#and the slow power has been the one i use in combat the least. even before it was a super. it's a puzzle power to me

[arolesbianism]

I've been playing the new cotl update and I generally like it but god do I fucking hate like all of the balance changes just let things be strong man

[lonepower]

hhhhuh. are they- doing this on purpose???

[too-much-tma-stuff]

Finally Getting Help (prt 11)

Masterpost

When Jason arrived at the manor to meet Danny it wasn’t him who greeted him but Damian. Jason tensed as he always did when he saw Damian, though now the feeling he got when he saw Damian made more sense to him. He had read the slide show, he knew that the urge to fight Damian wasn’t hatred, and neither was the way Damian lashed out at him… at least probably not. They should spar more, but not right now, he still needed to overcome the urge to fight Damian in the lobby.

“Todd,” Damian greeted.

“Demon-Brat,” Jason said, insults were practically his love language now anyway. 

Damian sniffed disdainfully, but he was shifting from foot to foot. He had something to say and was struggling to figure out how. Jason crossed his arms and dutifully waited for Damian to spit it out. “Danny has warned me about the role that combat has in courtship for his kind, I do not know why on earth he would want you to court him But that is his decision. I will not interfere but understand that he is vulnerable and he is protected. If you hurt him in any way there will be consequences.” 

“I’m not planning to hurt him, but I also don’t even know if we are ‘courting’ yet,” Jason said rolling his eyes. 

“Well then you’re even more of a fool then I thought,” Damian said with a disdainful sniff. “He’s a very powerful being, Zatana says that he will likely grow to be a god, you should be grateful he is willing to let you court him.” 

Jason blinked rapidly, he hadn’t been here for that conversation so that was the first he was hearing of that! It also occurred to him that Damian had a baby-crush on Danny and considered teasing him about it but decided not to. “Huh, good to know,” He said, simply reaching out to ruffle Damian’s hair and missing on purpose as he dodged away. “So where is Danny?”

“He’s waiting for you in the dojo upstairs,” Damian said, sounding a little resigned as he gestured upwards. “I hope you made reservations for somewhere worthy.”

“Don’t worry Dami,” Jason snorted, brushing past him to head towards the stairs. “I’ve got it under control.”

Once again as soon as he entered the dojo and saw Danny the violent urges surged but he wasn’t alone and he didn’t swing first. Danny came at him first and Jason rose to meet him. The fight was longer but less desperate this time. It felt like they were getting out their energy and anger without meaning it, and by the end Jason and Danny were both breathing hard and purring again. It really did feel like bonding, they were closer now then they had been at the beginning of the fight, even if they had hardly said a word.

It ended in a stalemate, or, Jason got Danny pinned but it couldn’t have been more obvious that Danny let him. Jason was glad they didn’t have an audience this time so later he could deny that made him blush. Danny gave him a cheeky grin and reached up to pull Jason down, slow enough that Jason was able to scramble away before Danny got hold of him.

He coughed to clear his  throat awkwardly, grabbing one of the towels that sat on a shelf on one side of the dojo, using it to wipe his face and the back of his neck. The fight had been intense enough to make him sweat, though Danny still seemed unbothered, and there were some gym style showers off of the dojo. 

“Well I’m glad I brought a change of clothes!I’m going to have a quick shower and then we can go out for dinner okay?”

“Sounds good, I’ll go change too. Alfred bought me a Ton of new clothes, I really didn’t need that much more. By the way, what sort of place are we going? I mean, should I dress up?” Danny asked a little awkwardly, Running a hand back through his hair to try and push his bangs back.

“I mean, probably a little bit?” Jason said. “If I didn’t take you somewhere nice I think Damian would shank me. It’s cute how protective of you he is,” Jason teased. 

“Alright, so we talking jeans and a button down? Or proper dress pants?” Danny asked, cocking his head to the side. 

“Better to go with dress pants. The good ones are pretty comfortable anyway, and Alfred wouldn’t get you bad one. No need for a jacket though, unless you’ll be cold?” 

“I have an ice core, I never get cold,” Danny laughed. Jason was just going to pretend he understood what that meant.

“Alright,” Danny agreed, bouncing to his feet in a way that denied gravity and bouncing out of the room to go get changed.

Jason grinned like an idiot after him before shaking off the feeling and going to have a quick shower and get dressed for their date.

Jason showered and dressed in a red shirt and soft brown pants before meeting up with Danny who was wearing a blue that brought out his eyes and black pants, he looked… very good. Judging by the blush on Danny’s cheeks he thought the same thing about Jason. 

“Have you ridden on a motorbike before?” Jason asked rather than acknowledging any of that.

“Oh! Ya I have, not that often but I know the basics,” Danny assured, following Jason eagerly towards the door. 

“Great, I have an extra helmet for you.”

“Do I have to?” Danny sighed dramatically. “It wouldn’t kill me anyway if I fell off.”

“Yes you have to,” Jason said firmly, his stomach twisting at the idea of Danny getting hurt. “You have to be more careful Danny! I get that we’re all bad about risk taking, and you’re tough, but you don’t have just yourself to worry about anymore!” Jason said, trying not to sound too much like he was scolding Danny. He wasn’t sure it worked because Danny did look pretty chided as he took the helmet. 

“The babies aren’t in my head, the helmet wouldn’t protect them,” He muttered as he put it on. Jason just hummed and rolled his eyes as he put his own on. 

Danny got on the bike behind him and wrapped his arms around Jason’s waist, snuggling up against his back even as continued to sulk. “Hold on tight, and the helmets have mics so we can still talk without having to yell. It’s a bit of a drive,” Jason warned. He could have gotten there a lot faster, but not without breaking traffic laws and he was in civvies so a half hour drive it had to be.

Danny hummed and tightened his grip on Jason as he kicked back the stand and revved the bike, peeling out of the driveway in a way he knew would piss off Bruce. It also made Danny yelp and cling tighter though so Jason slowed down a bit once they were out of the driveway. 

Danny was quiet for maybe ten minutes and Jason was starting to worry he’d upset Danny more then he realized and maybe should apologize when he spoke up. “You’re right. When Cass clocked that I was pregnant it was the first time I’d talked to anyone about it besides Vlad. I’m not… Honestly the way I’ve survived most of the shit that’s happened to me was not thinking about the implications. I’m not sure how I’m going to do this. I’m in a way better position now then I was even a week ago but it’s going to be such a big change I’m having a hard time imagining what it's even going to look like.”

Jason hummed, nodding and taking a moment to consider his response. His first instinct was to remind Danny that he didn’t Have to have the babies since it was still early but he knew that the other bats would have already brought it up. If Danny was anything other than fiercely protective and utterly determined to have the babies Bruce and Dick would still be trying to convince him to not be a teen parent and focus on his education. The same way they had tried to convince everyone in the family not to be vigilantes and utterly failed. 

“You’re going to be a good dad Danny, and you’re not going to do this alone. Bruce never got to have any of us as babies, the youngest of us was 12 when he adopted us and I know he’s looking forward to having a baby around. Alfred is too, and Damian and Dick will compete for best uncle. Money is no object, you’ll get everything you and the babies need. It’s still going to be a big change obviously but there’s nothing to be scared of I promise,” Could he make that promise really? Well he just did so he’d better do his best to make sure it was kept. 

“It’s not just that though,” Danny said and hesitated again. Jason stayed quiet to let him organize his thoughts. “My binder is hurting more to wear, my.. Chest aches, I told Bruce I was just incubating ghost cores. And that’s what I’ve been telling Myself too, but I got sick this morning and the babies are clones of me, and I’m half human. What if I actually am pregnant?

“I told Jazz I’d bring up going to a human doctor but then dodged it. I haven’t been in years and I am nervous about going again but it’s more than that. I don’t like my body, I’m too young for hormones or surgery but if my body changes. What if my chest hurts too much and I can’t wear my binder anymore? What if they grow more? They’ve always been small enough to hide before.

“I don’t mind the idea of my stomach growing, or even really being a mom. I’m a man but I do feel like I identify more with maternity than paternity. It’s really just my.. Breasts. God I hate that word. I don’t want them to grow, I don’t want to lactate or breastfeed. I mean, I DO, I actually really do but just the idea is giving my dysphoria at the same time that I really want to do it to bond with the babies.” It was like a dam had broken and Danny’s words came fast and a little loud, breathing hard between bouts of talking. 

“Deep breaths please Danny, take a few deep breaths,” Jason soothed, taking one hand off the handlebars briefly to pat Danny’s hands where they were clasped over his stomach. He was a bit at a loss about this, none of his siblings were trans, he knew trans people but he’d never had to talk anyone through these particular problems. “These are a lot of what ifs to be panicking about. It’s totally your choice, the babies can be bottle fed if the time comes and you’re not up to it. There’s nothing wrong with that. We’ll all be here for you no matter what happens, but you really should go to the doctor Danny. At least then we’ll know what to expect right?”

“Will you come with me to the doctor? I’m a bit scared of human doctors, I’ve heard people talking about experimenting on me so much as Phantom that every time I’m in a lab-like environment now I can’t stop thinking about it,” Danny asked, a pleading edge to his voice.

“Ya, I’ll come with you, and whoever else you want,” Jason promised, because what else could he say? “We’ll make an appointment for you with Dr. Leslie, she sees all of us vigilantes, she sees just about everyone involved in the night life and never Ever talks to the cops or the feds. Trust me no one can get that woman to talk to anyone, she’s safe.”

“Thank you,” Danny murmured, leaning his cheek against Jason’s shoulder. The rest of the ride was a quiet one as Danny recovered and Jason tried not to overthink his lackluster responses. 

-----

Jason parked a block away from the restaurant rather than trusting any concierge with his bike and waited for Danny to get off before he did. He took off his helmet and took Danny’s from him and locked them both in the storage compartment on his bike before leading the way, shoving his hands awkwardly in his pockets. He was never the most… socially competent. He was better than Tim but he was worse than Dick and Bruce and in moments like this he wished these things came a little easier to him.

Danny was quiet, his hands swinging loosely by his side as he followed, Jason noted the way he kept looking around them. They all did that, looking for threats civilians might not see, it was how you spotted a hero even when they weren’t trying to be spotted. Still there were no problems between the bike and the restaurant and when they got inside Jason softly asked the host to make sure Danny got one of the menus without prices. He was knew to this lifestyle, Jason remembered the first time he’d gone out to a fancy dinner with Wayne the prices had nearly given him a heart attack and he was younger and less set in his ways then Danny.

He didn’t want Danny to worry about the prices, he’d be paying and he was both the son of a millionaire and a crime lord, he could buy the entire fucking place without blinking. The host nodded understanding and ushered both of them to the most private table in the establishment. 

They settled in and ordered drinks, Jason a coke and Danny a signature lemonade before they were left with the menus. Danny gave Jason a suspicious look when he noticed there weren’t any prices but when Jason innocently pretended not to notice Danny huffed and decided not to bring it up. 

“Order whatever you want, appetizer and dessert too,” Jason encouraged, putting on his innocent face again when Danny gave him a Look. 

“Alright,” Danny agreed with a dramatic sigh, he didn’t need to be pushed too hard though, Alfred had mentioned Danny was almost always hungry, wish was why Jason hadn’t chosen one of the fancy places with ridiculously small portions.

Danny took a while to choose, and asked Jason about a few items and words on the menu. Finally he sighed and put his menu down to indicate he was done. It wasn’t long before the waitress returned to take their order for appetizers and main before vanishing again.

“So,” Danny asked leaning against the table and clasping his hands. “You have questions?”

Next

[underdark-dreams]

Hi! I love your Rolan fics so much!! If you’re still accepting ideas, may I request one where Rolan & Tav slow dance together? The two of them just finding their own little corner away from everyone and enjoying a close moment together. Thank you! 😊

Rolan x fem!Tav

Starlight

"Happiness suits you." Sometimes a moment alone is all you need. After the Battle of Baldur's Gate is past and the dust has settled, Rolan and Tav find the steps forward.

Tags: Slow Dance, Fluff, Mutual Pining | Word Count: 3.5k [Read on AO3]

The high society of Baldur's Gate had its own kind of dance, and Rolan found that the steps came quite naturally to him.

He had always been made for nights like these: the main floor of Ramazith’s Tower filled with lords and ladies of the partriar families, a sea of color and chatter and pure power in one room. All of them here at his invitation.

Rolan had scarcely gotten a moment alone the entire evening. He’d expected curiosity about the new Master of the Tower, but the sheer quantity of it took him aback.

For all their influence across Baldur’s Gate and beyond, it had come as a surprise just how little these people knew about Ramazith’s Tower and its various inhabitants. Evidently many wizards were territorial creatures who hoarded their lives and their knowledge far away from prying eyes. His previous master certainly had been—even with his own student. Ramazith’s reputation was even worse somehow.

It was a legacy Rolan had no interest in continuing. Knowledge had its own kind of magic; when shared, it only multiplied. To his mind, it was also a misstep to ignore the influence that came along with the role of archwizard. He had just as much of a role in Baldurian politics as he would have to research and educate in the arcane.

Once the dust settled after the great battle for Baldur’s Gate, Rolan put his plans into action. Tonight was the first step toward change. Gathering the high families, opening up the Tower to those outside the magical arts—it was at least a start.

Yet even Rolan found himself tiring of it all after several hours of introductions and political discussions. He had retreated with wine in hand to watch the fete continue from the upper mezzanine. There was only one person left in the room who he really wished to speak with, and he found it challenging to get the timing right. 

For the umpteenth time this evening, Rolan found himself searching the floor for Tav. Even in this sea of people her figure drew his eyes as if she had him enchanted.

After months of only knowing her dressed for combat, it was unexpectedly charming to see her dressed in finery. It suited her. Her dress was cut in a simple but elegant shape, with a high neckline that flowed all the way down to the hem brushing the tops of her feet. 

The dramatic detail was in the back: a large keyhole opening which displayed a very generous glimpse of skin from her shoulder blades down to the curve of her lower back.

Rolan found himself continuously distracted by that patch of bare flesh. Throughout the evening, occasionally in the middle of conversation with a council member, his eyes had been drawn to Tav from across the room. He felt it every time she turned her back to him, and he wondered whether she had any idea what she was doing.

But she was in even higher demand than himself this evening. Unsurprising to anyone who knew her role in saving their city from the precipice of disaster. So far he’d only managed to exchange a few glances with her from across the room, though each time she had offered him a warm smile.

Rolan’s fingers nervously adjusted his own lapel. He’d changed his dress for the evening as well; his new robes were light, fine silk stitched with gold trim. Fitting attire for his new station in life.

It was an odd sensation to finally be free of the metal apprentice’s mantel that used to rest over his shoulders. He felt lighter, less encumbered—and strangely exposed because of it.

“Itchy, right?” 

Cal appeared at his shoulder, tugging on the collar of his own dress tunic. He must have interpreted Rolan’s fussing as discomfort rather than nerves. A misunderstanding Rolan was content to let him continue in.

“Enjoying yourself?” Rolan asked dryly. From Cal’s squirming, he’d already guessed the answer.

“Hardly,” Cal muttered. He gave up with his shirt and took a long drink from his goblet instead. “I barely know any of these people. Well, there’s Alfie, but she told me off for trying to talk to her.”

Rolan glanced to the small platform along the far wall below. Alfira had been almost unbearably gleeful when he’d asked to hire her musical talents for this evening. But to her credit, Rolan had to admit that she was the picture of professionalism where she stood. The gentle stylings of her lute floated to fill the spacious room around them.

“Of course she did,” Rolan told his brother. “Tonight’s important for her too, you know. Rich people always have children who need music lessons.”

Cal let out a sigh. “I guess. It’s just weird having things change so much. Tav’s still okay, though,” he added.

To Rolan’s annoyance, his brother prodded an elbow into his side. “She looks nice, right?”

“Fine. Quit it—” Rolan shooed the arm away with an irritable hand.

“Have you talked to her yet?”

“Too busy,” Rolan replied. It wasn’t quite a lie. Despite himself, he cast another glance around the faces below. Tav’s was currently absent from the crowd—he hoped she hadn’t left for the night.

“Sure,” Cal replied knowingly from beside him. But he only drained the last of his wine and turned to leave. “Just don’t wait too long, yeah? You might be busy forever.”

Rolan didn’t deign that with a response as the younger man made his way back down to the party. Cal was right, and he found there was an anxious buzzing between his ears because of it. With Tav currently nowhere to be found, Rolan decided it may be best to gather his head while he could. 

Quietly enough to not attract attention, he slipped up the stairs and out onto the wide circular balcony. A welcome breeze ruffled through his clothing as he stepped out into the starry evening. Passing through the vaulted doorway was like entering a connected but distinct new realm; the sea of voices behind him faded to a soft hum. Only Alfira’s music carried clearly outdoors and into the night. 

Rolan leaned his free hand on the cool stone railing. The peaceful air soothed his mind—he hadn’t realized that a headache had been steadily building behind his skull from hours in a room full of echoing voices. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks for the invite tonight.”

Just as he’d relaxed, Tav’s voice made Rolan start. He finally caught sight of her leaning against a stone pillar to his right—her dark gown must have camouflaged her. Rolan hoped the low light had made his fluster just as unnoticeable. 

Gathering himself, he lifted his wine in her direction. “I’d be remiss to leave out the hero of Baldur’s Gate from such an event.”

Tav pulled a face at the name, but she approached with her own goblet in hand to join him at the railing. “Don’t you start,” she warned playfully. “I got enough of that inside. Had to come out here for a rest from it.”

“Not much I can do to help on that score, I’m afraid. A lot of people will be grateful to you for a long time.” Rolan watched as she settled beside him, then turned with her to look down at the cityscape below. 

From this height, the lamp flames formed strings of luminous pearls through the streets and alleys of the city. A flock of distant white sails waved in the harbor; trade ships waiting like slumbering giants for the return of first light.

“Nice view,” Tav remarked in approval.

Rolan glanced sideways at her face. For one insane moment, he considered parrying that into a compliment on her appearance. She certainly deserved one tonight. But he maintained his grip on sanity, and resisted.

“So—” Tav tilted her head to meet his eye. “How’s life in the Upper City?”

Rolan knew Tav’s expressions well enough by now to suspect she was teasing a bit. “Busy,” he answered truthfully. “So much more than I expected.”

“Everyone’s certainly curious about you,” she agreed. “If there’s one thing lords and ladies can’t resist, it’s a new face in society. This was genius, by the way—” Tav gestured her wine glass back at the gathering inside.

“Is it?” Rolan was skeptical. “It seems like the obvious move to me.” 

Tav grinned at him. “That’s what makes it so genius.”

The conversation lulled for a moment as they stood looking out over the quiet city. Rolan found that his initial nerves at being alone with her like this were melting away. Speaking with Tav was comfortable; even silence with her was comfortable somehow. Rolan was the first to break it.

“What about you? What will you do now?”

She sighed down at the view below. “Honestly? I don’t know. I’d like to stay in Baldur’s Gate if I can. Too many friends here to think about leaving.”

During the pause that followed, Rolan wondered if she counted him among them. He found it was very important to him that she did. Before he could decide whether to ask, Tav continued.

“I did get a few promising job offers tonight, if you can believe it. Including one from Lord Jannath to join his private council. Or maybe that was a euphemism,” she added.

“He’s a cad,” Rolan said immediately.

“Oh, I’m well aware of Raylen Jannath’s reputation. And I’m sure it’s entirely deserved.” Tav looked over at him with a glint in her eye. “Don’t worry. I’m no wide-eyed babe.”

“No, you’re not,” Rolan agreed. His jaw clenched with annoyance nevertheless. “But you care about doing good. Some people will always try to take advantage of that.”

“I’ll just refer them to my friend the powerful archwizard, shall I?”

Rolan exhaled a sharp breath of laughter and tried to ignore the way his stomach flipped at her choice of words.

“You’re always welcome in this tower,” he told her. “If nothing else, I hope you know that.”

Tav regarded him for a moment. The hand holding her goblet swirled the liquid inside in a thoughtful motion. “You’ve changed a lot, you know.”

He was curious what made her say such a thing. “Have I?”

“Sure you have.” Tav’s eyes still moved pensively over his face. “Back when we first met, you didn’t seem…” She searched for the word. “Well. Interested in most of the others from Elturel. And now look at the community you’ve built. Alfira tonight, helping Dannis and Bex get their teashop funded. Even Dammon says you gave him an open contract for any metalwork anywhere in the whole Tower.” 

“You’ve been talking with Lia too much.” Rolan heard the defensiveness in his own voice, but he couldn’t help it. Something about the way Tav was looking at him made his face warm.

“I’m just saying it’s nice,” she finished with a gentle smile. “I always thought you had a bigger heart than you let on.”

“Yes, yes,” Rolan drawled as he raised his goblet. Tav gave thought to his heart—that revelation required wine.

“Remember that night at the Grove?”

Rolan looked at her over the edge of his cup. “That party at your camp, you mean?”

So casual, so unpracticed—as if he didn’t think of that night often.

“Alfira played this song,” she continued.

Rolan had to pause for a moment to focus on the melody floating out to where they stood. When his ear caught the tune, he shifted on his feet. “Ah.”

He knew where she was going with this, but Tav still went on. “Danis and Bex started pairing people up, and I’d already had far too much wine…so I went on and asked you for a dance. Remember?”

“Yes.” Rolan felt a sudden urge to hang his head. 

Tav’s eyes were shining with amusement. She gestured her glass toward him in an expectant motion, as if giving him his cue. Rolan let out a very reluctant sigh.

“And I told you I wouldn’t be caught dead dancing in such an uncivilized place,” he finished.

“I believe the term you used was ‘common,’” she chuckled. “You always did have a way with words.” But then she glanced down to the drink between her hands. “Actually…it was a bit disappointing at the time.”

Rolan’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

Tav looked back up at him as though he’d grown another pair of horns. “Because I wanted to dance with you, Rolan. Why else?” She shook her head as she turned back to the view. “Wizards, I swear…not everything is a riddle.”

Rolan considered her words, considered Tav where she stood beside him. Before he knew what he was doing, his fingers were reaching for the wine glass in her near hand. She allowed him to pluck it carefully from her grip; her face was a mask of puzzlement as she watched him set their drinks aside on the flat of the stone railing.

Rolan turned back to her. “Let me make it up to you, then.” He extended a hand toward her palm-up.

Tav cocked her head at him. The corners of her mouth twitched as if she thought this might be some kind of joke. For a moment Rolan felt every bit the fool, standing here with his empty hand outstretched. 

Then her fingers raised to brush across his. “Deal.”

He almost certainly had this backwards—weren’t the hands supposed to be the other way around? But there was no time to think about that now. 

Tav took a step closer, her long skirt swinging against his legs. She clasped Rolan’s forearm where it hung at his side, guided it around behind her waist, and then laid her other hand against his shoulder.

The cutout in the back of her dress resulted in Rolan’s skin meeting hers a second time. His mind had somehow neglected to prepare for that; for a few seconds it took all of his concentration to keep his movements smooth and controlled.

Tav began swaying in time with the distant music, just a gentle step side to side and back again. Rolan followed her lead. 

“Is this right?” Tav asked. With her face upturned to him under starlight, she looked somehow younger than her years and experience.

“I don’t know,” Rolan admitted. His head was too full of other things—the softness of Tav’s hand in his, the disorienting curve of her back under his palm, not to mention trying like hells not to step on her. “I’ve honestly never done this before.” 

“Oh, come on.” Tav’s expression relaxed again as they swayed back and forth together. “No sweethearts back in Elturel? I find that hard to believe.”

When was the last time you touched someone like this? Unwelcome, embarrassing, the thought nevertheless sprang to Rolan’s mind. It was certainly longer ago than he cared to admit. Then again, maybe he’d never touched someone quite like this.

“No one like you,” he decided.

At that Tav only chewed the inside of her lip and gave a thoughtful hum. Whether she sensed his discomfort or whether he’d embarrassed her himself, she didn’t ask for details. He was relieved as the subject drifted away, replaced by the distant lute song and the soft rustle of her skirt as they moved. 

After another quiet moment, he felt compelled to speak up again. “You were right before, you know. I have changed.”

“Oh?” Tav looked up at him with curiosity. But she waited patiently for him to continue. Rolan was grateful for it; finding the right words took some thought.

“I suppose I've learned that pride and arrogance aren’t the same thing. Lorroakan taught me to see the difference. As did you,” he added. He swallowed against the discomfort of vulnerability. “I was so damn arrogant then…but I wasn't proud of myself. Not really. You helped me find how to be.”

Tav’s eyes moved back and forth between his as she listened. “Then I’m glad for it. You have a lot to be proud of, Rolan.” 

An odd mixture of feelings rose in his throat; he felt humbled and pleased with himself all at once. It was impossible to put into words. Rolan only bowed his head slightly to her, and the space between them lapsed into a comfortable silence once more.

After a while, the dance relaxed into something more casual. Alfira’s lute had taken up a different tune back in the main hall. Their steps no longer kept time with the music now, drifting along with each other in a new rhythm instead. Her hand had migrated from the side of his shoulder to let her wrist hang limp by his collar. 

As they swayed together in silence, Rolan felt her fingers carding absently through the ends of his hair.

When he caught her eye, Tav’s hand stilled. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he told her. “It’s not unpleasant.”

For some reason that made Tav laugh. “There you go again. ‘Not unpleasant.’ Can’t you just say something’s pleasant and have done with it?”

Though their stance was still a bit awkward, something about having her in his arms made Rolan bold. He looked straight into her face. “Then allow me to try again. You look very beautiful tonight.”

Tav’s lips parted in surprise for a moment. Then she glanced away to the side, and Rolan saw a flush of color rise to her cheek.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “So do you. Handsome, that is,” she added in a rush. “Happiness suits you.”

She had a knack for saying the most perceptive things. Right now, finding himself abruptly launched to the peak of his life’s dream, with the people he cared for safe and provided for, Rolan supposed that he was happy. All the more for the person holding his hand.

“Are you happy, Tav?”

She turned back to him slowly. As she did, her fingers happened to brush against his neck again, sending a shiver up Rolan’s spine that had nothing to do with the evening breeze around them. 

“I am,” she murmured. “Right now…very.”

For the first time tonight, Rolan became aware of just how near her face was. It was tilted slightly up to meet his, and the angle happened to leave a clear path to her mouth. It would take only the smallest movement to close the distance.

And without thinking—just for once in his life—he did. 

As he tilted his head toward her, Rolan felt Tav’s hand curl behind his neck to pull him gently forward. Their lips brushed together soft as a whisper, but the sensation ran through him clear as the ring of a bell. His fingers splayed against the warmth of her lower back, pressing her figure in closer against his own— 

“Rolan, we’ve been looking ev—”

The two of them broke apart as if jolted by electricity. Tav wheeled away, face entirely hidden and one hand clasped up to her mouth. Rolan rounded on the doorway.

“What?” He blurted out.

Cal stood there frozen in place, mouth agape, his eyes flicking back and forth between Rolan and Tav. The air between the three of them was filled with enough raw awkwardness as to make Rolan’s skin crawl.

“Nevermind,” Cal said hoarsely. “It’s—they—nevermind.”

He swiftly turned on his heel and retreated without another word, leaving the two of them standing alone again on their balcony.

But the comfortable atmosphere was gone. Rolan had never felt more uncomfortable in his life. He squeezed eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, allowing a guttural sound to rise straight from the depths of his chest.

“We’ve been alone out here for half an hour—” A few steps away, Tav’s voice was choked with laughter behind her hand. “And the second we even try to—”

Rolan worked his eyes open to glance at her. Her shoulders were shaking with amusement, causing the end of her statement to dissolve helplessly.

“This isn’t funny,” he told her weakly, even as she turned back to him and wiped tears of mirth from the corners of her eyes.

“No,” she said, biting her lip against a fresh burst of laughter. “It’s absolutely hilarious.”

Rolan passed a hand over his face with a groan. “Once, just once, I wanted things to go right with us.”

Something in the phrase quieted Tav’s laughter. Rolan met her eye then, sure she must see how mortified he was—but found a look of delight spreading across her features.

“Us?” She raised her eyebrows at him with a smile.

Rolan could only let out a defeated sigh. “Do I have to say it?”

Tav tried to look like she was seriously considering things, but she couldn’t quite fight back her smile all the way. “Not tonight,” she allowed. “I think you’ve suffered enough.”

“Thank you,” was all Rolan could say. His heart pounded painfully against his ribs from the most confusing swirl of feelings.

They looked at each other for another long moment, communicating a dozen different things without a word.

“Well…” Tav moved forward once more to loop her arm through his. Close beside him, the starlight shone in her eyes. “Shall we go in then, Rolan?”

[precambrian-sea-pancake]

Giving context to things in Shadows of Rose that really needed context because I didn’t like them and they barely got context.

1) The Winter’s separating: it’s very much established they would not willingly separate. Mia loves Rose. There’s no way she’d willingly give up another family member after being widowed. Plus, Chris OF ALL PEOPLE should not want to separate the family. Literally the whole theme was about family. Hot take but there’s 3 of them.

2) Chris saying he would protect Rose and then asking her to join the squad: I refuse to believe Chris would go against his dying friend’s wishes. Putting someone in a fight isn’t protection

3) Rose barely knowing anything about Ethan: I mean…come on. That’s your dead husband and your dead friend who basically made you the godfather. There’s got to be a reason, right?

So…enjoy me fixing all of that by saying things Capcom loves to leave out

———

Mia raised Rose in the beginning when she was a kid, with the help of Chis. They were close. She was very paranoid about her safety and did everything she could to help Rose live a normal life considering they were under even stricter protection than before. Because of this and the fact that Rose would be too young to understand at the time, Mia and Chris were very selective about what was said. They told her things like “your father loved you” “he died protecting you” “he would’ve loved to be here”

The two of them wanted her so do to school because she needed socialization. Unfortunately she had a very hard time. Chris and Mia did their best to be supportive but it was a very tough situation for all of them.

Eventually when she got a little older the higher ups realized how much at risk the Winters were (and also for selfish reasons because Rose powerful. I mean…let us not forget Sherry ;-;), decided it would be best to separate the two to “protect” them. Be it by boarding school, training, etc. It’s kinda unclear but it happened.

Mia hated this. She couldn’t lose Rose but ultimately didn’t have any power over the situation. Chris hated it just as much also tried to prevent this but he too couldn’t change it.

Chis contact with Rose given his job and was the bridge between the two but as time went on things got more complicated and messy.

Eventually Chris got to a point where he wanted Rose by his side more often and to be the one in control instead of the higher ups. So he wanted Rose to join his squad so she could defend herself and not belong to some shitty government thing. At least this way it was easier…at least in Chris’s mind. To him it was protection. Was it the best idea? No, but to him it was.

After the DLC, they learn Ethan is still present in some sort of way. It motivates Chris to try fighting once more for the family to be together again.

Rose remembers everything she saw in the Megamycete’s recreation of her old house and how both of her parents loved her…and sees the mother on the bus reading a book to her kid.

Now both motivated to try again they’re successfully able to get visitation between Rose and Mia.

It starts off slow but eventually it happens more and more. It’s hard because it’s been so long, but they work to reconnect. Since Rose is older and has context, Mia (although very hesitant and needing some encouragement. Plus taking a few meetings for it to even happen) explains their family history to Rose piece by piece until the story is complete.

As for Rose joining the squad?

She joined because she knew her dad fought to help her family. She, like her father, is a kind person. She wants to help protect people and make sure they don’t suffer the same fate as her family. One more good soul to combat a corrupt world. She’s at an awkward age at a very emotional time. Her decisions might not be final but it’s giving it a try. She might stay or she might not. She might like it or she might hate it. Only time and experiences will decide that.

While things aren’t perfect, the Winters are at least together. Just like what Chris tried to do, and just like what Ethan wanted.

———

It’s not perfect, but I tried my best with what was available and worked within the confines of the story. I loved the DLC, but it does have flaws that annoy me. So I fixed it UwU.

[wanderinginksplot]

Refuge Chapter Six

Continued slow-burn Delta Squad x fem!reader fic

Now that you've made your decision, the real work begins.

Word Count: 4,700

Warnings: Mild suspicions, explosions, mentions of theft and pickpocketing

Previous | Next | Masterlist

---

Training

“And certain you are of this choice?” Master Yoda asked you, his voice grave.

You hesitated, unwilling to lie. Were you certain? No, not entirely. But despite your lack of confidence, this was the right decision. You knew that much. Your gut - maybe the Force, maybe just instinct - was drawing you toward Delta Squad, and you knew better than to go against a feeling that strong.

“This is the correct choice,” you answered eventually, deciding on simple honesty.

Yoda's eyes - disproportionately large and disconcertingly insightful - were locked on you for a heart-pounding moment before he nodded slowly. "Agree with you, I do. As does the Council."

That took a moment to filter past the roaring in your ears, but the kind nods and gentle smiles from the Council behind the diminutive Jedi master helped you understand.

"Thank you," you said, fighting back a wince at the tremors you could hear in your own voice.

"It will not be a simple task," Master Unduli warned. "We will not send you into the field without any training."

"Training?" you repeated, frowning at the unexpected revelation.  

"Yes, training." Master Windu's tone was firm. "At the very least, we will teach you to recognize when you're using the Force. Beyond that, you'll get training on how to infiltrate an area, basic combat abilities, weapons training, and as much information about Separatist battle plans and tactics as we can manage."

"And how long will that take?" you asked carefully, striving not to sound ungrateful.

“Likely a few weeks,” Master Unduli calculated. “Delta Squad will complete their next mission alone. You will not accompany them until the following mission.”

“A few weeks,” you mused. It was a shorter span of time than you had expected, but you still had some questions. “I’m sorry, Masters, but that seems like an extremely short amount of time. Am I going to be able to learn everything I need to know by then?”

“It will be a lot of work,” Master Windu warned, his brows lowered into a foreboding line. “You must be prepared for that.”

“The reason your training will not last longer is that we are not teaching you to be a Jedi,” Master Unduli explained. “You will learn some control exercises, but you only need to use them when your emotions begin to get the best of you. You will practice controlling your emotions and recognizing when you are beginning to lose that control. You will learn the basics of working in a combat situation, as well as the expectations of working with the GAR.”

You nodded, but Yoda spoke next. “Warn you, we must. Instructed, Delta Squad has been. If signs of betrayal they see, inform us they will. Watching, we will be.”

“I understand,” you agreed. “When do I start?”

“Today.”

“I’m sorry?” you said politely to Master Yoda. You had heard some of the younglings in the Temple talk about the tiny green Jedi, and all of it was done in tones of awe. He, apparently, was one of the most powerful Jedi to have ever lived… and he had lived for a great deal longer than it would seem. It paid to be polite, even if you were taken fully aback by the answer he had given you. 

“One of the instructors, Master Vildon Haze, is going to begin training you in control techniques,” Master Unduli told you. “This afternoon, your instruction will be undertaken by an expert in the criminal underworld of the galaxy, Master Tera Sinube.”

“So, control over my feelings and learning about the criminal underworld,” you summarized. “Are those going to be the two main things I focus on?”

“Consider this your first lesson,” Master Windu said, not unkindly. “Trust that we know the correct path for you. Save your questions for the things that really matter.”

You bowed your head slightly, trying to decide whether that was something you were able to accept as a good idea. You had always overflowed with questions, doing your best to learn about everything and everyone around you - it was what had helped you survive the Separatists as long as you had. The idea of trying to change that facet of yourself was… uncomfortable.

No, not change, you amended internally. Just bite back. Push it down for a little while as you trained in the Jedi temple. They were not asking you to become a Jedi. As soon as you learned what you needed to know to function alongside Delta Squad, you would be on your own once more and could ask every question that came into your head.

With that in mind, you nodded. “Yes, Masters.”

—

"How do you think the jetii will go about training her?" Scorch asked in a rare quiet moment.

"That really what you're thinking about right now?" Fixer bit out, checking his blaster for damage. 

Scorch shrugged. "What else should I be thinking about?"

Boss stared at him, inclining his head to indicate the current situation. "Finding a way out of this cave would be a good place to start."

"I have a way: a thermal detonator, some explosive tape, and a reckless disregard for life." With that, Scorch finished rigging the improvised blasting system and patted the rock wall beside it. He knew better than to risk patting the system itself. "There you go. Done in less than two minutes and I was able to think about the newest Delta at the same time. Try to act like you aren't impressed."

"I'm not impressed," Sev snapped. "You're the reason we're stuck here in the first place."

It was true, but Scorch didn't let that bother him. Anyone could have thrown a thermal detonator that had a forgotten piece of blasting tape stuck to it. It was just bad luck that the combined explosion had been strong enough to start a rock slide that trapped Delta Squad in a cave.

"Look on the bright side," Scorch suggested. "At least there aren't any enemies out there."

Sev scoffed, but Boss looked at the entrance of the cave, hidden behind a messy spill of rocks. He activated his HUD’s heat sensor with a twitch of his cheek and performed a brief search for living organisms outside. He gave a short nod. 

"Scorch is right: if there are wets out there, they're either dead or dying."

"Just wait until this hits 'em," Scorch agreed, indicating his work on the perimeter of the slide. “Speaking of, take cover.”

Sev wordlessly led the retreat toward the back of the cavern. He had been front and center for most of Scorch’s exploits since… well, since Kamino. Boss and Fixer had been present for more than a few, but their pace was too slow. It told Scorch they didn’t understand what was about to happen, not really. 

Ah, well. They’d find out soon enough. Scorch moved to the closest possible spot that could still be deemed safe, broadcasted a short countdown in the inter-HUD comm channel, and activated the detonator. 

The resulting explosion was stunning, even to the person who had set the charges.

A blinding flash and a deafening roar did their best to destroy two of Scorch’s senses, but the wave broke against the muffling plastoid of his helmet. When the dust settled, there was an open space where the previously blocked entrance to the cave had been. 

“Mission accomplished,” Scorch announced, rising from his protective crouch.

Fixer was cursing into the squad comm channel while Sev growled something foul in Mando’a. Boss strove for a milder tone. “Scorch, you think you might have overshot the parameters of the assignment?”

Scorch turned, arms open wide as he indicated the space around him and over his head. “You said you wanted it clear, Boss. I got it clear. Besides, didn’t the Sarge always teach us that commandos go above and beyond? Or… wait. That might have been the holos of propaganda they show to the natties. But at least we have a clear exit.”

Boss snorted at Scorch’s rambling. As he passed by, taking point as always, Scorch saw his helmet tip back as he admired the results of the demolition job. Or, at least, that’s what he should have been doing. There was room for all of them to leave the cave side-by-side (disregarding the rubble, of course), and the new opening was tall enough to pilot a LAATi through if they had brought one. Honestly, the cave probably wouldn’t last much longer with so much of its structure gone, but it was still standing now. 

Scorch gave himself a pat on the back for that.

“I’m still waiting on an answer,” he reminded the others, trailing behind them. They had left the cave while Scorch admired his own work, leaving him to huck his slightly-lighter pack over his shoulder and hustle after them. “What do you think the jetii are doing to train her?”

“Hopefully some basic weapons drills,” Boss replied absently, checking for enemies before he led Delta around a corner.

“Like a jetii knows anything about any weapon other than a lightsaber,” Sev told him, voice sour. “What else do they do to train? They’re probably teaching her a bunch of mystical osik.”

“Watch your tone, oh-seven,” Fixer warned.

Boss’s voice was carefully bland when he responded, ignoring Fixer entirely. “Do you have a problem with me letting someone new join Delta Squad, Sev?”

“She’s not joining us, she’s tagging along,” Sev said.

“You’re the one who said she could keep up with us,” Fixer reminded him. 

“Yeah, as a civilian,” Sev emphasized. “But she isn’t gonna be coming as a civvie. If she’s trained by the jetii, she’ll be considered part of the GAR.”

Boss was still wearing his helmet, but it was clear from his tone that he was frowning, unable to see the problem. “And..?”

“And, GAR personnel are all considered expendable,” Sev bit out. “She won’t be protected. She’ll have to come along on all of our missions. And we know what kind of missions we get sent on.”

“Kandosii'la ones?” Scorch suggested.

Sev’s frosty silence said that he didn’t agree with Scorch’s upbeat assessment. “Dangerous ones. Ones where a civvie might be able to wait in the ship or be kept out of the action, but a GAR staff member would be expected to pitch in and keep up. And no month of training is enough for her to do that, especially when that training is being done by the jetii.”

“We’ll just have to keep her safe,” Fixer decreed. “We decided she could be helpful, didn’t we? That hasn’t changed just because her status might.”

“It changes more than you think,” Sev bit out. “We barely got outta that back there. How do you think an untrained civvie would have done? They send us on the missions that can’t be done by standard troopers, and now they want someone with no augmentations to help. And how is she going to help us at all? She did well enough on her planet, but that place was a hundred years behind the rest of the galaxy. She’ll be out of her depth every day, especially with us. She doesn’t have any useful skills other than being ignored.”

Silence fell in the inter-HUD chat as the members of Delta Squad considered that point… though, of course, they disguised it as concentration on picking their way back through the complex network of caves that led back to where they had left the ship. Sev wasn’t known for making long and passionate speeches about anything. The fact that he was doing it now about a civilian who may or may not be considered half a Jedi was concerning. 

They had nearly reached the ship by the time Boss spoke. “For whatever reason, the GAR and the jetii decided that she would work well with us. Civvie or not, skilled or not, she’s part of the squad now.”

The quiet was oppressive until Scorch decided to break it with his favorite weapon: a joke. “Don’t worry, Sev. Worst case, we’ll just send her back to the Triple Zero and forget she ever existed.”

Sev didn’t answer out loud, but the rest of Delta Squad saw the slight, doubtful shake of his head.

—

Your time at the Jedi Temple passed much the way you had assumed it would. As the members of the Council had told you, your training consisted mostly of time spent learning to control your emotions and to do basic surveillance. 

Master Haze was normally assigned to work with the younglings of the Jedi Temple. The Iktotchi female was particularly skilled with children, but she was able to adapt her teaching style to one that you responded to quite well. You felt like you were improving rapidly on controlling your emotional response to everything that had happened. With her guidance, you had confronted your two major sources of emotional turmoil: your grief about the past and your fear about the future.

Master Sinube was an elderly male Jedi. You weren't familiar with his species and it felt rude to ask. In any case, he was often overlooked by others. Whether it was because of his age or his tendency to ramble, Master Sinube was constantly underestimated by those around him. Under his tutelage, you learned to see beyond sight, to listen instead of simply hear, and to don an unremarkable aura like a cloak.

Eventually, you added a third piece of training, done in the form of lessons with Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. 

Master Vos was another expert in the criminal underworld. While Master Sinube specialized in the peoples of Coruscant, Master Vos had a more generalized skill set. More importantly, he was still actively going undercover and knew the intricacies of how the war had impacted crime. 

Realistically, you were underprepared for war. You had gone from never having left your home to preparing for galaxy-wide travel, all in a very short span of time. If you had the choice, you would elect for more training, but - as the Masters reminded you - you would resume training between missions, every time you were on Coruscant. For now, you had gained an understanding of the way things worked. That didn’t feel like it would be enough, but the hope was that any gaps would be covered by your connection to the Force. 

In any case, you were far beyond where you had been when you first arrived at the Jedi Temple. You had formed connections with the Jedi, learned to balance your emotions with your new-found abilities, and learned how to navigate through the underworld you would find on all too many planets through the galaxy. Did you feel ready? No. But the Jedi Masters constantly assured you that you were ready, and that would have to be good enough. 

Finally, you were called into the Council’s chambers. There were several Masters missing. That wasn’t unusual - the demands of war took them all away from Coruscant, though some more often than others - but some of the faces you had relied on seeing were gone. A blue, flickering version of Master Unduli hovered just over her customary chair, but Master Windu wasn’t present even in hologram form. Still, you had gotten familiar with some of the other masters over your time at the Temple and weren’t completely lost in the group.

“You have made excellent progress over the past few weeks,” Master Fisto told you, a broad grin stretched across his face. “How do you feel?”

You straightened your shoulders, trying to project confidence as you matched Master Fisto’s smile. “I know I have a great deal left to learn, but I feel I’m much better off than when I first arrived. Thank you all for helping me.”

The typical Jedi bow felt odd and alien still, but you gave a deep nod to show your respect to the gathered Masters and were happy to see them respond in kind. 

“We must have some proof of your abilities before we send you into the field,” Master Secura warned. “It would be irresponsible of us to order an untested civilian into danger without knowing that you can look after yourself.”

“I understand,” you agreed easily. “What do you want me to do?”

The other Masters glanced at Master Yoda. The diminutive being beamed at you. “A special mission, we have for you…”

—

Fixer bit back a sigh as he watched Scorch crane his head around, trying to look in every direction at once. Delta Squad had been on Coruscant before, but it had been a different quadrant and, apparently, Scorch thought this new one was just as interesting.

Not that it would have mattered if Delta had been assigned to that very neighborhood where they had been last time. Given the cramped space and the incredible population density, even that small area had probably changed dramatically in the time since Delta had left. There were only so many beings who could occupy the same space before homeostasis became impossible.

He couldn’t really blame Scorch for studying their surroundings so eagerly… but that didn’t stop him from being irritated. “Six-Two, you’ll hurt your neck if you keep doing that.”

Scorch’s only reply was a scoff, but he did dial it back, relying on the holocams embedded in his HUD to provide him with a 360° image of the crowded street they were walking down. The buildings towered overhead, narrowing the sky to a slight flash of light between the transports caught in a line of traffic. Even here, on the top level of Coruscant, seeing the sky was a luxury reserved only for those who could pay for it. 

“I don’t know why the jetii had us run their errands,” Sev bit out, his low voice harsh over the crispness of their in-HUD comms. “Isn’t it enough we’re fighting their war?”

“Sev,” Boss warned. “Stow the attitude. It took us four minutes out of our way.”

“And you’re not even the one carrying the shuk’yc box,” Fixer added. He thought about tapping the small rectangle at his belt for emphasis, but he could feel Sev’s glare through both of their helmets and knew his brother had gotten the point.

“What are the medals for, anyway?” Scorch asked, apparently having gotten his fill of the streets of the Triple Zero. “Are we getting promoted?”

The snort could have come from anyone, but Fixer’s credits were on Sev.

“Pretty sure they’re jetii-specific,” Boss told him. “Counts out any of us verde.”

“Shame,” Scorch said carelessly. “I could use a new rank.”

“Why?” Fixer asked, unable to prevent himself from tossing out the barbed comment that had come to him. “You aren’t doing much with your current one.”

“Because I’m not being challenged,” Scorch complained.

“That isn’t true,” Sev joined in. “Just because you haven’t beaten a challenge doesn’t mean you haven’t gotten any.”

Fixer snickered as Scorch threw an elbow at the deep-voiced commando. “Har, har, Sev. If you want to see a real challenge-”

“Men,” Boss said sharply, cutting off whatever antics that may have started. “Pipe down and hurry up. We have a meeting with the jetii and I don’t want to be late.”

Delta Squad obliged, the men cutting their bickering short as they picked up the pace. Fortunately, their white armor and the intimidating shape of the commando visors helped them cut effortlessly through the crowd.

Or almost effortlessly. 

Even as the thought crossed his mind - though it was couched in the uncomfortable realization that they were designed to protect these beings and most of them were more scared of Delta Squad than they would have been of Grievous himself - a short form collided with Fixer.

He glanced down in surprise, catching sight of wide eyes and a gasping mouth under a deep hood before the being gave a hoarse yelp, ducked its head, and scurried away. 

“However much Procurement spent on the proximity sensors in your armor,” Scorch remarked, “I’m glad to know it wasn’t wasted on you, Fixer.”

Fixer rolled his eyes, grumbling at his loud-mouthed brother, and focused on their path through the city. 

“Do you think she’s done training?” Boss asked, unprompted. There was a beat of silence between them, one that stretched only a millisecond too long before Boss added, “That’s why they’ve brought us back here. It has to be.”

“You don’t think they would send her to meet us somewhere?” Sev asked.

“No.”

Scorch, sounding uncharacteristically uncertain, said, “She’s only been with them a few weeks. Maybe they brought us here for something else?”

Fixer shook his head. “We’re not important enough to be invited to meet with the Jedi Council if it doesn’t have to do with her. Do you think we’ll be invited to see her graduation ceremony?”

“She’s not a shiny leaving Kamino for the first time,” Sev told him derisively. “They won’t give her a ceremony. They probably won’t even evaluate her skills.”

“How would they, with the skills they say she has?” Boss asked.

“I would start with a basic weapons skill test.” Scorch shook his head. “Gonna guess that would be asking too much from the Jedi. Do any of them have to take tests?”

“Sort of,” Fixer told him, watching from the corner of his eye as a group of younglings appeared and started begging for credits from the people walking just ahead of Boss. Well, half of them were begging, the other half were picking pockets. They were smart enough not to try either move on the troopers. “They pass a ‘Trial’, but there’s no telling what that is. Sometimes the Jedi create it, but it’s usually something that happens to them in the field. A challenge they overcame.”

There was a curious pause after that, but Fixer kept his eyes on the surprisingly skilled younglings. Eventually, Boss huffed out half a laugh. “Didn’t know you were an expert on the Jedi, Fixer.”

Fixer shrugged. “Pays to know about the people in charge of commanding the GAR.”

He, of course, didn’t offer up the information that he had only recently become interested in the Jedi, what was expected of them, and what they were and weren’t allowed to do. Very recently.

“We’re getting close on time,” Boss commented. Fixer’s HUD chronometer told him the same thing. “Double-time, men.”

At the commandos’ increased pace, they were at the Jedi Temple before any more conversation could be had. Fixer didn’t mind. Despite their best efforts, Delta was a little late to the meeting - not by more than a few minutes, but from Boss’s impatient huffs in the repulsorlift, it was too much.

Still, when they got to the Jedi Council’s chamber, their entrance didn’t interrupt anything. The Council members were sitting in peaceful silence other than a few scattered conversations between holofigures. You were nowhere to be found.

Boss snapped a crisp salute and the rest of Delta followed his lead. “Delta Squad, reporting. Apologies for our tardiness, sirs.”

“Worry not,” General Yoda assured him. “Started, we have not.”

“Yes, we could hardly begin the proceedings without you,” General Kenobi agreed, seemingly amused by some kind of private joke. Fixer couldn’t say what was funny, but at least the Jedi didn’t seem to be laughing at them. 

“Where is she?” Scorch asked, and Fixer was relieved to see that his brother had asked it in their inter-HUD comm channel rather than aloud. “Shouldn’t she already be here?”

“Maybe she’s late, too?” Fixer suggested.

“Or she didn’t want to see Scorch’s di’kutla face again,” Sev opined.

“You two don’t want to see the punishment I cook up if you start bickering in front of the Jedi Council,” Boss warned, voice heavy with threat. 

There was no more inter-HUD communication. 

The quiet in the chamber was so intense that Fixer nearly jumped when the repulsorlift in the atrium warned of another arrival. He turned reflexively and was thankful for the cover of his helmet when he saw you hurrying into the room.

He expected you to look flustered, but your general appearance of disarray seemed to be due to excitement and… pleasure? You were wearing an odd assortment of clothing - an ill-fitting, bland-looking array of gray, brown, and dark green - though the bright yellow of your vambraces flashed through the gloom. 

As you walked forward, Fixer’s training leapt to the front of his mind. There was armor in your clothing. Not much of it, but enough to reduce the risk of being hurt. 

After you had been politely greeted by the Council, General Windu arched his brows. “And? Did you succeed?”

“I did!” you confirmed with a joyful smile, reaching toward one hip.

“Perhaps you should tell Delta Squad about your mission first?” General Secura encouraged.

“Of course,” you said, a slight hint of embarrassment dimming your happiness for only a moment. When you turned toward them, your brow creased oddly. “Why are you still wearing your helmets?”

The question hung heavy in the air for a moment before Boss broke the seal between his helmet and his body glove, pulling off his bucket and tucking it under one arm. The rest of the squad followed his example, and were rewarded with another beaming smile from you. 

 “I was given a single piece of information and sent to use it however I thought most appropriate,” you explained. Privately, Fixer thought that was a little vague, but you continued. “In this case, I was told that a group of soldiers was going to pick up some Jedi artifacts.”

General Koon leaned forward in his chair, templing his long fingers. “And what did you do with that information?”

“I tracked Delta Squad from the GAR dockyards and followed them until they picked up the artifacts. I was able to recover them from Fixer and then tailed them the rest of the way here. They never saw me.”

“Is that true?” General Windu asked Boss. “Did you or any of your men see her or otherwise suspect that something may have been wrong?”

“I had no idea,” Boss told him, a shade of respect in his tone. “Men?”

“Not a clue,” Scorch chimed easily.

Sev shook his head.

Fixer opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His stomach twisted unpleasantly. That small box - its weight nearly imperceptible - weighed heavy in the pouch at his hip. You hadn’t gotten the medallions from him, but could he make the Jedi somehow believe that you had? Maybe if he pretended he had put them in a different pouch… 

At last, he realized that he probably wouldn’t be able to lie to an entire group of Jedi. He pulled the box from his belt.

“I… still have this, though,” he admitted, trying to apologize to you with his eyes alone. Another trooper would have understood the non-verbal communication in a moment, but natties only knew what they could hear out loud. 

He held the box out to you, but you only watched him with amusement on your face. “Open it.”

Fixer pulled the box back, staring at it for a moment before he did as you said. The box opened easily, revealing an utter lack of contents.

General Windu cleared his throat. “Again. Did any of you see her or suspect something was wrong?”

Fixer shook his head slowly. “No. I- I never even felt someone touch the box.”

“Does that mean I passed?” you asked. 

“Yes,” General Yoda said, inclining his wrinkled head. His expression grew solemn the next moment. “But warn you, we must: face many more challenges on the battlefield, you will. Hmm… difficult challenges indeed.”

“I understand, Master,” you said, offering a bow to the gathered Jedi. “Thank you all for the training and allowing me this opportunity. I look forward to using what I’ve already learned and learning more every time I return to Coruscant.”

General Yoda smiled kindly. General Windu looked to Boss. “Boss, you and Delta Squad are scheduled to leave Coruscant early tomorrow morning. You’ll be accompanying the Wolfpack on a relief mission. We’ll meet for a briefing at twenty-one thirty.”

Boss saluted. “Yes, sir!”

“C’mon,” Scorch urged, cutting his salute short to tug at your arm. “Drop off those medals and we’ll find a fun way to spend our time planetside.”

---

Author's Note - Not a huge fan of this chapter, honestly, but we needed to get it out of the way to set up for the next few! Thank you to those who have been reading and leaving kind comments and waiting so patiently. I appreciate you!

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[voidpremonition]

Hey I'm back

Remember me? Probably not, just know I did a powerscaling post about alastor vs pac-man once. I though it would be fun if I did that again. So hold on to your horses and behold

(that's a mighty no 9 character by the way)

lute vs raychel from mighty no 9

The holy spirit vs the machine

Let's just start

Raychel has many abilities which get her on a decent spot in power levels, being the top three on her own universe as we know it, abailities which include:

-Rapid teleportation which she can use in combat

-Plasma beams able to destroy floor tiles leaving a massive red-hot hole in the ground, which are also spammable seen by her animations

-Claws capable of easily tearing solid robots including security and military bots, being able to incredibly easily tear down a demolition bot three times her size

-Somehow she can spin rev up and stall in the air to tackle enemies

-Blitzing speed which paired with teleportation let her travel throughout all of the united states in 12 hours

-Obvious massive stamina cap by being a robot

-Enough durability to tank multiple big explosions at her peak

-Do note her core is detective and is constantly deteriorating, leaving her which she is slowly disintegrating in the molecular level

-Yet regardless of that she has shown regeneration capabilities and as such she would need grand damage for her to be unable to regenerate

With most of that in mind, we go on to one of her biggest aids in the battle: Variation codes

-Pyrogen: Ray can ignite her own claws which can then violently explode in contact with oponents, able to tear down minibosses in seconds, though its ammo is easily deployable

-Cryosphere: She can shoot multiple balls of liquid nitrogen which can either completely freeze or at least slow down opponents, freezing being something no hazbin character has shown resistance to, it has limited range though

-Dynatron: Shoots out an electrifying bit which deals continues damage from long range

-Seismic: Rapidly shoots out a middle ranged drill attached to en extension chord. Able to pierce both combat shields and armor (not like lute has any) and easily taking down a multitude of enemies. Also can be shot upward and aiming opponents

-Battallion: A machine gun shooting a rapid barrage of energy projectiles which can easily destroy solid rock with ease

-Aviator: Ray activates a decently sized radar all around her at which she can use to fiercely tackle enemies, being incredibly useful for airborne enemies

-Countershade: She can turn invisible and intangible

All variation codes can replenish ammo by themselves even when they're out of use.

The battle itself: I would argue if both opponents were on their peak strength on the fight, I would say Ray would win with certain difficulty my points for it being that lute has been shown to be pinned down and damaged by crumbling rubble despite being supposedly only weak to angellic weapons, which ended up in her losing an arm

While lute has obvious superhuman strength her flight and speed are neither particularly impressive and her physical form seems to be organic (cause viv loves gore to be "mature") and despite resisting other attacks angels can still be damaged by bladed weapons and killed by a simple "angellic dagger". Let me remind you Ray can spam plasma beams capable of tearing through buildings and can tank massive explosions at her peak.

This was mostly made for fun and if you wish to argue over some other points I would be glad to do so

[shoegazingmonad]

Classpecting the Candy / Omega kids

I've been hellbent on trying to classpect these 4 kids and after spending hours analysing every scene each kid appears in, the narration and anything used to describe them, and their conversations I believe I may have finally reached a conclusion for all 4 of them. Here's the fruits of the most arduous labour I've ever been put through in the form of a huge ol' text post then, I guess!

Tavros Crocker

Tavvy's currently my favourite and he's the one who started this classpecting spree so I'm going with him first.

At surface level he isn't visibly a very angry or aggressive kid like Rage would suggest, but the first time we see him in HS2 is when he's having to bother with Gamzee's corpse which leads to him screaming, kicking and punching his corpse and then feeling something he 'refuses to call fear' that, based on the description, seems to be some kind of repressed anger. Also in a similarity not-so-visible at first kind of way, he's a little chaotic unintentionally (or passively). It doesn't appear as the large scale destructive chaos Gamzee causes, instead it comes across as him simply being clumsy like when he breaks a jester on accident in John's house and gets Gamzee's shoe stuck on him which causes them all to fall in the school. Despite being a very orderly and passive person (thanks to his upbringing) he's shown enjoying a little bit of chaos and feels somewhat comfortable in the presence of confident people who actively cause it like Vriska.

Even at Tavvy's first appearance in the Epilogues at age 5, he's incredibly intuitive and pacifistic but whenever he's shown trying to pacify or reason (which comes off as very meddling adjacent) with another character it only makes them more angry, sad, confused or scared / worried, in a way that would suggest he 'Makes Rage' for others like how a Sylph of Rage would. There're a few instances where he makes 'rage', like Harry's birthday party in which it's said 'John's heart wrenches at the sigh of him (Tavvy)' and John tries to kidnap him because he pities his cruel homelife and wants to help Jake out, but he ends up so mad his breath powers destroy the room. It isn't always rage as extreme as that though, sometimes it's made in the way he's viewed as a wimpy loser by people like Harry, or when he tries to understand and explain why a person may be feeling unhappy or stressed about an event or the situation they're in (often with Vrissy). Over analysing and explaining people's feelings or words is a pretty big part of his character and it's one that makes the Sylph part terribly obvious.

However we've yet to see much hatred towards lying as described in the Extended Zodiac definition. He doesn't agree with his Mother's wrong and cruel views on trolls, even though he grew up pretty sheltered and probably should've picked those views up. He also understands Gamzee isn't a good person despite the attempts to instill otherwise through the whole 'redemption arc' propaganda, so maybe he simply notices lies easier than other people do and / or leans more towards just explaining / passively combating misinformation rather than committing to the destruction of it thanks to his nature as a Sylph? Gonna have to wait to get more on this it seems.

Harry Anderson Egbert

Harry's probably the one that took the least amount of time for me to get the gist of what he was about because taking his time (like a Thief of Time) is apparently what he does best. It, like time in general, is brought up constantly with him. He mentions atomic clocks the first time we see him, he takes too long talking to Vriska, Tavros finds him typically 'slow to respond', when he's trying to choose his strife specibus he struggles a little with the time limit, he has a car ride with John and apologises for how long it took for him to be done, in her recent appearance Vrissy mentions he 'can't go five minutes without pestering her over something', and his morning routine suggests he takes his time tending to his appearance. Though just time in general isn't the only thing associated with the aspect, in his conversation with Tavvy at night he asks 'what does it feel like to know someone who's died?', and death is another reocurring theme with Time.

He's a fan of remakes of old earth movies (remaking a movie involves taking the idea / liberties for yourself) and enjoys making costumes. Though the cloth, needles and stitching could suggest he's a space player as we've seen them take a particular interest in clothing / fashion, or things like the 'fabric of space', this could be because the opposite of a Thief of Time (someone who steals time for themself) is a Knight of Space (someone who serves space for others). But the costumes he makes take up most of his 'free time', and his sewing machine was given to him at 10 to stop him borrowing Roxy's all the time. In his little scarf sequence he's also shown wearing a scarf that looks Hephaestus themed, which is the Denizen of Dave's planet and presumably the Denizen associated with time players.

Almost everything about this guy screams 'Time' to the point I'm questioning whether they're making it super obvious to throw people off.

Though an issue I have with the Time aspect specifically here is that it wouldn't fit the 'aspects we haven't seen in the beta and alpha kids' trend we've got going on with the others. Mind/Rage/Blood/Doom but instead it's Mind/Rage/Blood/Time? Might make more sense in the future if there's any additions to the group to make up for that.

Yiffany Longstocking Lalonde Harley

Funnily enough, Yiffy, the kid we've seen the least of so far and haven't even gotten any proper dialogue from was still somehow way easier for me to classpect than Vrissy, the first kid we see and the one with the most appearances.

Bards, as Calliope (seemingly correctly, based on what we've seen of them) states, are a 'wildcard' with a spontaneous story-altering influence who can cause the 'spectacular downfall' or 'improbable victory' of the group. Bard of Mind would loosely mean 'someone who allows logic / mind to be destroyed or invites destruction through logic / mind', and from what we've seen of our new dog kid they sure do manage to bring about victory through the destruction of logic / the logic they impose because of their existence!

Their entire existence is quite literally an anti-logic bomb due to their creation, life, and character being a product of the Candy timeline's slow disintegration into nothingness now that there's no more narrator or space cherub looking after it. They're a character who shouldn't and couldn't exist if we're to consider the rules of canon, but they do and they kick ass because of it! Candy Jane, the fascist dictator billionaire baker baroness who seems to practically own or rule over everything that's within Candy Earth C puts them in a shock collar with enough volts to immobilize or kill - and they still get up and desecrate a shitty other-bards funeral, all whilst the panels of them show jolts of electricity with similar colour and shape to Terezi's mind powers!

Jane even starts listing all of the reasons Yiffy shouldn't be acting up during their revolt; from the assistance she'd given their parents, to what Rose and Jade would think of them if they saw them behaving like this, and that she has agents ready to deal with them if she continues. But Yiffy doesn't listen to a single one of them. They simply growl, slap the remote out of her hand, and proceed to boot Gamzee's corpse into the crowd. The logic and reasoning others try to apply to situations is something they blatantly disregard.

Also, steering into the aforementioned Terezi and Mind aspect territory here; when Terezi is discussing with Ult Dirk about how she's able to see his narration and why Rose can't despite also being a Seer, she tells him aspects that oppose eachother (e.g. Heart and Mind) 'define each other on a fundamental level', seemingly allowing the opposing aspects to pick up on the presence of the other better than non-opposing ones would. And the only mention of Yiffy by someone outside of the Candy timeline is when Dirk is messaging Hussie and it leads to a tangent about the implications and him saying 'her very existence feels like broken glass screeching over my frontal lobe' which would be a pretty fitting description for how he views another Destroyer class with the Mind aspect as a Destroyer of Heart.

Vriska Maryam-Lalonde

I've been struggling with Vrissy for a while now but since her reveal there's been this consistent 'I know a guy' theme for her that I don't think could mean anything besides Blood. Mage though? Not as sure as I am with her aspect considering we barely have any strict definitions for them compared to any other classes thanks to the lack of their presence in Homestuck. I do think that she's some kind of knowledge class though, and luckily we've got a Blood version of the Mage's accompanying knowledge-based class the Seer; Kankri. And comparing him to her, she doesn't actively participate in seeking out knowledge in the same way he and other Seers do, instead it looks like knowledge of her aspect comes to her more naturally like Doom does for Sollux and Heart does for Meulin.

Her first appearance in the epilogues is the scene where her and Harry are meeting up. They kiss, and Harry has to wipe a bit of blood off of his mouth. Vrissy proceeds to bring up Meenah and Karkat's relationship (which I'm gonna bring up again later), hinting at her affinity for close bonds between people.

The first time we get to see her in Homestuck 2 is when she's interacting with Vriska, who's a Thief of Light and not a Blood player or Mage, but she literally shares her blood colour and upon meeting her she immediately tries to befriend / form a bond with her. The scene that comes before this conversation, is one that involves her interrupting Vriska in the midst of the most blatant depiction of 'bonding' we could get (bonds being a huge part of Blood as an aspect) aka, sex.

Out of everything in Vrissy's life, it's reiterated that she thinks her relationships with others are the most practical and important part of it. Like Tavvy, her kismesis. He should have a typical tempestuous blackrom relationship with her, but they still genuine care about eachother enough that she feels like she 'can't lose him'. She trusts that he won't tattle on her and Tavvy knows that despite her cool indifferent front she's got some troubles of her own and tries his best to understand them. And in the same scene in the previous link, Tavvy also hints at Vrissy's frustration towards bonds being broken, specifically in reference to a 'mutual' bond online that he assumes is a 'sacred bond of trust'. Her matespritship with Harry is also very stable, and whenever they interact there's clearly mutual care and reliance on eachother even when we see some screw ups or arguing from either of them. Her friendship with Vriska is all good at first too, but she quickly realises that Vriska isn't trying to form a genuine mutual connection with her as much as she's trying to create a student of her likeness so she can feel smug about it.

Focusing a little bit more on the Mage part here, the scene where Jade and Rose inform the others in the tower about Yiffany; Vrissy and Kanaya are the only ones agitated and she mentions later in her texts with Tavvy that she feels like she was the only one who was mad about not knowing Yiffy existed, and for a Mage of Blood (a role dedicated to knowing about relations), learning you somehow weren't aware of a close blood relative like a half-sister must be infuriating.

Other general Classpect stuff

Anyway now that I've got all of the main reasons for why I think those kids are what Classpects; I just want to bring up the interactions between the 4 of them and characters outside of their friendgroup, parents, Vriska and how they might correlate to them.

Starting with Tavvy, currently his significant interactions with other characters have been with Gamzee, a Rage player, in the Epilogues and Kanaya, our only Sylph on Earth C.

Harry's not had too many important interactions with anyone outside the group, but when he's texting Vrissy at night he says he went to get some water but the adults were discussing something and he didn't want to interrupt. This scene is after the Yiffy reveal and John finds out about Dave's death when talking with Jade at some point we don't get to see directly, but according to Harry the conversation they were having seemed quite serious, so that could've been when they were discussing Dave. And besides Aradia, Dave was our only other time player on Earth C. He's previously had quite a few positive interactions with Dave as well, shown in Candy 23. There's also another interesting (and too specific for me to disregard) comment from Meenah about her going to Harry Anderson's birthday party, perhaps hinting at him as a Thief. However John has a lengthy conversation with Sollux, who has apparently been getting to know Roxy which could suggest he might be Doom if we consider that they're both Harry's parents?

Vrissy's meeting with Vriska should mean some kind of link with her as a Thief / Light player but so far she doesn't have any Thief of Light traits at all. Returning to Vrissy's first conversation with Harry in the Epilogues, the one where says that her and Harry could run away and join the rebellion and be 'wild rebels in love, like Karkat and Meenah', her comparison of their relationship to another between a Knight of Blood and a Thief of Life could imply that either of them share a aspect / class with one of those two; which I'm guessing would be Blood for Vrissy and Thief for Harry, because Harry says he doesn't have the 'rebellious stature of someone like Karkat' and he jokes about how he couldn't lose an eye like Karkat did, leading to a retort from Vrissy claiming she'll be the one with the eye patch. 7 chapters after this she actually informs Harry that she got a place in Karkat's rebellion thanks to her parents (who aren't blood related to her but she trusts and relies heavily on them like she does others). There doesn't seem to be any specific interactions for the Mage part as of now though.

And as I already stated earlier, Yiffy's linked with Gamzee (our only Bard) due to her presence at his funeral and the electric lighting we see from the collar used on them has a similar colour + shape to Mind abilities we've previously seen with Terezi, which is pretty much the best we can get with no Mind player available on Candy Earth C.

The last possible hints I'd like to bring up are weapons. We only know 2 out of 4 right now but Vrissy uses a pair of dice bound to each other and Harry uses what is arguably the slowest cutting weapon we've seen in all of Homestuck so far, a pair of scissors, which can also be to 'steal' things when used to cut off part of something you need for yourself.

That's all I've got. Took so much skimming between the Epilogues and HS2 but this was pretty fun and I'm looking forward to getting more on the kids and their classpects. I might end up adding more onto this at a later date when we're more well-informed and have a lot more text to make use of but as of now I'm done with this

[12pt-times-new-roman]

y'all I'm not fucking ready for this.

How many weeks in a row is this with no DDB sponsor?

Matt is dressed in Ruidus colors. fear

personally? I think it would be very funny if somebody replaced Liam's chair with one that's a foot shorter than everyone else's.

I'm fully expecting Ira to be a Garmellie/Artagan situation. This motherfucker is an archfey slumming it on Exandria and ancient god-killing wizard dilfs are his dive bar of choice.

Ira was around for at least one previous apogee solstice, but he was in the Feywild when it happened so he didn't get to see the true extent of is power.

"What do you think about the gods?" "I don't think about them." good answer, good answer

Aberrations and other "mythological creatures" born on solstices (even normal ones) are particularly powerful.

The circlet prevents Imogen from hearing the thoughts of people around her. It just eliminates that entirely. And with it goes most of the reasons she'd have to side with Ludinus and Otohan. Truly the peak of non-wizard mortal hubris, to consider killing the gods before looking for an item or a spell to solve your problem first

Sending to Keyleth from Imogen: "We're a couple hours out, to the southwest. Are we meeting up? Just going for it? Help?" "I'm gathering those of able-body who recovered from our last endeavor. I'll look for a tree. Let me know when you need the cavalry; our arrival isn't quiet."

"I go over and give Fearne a big hug." "Aww—" "I reach into her pocket." never change, Ashton

A ways out from the crater, the Bells Hells come upon a structure in the storm — the wood and stone wreckage of a skyship that carried a cathedral on it. It's mangled and burned; the brumestone has been scavenged. It looks recent, and the outer hull is covered in mounts for heavy armor, harpoons, and cannons, but it was brought down by battle on the deck, not by massive damage to the outer hull. The iconography indicates that it was from Vasselheim, possibly a Judicator ship.

jesus fucking christ. Matt could not say "DO NOT GO THROUGH WITH CRASHING THE SHIP" any more clearly.

if that dispel pulse is shutting down the automatons briefly, then maybe it's not actually intentional. maybe it's a by-product, an unintended consequence.

it never ceases to amaze me that without fail and across all of his characters, Travis manages to be both the voice of "fuck it we ball" and the person who slows down combat to calm players.

like, does CritRoleStats keep track of how many combat encounters each PC has started? bc Chetney has got to be up there with Imogen this campaign

this battle music has the same opening notes as the 2001 theme and now I can't hear anything else

The spellcaster has a +6 spell attack, but also cast hold person at 5th level and did 15 damage on a fire bolt, so they're most likely 9th level with a +2 spellcasting ability modifier.

Ashton rage build update: 2 on the d4 is the space build (portals!). they took the Crusher feat for their 8th level ASI. also, when the space build is active, they can use portals (either as a bonus action or as a result of hitting a creature or as a result of bringing a creature to 0 hp) to teleport to any space they can see within 30 or 60 feet of them.

As a reminder, shock flare is a reskin of arms of hadar, but it pushes creatures away instead of preventing them from taking reactions and deals lightning damage instead of necrotic.

Tal saying "five foot step" gave me hella flashbacks to Pathfinder 1e

"Well, I don't get to choose, do I? Let's just go with it." god fucking damnit. Ashton's rage abilities and how fucking random they are is so poetically and narratively intwined with the themes of this campaign, it's wild

it will never not amuse me that Matt, without fail, misunderstands the way the command spell works. it's super minor and not a big deal but as someone with a DM who's pretty on-top of it, it's very funny

Imogen gets pulled into a tent by a very quick and quiet force.

"Who are you, and why are you fighting the Vanguard?" "I've got friends coming in. Friends or enemies?" "I asked you first." "The question isn't why! It's 'are you fighting too'?" "Who are you with?" "

oh my god of fucking COURSE there are already infiltrators in here. of course there are. why wouldn't there be? Ryn didn't come here alone.

BEAUREGARD???

BEAUREGARD!!!!

y'all you have no fucking idea how excited I am——

"He can go say hi to the rest of his friends we've put there [in jail]." how fucking many of the Cerberus Assembly are in jail now? we know Trent is in there but who else?

CALEB!!!! blorbo!!!

"So. What's the play here, Beauregard?"

They're both friends to the Verity, and they've worked with Ryn before. They came here with her, trying to do a recon mission before she was taken.

The Children of Malice are a front for the Ruby Vanguard.

Caleb and Beau saw the other skyship go down. It was from Vasselheim. The Vanguard struck the skyship from the sky at Ludinus' request, though Caleb hasn't seen any sign of Ludinus being in the crater for many days. But the perpetual dispel pulse was intentionally installed.

Caleb, Beau, and Ryn were all on the Shadowfell team — they were able to damage the key, but unable to completely destroy it.

Caleb refers to Ludinus as the most powerful of the assembly, "the one who could topple it all" if he goes down. He and Beau came here alone;

The entire site is illusion-proofed, there's a dispel wave every minute. There are also mage-hunter golems here, which we've only ever heard of existing inside the Heirloom Sphere. I am forcibly reminded of the fact that Ludinus Da'leth is aware of the Happy Fun Ball.

"The absolute, absurd amount of muscles she has—" "Like Marisha?" *raised eyebrow* Matthew. (fuckin' simp (affectionate))

Ludinus has been reverse-engineering Aeorian technology and using distilled dunamis energy to power it, with multiple mesh-like power sources. He's "obsessed" with divinity and appears to be "counting on opposition, which makes [Beau] uneasy."

"What's dunabis?" "...there isn't time to lecture. It's a very obtuse form of magic that exists between the fabric of all other forms of power. It's one of the oldest and most fundamental forces within Exandria and beyond. It can alter time, space, probability, entropy — it is dangerous in the wrong hands, and unfortunately, a very strong source of it has been in the hands of Ludinus and the Assembly for some time." The 'very strong source' is presumably the beacon, which Ludinus has had since 835 PD.

The Cobalt Soul has been trying to nail down Ludinus for a long time, but "he's always one step ahead."

Caleb specifically refers to dunamis as chaotic, referencing Ashton.

Ludinus has apparently been doing this outside of the Assembly. Caleb's contact in the Assembly (Astrid, presumably) notes that even the rest of the Assembly is afraid to get involved in Ludinus' plans.

Halas, Trent, and "Bendathar" are in Beau's list of archmages they've fucked up.

Hey! Beau knows the Ashari! that's cool. She also knows Ira and his history of designing the keys.

There are dozens of mirrors and hook-like spires facing toward the key itself. Everything is reinforced with a massive amount of residuum — the device, the walls of the excavation site, and everything beyond. "An all-out assault would be far too dangerous." Caleb gives a sending stone to Chetney, who gives it to Laudna, under the assumption that the groups are going to split up to cover more ground.

given the fact that the solstice didn't actually happen this episode and that the Mighty Nein and the Crown Keepers are now attached to this, I feel like my "PFS2 special scenario" theory has some more merit

Beau disappears, Caleb goes invisible (they both start to circle around), and the Bells Hells start to descend the crater.

also, last minute update: Fearne would have flirted incessantly with both Beau and Caleb.

threads that have connected in this episode:

Missing residuum shipments: the malleus key and its surroundings are reinforced with residuum. that's a massive amount; it's possible that Trent's supply of residuum, the stuff the Nameless Ones stole, and the stuff the Paragon's Call were trafficking were probably all going here.

The Cobalt Soul and the Cerberus Assembly: It takes a long, long time to dismantle political systems. The Cobalt Soul has apparently imprisoned more Assembly members than just Trent.

Out-of-the-blue rolls: Those random rolls Matt had Marisha and Liam make were indeed rolls for the Shadowfell expedition that Beau, Caleb, and Ryn were involved with. They rolled shitty, so the Shadowfell key wasn't entirely destroyed, but was damaged.

[fostersffff]

Visions of Mana Demo Impressions

The Good:

I LOVE the big, elaborate, gacha-esque animations that play the first time you do a class change with a character. Excellent stuff, they were clearly tapped into what people (i.e. me) loved about the original the original Trials of Mana and the remake: class changing is cool.

I also love that all the characters get at least three kinds of weapons! I assumed it would just be main character Val who got to choose between Sword, Greatsword, and Lance, but Careena and Morley get Spear, Fans, and Fists, and Katana, Daggers, and Staff! (although they don't have any classes that can use Fists or Staff in the demo, but they're there in the shop)

Actually, I guess this is where I should get into how the classes affect combat, which I am relieved to say is "noticeably". The demo gives you three party members and two "elemental vessels", Sylphid (Wind) and Luna (Moon). All the characters have a base class, but you can class change them by equipping a vessel to them. Val, for example, starts out as a Guard, becomes a Rune Knight when equipping Sylphid, and an Aegis when equipping Luna. Each class uses a particular weapon, so using Val as an example again, Guard uses Sword, Rune Knight uses Greatsword, and Aegis uses Lance. Based on Careena and Morley (whose two classes use the same weapon), the attack strings are the same for each weapon, but certain attack commands can only be learned by investing in a particular class's skill tree.

The classes are further differentiated by having a vessel power, which is a cooldown that works the same between all the characters: Sylphid throws out a boomerang that pops enemies up into the air, and Luna creates a time bubble that slows down enemies and increases party attack and casting speed. Because the vessel powers are tied to classes, they seem to be designed in such a way that they pretty synergystic with the kit of the class (at least based on the demo). Takes some time to charge your shield as an Aegis? Create a time bubble!

I don't know exactly how much variety they'll be able to muster across all eight elemental vessels and five playable characters, but at least based on this demo it feels like Visions of Mana is situated in the same zip code as Granblue Fantasy Relink when it comes to variety, which is I was I was hoping for in my heart of hearts.

Tremendously endearing the have Morley wield a third dagger with his tail. Superb.

You also have a shortcut menu for items and spells, but you also have the Ring Menu, and the Ring Menu is still the perfect ARPG solution for items and spells, as it has been since 1993.

RETURN OF THE MOOGLE STATUS EFFECT WE'RE SO BACK

I'm about to talk about the dub, but before I do: giving the Japanese Dragon Priestess a Southern U.S. accent is a really endearing choice.

The Bad:

I think they dub these games wrong as a joke. Like, Trials of Mana also has a notoriously poor dub, and this isn't really doing that much better despite it being four years later and everyone knowing how bad that game's dub is. Again, it just sounds like no one is 100% sure of their character voice and are sight reading their lines for the first time. Because there's also a lot more incidental dialogue, and because the script isn't based on a pressed-for-space SNES game, I worry the quality of the dub is going to stick out even more.

These cutscenes have a lot of, uh… weird wiggling? I’m not sure how else to describe that thing where it feels like characters are doing large body gestures that maybe make sense in Japanese but not so much in English? Seriously, watch the video: there's 5 seconds where Careena is just wildly gesticulating, saying nothing, while the guards walk up to seize her.

Hoping they can tune up movement a bit between this and the final release. Even in performance mode, the game felt a bit crusty here and there, but there's only one aspect of it that I would argue is fundamentally designed wrong, which is cancelling dash momentum into a jump. It was bad in Smash Bros. Brawl, and it's bad here, but at least it's somewhat mitigated by Infinite Airdashing.

I'm hoping there's a relatively even distribution of "open world" type areas and thoughtfully designed "action stages". The open world area in the demo is neat and I love the pikul, but enemies felt pretty conservatively sprinkled around. I like fighting dudes in ARPGs!

The story felt a little too Saturday Morning Cartoon-y, considering the emotion I most associate with the Mana series is melancholy, but then you get on the boat and the one guy is like “hey you know there are legends that we didn't used to have to send eight sacrifices out to die every year” and your party is like “whaaat, that’s crazy, we have to go die!”, so there might actually be some juice here.

To be honest, a lot of what I have to say about this demo is pretty close to what I had to say about the demo for Trials of Mana years ago. Which is interesting, because as far as I can tell, an entirely different team than the one responsible for that game is making this one (NetEase subsidiary Ouka Studios, rather than Xeen Inc.).

[mk-writes-stuff]

OC Interaction Tag

Rules: post a description of one of your OCs and how theg would interact with the tagger’s OC

Thanks @somethingclevermahogony for the tag! Sorry to anyone whose tags I’m being slow in or missing, I’ve kind of been dropping the ball recently but I’m trying to get back into it

C’s OC: Zatar is the spearmaster under the employ of the King of Labisa, Akard. His past was rough, a quarter demigod, born to a runaway warrior from the north and a Kishite lord. His mother abandoned him, and his father followed soon after. He grew up in the streets alongside his sister. Zatar is often cold, he rarely laughs or smiles, the only emotion he ever expresses to any great degree is rage. Zatar's life is defined by his loyalty to his King and to his sister, and his distaste for most of the nobility of both Kishetal and Apuna. Zatar is an incredibly violent and bloody person. Unfortunately for those that face him, his temperament is paired with an unmatched skill in ways of war and combat. He is obsessive, and will seek to complete a goal, even at great physical or mental expense to himself. While vicious, he does not necessarily seek violence, his actions are always in service of his king, he will almost certainly ignore anyone whose existence does not in some way help or hinder the ambitions of Akard.

My OC: Cassiopeia is the noble head of Sixth Station, the station focused on materials manufacturing. She is a tall, slim woman with long, curly blonde hair and heterochromatic eyes - one blue, one purple. She dresses elegantly, typically in blue and gold (the Sixth Station colours). Cassiopeia is believed to be a well-intentioned, well-mannered woman who is good at station management but fairly harmless. However, contrary to popular belief, she is actually a cruel, clever, and manipulative woman who is extremely power-hungry. Her secret aspiration is to bring all the Seven Stations under her command as queen. Cassiopeia is a highly skilled manipulator capable of wrapping almost anyone around her finger. She isn’t a fighter - she has no issue with physical violence, but tends to do it to those who can’t fight back, in order to reduce the risk to herself - but rarely is pushed into a situation where fighting is necessary. Her dirty secret is that she farms her clones, and those of her brother, for magic, brutally killing them in the process.

How they’d interact: I think Cassiopeia would like Zatar quite a bit if she could convince him that their goals are aligned. She would try to convince him that she and the king he serves are allied or at least fighting for similar goals (even if it isn’t true) and would attempt to use him that way. If it succeeded, I think she would find his combat prowess and his obsessive nature very useful to her. On the other hand, if he didn’t like her and saw her as one of the nobles he despised, I think she’d be in for a bad time. Cassiopeia and her bodyguards can handle themselves in a fight, but I don’t think any of them compare to Zatar’s skill, and, while their weapons are definitely more advanced, I imagine he’d have the presence of mind to steal their weapons and turn them against them, which would leave Cassiopeia in a bad spot.

This was fun! I hope you like this interaction, I’d loge to know which way you think it would go :)

@illarian-rambling @elsie-writes @autism-purgatory want to play this one?

[courtana]

I finished the MWIII campaign and here are my thoughts 💭

Obviously, MAJOR SPOILERS below. Remember to filter #mwiii spoilers if you want to avoid them from me.

The Structure & Ending

I finished the campaign in one sitting, which I usually never do with games. So, my initial complaint that it felt short might be because I literally rushed my playthrough of it. But if others felt the same, l'd love to know!

The ending felt incomplete. I feel like it's basic/traditional writing knowledge that you don't end the story on the climax unless it's like a major cliffhanger. This was not a cliffhanger. We ended it after Soap being killed in cold blood by Makarov, and we see the rest of the 141 mourning and spreading his ashes. The only way I could be nice about this, is if we just describe the story not as a triumphant story of military victory and defeating evil but as a tragedy. A story that ends in failure (a la Ghosts [2013]). But the rational part of my brain says, no, this was just the writers cutting the story in half so that they can bank on a Modern Warfare 4 in the future—and use MP seasons and co-op/raids to tell the rest of the story.

Still, I'm glad we're actually moving along with the Makarov story and what was actually the story for MW2. The reboot timeline is so slow and slow delayed because of adding Farah's backstory and Los Vaqueros. We're finally getting to the good stuff from Modern Warfare, that classic story that everyone loves. So, that's a plus.

Los Vaqueros & El Sin Nombre's Absence

My major complaint about MWII (2022) was that for a game that bases itself on a lot of real-life geopolitical conflicts, the inclusion of Valeria's storyline as a female narco boss in relation to Hassan, an Iranian villain, didn't really make sense (and this is from me, someone who has multiple degrees studying Latin America). So I'm glad Valeria and her cronies did not re-appear in this campaign. They just do not fit.

I liked Los Vaqueros in MWII, but I think the writers were right not to include them either—at least for this installment—just because they would've had to juggle too many things at once. Already, we have to juggle a lot with Farah's forces and Shadows being our allies. Having to deal with additional characters would've made the game lose its pointed focus. I wouldn't be surprised though if for "modern Warfare 4" both groups make a comeback.

It's just funny how much fans and Activision were hyping up Valeria so much, including in MWIII's live-action trailer, just for her to not make even one appearance.

Open-Combat Missions

Not gonna lie these missions stressed me the fuck out. I could NOT stay in stealth no matter what. But I think that's somwhat good, since a lot of grouchy fans who follow COD complain that every campaign is essentially the same—just move up, aim, and shoot—with just a slightly different plotline about either some Russian or some Arab villain. And I think we can commend COD now for try to shake up the campaign a little, even if I'm not a fan of Warzone (lol) and OCMs are essentially Warzone-ified campaign missions.

But mixing traditional campaign missions with these Open Combat Missions felt like a bad idea. I get that they're trying to gradually gauge our reaction to them by slowly introducing it. But it also felt disorienting switching between just following directions in one mission to in another having total liberty to do whatever by scavenging for guns or certain field-upgrades.

Either make them mainly all OCMs or all traditional.

Makarov as a Villain & Soap's Death

Yuli's work as an actor is totally praise-worthy! It's hard to step into the shoes of Makarov after the notoriety the OG Makarov gained in the original games. I think he isn't as cartoonish and weak as some of the other COD villains have been so far in the reboot—a complaint I once again have of how the narco villains were written in MWII. He actually generates fear and intimidation and we can see his power and resources—unlike villains like Hassan and whoever the generic Russian general was in MW2019. They were not memorable at all. If MW4 gets developed, it'll be great to see Yuli work with that character more.

Now, Soap. I AM HEARTBROKEN as well as PISSED. I'm pissed because we got to see Soap in the OG games grow & develop so much. Hence why so many veteran COD fans love Soap, perhaps more so than Ghost even though the latter has gotten more popular recently. We saw him going from just entering under Price's wing to becoming a Captain; and that growth of him as a character made his death so much more painful. It warranted Price yelling out in horror and shock when he realized Soap was dead before his eyes in the OG MW3. Even the background music to his OG death has become so iconic too.

We only got introduced to reboot!Soap last year with the release of MWII. We did not get to see him in the campaign in MW2019. He's still a very new character and the writers did NOT develop him properly enough in my opinion to warrant a tragic death/killing scene. I think that's part of why his death here hurts so much for me. Because it was also a killing of his potential as a character. And it sucks that Neil won't get to work with this character more in a MW4 storyline unless they do more memory/flashback scenes.

Hell, Farah gets more development and more screentime than Soap and the rest of the 141 task force aside from Price. I understand she's a main character now, but it sucks that first in MW2019 we sidelined Price as a character (in my opinion) for Farah's storyline. Now, Farah is taking up a lot more of the agency and space in the story once again at the expense of other characters taking less charge. This is honestly just me having a hard time accepting this new dynamic with Urzikstan with the rest of TF141 that the writers have been trying to cement with the rebooted series.

-

In sum, it does feel like some of the grouchy COD fans who were saying off before release that this was going to be a glorified DLC were right in hindsight. It's clear they put a lot of work into the geography, the missions/game-play, and I genuinely enjoyed playing it. And of course, the VAs put a lot of work into their craft. But plotwise it does feel like they gave us only a partial campaign with a very abrupt ending... but I also liked it anyway and had fun. And that’s what matters :-)))

[karasbroken]

Another week of struggling with my current, post-Rhapsody in Blue story. The first chapter of Pulling Punches has been well received, as much as any of my fics at least, but it's slow going getting the next installment done.

I know where I want to go, which is better than some of my stories, but this chapter is about action and plot stuff, not emotions and angst, and I've always been terrible at writing anything but people arguing with each other. This bit is Aeryn dealing with Moya getting hit by asteroids, and trying to ignore the urge to use her Pilot powers to learn more. I can picture the scene in my head, but writing it down feels so forced. But there's no way out but through. I'm determined to post the next chapter before next week.

“John, check on Pilot!” she said urgently. “I'm headed for the hamman-side hangar.” Aeryn didn't know she was going that way until she said it, and couldn't explain why that felt right. “D'Argo, search the top tier, I'm certain one of those hits was to the dorsal hull. Try to treblin, above command.” She didn't know how she knew that either, but for once no one questioned her.

Every sense was on fire, but time was slowing. The clarity of combat. Aeryn ignored Rigel's irritated request for explanations and the chatter back and forth from the others, acknowledging their various tasks. Periodic small shudders and disconcerting rattles, like ball bearings falling to the floor, occasionally caused them all to stop speaking until it passed, but Aeryn never stopped moving.

There was something the matter with Moya, that much Aeryn could tell even at the pace she was running, scrambling through corridors and down shafts that had started to become familiar. She didn't want to stop long enough to connect with the Leviathan. She didn't even want to think too long on the idea that she might be able to connect with Moya, to learn what was happening from some other source than control panels.

Instead Aeryn plunged down the tiers, correcting course to avoid the barrier of Moya's growing womb. She had almost reached the maintenance bay when Pilot's voice echoed shakily through the ship. “Everyone… Moya… is not under… attack.”

Aeryn slowed, but kept moving. “Are you sure Pilot?” She swung herself onto the last ladder between her and the bay’s tier, when another hard blow shook the ship, and almost tossed her loose. Her headache flared. “Pilot?”

[noamuth]

Combat

Dalamus is not a warrior. He was never a part of Menzoberranzan's army, and never got formal military training, but the highly competitive and sometimes literally cutthroat reality of business and daily life meant he had to know his way around a blade at the very least for self-defense purposes.

Dalamus uses a modified Sargh'elgg style of fighting. Sargh'elgg focuses on agility in combat rather than strength, and normally employs the use of a single light weapon such as a rapier. Dalamus favors a dagger in his right hand.

There have been times when he has had would-be thieves attempt to get away with his jewelry, or even attack him in order to steal from him. He has defended himself and killed in self-defense, without remorse.

His first real combat scenario was at his Blooding against the Displacer Beast, but even then it was mostly watching and waiting for the right time to strike. He did also kill someone during his Blooding, in self-defense.

He killed his brother, Orgoll--a premeditated murder--while Orgoll was distracted in a Trance state and did not have time to defend himself.

It is possible he has killed a jeweler rival before, albeit with "underhanded" tactics such as poison. Murder is murder but in Menzoberranzan one is only in trouble if they get caught in the act, no one cares enough to seek out perpetrators after the fact.

The only official training he got was during his consortship with Nedvyllanna, offered to him so that he may be able to protect the Matron Mother in the case of an emergency, ready to lay down his life for her. It provided him with experience using rapiers and swords as weapons, as well as help him refine his dual-wielding with his daggers, morphing his Sargh'elgg style into something resembling a Draa velve style, or a hybrid between the two. Although 10 years is not much to an elf, it is still 10 years, and a lot of training can happen in that time. In a one-on-one match, Dalamus can hold his own.

During his escape from the Underdark, he focused on running rather than fighting, and still ended up with an injury that would forever change his confidence in battle.

On the Nautiloid, he had a few small skirmishes with stragglers, but let the other survivors do the bulk of the fighting.

All this to say that while Dalamus has a decent amount of training plus almost two centuries of self-taught skills, has been in fights, and even killed others, he has very little actual combat experience, let alone combat experience within a group. He prefers to approach with stealth, although opportunities for stealth are far more limited on the surface than in the Underdark.

When confronted, his pride as a drow, his anger at his situation, and his pain all make him appear eager to fight, eager to prove at all times that he is strong and capable and unwilling to back down. But the truth is it serves the same purpose as a rattlesnake's tail or open mouth with fangs bared--saying "I don't want to fight, but if you threaten me further I will do my damnedest to make you regret it."

His back injury slows him down and can sometimes prevent him from twisting or bending without pain, the severity fluctuating day by day. The light of the surface affects his concentration, and the heat burns away his stamina at an accelerated rate compared to those who have lived there all their lives. And yet, all this forces him to try extra hard to appear dangerous in an attempt to avoid conflict.

If conflict becomes unavoidable, make no mistake, he is dangerous. He is vicious and does not fight honorably. He fights with speed and agility, and with poison if available, aiming quick strikes at vital or strategic points. He is not above using cruelty to gain an edge or prove a point, reveling in the feeling of power that cruelty offers.

Dalamus is most useful in combat at nighttime or in the shade, with indoor locations counting as shade. Light sources indoors will not affect him negatively, but removing light sources may give him an advantage depending on the amount of natural light present and the enemy type/abilities.

Whenever possible, he prefers to approach with stealth, and possibly poison his blades for an extra advantage early on. Having him focus on one enemy at a time will maximize his efficiency and end battles quicker than if he is thrown into a group.

He can use his darkvision or infravision to inform the group of unseen enemies--although both are mostly useful at night. Using infravision during the day, even indoors, will often have poor results thanks to the surface being naturally warmer than underground; it will cause a severe headache if used for too long.

When party members are at a disadvantage in the dark, Dalamus can use Faerie Fire or Dancing Lights to illuminate enemies or the environment. He can also use Darkness to blind enemies.

Dalamus has above average knowledge of poisons, and relatedly, antidotes. He is perceptive of traps, both mechanical and persuasive variety--although the latter might just be his paranoia assuming everything everyone says is a trap, just in case. He is good with lockpicks and for unlocking doors or chests.

Although he would never say it in such words, he is a follower, not a leader. He is used to living under strict rules and being given tasks and duties, being subservient under the priestesses rule. On the surface, however, his cooperation is a bit more difficult to secure due to distrust. Not that he trusted priestesses, but it was either obey or die. The surface does not seem so strict, and he does not view anyone as having a higher station than him.

[forthesanityofstorytellers]

Writeblr Battle Royale - Kashi vs Ophelia!

Yes! That's right! Round 2 of the event @writeblrbattleroyale put on by @your-absent-father! It's time for my grumpy growly shapeshifter Kashi to face off with the resurrected-by-voter-fraud? Ophelia (OC created by @the-arigen) [sidenote: some of you just really wanted to see Kashi die "again", didn't you...What did she ever do to you???]

You can read Kashi's round 1 here and Ophelia's round 1 here! Thanks, enjoy, and remember you can follow all the action here OR by following #writeblrbattleroyale ! Follow some awesome fellow authors and watch our OCs beat the shit out of each other (when they behave and do what they're supposed to do instead of things like trying to escape or have a pleasant conversation)

WC: 3,101 Tw: death, blood, bleeding, stabbing...you know the drill

Kashi sniffed at the one across from her to get a better idea of who she was facing down. Smelled…oddly sweet, and mostly not human. She let out a growl and reached for the handle of her knife, pulling it free as she began to pace. “Non-human,” she called out in a growl, “my name is Kashi.”

"I tend to prefer 'formerly human,'" Ophelia said, watching carefully. "Ophelia. I was... not expecting to wake up. At the very least, not with any knowledge of this arena." And not in the form that looked even cursorily so. It didn't help that she was absolutely certain she'd been fully incinerated, but it wasn't exactly surprising that there was magic she didn't know about; new things were being discovered all the time.

"Apologies," Kashi grunted, continuing to pace. Glancing around at the walls and the floor, noting the hole was gone and the walls unmarked. "I wasn't expecting to wake up either." She was fairly sure she'd died. But here she was. Which meant...Casper...Kashi shook her head. "Fight or die. I tried to die. Didn't catch. Doesn't sound like yours caught either."

"The experience is troubling, even if not the first time." Ophelia said, nodding. "In the past, I've been awoken from a piece of me that my... that one of my teammates keeps, which meant catching up on memories was a greater priority. This situation is somewhat atypical."

Kashi let out a laugh. "No kidding there." She hesitated. "Not the first time..." Her pacing slowed and she sniffed again. "You don't smell like an immortal. Or a vampire or anything from home. But I guess there's more than one way for death not to stick." Kashi flipped the knife in her hand and resumed her pacing before asking, "your teammates. They here with a piece of you?"

"After a fashion," Ophelia said, momentarily splitting herself down the middle into two copies, then stepping back into herself and merging back into one. "I do hope they are not. Neither of them has much of a way to recover from being slain in combat in case one does eventually stick."

The use of "vampire" was interesting to Ophelia. a bit of pre-Nihilus legend that had mostly made its way out of the lexicon when the invasion had swung up. I suppose you don't need false monster stories much when true ones are destroying cities. 

"I do have something of a suspicion, if you'd like to hear it."

More time for Kashi to observe her opponent and decide if she wanted to engage. If it would be smart to do so. She nodded. "Go for it."

The way Kashi was watching her, Ophelia was fairly certain that she either had training or experience, though it wasn't clear to her which. It would be nice to get an example of her powers before they fought, but likely not necessary. Just like last time... either she could be injured or not. Very little in between. "The last one was strange to me. Strange in a different way that you seem to be, especially regarding clothing. Given that, and the ramping-up of Nihilus activity... We've been selected. From different worlds. For what, other than this tournament, I have no idea. But I suspect that our friends and family are either fine, or this tournament is immense to a degree I hesitate to even comment on."

Kashi’s ears pricked up. Or they would have, if she were in her four-legged form. She twirled the knife in her hand once more. "Well that is an interesting suspicion," she said, half to herself. "Given the fight or die mantra...And the way this little game master seems to be conducting things..." Kashi looked around once more. Stands of people. But all unrecognizable. She looked back at her opponent. "...I'd gamble that if any relations were actually on the line, they'd be put in the stands right in front of us. A way to collar us, so to speak." And if that were the case...she had very little friends and no family to speak of.

"Keep working on that suspicion," she finally said, tossing her knife to the ground and reaching up for her face. Running her hands along the lines that looked like scars. "And if you win, I hope you figure out a way to beat the little ghosty man senseless. Because if I win that's sure as hell what I'm gonna do."

Singing the spell for transformation, Kashi began to peel the hidden mask away from her face. Her body pained itself as it went down to all fours, pain quickly vanishing as she steadied herself. "I suppose," she growled, "we should get this started before he tries to kill one of us himself."

Ophelia stared. "Didn't know he would do that. Given this, I thought it would be less... hands-on."

With that, Kashi took off running to the side, directly for one of the walls.

Ophelia shook her head momentarily, then dropped the guise, duplicating herself out a dozen times, forming those indistinguishable silver shadows that often led people to think they were simple drones. She took a moment to realize that she hadn't bothered to make a plan for which of her would continue speaking, and heard as all of her started speaking at the same time. "But I'm sure we will be coming to some sort of conclusion."

"Came down and tried to kill me before when I didn't behave," Kashi answered, doing her best to keep away from all the silver copies. "Don't think I'm super special either!" She built up enough momentum to hurl herself at the wall, and thankfully this time a large crack ran directly up the side and split. She grinned and spun, digging on the spot to fling dirt in the direction of any nearby silver before darting out and away again, keeping her eye on the crack she'd made.

It was strange that the... werewolf? The antlers were odd, but Ophelia supposed she'd never seen a werewolf before... that the werewolf was choosing not to engage with her, if that was the case. Throwing dirt? Hitting the walls? Neither made much sense. She was coordinating, though, so she shot small fragments out at five of the copies of herself, giving them the signal and plan of attack. The rest, uncommanded, spread out over the arena, trying to cut down on Kashi's ability to move around. 

Kashi did her best to continue to duck and weave. Kept her eye on the crack she'd made, flinging dirt at a few the got close enough. The dirt made little impact, but Ophelia seemed more intent on containment at the moment. That couldn't be good, but she could try and make it work.

A few of the shadows in the back spoke again. "To some degree I suppose I'm used to being chosen. It would almost be interesting to see how he did it."

"You and me both, sister," Kashi panted as she moved. "Although I personally could use a day-- off!" She angled herself towards one of the silver copies, ran directly at it and ducked away at the last second to see how it would react. If it was sentient or not. If it would try to injure her or just grab at her. She could work it either way, but she needed to see how they moved and reacted to know if her plan had a chance of working.

"Couldn't we all?" The run at her was unexpected, after tearing off in the other direction, and she chose not to react at all to it in the moment, hoping Kashi would go through with it, allowing Ophelia to morph around her and restrict her movements from direct contact instead of just boxing her in. The girl’s choice to abort the rush left her in a somewhat difficult position, though, and she decided to give up at least one of her advantages.

The copy that had been rushed dropped its human form entirely, turning into a grasping net of silver threads that launched itself at the werewolf.

Kashi couldn't help the yip that came out of her mouth as the copy changed. She dug her heels into the dirt to make a sharp turn, hoping the net wouldn't be quite as nimble. If these things could do that then swapping back to her two-legged form wouldn't be an advantage. In dexterity, maybe. Then again, she was faster like this. Probably didn't have much time to make the change anyway. She glanced behind to see if the net had followed her.

The quick dodge had surprised her somewhat, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. Pure speed was not Ophelia's domain, made up for by coverage. As the copy landed, reforming from net to humanoid, the one in the center whistled. Low-high, high.

Kashi timed her dodges as best she could, suddenly more copies filling the arena. They only seemed as fast as a normal person, but it would only take one lucky strike for that to no longer matter. An ear twisted and identified the whistle coming from the center. If she was going to gamble, she was going to gamble in that direction.

Kashi managed to dodge enough and get up enough momentum to slam into the wall again, making sure she leapt this time and rammed her entire strength into her blow. The crack split and the wall groaned, chunks starting to fall. Kashi dodged around a few and leapt into the air, snatching one in her mouth and heaving with everything she had, flinging a chunk of the wall into the most condensed mass of copies she could see before spinning and grabbing up another chunk, copying the same process and flinging what had fallen, keeping it up until there was nothing left to throw.

The shadows hit by Kashi's projectiles splashed, exploding into sprays of silvery semifluid that clumped in the air, splattering the walls of the arena and the other duplicates, annihilating their humanoid forms... momentarily.

All over the arena, the surviving copies flattened, spreading out over the floor and grabbing on to all the fragments, picking the mass back up and reintegrating it into their forms, a single flat mirror expanding to cover almost the entire floor of the arena. Losing the coordinator-Ophelia would be one thing. Having the coordinator's mind and thoughts spread out over the entire arena was another thing entirely. They reshaped again, taking on an three distinct near-mirrors of Kashi's own form to run at her, now much stronger and faster than they had been. Two humanoid forms stayed back, taking on the now-vacant coordination role.

Kashi took off at a dead run around the edge of the arena as her mind raced, copies on her heels. Wouldn't be beyond reason to suspect anything she could do, they could do as well. Ability to reform. Smash again and they'd likely respond the same. She didn't have anything to fight the reforming process and she knew it. And the copies of herself were keeping pace. She knew that moment she was caught out by someone with a skillset she ultimately wouldn't be able to win against. And she grinned.

She spun on her heel and made her final pass, what she was sure would be her last attempt at the fight. Eyed the humanoid forms and ran right for them with a howl.

With the direct rush, Ophelia had to be careful, to wait until Kashi had fully committed to the strike. Targeting the humanoid forms would make sense, if there was any difference between them and the others. At the last second, the one Kashi had rushed directly changed from a person into a barbed spear and launched herself at one of Kashi's hind legs from underneath her field of vision.

Pain. Kashi let out a scream as the pain shot through her, back leg stumbling as searing pain shot up her limb. It meant one thing, really; silver. A silver edge could pierce her skin and make a wound stick. She could feel her healing start to try and work at the pain, but the time it had taken to kick in was telling. Probably wouldn't be able to save her from a fatal blow, not this time. When she turned to try and get a better look at what happened, she saw the edges of what looked like barbs. That's what happened, the copy transformed like last time, only this time it was a spear. If this was how Ophelia fought, she was going to be done faster than she anticipated.

There were worse things than being taken down in battle.

Kashi bit back the pain and pushed herself at the closest figment of the enemy, attempting to latch her teeth around it and pull it the ground.

Ophelia felt the jaws latch around her and pulled her body in, compacting part of herself inside of Kashi's mouth for a moment while the copies came up from behind. She was wracked by a moment of hesitation as she let herself be borne to the ground, then decided. If she'd come back from the dead, there was a decent chance Kashi would too. and that, she could be okay with.

The piece of her in Kashi's mouth exploded, sharpened fragments firing themselves out through the muzzle and teeth.

Kashi let out a howling scream as she opened her mouth as wide as she could, swinging her head as hard as possible as she backed away from the pain. That hurt like hell and her healing was slow to answer, making it even more disorienting than her leg, still on fire from the wound there. She opened her mouth as wide as possible and rammed it into the ground, scraping her teeth against the dirt to get a mouthful in the hopes that the rough nature would help scrub any remainders of Ophelia from between her teeth.

Letting out another growl, Kashi spun and bolted directly for where she planted her knife. Biting was out. Clawing was out. So far the best she’d managed was when she tried to smash the copies…so she bolted for where her mask still lay on the ground as fast as she could go, her mouth and leg throbbing despite the healing magic starting to finally try and handle the leg.

Kashi's backing away had bought time, and the copies were almost directly on her heels as the wolf ran away. Two kept pace as they ran, trying to limit Kashi's options, while the third tried to outpace her, legs growing and contracting to try to lengthen their stride enough to cut her off. Two snaps at Kashi's flanks were met by one miss and one graze- the form was interesting, but not one Ophelia was accustomed to.

Kashi ignored the graze as best she could, teeth scraping at her hindquarters and causing her to push harder. She began to pant. She needed a minute for her healing to kick in more fully, if it could. Kashi saw one of her copies gaining ground on her to cut her off and ducked to one side as best she could. She managed to reach the place where her mask was and shoved her face down into it, scooping it up against her face and singing the song of transformation, just enough of the magic to make it stick as she ducked away from the snapping jaws of her copies and continued trying to weave her way to the arena's wall.

The faster copy slowed for a moment, then turned into a barrage of knife-shards. Kashi made the choice, for good or bad, to finish the song of transformation as the knife-shards shot towards her, a slim hope in her mind that a sudden shift from wolfen mass to humanoid would help her dodge at least some of the blows. Pain was a constant when shifting, but the added barrage of blades added to it. Her instinct was to pull herself in as she ran to try and protect what she could as the blades pierced and cut, several finding their mark. Enough of them to slow her down, the cuts and slashes causing her to lose focus along with blood. Her healing wouldn't catch up to this many wounds, not with silver. She lifted her head and tried to focus. If only she could get to the wall...

Ophelia had noticed by now that every wound she'd dealt was regeneration, and internally winced.

This is not going to be pretty.

Reaching out to her other self to combine, one mind in two bodies connected by a bridge, she prepared herself even as Kashi made it to the wall. A final form- one large net, spear in the center to pin the target, with a dozen smaller spikes around the outside to dig into the wall. From behind, the last humanoid walked up, reshaping herself into the human form and color for one question. "Any last words? Messages?"

Kashi reached the wall, fingers starting to try and dig into to the stone. Too slippery. Too weak. When she heard the question, she spun and took in what lay in front of her. Took a breath.

"Rekneaio," she stated. "It means...this death is a gift. And it is a good one. Thank you, Ophelia. My family is dead, and now I may join them. I..." Another shaky breath. Steady. It was not the first time she'd face what she thought was sure to be death. "...I hope your teammates are and remain safe. If I had a last request...A message...it would be that you kill him that put us here." Kashi gave Ophelia a salute from her homeland. "It was an honor to fight."

Ophelia nodded. "Lest the Refuge fail." 

The words were a signal as much as a confirmation. The spear in the net shot forward, taking Kashi in the gut, and tiny tendrils crawled out of it, following the arteries and veins as they came in contact and tracing out Kashi's circulatory system. "I only wish we had met under better circumstances. Break!"

The tendrils, now in the hundreds or thousands as they crept down limbs, across the torso, in the heart and head, pulsed with growth for an instant, then turned into blades, shredding every part of Kashi's body simultaneously. 

Ophelia walked up, placing her hand on the remnants of the net, and waited for her self to drip out with Kashi's blood.

[ultfreakme]

Hello, I'm new to the jujutsu fandom, I've already watched season 1 of the movie and I'm in season 2 of jujutsu, I also follow the jujutsu manga, I liked your tumblr and started following you, I like your analyzes and you make me understand more jujutsu, thank you. I have a question, don't you think Sukuna is a boring villain, sorry, but he's too annoying, even Mahito is more interesting than him and it's impressive that Mahito gave more weight to the work than Sukuna, Sukuna killed Gojo and his death It had no significance in the work, it's something terrible, I think the author got lost.

Ah thank you so much! Glad the blog could add to the JJK experience!

Personally, I am getting a little tired of Sukuna never being phased. I'd understand his constant victories if we got more insight into his Cursed Technique but we still have no explanation for what he is and how he came to be, very little Sukuna info has been unlocked since the beginning so it feels kind of frustrating for me.

I can't tell what the author is thinking, but I think the number of deaths is getting to us as readers. People just keep on losing and dying with little impact on those that are alive. Deaths had a huge impact at the start of the story. Like S1, Junpei's death shook Yuuji so bad that he entirely changed his way of thinking. But he only knew Junpei for like a day. So when characters like Nanami, Nobara, Gojo and many more people that Yuuji has known for months die, I think equal levels of impact is expected on Yuuji.

But that doesn't happen.

We don't know Yuuji's mental state after witnessing his teacher die. The excessive focus on fights without slowing down to let the characters grieve or process what they've seen is likely impacting how we see Sukuna, his fights, and his powers.

Like why wasn't Yuuji freaking out more when Higurama died? What was he really going through when he saw Higurama and got reminded of Nanami? A moment's pause, just focused on the grief of that could up the stakes and make Sukuna, if not interesting, at least someone we can hate more.

Emotions and character interactions are what gives a story stakes. We care that Gojo died not only because he's the only person who can stand up against Sukuna, but also because he is someone we connected with emotionally from S1. His death will make characters we love devastated.

When you take away the emotion, the sense of loss and don't show that, the fights become boring. Yuuji's still moving and seems to hold the same attitude as the beginning of Culling Games while fighting Sukuna right now after witnessing multiple deaths.

You could say he's hardened his heart and has gone numb to everything but that's speculation as readers, it'd be way more meaningful if we see Yuuji falling into that kind of state, or be shown to have some kind of emotion and reaction.

My one big critique for JJK is pacing. It's fight after fight after fight. Okay, bad take when the manga is literally called "Sorcery Fight" but I am no stranger to manga/anime entirely focused on fighting (I've read a weirdly high amount of martial arts and hand to hand combat manga). Even in most fight-centric stories, we get breaks, we get characters talking to each other. Like how come we STILL haven't gotten a proper, extended interaction between Yuuji and Yuuta that isn't a fight? Has Yuuji even spoken to Maki? How does Ino feel about Choso?

I think it's why I enjoyed the Yuki v Kenjaku fight more. The fight was interspersed with moments of character interaction.

No stakes and impact makes it boring. Sukuna's the most dangerous villain now and he keeps defeating people without proper explanation or faltering in any real way so like, why would we care? Sukuna's going to win against anyone that isn't Yuuji, so what's the point? It used to be fun for me to try to understand how Sukuna does the things he does. I still enjoy watching him beat the shit outta people but i do admit it's getting tiring.

Sure, the CT and Domain expansions whenever an improvement is shown are very cool but it'd help if we could slow down a little and talk about the character interactions. Honestly Sukuna himself can remain a mystery but our MCs should get more backstory and emotional moments.