century kingdom.

Germa has been a kingdom of science for generations, but lineage factor and cloning was Vegapunk's discovery. So what was Germa doing before?

Very likely, it's something more similar to what we would call "engineering" in our world. Back in MADS, Judge was seen building that spear that would eventually become his main weapon.

Not to mention that even in the drafts, sensei had planned for Judge to be titled "Earl of Mechanisms". Both of those, plus the snail ships and the raid suits, they all seem to suggest that Germa's main scientific endeavours before were machinery and gadgets.

So, when did Germa develop the snail ships and why? If these were newer, then I would be wondering "What did the Germa kingdom look like before they made the snails? Just normal ships?".

However, if these ships have been around since their land's destruction 300 years ago, then was the Germa empire's eventual goal to conquer the entire world? Why else would they need the snail ships that can climb the Red Line otherwise? Did maybe the old empire had wanted to make All Blue? Perhaps due to their knowledge of the Void Century?

This assuming that All Blue here is not a specific location, but just "the open sea" in general, not blocked by the Red Line.

Something about all this is just so weird.

I had the vague idea that Sanji is going to ironically be the one to "fulfil the goals of the old Germa empire", which was originally not evil whatsoever. I just don't know what the hell that "goal" is. But if their goal was in fact "All Blue", then it's an even more insane irony. It also fits the samurai conspiracy I had (TL;DR, basically "unification").

Another thing related to the machinery.

Is it possible that Germa had been the one to send the ancient robot up to the Red Line? Nobody knew who sent this robot, and it just died midway because it ran out of power.

It's possible that it was done by some other unknown entity. For example, from the same island as Professor Tsukimi who built the small automatons, since that shows that there's someone knowledgeable in robotics. Or maybe the robot just woke up on its own and started moving around. Especially with the revelation in chapter 1111 where it woke up apologising to Joy Boy.

But if Germa is a nation with very advanced ability in mechanics, it could be that they found the ancient robot and reactivated it. They just might not have known how to refuel/charge it up, so it collapsed midway.

It's rather unlikely, but it's not impossible.

This is also somewhat related to how the snail ships were able to climb the Red Line. If the old Germa's ambition was something to do with the Red Line (like, perhaps destroying it), then it's not unreasonable to think that they would try to send this powerful looking robot to do the job.

[rainydaydream-gal18]

(The Bad Batch) Hunter x Reader: Timing

Word Count: 2,844

Warnings: Mentions of O66, some angst, kissy kissy.

   You lowered your head, pulling the hood of your cloak farther down over your face in hopes to keep you from being recognizable by any untrustworthy characters.  By the looks of it, that meant everyone in this parlor.

   It was a risky move going there in the first place.  Incredibly dangerous.  Some might deem it unwise, but it was all you had.

   Ever since that day…that horrible day… you’d been keeping an extremely low profile.  You traveled from place to place, having to choose the shadiest modes of transport to avoid the chain code system.  Being on the Empire’s most wanted list meant that you had to take every precaution.

   You glanced around the crowded parlor, getting a feel for the room.  The majority of customers were gathered around one of the dejarik boards.  Things were getting rowdy as one individual was just about to defeat his opponent.  No one would pay you any mind.

   Good.  You could locate the one known as Cid without drawing attention to yourself.

   She was a known jedi informant, and now a possible way to reach some old friends.

   Thanks to Rex’s description, you were able to find her very quickly.  She was seated at the bar, quietly sipping her drink and watching the game.  You exhaled slowly to gather yourself before walking over and taking the seat next to her.

   You ordered a drink casually, knowing that if you jumped right into a slew of questions that she’d be much less likely to give you an answer.  Finally, when your drink was set down in front of you, you took a sip and turned to the cantina owner.

   “Good evening,” you greeted.

   Her yellow eyes regarded you with skepticism that you were speaking to her, but she remained curt.  “‘Evening.”

   “I am looking for some friends of mine.  I was hoping you could point me in the right direction.”

   She lifted a scaly brow, scowling.

   “Could you tell me where I might find a group?”  You paused, searching for the right words.  There was a good chance that they wouldn’t go by their Republic designation.  “It’s a very particular group.  I’ve been told they do odd jobs for you.”

   Cid leaned back, her expression calculating.  “I might know of a group.  Depends on who’s asking.”

   “I’m an ally.”

   She huffed.  “Sure you are.”

   Cid didn’t say anything more, but the message had gotten across.  You could only hope that you’d reach them.  If you couldn’t, then you’d have to contact Rex again…  You remained at the counter, watching as Cid slipped away.

   The anticipation of seeing them, seeing him again, was almost too much to bear.  Your mind flooded with memories as you waited.  Memories of the first time you’d met the intriguing squad.  Memories of the first time you’d locked eyes with him.

   “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sergeant.” you greeted, blocking a stream of laser blasts.  “Though I wish it was under better circumstances.”

   His voice emerged smoky and mysterious through the modulator of his helmet as he took out a nearby droid with his viroblade.  “Pleasure’s all mine, General.”

   Later on, after the initial wave of droids, he removed his helmet to speak with you face-to-face.  You were well aware of how the Bad Batch differed from other troops, but it was still surprising to see their appearances.

   “Your squad is most impressive,” you said, trying very hard to push down the immediate feelings of attraction that began to blossom as you admired his tattooed features.  “And you arrived in just the nick of time.”

   He gave a small chuckle, his brow lifting.  “It’s what we do.”

   “Yeah!”  The one known as Wrecker jumped into the conversation, giving a hearty laugh.  “Those droids never stand a chance against us!”

   Tech was typing away on a set of buttons on his armor.  “They are falling back.  By my calculations, they will regroup shortly for a final attack.”

   “We’d better get ready then,” Crosshair smirked, placing a toothpick between his teeth.

   “Any orders?” Hunter asked.  It was apparent that the squad was very accustomed to working independently, but he made a point to recognize your authority as a jedi general.

   “None except that we retake this base,” you replied, making Wrecker practically jump.

   “I like her!”

   You found yourself smiling against the rim of your glass right before taking a sip.  That battle marked the beginning of your time with the Bad Batch.  You had the rank of general, but you’d never assumed command of a legion.  The Council would send you on independent missions as they saw fit, and after the success of that one, you were granted permission to assist the squad on a series of assignments.

   You came to see the Bad Batch as family. Aside from the particularly risky missions, it was the happiest period of your life.

   And that’s where it got messy.

   You recalled so vividly the bonds you’d formed with the brothers.  The hours working on the ship with Tech.  The many different ways to blow up a droid that Wrecker taught you.  The time you’d spent getting to know Crosshair and read him, though you still found him puzzling at times.  The talks you had with Hunter.

   Things got extremely messy when taking into account the feelings you harbored for the sergeant in secret, though such attachments to him, or anyone for that matter, were forbidden.  What was worse…he felt the same for you, and he knew about your attachment to him.  You could feel it every time his mind was near.  With both of you being so sensitive to your surroundings, it was bound to happen.  It was an unspoken thing between you.  Though you ached for more, you decided that being near him was enough.

   Then, there was the night that everything seemed to implode.

   Another successful mission.

   You gazed out at the beautiful star streaks across the dash as the Marauder traveled at lightspeed.  All was quiet aboard the ship.  Save for Tech’s busy mind, everyone seemed to be settling down for some much-needed rest.

   Oh.  There was one more mind that hadn’t been lulled by the sound of the engine.  Footsteps made their way up toward the front of the ship where you stood.

   “Hey. Sarge.”  The very informal greeting was a result of much time spent with the Batch.  The lot of you had forsaken by-the-book speech.  

   His eyes did not flash in amusement like they normally would.  His brows furrowed seriously as he leaned against the wall, and your voice took on a more concerned tone.  “Everything alright?”

   “Yeah,” he replied, though he didn’t look any less troubled.  “Just…a few things on my mind.”

   “Anything you’d like to share?  Maybe talking about it will help,” you offered helpfully.  “I’m no Yoda, but I’d like to think that learning under him has earned me some wisdom.”  You chuckled, giving him a playful nudge.

   “It’s-” he hesitated, gaze meeting yours meaningfully.  “I don’t think you want me to talk about this.”

   You tilted your head in confusion.  “Why not?”

   “Because it’s about…us.  This.  Whatever this is.”

   You caught on to where his mind was, feeling your heart flutter and stomach drop at the same time.  Your lips parted with a tiny “oh” sound escaping from them.  He was right.  This was definitely something you didn’t want to talk about. You couldn’t offer him a commitment.  Your code wouldn’t allow that.  But you didn’t want to lose him. This conversation could very well change everything.

   “Hunter… Before you continue, I just want to say that I…I…”

   “I know,” he said, stepping forward.  It was a small step, but it put him in your space entirely.  Suddenly his handsome face was all you could see, and that musky scent of his was the only thing you could smell.  His gloved hand reached out gently to brush your fingers.

   He knew what you felt for him… because that’s what he felt for you.

   “And I’m not asking for anything.  Or hoping.  I just…have to tell you at least once that I do too.”

   His lips ghosted over yours.  The warmth of his breath fanned your face, drawing you in while that feeling of comfort and security that you felt with him washed over you.  Your fingers entwined with his gloved ones, and you allowed yourself a single moment.  Hunter pressed his lips to your own briefly, testing the waters.  You leaned in before he could pull away, capturing him in another kiss, which he deepened.

   It was only a single moment, absolutely forbidden and beautiful.

   The kiss ended all too soon, with Hunter whispering a low “good night” before heading for his rack to get a few hours of sleep.  You remained in the cockpit, caught up in the thrill of what happened, yet completely torn.

   You felt tears well up in your eyes as you recalled what happened next.  It was right after returning from that mission that the Council had decided to reassign you to assist another jedi in an entirely different system.

   That was the end of your time with the Batch during the Clone Wars.  You couldn’t protest the Council’s decision without betraying some sort of attachment.  Even if the Council didn’t pick up on anything romantic, they still wouldn’t be so keen on your preference of the squad over where duty called you.  The Council’s decision had come so quickly that part of you feared that somehow they knew.

   So you carried out orders without so much as a hesitation.  You didn’t reach out to Hunter, fearful that he would also be at risk somehow.  Time passed.  The war came to an end.

   You’d barely escaped the former chancellor’s horrid order.  And after so many months on your own, wondering where your squad was in all this mess, assuming the worst, you ran into Rex, and he informed you of his discovery of them, the removal of their chips, and their whereabouts.

   It was only a matter of a few rotations before you found yourself at Cid’s Parlor.

   There was no telling how your arrival would be received.  Would they be angry?  Hurt?  Would they be glad to see you?  You imagined that the others would be glad, at least.

   The moment had arrived.  The first one you saw was Wrecker, towering over everyone else in the cantina as he made his way out from the back.  He spotted you right away, and a huge grin spread across his face.

   “Hey!  It’s ________!”

   He emerged from the crowd with Hunter just in front of him, followed by Tech.  Another trooper walked out after him that you didn’t recognize and also a young girl.

   “Ah, _________” Tech said in recognition.  “I am pleased to see you alive and well, considering the events concluding the war.”

   “You have no idea how glad I am to see all of you,” you replied warmly.  “It’s like coming home.”  You mustered the courage to meet Hunter’s eyes, hoping you’d find a similar welcome.  His gaze was piercing, like a single lamp in the dark- comforting, safe, filling you with relief.

   It was true.  That seedy parlor, where you’d never been before, that was full of strangers already felt like home.

   Even so, Hunter suggested the lot of you take the reunion back to the Marauder to avoid drawing any attention to you.  Your mind was buzzing the entire time with questions; both about the new faces you saw amongst your squad as well as the one face that you didn’t see.  Where was Crosshair?

   Tech updated you on the sharpshooter’s absence in a brief, but thorough explanation.  You were saddened to hear of these events, but the group seemed somewhat hopeful that their brother didn’t appear entirely lost.

   The other trooper, who you presumed to be a newer member of the squad, looked rather curious.

   “Echo, this is ________, a friend.  She served with us on several missions during the war,” Hunter introduced.

   “Served?” Echo repeated.  “Then that would make you a…”

   “A jedi,” you uttered quietly.  “Yes.”

   He stood up straight and saluted with his scomp arm.  “It’s an honor.  My name is Echo.  I joined the squad after a rescue mission on Skako.”

   “And this is Omega,” Hunter gestured toward the girl.  “Our newest member.”

   “Hello!” she gave a cheerful wave.  “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

   “Oh really?”

   “Yep!” Wrecker butted in, wrapping you up in a big hug.  “You’re our favorite jedi, after all!”  He set you down and gave you a playful nudge with his elbow, which almost sent you stumbling.  “We missed you!  Especially Hunter here.”

   The comment piqued your interest.  Hunter gave Wrecker one of his signature looks, silently telling him to drop it.  Tech observed the interaction, noting it while adjusting his goggles.  Echo’s gaze darted back and forth between you and Hunter, understanding flashing in them.  Omega looked confused, but didn’t voice it.

   You nearly collapsed into ruins from embarrassment.

   Wrecker suddenly scratched his head. “ Uhhh, that reminds me.  Tech, d’you remember the other day? I said I wanted to show you the thing.”

   “I do not recall-”

   “The thing.  It’s, uh, in Cid’s.  But we have to go see it.  Now.”

   Echo seemed to catch on to some inside cue because he quickly got Tech’s attention and nodded his head in the direction of the exit ramp.

   “Ah.  Indeed.”

   “You too, Omega!” Wrecker added, ushering the girl outside.  You clasped a hand over your mouth to hide your humor while the group departed.  You could hear Omega’s little voice asking, “what’s going on?” before they were out of earshot.

   Hunter gave a long and heavy sigh, shaking his head, before his eyes met yours again.

   “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” he said.  “They’re all trouble.”

   “Yeah,” you chuckled.

   An awkward silence fell over the both of you.  It wasn’t like you expected things to fall back into place, to pick up right where you’d left off.  But with how the others acted, you expected Hunter to say something.

   After all that time…There he was.  Safe and sound.  Standing just a few feet in front of you.

   “Hunter, I-”

   “Look-”

   Both of you fell silent again, and Hunter took the initiative to speak first.  His voice was low, a bit shaky.  “I’m glad you’re alright.  You don’t know how worried I was- we all were.”

   “I was worried about all of you,” you replied.  “I saw what the chips did to troopers.  It’s terrible.  I was so relieved to find Rex, and when he told me that he’d been in contact with you… I can’t even say how I felt.  I’ve missed you so much!”  Your voice broke, and Hunter stepped forward, wrapping his arms around you.

   The low rumble of his voice was soothing against your ear as he held you tighter.  “I missed you too.”

   “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry I didn’t reach out to you after I was reassigned.  After what happened that night after our last mission…”

   “It’s alright.  Neither did I.  I guess…neither of us were in a place to do anything about it then.  We had our obligations.”

   Had obligations.  Past tense.

   “But just know that I’ve thought about you every day since then,” he said.  “Nothing’s changed.”

    “Oh, Hunter,” you cried.  “Me too.”

   His breath hitched in his throat, and he pulled away slightly.  “You know, if this weren’t to happen, there’s a place for you here.  With the squad.  That’s undeniable.”

   You met his eyes, too happy to care about the tears on your face.  His gaze seemed to soften at the sight of them, and he reached up to brush them away.  

   “I didn’t think it was,” you chuckled tearfully.  “I do want to be with the squad, and I want to be with you.”

   A soft smile graced his features, the kind of smile you’d only seen a few times.  One of them was when he first and last kissed you.  Hunter leaned in, brushing his nose against yours, before closing the short distance entirely.

   His arms enveloped you, pulling you tighter against his frame while he kissed you with simmering passion.  You grasped his broad shoulders to ground yourself, and yet it only sent you higher.

   Your eyes followed the contours of his face while you paused the dance of your lips to catch your breath, tracing the slope of his nose, the curve of his mouth, and the edge of his jawline.  Amidst the haze of his close proximity, you’d never seen him so clearly. 

   You were glowing, luminous.  So utterly content, and yet, your lips tingled with the desire to be kissed again.

   Heavy footsteps on the ramp jolted you from the moment.  Before you and Hunter could separate to save face, Wrecker poked his head inside the Marauder, grinning.

   “I knew it!  All it took was fifteen minutes.”

   “Actually,” Tech’s voice spoke up a little farther down matter-of-factly.  You could imagine him holding up his index finger pointedly.  “It was approximately twenty.”

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Cale Snow's Chapter 229

New title - 29. Victory Symbol TL;DR - Cale's group departs. Rosalyn plans for the empire's response. Funny moments and misunderstandings about Cale again.

Troublemaker Duo Some funny moments today. Eru and CH wanted to accompany Cale's visit to the king, but Cale and Raon said that the two of them were enough. But everyone disagreed, with Mila commenting that they couldn't just let the two of them go because they were troublemakers. 😂

Cale and Raon felt wronged and looked around for people who would side with them, but no one sided with them because everyone seemed to have agreed that they were troublemakers. 🤣🤣🤣

Rosalyn's Plan While Cale was away, the others prepared for the empire's response.

Rosalyn and her 10 mage followers will build a huge magic circle to protect the village and parts of the Erghe Mountains from the Holy Empire and its allies.

Rosalyn's group will also handle the next subjugation force the empire will send

Tasha and Pendrick, together with the elves and dark elves they brought, will handle the heretic inquisitor who is rumored to be an elf

Rasheel will deal with the lone dragon the empire will send

Clopeh will assist Tasha and Rasheel

DHB, Beacrox, Witira, and Sui are in charge of interrogating Jenyu and the mbd captives

We had a tsundere Rasheel moment again. 🥰😂

Rasheel: I'll handle the dragon. I'll also help with you using magic. Mila: Aren't you quite enthusiastic (about helping)? Rasheel: Hmph. I just want to beat up the rotten-minded dragon bastards in this world! Definitely not because I want to help Cale Henituse! Mila and Sheritt: Ehehe. Rasheel: *frowns* ...

And Clopeh's craziness even got noticed by Rasheel, though Rasheel was fine with Clopeh because for him, the crazier the person, the better. 😂

Cale and King Dennis Another funny moment was this part. When Minister Bailey said that they had to meet the king secretly, she meant that even the king would not be notified in advance about their visit. And the place they would be secretly teleported to was... the king's own bedroom. 😂

Even Cale questioned twice about the bedroom part before agreeing. So when Cale's group teleported to the king's bedroom without notice, King Dennis was shocked and confused. 😂

Fortunately, King Dennis regained his composure and asked Cale if he was the youngest 'young master' who disappeared. Cale responded with confusion, and King Dennis was mutually confused with Cale's response... 🤣🤣🤣

Not much was said about which young master that King Dennis was referring to. Maybe he was referring to the young master of the Snow family? After all, most people mistook Cale as someone from the Snow family. If that was true, it meant that the Snow family had a survivor, and the theory that Thames = Snow becomes stronger. Even the Koreans in the chapter comments are convinced of that theory.

Ending Remarks Today had lots of fun moments, so I'm very satisfied with the chapter. Next chapter would be Cale's meeting with the king. Hopefully, we'll get more info about the Snow family.

[whencyclopedia]

Fourth Crusade

The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204 CE) was called by Pope Innocent III (r. 1198-1216 CE) to retake Jerusalem from its current Muslim overlords. However, in a bizarre combination of cock-ups, financial constraints, and Venetian trading ambitions, the target ended up being Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire and the greatest Christian city in the world. Sacked on 12 April 1204 CE, Constantinople was stripped of its riches, relics, and artworks, and the Byzantine Empire was divided up between Venice and its allies. The Fourth Crusade thus gained its infamous reputation as the most cynical and profit-seeking of all the crusades.

East-West Suspicion

The Byzantines saw themselves as the defenders of Christendom, the beacon which shone out across the Mediterranean and central Asia, hosts to the holiest city outside Jerusalem, and the rock which stood against the tide of Islam sweeping in from the east. By the western half of the old Roman Empire, though, the Byzantines were regarded as decadent, shifty, and untrustworthy; even their religious practices were suspect. This essential division between the east and west had caused constant problems in all the previous crusades, and it was to crop up again in this one.

There were also more concrete sources of division, the historical rivalry between popes and emperors, and the rising ambition of western states to wrest from Byzantium the remnants of its empire in Italy were fuelled by the failures of the crusades in permanently securing the Holy Land for Christendom. Blame was apportioned to either side for the lack of success. The Byzantines were considered to lack the will to fight the common Muslim enemy while, from the other side, the Crusaders were seen as opportunists out to grab the choicest parts of the Byzantine Empire in the east. In a sense, both sides were right in their judgement.

Continue reading...

[geekywritings]

The gift of love

This is just a load of fluff and some dad Cal!! Also, apologies for changing the request a little. The story just wrote itself!

The request: “Oooo ok I thought of something! Cal x reader where the reader gets pregnant and Cal finds her crying about it cause she thinks their whole Mantis operations are now in danger and she is just really scared and he comforts her. And then skip to the birth and it’s a little girl and they name her Y/D/N Cere Kestis???”

_____

This should be a joyous moment. Yet you couldn’t stop the tears as they spilled from your eyes, sinking to the floor in the room you shared with Cal on the Mantis.

It’s not that you didn’t want a child, but the revelation of your pregnancy had the most inopportune timing! Together with the crew, you had revived Cere’s project of the Path to find a safe spot for those trying to escape the Empire. Tanalorr was a good safe haven, but the infrastructure was still lacking and even though the first refugees were working hard on it, it would take weeks if not months before the planet offered true comfort.

Yet you couldn’t sit around and wait. Finding survivors and allies wasn’t always easy and getting them into safety even less so. Sometimes smuggling worked, other times, a fight was unavoidable. And then there was also the perilous journey to the hidden planet. Greeze had already settled down there, making you the official pilot for the dangerous trips. And that’s why you were now a sobbing mess on the floor. They needed you. The cause, these people out there… you couldn’t let them down.

So lost in your despair, you didn’t hear the door sliding open or Cal entering. Not until you felt his hands on your shoulders, a worried voice asking: “Y/N, what’s wrong?”

You couldn’t speak, instead you threw yourself into his arms, grateful for the way he held you, a hand just gently stroking through your hair as he patiently waited for you to calm down. All the while, he was whispering sweet assurances to you that everything was fine. That he was there.

“I’m so sorry…”, were the first words you managed to get out.

“Sorry about what?”, he asked, worry and confusion thick in his voice.

Puffy red eyes were focused on him as you fought with yourself to get the words out. He needed to know. He deserved to know. After all, it was his child as well.

“Cal… I’m pregnant.”

Green eyes widened and you saw a waterfall of emotions rush through them. Everything from surprise, shock and wonder, all mixed into one.

“Are you sure?”, he managed to choke out.

You nodded and were about to apologize again, when Cal suddenly pulled you into another hug. “That is wonderful.”, he spoke and you could hear in his voice that he was smiling.

“But the mission…”, you began and Cal instantly let you go again, so that he could look at you.

“Is that why you were crying?”

Another nod from you, earning a gentle smile from Cal, before he leaned forward to press his forehead against yours.

“The fight is important… but you are even more important to me. We wanted to build a future on Tanalorr, remember? This…” He placed a hand on your stomach. “Is even more motivation for me. Besides, the Path isn’t just us anymore. We have an entire network of allies. We can retire any time and know that Cere’s vision will live on.”

Every word was like a calming balm for your soul, at the same time, you felt your eyes prickling with tears again. Great, were you going be be extra emotional for months now?

“You would really stop fighting for me?”

“I would do anything for you, love. For you and our family.”

His smile grew. “I still can’t believe I’m going to be a father…”

He seemed so genuinely happy. So amazed by the turn his life was about to take. And seeing him like that, you couldn’t help but feel happy as well.

10 months later

“Shhh, your mom is sleeping.”, Cal cooed to the crying infant, as he walked up and down the bedroom, gently rocking the baby in his arms. Not wanting to wake you, he finally opted to go outside, the night air of Tanalorr warm enough during this season.

You had a small home, far on the outskirts of the ever-growing town the people had called Haven. Although Cal still did the occasional run for the Path, he had mostly hung up his lightsaber, focusing on helping people in other ways. He was good at fixing things and enjoyed farming. Both skills desperately needed on this new planet.

And he had a family now. One he didn’t want to leave. With a smile, he stared at the child. His son, who still seemed like a little miracle to him.

“Want me to tell you another story about your namesake?”, he asked. “He was a great Jedi Master. Strict, but also incredibly patient and kind.” Little Jaro was quickly calming down, as he always did when Cal began to tell stories.

“That’s one of my favourites as well.”

Your voice caught Cal’s attention after he had just finished one of his tales. “I hope we didn’t wake you.”

You shook your head and joined him, placing a kiss on his cheek and then one on your sleeping baby boy’s forehead. “The bed just grew cold without you.”, you explained with a smile, which he returned.

“I’ll be right back. Seems like the little one fell asleep again.”

“He won’t be for long. So let’s stay and enjoy the view for a while.”, you suggested and both your heads turned to the magical display of Tanalorr’s nightsky, as you stood arm in arm. This was your home. This was your future. And you had fought long and hard to finally enjoy it. Together.

[fiction-box]

To End Where You Started

GN!Reader x Dimitri

This is a response to a request for a GN!Reader who was childhood friends with Dimitri before switching sides once it came time for the war. This one took me much longer to write because I wanted to better establish the circumstances of the work. Hopefully, you love it all the more! If you like this, there is another I wrote for the same prompt with Felix on my page!

Requests are open. The story will continue under the cut.

You’ve always valued human life. 

So when you saw Dimitri in the Holy Mausoleum, his mind lost and his lance bloody, you weren't sure what to do next.

It seemed no one knew what to do next. Felix was standing in front of Annette, glaring daggers at the blond. Mercedes slowly shifted toward her friend as Sylvain and Ingrid exchanged worried yet knowing looks. Dedue stepped forward, though he had no words. Even the professor seemed to be at a loss.

Dimitri, however, just began laughing again and shouting nonsense.

“No one will rest until Edelgard and the rest of the Empire force are burning in hell.”

“Your Highness-”

“Did I stutter, Dedue? Or perhaps you are considering turning your back on me now?”

 “Snap out of it, Boar!” Felix growled. “We’re not going to-”

“Then leave! If you no longer see me as your leader, why not go join her?’

Silence.

You could only watch as Dimitri’s eyes scanned the faces of your allies, daring your friends to take a step in either direction. No one spoke, but there was a palpable tension in everyone’s body. In the way that Mercedes and Annette clung to each other, in the way that Felix kept his hand by his sword, Dedue kept silent and steady, and Professor Byleth did not intervene. In the way that Sylvain grit his teeth, Ashe pursed his lips, and Ingrid practically strangled the pole of her lance.

In the way that you stepped forward, quiet yet resolute.

“I won’t be treated like this.”

Dimitri scowled, “You’re a soldier, aren’t you? You signed up for this the moment you joined the Blue Lion house.”

“I signed up to fight in the hopes of protecting Faerghus and its people! I signed up to honor my family and keep the ones I love safe!” you shouted over him before bringing your voice back down. “There is no honor in this.”

“And you would not serve your future king? Where is your honor in running away?”

“I would not bow to those corrupted by their emotions! No one who would act in such a manner ought to represent Faerghus!”

“Then go to her! Run off and join the scum of the earth that march under that woman’s name!” he spat. “But mark my words, when we do meet again, I shall meet you with the fate of a traitor. There will be no mercy even should you beg for it. Do not expect remorse from any of us when your head, too, rolls upon the dirt.”

You did not allow your face to betray any emotion at all. You would show no sign of anything, despite the way his words cut through you. How could someone you practically exalted, someone you had become so close to over the past several months, turn around and talk to you like this.

Maybe your friends weren’t strong enough to stand up for themselves. Maybe they had too much to lose; people to protect and family to remain with. Ideals, relations, and possessions that could only be secure if they sided with Dimitri. A few had said as such, declaring their belief in Dimitri as their future king.

You loved them dearly, but there wasn’t a single one among them that you would allow yourself to be treated this way for. Especially not now, when none cared to stand up for you.

Finally, you clenched your teeth. If that was how he really felt, and if your friends were letting him speak for them, then that truly was the end of it.

“Maybe I will go. Edelgard would at least pretend to care whether I live or die, and the Black Eagles are actually bold enough to stand up for what they believe.”

Spinning on your heel, you left the Mausoleum alone. 

In truth, you had no intention of joining the empire. At least not at first. Once you arrived back home, you informed your parents of the prince’s delusion. They seemed to be proud of your decision, and as proof of their support, chose to become a neutral faction in the war. 

The amount of prestige and connections that came with that sacrifice…you were torn between being moved and remorseful. While it was true that your family had not lost too much power, as crest wielding houses tended not to do, there was still a great sacrifice made in keeping you safe from the Kingdom’s demands.

That was not the only change, however. It turns out that news travels fast when the family of a veritable noble house defects from their allies. People were stopping by left and right, bargaining troop stations, land usage, resource management, and all the other things that would keep your mother and father busy. You chose to focus on defending your land, though it did not consist of much work while both the Alliance and the Empire found it so valuable.

Needless to say, you were more than curious the day your mother called you into one of the drawing rooms to meet with one of her guests.

“Mother, what is this about? You know I prefer not to attend these sorts of things.”

“Oh, I know very well, darling. This one is a bit different, though. Someone has requested to confer with you directly, and I would have been in a bit of a tight spot to say no.”

“What do you mean?”

“It is no secret that we have been both opening up to and prospering from negotiations from several sides of this war. There have been enticing offers to nullify our neutrality and pledge allegiance here or there. You know this.”

“Oh,” you were beginning to catch on. “So then someone must have made an offer that you liked?”

“Just…promise me you’ll keep an open mind.”

“Of course.” 

With an odd tension about you, you braced yourself for whatever would be found in that room. Your mother was not usually one to be so cryptic. A quiet sigh left your lips as you turned around.

The doors opened in front of you.

“Ah, I see you made your way here without much trouble.”

…what?

“Lady Edelgard? What are you-...Shouldn’t you be heading the war effort somewhere?”

What was this, really?

Remembering yourself, you lowered yourself in greeting, “Forgive me, your Imperial Majesty.”

You rose, trying to process the image in front of you. The Emperor of Adrestia sat poised on the sofa with a cup of tea your mother had no doubt been the one to offer. At her side stood Hubert, dutiful as he was so often described.

Soundlessly, she set down her cup, “Everything I do is for the future. For this war to end. I took notice that you were not among your former classmates’ ranks and grew curious. Needless to say, I did not need to look far to find you.”

“It was not my intention to run and hide,” you stated, taking a seat on the couch across from Edelgard.

“I never meant to imply as such,” she began. “On the contrary, I believe you still have a place in this war. If you left for the reasons I believe you did, that is.”

The conversation that followed consisted of platitudes and ideals; the type of which you both seemed to agree upon. You found your own ideas of the values of talent and human life to be eerily similar. It was decidedly reassuring that she had come to you directly, so that you could see them reflected in the leader of the Empire firsthand.

In time, you would join the Empire’s ranks under a woman named Cornelia while your house remained neutral. It would not have been in the best interests for a house so distant from the Empire to declare fealty, after all.

~~~~~~~

Several years later, you would be uncertain of your decision.

After everything you had witnessed Edelgard do up to this point, you weren’t so sure she viewed your ideals in the same light. Crest beasts, experiments, secret treaties, and deals made in the dark of night…you couldn’t get behind it, but your family had already made its decision.

Even so…

I agreed to fight for the empire, you reminded yourself, not for this woman.

Right now, you were being assigned to defend the Kingdom’s capital in an effort led by Cornelia. Ironically, the sorceress seemed to be the epitome of everything you stood against, yet here you were as her ally.

How far you had come from home.

She had positioned you between a pair of horrifying machines; two technological terrors known as viskam.

How low you must have come from your initial meeting with the Emperor.

You watched as your previous house leader’s army dispersed. Some soldiers veered left, others went right, but Dimitri’s main force charged up the middle, directly at you and the mechs Cornelia had placed.

Watching diligently, you noted how the Kingdom soldiers would take on multiple of Cornelia’s fighters while Dimitri would sneak past.

Well, as sneaky as someone with a bright fur cape and a target on his back could be.

A thought came to mind with every step forward he took. It came slowly, not sudden in the slightest, but sure.

If I were to kill Dimitri, all of this would end.

It was true, you knew. You were unsure how you felt about it, though you deduced that part of that uncertainty came from your past friendship with the prince. But had he truly reverted from the monster you left in the Holy Mausoleum?

There was only one way to find out, you supposed. You would face your past friend head-on. If he turned out to be the same man you saw that day, you would not hesitate to kill him. Anything to end this war.

Just as he made his way to the staircase, you walked forward, blocking off the top.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Dimitri’s eyes went wide, but you didn’t buy it. He had a clear view of you positioned just below Cornelia since the moment he walked into her sight.

So what, then? Were you to believe his surprise came from the idea that you were actually trying to stop him? You’d be lying if you said that wasn’t the slightest bit insulting.

“It’s you…but why-”

You threw a dagger at him, which whiffed as he sidestepped, “That’s all I get? It’s you? After all those years, not to mention the amalgamation of everything you said and did once the Flame Emperor unmasked herself, you cannot even say my name?”

His eyes softened as though hurt, “I didn’t think I had the privilege, anymore.”

“Then fight me! You have always given yourself the privilege to take the lives of others,” another dagger, this one closer to hitting its mark before Dimitri barely moved out of the way, “Do not let mine be any different.”

“I’m sorry,” he approached you, climbing the stairs, “I understand why you left, but know now that I do not wish to hurt you. Just step aside so-”

“And then what? Let you kill Cornelia? Condemn thousands of others in some future conquest?”

What were you doing? This version of Dimitri was worlds apart from the boy you left in the Holy Mausoleum.

So why were you still fighting him?

A loud noise disrupted your thoughts. You turned to face it, noting that Dimitri paused, as well. Farther away, Cornelia let out a dark cackle.

“Wonderful job getting the poor princeling right where I need him. Your death will not be in vain.”

You did not allow yourself to fully process her words as a bright light shot out of the viskam that had made that awful noise, earlier. With the future king just paces away, you could guess where it was going to land.

But Dimitri had turned to face Cornelia.

It appeared you had a choice to make.

“Don’t resist,” you closed the distance between yourself and the Kingdom's rightful heir. He had grown since your last encounter; holding this grudge could only do more harm than good.

Maybe that meant you would not survive this, but in that moment, what was your life next to his?

So, in the second before he could react and before the viskam struck, you pushed Dimitri down the stairs.

And it was when the world went from bright white to pitch black that you knew your death would not be in vain.

~~~~

“A…ing…rk?”

“We…bre…ag?”

“I bel…sh…wake up in…!”

Everything ached, and you couldn’t move. It would probably hurt if you tried, anyway.

At least you could feel something, right? At least you were alive. Though if you had to go through life like this, then perhaps you were better off dead.

But then a cooling sensation began to make itself known throughout your body. It was strongest in your head, torso, and legs, though you could feel it spreading and connecting in your arms and neck.

Tentatively, you allowed your eyes to open.

“Oh, thank goodness! Mercie, we did it!” Annette beamed from her position at your head.

Felix scoffed, “About time.”

“How do you feel? Are you alright?”

“I can’t feel my legs,” you managed, surprised at the strength of your own voice, “and…I cannot move.”

Scanning the area with your eyes, you realized you hadn’t been moved, either. You were still lying on the floor by the stairs; exactly where you remember being struck down.

“Is Cornelia…?”

“Dead,” Felix confirmed.

“And I remember pushing his Highness down the stairs. It was the best I could do with my own strength…” you had known you weren’t strong enough to normally push him far enough out of the way nor to pull him far enough before he instinctively resisted, ”but he isn’t hurt too badly, is he?”

“Oh goodness, no! Annie told me she saw the whole thing. Apparently, Dimitri caught himself rather quickly.” Mercedes reassured you.

Annette frowned, “I’ve never had to spend this much time on an injury, and certainly not while working with others. I’m surprised it’s taking this long.”

“I’m surprised you’re alive.”

“Felix!”

“What? You and I both saw that thing,” he turned from Annette back to you. “If you had sustained any other injuries before getting hit by that thing, you’d have been dead on the spot.”

Annette and Felix continued their banter as you shut your eyes and listened. Finally, you began to feel your body coming back to life; stronger and back into your control.

“Okay, I think that should do it! How does that feel?”

Annette waited another moment for your response before calling your name in confusion.

“Oops,” Mercedes giggled, “I think the magic might have lulled them to sleep. We did go a little overboard, I suppose.”

“Is everything alright?”

The group turned, looking up at the new voice that joined them.

“Prince Dimitri! Yes, everything is fine. They should be all better upon awakening.”

“Ah, that’s good. I am sorry to have left you all here for so long. Sylvain, Ingrid, and myself were working on reconciling with the remaining soldiers.”

Felix raised a brow, “Then where are they?”

“Once the issue of alliances was out of the way, Ingrid told me they could handle the rest,” Dimitri directed his eyes down to you. “Sylvain…said it might be best if I came to check on them.”

The swordsman’s expression didn’t change, “Well that doesn’t make any sense. There’s already three of us-! Hey!”

Dimitri balked as he watched Annette get up and drag Felix with her. Mercedes followed close behind, smiling back at him. 

“Let us know if they need any more help!” 

“Y-Yes of course…” he stammered, confused.

“Of course what?”

Shocked to hear your voice, the Blue Lion’s leader dropped his gaze unto where you had been resting on the floor, “Ah! You’re awake!”

You made a small noise, blinking against the light of the sun as you began to sit up.

“Mercedes told me to fetch her if you were having any issues. Are you alright?”

Methodically, you tested each of your limbs, “Yes…Yes, I think so.”

“Good,” he sighed, and you swore you saw him relax the slightest bit.

The ensuing silence was uncomfortable, to say the least.

“Forgive me for this. I know you’ve just recovered, but I’d like to thank you for saving my life.”

“You're welcome,” you said, “but why are you apologizing for that?”

He maintained eye contact with you, “Because I would also like to ask you why you did that.”

At first, you didn’t really have a response. The more you thought about it though, the more clear everything felt in your head. There was really only one answer.

“I just did what I thought was right.”

“But I was terrible to you!” Dimitri didn’t hesitate, “I said horrible things to you, and I treated you like…”

“Like I was worthless?”

It was as though all the words left Dimitri's mouth. After another moment of silence, he finally averted his gaze, “I do not deserve your forgiveness.”

“No, you really don’t, do you?”

…no reaction. So he was telling the truth.

“But, if you were to apologize, I might forgive you.”

He looked to you slowly, a look of timid surprise written on the blond’s face, “Surely, it would take more than that…”

“It should not take more than that if you are genuine,” you painted your face with a small frown, in conflict with yourself, “You’re not the same person you were 5 years ago, Dimitri. I am not about to make a habit of forgiving people just because some time has passed, but I know that many more people can be helped if we clear the air right now.”

“Right,” he swallowed, extending his hand down to you. “In that case, know that I am truly sorry for the way I treated you, both within the Holy Mausoleum and the several days before. I also apologize for the effect it has had upon both you and your family, though it seems you have found a way to make the most of your situation.”

You laughed a bit at that, accepting his offer to help you to your feet, “I suppose you could say that.”

Now it was the prince’s turn to frown, “I am being serious. This will not happen again. I promise to respect and honor both you and all that you do for the Blue Lions.” He paused, suddenly unsure, “If…you do choose to come back, that is.”

Turning away to hide the small blush that appeared at his phrasing, you looked at the stairwell, “It would be thoughtless not to join, seeing how I almost died for you.”

At the feeling of his hands on your arms, you turned back to him, surprised.

“You must promise to never do that again. Do you understand me?”

“I…you know I could never promise that. You’re too important.”

“Swear it anyway,” he pleaded. 

How uncharacteristic, you wondered.

“Really, Dimitri-”

“I don’t care if it’s a lie,” he let go of you, taking a step back while never wavering his gaze, “Just…”

He seemed to have run out of words, and all the two of you could do was stare at each other. Eventually, you broke first with a sigh. You couldn’t bear to maintain eye contact knowing you could never rely on your words alone to determine your future. Regardless, you spoke.

“...I…promise…that will not happen again.”

A grimace appeared on Dimitri’s face out of the corner of your eye, but the two of you spoke no more after that. Wordlessly, you left to go find Mercedes and the others. Where Dimitri went in the moments following, you had no clue, but the conversation would stay in your mind throughout the rest of the war.

Only time would tell if your promise was kept.

[johanna-swann]

The dynamic between Jyn and Cassian is insane though and it's because they start as polar opposites who remind each other of what really matters and then they continue to bring out the best in each other.

Cassian is a seasoned veteran. He's been in this fight all his life, he has learned to only see the bigger picture and work towards the end goal - collateral damages be damned. He has to keep moving, keep fighting for the cause. He can't mourn every single individual lost on the way. He learned that sometimes innocent people have to die for the greater good. Sometimes Cassian has to kill innocent people for the greater good. He cares so much about the success of the Rebellion that he stopped caring about the people.

Jyn doesn't care for the Rebellion or the Empire. All of it has caused her nothing but pain. She doesn't care that the Empire is evil, she doesn't care what will happen to the universe in the long run. But she cares deeply about people. She sees a little girl standing in the crossfire, crying, defenseless and Jyn doesn't even hesitate. (If Jyn or Cassian had died there, their mission would've been lost. Cassian knows this and does nothing. Jyn knows this and still runs out into the open to save that little girl.) She jumps between a blaster and a droid she doesn't even like or trust on instinct. She still wants no part in the Rebellion, but despite her best efforts she can't stop herself from caring.

Through each other they learn to care about both again. Cassian shoots an allied man in cold blood at the beginning of the movie, but after meeting Jyn can't bring himself to follow orders and assassinate her father. Jyn wants nothing to do with the war, but after seeing first hand what Cassian and the rebels fight for joins a suicide mission to destroy the Empire.