#he's not trying to destroy the empire he's becoming the emperor hello?

[rebelontherocks]

i think it's a little concerning that ppl watch dune 2 and don't realize that paul is a villain

[starkidblogs]

The Lady and Her Monster

A/n: Hello there, This is a Mayor x Reader fanfic, inspired by the artwork of @neonross of the mayor and his daughter. The link is here. It is incredible, as well as their Bull kid au.

**This is a warning that this first part contains gory descriptions and death. So It's rated M for violence**

This is also one of a three or four-part fanfic. I'm unsure because I have ADHD and fall in and out of writing/fandom. (Hyperfixation is a curse!!)

Summary: The day lady bone demon start destroying the empire and eliminating the emperor. But she also needed to keep her tool in check, so she commanded him to eliminate the one thing holding him back, his love for you and his daughter.

Sidenote; I gave the mayor a name.....It's chief... I know it's a terrible name. The mayor also starts as a human before fully becoming the LBD servant. It has been a long while since writing fanfiction and the first time to post it on Tumblr. So there may be spelling mistakes that I may have missed.

Now on to the story.

You held your young daughter close as you gazed into the eye of your former husband. The cold blue that emanated from his eyes, this wasn't the man you knew and loved. He was something else, something frightening and horrible. He held his bloodstained blade.

When did it go wrong? When did he become this monster you see before you?

You felt tears from your daughter as she was holding on to you for dear life. "Mama! What's happening? Why is papa hurting people?" She cried as you couldn't explain it to her. How could? You don't know what was possessing him to do this.

"Sweetie, That is not your papa... Not anymore..." that's all you could muster as he walked towards you both with blood-soaked katana in hand. Before he started to run, you bolted with your daughter in your arms into the house. You felt the swing of his blade was close behind you. Turning to close the door, you saw his unnerving grin before slamming the door shut and grabbing a nearby chair to slow him down. It gave you both enough time to run into the cellar as he busted into the home you both made.

You held in your breath as you tried to soothe your child. Trying to think of a way to keep her safe, you thought of your parents outside the empire. "My lady, we're going to play a game. Okay, you remember how you ran to your grandma and grandpa's home outside of the empire against daddy to see who's faster?"

She nodded in confusion. Why did you want to play a game at a time like this? "You need to run to them while I stop papa from catching up to you. Okay? Don't stop for anything until you are there and safe." You heard him upstairs walking into each room, flinging items out of the way while the doors shattered as he tried to find you both.

You held you're breath and heard him going into the farthest room, your only chance for your daughter to flee from the demon in your home. You quickly tip-toed out of the basement, carrying her closet to your chest to shield her eyes from the horror the empire had become. Shards of giant blue crystal erupted out of nowhere and destroyed buildings, entrapping citizens, some piercing through them. As bodies drop on the street, families cry out for lost loved ones, and neighbors attempt to liberate their friends from crystal.

As soon as you escaped the chaos, you ran into the forest near your parent's home. "Okay, my lady, remember..." You began to tear up, knowing this was the last time you'll ever hold her. "Don't look back, and keep running till you are safe and far away from here...." You choked on your sobs as you hugged her tightly and kissed her on the forehead. "Mama..." She utters as she tries to hold back her tears. "I love you, my little lady."

Before your daughter could say anything, a twig snapped behind you. Dread wanted to take over and paralyze you, but you knew you had to hold him back for your daughter. You turn to see the man you once adored smiling maliciously. It made your guts turn sour as you turned to your daughter "(d/n), run... Get out of here!" You shouted as you heard the crunching of leaves get farther away from you both, now in a stand-off. You knew you were not going to survive.

"Is this how you protect your child?" He spoke, sounding like a mad man as he laughed. "You mean our child!! Chief, what has happened to you?!" You shouted at him, clenching your hands into fists, holding in your sobs. "Destiny happened to me sadly... You both aren't in it." He utters before lunging forward at you. Without having enough time to respond, he held you by your neck and chuckled before slamming you into a tree.

You coughed as the air was knocked out of your lungs, dropping onto the ground, gasping as you struggled to stand. Only to feel a hand grab a fist full of your (h/c) hair and yank you up. You stood face to face with this monster. The cold blue of his eyes meets your weeping (E/C) ones. He was about to slam you into the tree again until you both heard a woman's voice coming from behind him. "This has gone on long enough,"

"It's time to finish with this. We must concentrate on our destiny at hand." She said coldly into your eyes as you fell to the ground. You saw her form come closer as you screamed at her, "WHO ARE YOU? HOW COME YOU'RE DOING THIS?!" She turned towards you as she spoke."I am but a humble spirit. I came here on a mission to help the mortals be free from the pain and imperfections of this world. I thought if I was able to help the emperor and make him into a better person, we could make this land prosper, but after a few months of working for him, I realized that it was pointless. He never cared about anyone else but himself, even moments before he died." This lady explained you sat up and yelled. "THEN WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HUSBAND?!" Before feeling a blade dig in slowly into your shoulder. You cried in agony and pain as you heard him bark at you. "Show your respect to my lady."

You felt your heart sink as he yanked the blade out of you. You pressed your hand onto your shoulder to stop the bleeding somehow. "Your husband is a powerful man (Y/n), and he is so close to his future, but there is only one thing holding him back" She walked closer towards you and saw Chief kneeling for her. The woman grabbed your face and force you to look at her speaking softly. "you and your daughter." Your eyes widen " Leave her out of this!" you spat out before she let you go. "I respect your efforts into savings your offspring but note this if she comes back," She said as her eyes started to glow neon blue. "I will not have any mercy." Turning towards the once-thriving empire as she gave her final order. "End her."

You looked at her before turning to your former husband and saw him raising his katana, looking down at you. You closed your eyes and braced yourself for what happened next. Till you felt tear drops falling from his eyes onto your face as he smiled, before he brought his blade down, you gave him a final smile and calmly "I love you, my dear Chief." In his mind, one thing that was his own before fully succumbing to her influence was ' I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, my lady (Y/n)..'

Your final words to the man you spent your last few moments of life. As you passed, he wiped his tears away as he stared off into the depth of the woods before following the lady bone demon to the emperor's palace. Unbeknownst to them, two pairs of puffed (d/e/c) watched in horror behind a tree only a couple of feet away. Hiccups and sniffles came out as she turned in the direction of her grandparents, running as fast as she stumbled and tripped over roots. Huffs of air escaped her tiny lungs as they tried their best to keep up.

Her little legs with scrapes and scratches kept running as she fought the urge to fall over and wail about the scene keeps replaying in her head. (D/n) runs out of the woods, meeting a meadow of flowers. A vision of her and her father picking flowers and creating flower crowns for one another flashed in her mind. "Mama! Papa!" she whimpers as she reaches for safety underneath the only peach tree. She falls to the ground, and she feels her body trembling out of fear and sadness as she attempts to catch her breath as if it were her last and feels her energy fade.

(D/n) glanced up towards the night sky and said a small, simple prayer. "Please, help us.." Before giving in to exhaustion.

Words:1,381

I hope you enjoyed it!

Part two

[aellynera]

Goddess (Orestes x Reader)

GODDESS

(Hi. I wrote an Orestes story - it started as a joke about the way Apocalypse says “my goddess”, and then I was like “oh man I want Orestes to call me his goddess” and then as usual, I don’t know how, but this happened. It’s rather different than most things I write, but I quite enjoyed writing it and I hope you like it. Comments, likes, and reblogs always appreciated!)

Word Count: ~4400

Summary: Orestes is a constant in your life and has a particular way of constantly reminding you.

Warnings: Mentions of character death (briefly described but not graphically.) Implied female reader. Definite probable historical inaccuracies taken for poetic license and dramatic effect. ANGST (I made myself cry while I was writing this.) Christians doing morally void but historically accurate things. Fictional timelines.

When you are four years old, your parents leave everything they’ve built in Rome - their jobs in the palace, their lives in the city, your father’s position on the council -upon the orders of the Emperor and move to Alexandria. Your father’s new role is to assist in turning that city into a bastion of the Empire, to help strengthen the government and support the supremacy of Rome. Your mother is to be a gentle guide to the women, in hearth and home and higher society. And because you are theirs, you go with them.

They meet with the prefect upon your arrival and he welcomes your family. He is bright and cheerful, yet loud and pompous and booming, stern but wise, and while he is a kind man, his volume frightens you. You cower behind your mother’s skirts, steadfastly clinging to her and  refusing to join in any pleasantries.

Another woman suddenly appears, a small boy with curly hair and bright dark eyes holding her hand. The boy regards you curiously and asks why you won’t come out and say hello. His mother tells him you’re shy, while your mother encourages you to release your death grip on her gown. Finally, after much coaxing, you relent and she pushes you gently towards the little boy.

His mother says you should go play in the garden while the grown-ups talk, and he reaches a tiny hand out to you, wide-eyed and smiling. His name is Orestes, and he is six.

And when you take his hand with a shy little smile, his voice comes out as a whisper and tells you he thinks you’re a goddess, and he drags you towards the garden to show you the little blue flowers that dot the grass, and you believe him.

***

When you are eight years old, one day you finish your chores early and decide to spend your extra time in the yard, weaving some wildflowers together into a chain while the mid-afternoon sun warms your shoulders.

You are quite happy to be alone and not around the grown-ups for now; they’re so loud, sometimes too loud. You crave the quiet, seek it out often, and you bask in it.

Until a rush of dark curls and bright eyes tears past your house, into your yard, and grabs you by the hand, knocking your flower chain carelessly to the ground. He insists you come play with him on the hill nearby and with a squeal of indignation, you let yourself be dragged along behind him.

Your ire over the discarded flower chain is soon forgotten as your squeals become laughter as you roll and roll down the hill together, grass and dirt sticking to your robes and tufts sticking to his unruly curls. 

When you tell him he looks silly, he tells you he doesn’t, and you insist that he does and he protests that he doesn’t. And so it goes back and forth and back again, until you push him or he pushes you or someone pushes the other and you both go tumbling down that hill, end over head over feet, your descent only stopped by a patch of mud at the bottom.

He might be the son of the prefect, and he might be your best friend, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t an enormous brat sometimes.

For a minute you’re both panting and red-faced and near tears, until he starts to giggle and you can’t help but join in, and only laugh harder at his outraged gasp when you hit him square in the chest with a chunk of mud.

And on the way back to your house, when you’re worrying your bottom lip thinking on how to explain to your mother why you’re covered in dead grass and damp bits of dirt, your robes most likely ruined, he tells you with the kind of confidence only possessed by a boy of ten years that everything will be fine, because you are a goddess and brave and strong, and you believe him.

***

When you are twelve years old, you hear of the school that Hypatia is running, because Orestes tells you about it when he starts going. You don’t like that he’s doing something without you. You don’t like being left behind and left out and you want to go to this school too. 

Your mother would easily say yes, but your father is reluctant, and it’s not that he thinks a woman shouldn’t learn philosophy and how to read and do arithmetic; it’s  more that enough other people in the city do think like this and he is convinced it will not be safe for you.

You care little for your safety. All you want, all you desire, is to be part of this group of scholars and to go to this school and learn. And what danger can possibly be there, when a woman is the one in charge?

So you beg and plead and bargain with your father, until a boy - now a young man - with curls like nighttime and eyes nearly as dark and twinkling with stars, steps in and says he’ll watch over you during your classes, and your father gives his permission. And so you start attending Hypatia’s school.

And when the older boys, boys who were nearly men and should know better, start to bully and deride you for desiring knowledge, when they taunt you and steal your scrolls and yank the ribbons from your hair, he steps in and tells them in no uncertain terms to leave you alone. Neither of your fathers, especially his, are particularly thrilled with the tussles he gets in on your behalf, or the black eye that one petulant snipe Cyrus gives him when he connects a punch when Orestes isn’t properly paying attention.

You frown at him as he sits in a chair next to the washbasin, a clean wet cloth clutched in your hand. He winces as you clean the blood from his cheek and gingerly probe the bruise swelling around his eye.

And when you softly ask why he’d do such a stupid thing, he tells you that even a goddess needs a hero to protect them sometimes, and even though you think him entirely ridiculous and heat comes unbidden to your cheeks, it makes you giddy to believe him.

***

When you are sixteen years old, you watch the boy with the wild ebony curls and liquid chocolate eyes fall in love with a girl. Only it isn’t a girl, it’s a woman, and you realize he’s been doing it for years.

Ever since your first day in the new city, he has always been by your side and you by his, an inseparable duo. You thought that would never change, but here you are, finding yourself forced to watch your best friend slowly but surely let his heart be ensnared by your very own teacher.

All he can talk about now, it seems, is Hypatia and her philosophies; Hypatia and her scrolls and the amazing things she is currently reading; Hypatia and her outlandish theories on the universe and the stars. Always Hypatia, all things Hypatia.

You never knew you could hate someone as amazing and wonderful as Hypatia.

It doesn’t seem to matter that his attentions are not equally returned, that she never fully indulges his lovesick whims and overreaching attempts to gain her attention. She continues to treat him as a student, and outside of class possibly even as a dear friend, and he continues to pine.

One afternoon you’re among the stacks of scrolls at the library, trying to find the parchment necessary to complete an assignment Hypatia has given you. You honestly would rather not find it and not even bother finishing your assigned work right now, and you must have some kind of look on your face because he takes the scroll you’re clutching from your hand and leads you to a mostly hidden nook in the room. And he stops talking about Hypatia for a moment to ask you what is wrong.

You want to tell him you miss him, that you want him back, that he’s making a mistake, but you can’t, you don’t. It takes a bit more coaxing, but you finally tell him you’re lonely and you wish there was someone you could find, someone you had to love as much as he had his person, he smiles and tells you that one day you will, because you’re a goddess and the right person will be pulled to the love and light you always emit. You smile back weakly and blink and look away and you want nothing more than to believe him.

***

When you are twenty years old, the library at Alexandria is destroyed.

It happens on a sunny afternoon not unlike so many others that have passed before, when suddenly the doors are broken down and the Christians rush in and the chaos ensues.

You’re sitting at a table with a quill in your hand, carefully writing your thoughts on a piece of parchment, when you hear the shouting in the entryway. And before you know what’s going on, shelves are being knocked over, papers tossed into the air like so much confetti, scrolls being thrown left and right. The air is beginning to smell acrid; you can see a few people setting small fires in some of the stacks.

The windows above you shatter as others throw rocks and even a chair, and you look around wildly for a way out. You don’t know which way is the right way to go, or even if there is a right way to go.

Everything is madness.

A pair of arms suddenly shoot out and grab you around the waist and your scream pierces the air like the horn on the top of the lighthouse trying to guide a ship to shore. Instead you realize you’re trying to drive this ship to its ruin, to free yourself from its depths with wildly swinging elbows and kicks, until you hear a familiar voice shouting your name over the ruckus.

You take in your assailant, all frantic curls and impossibly wide, dark eyes, and collapse into him in relief. Orestes tells you that you need to go, you need to get out, and to find both your fathers in the nearby council chambers and they’ll know where to go, where it’s safe. You ask him to come with you, but he shakes his head.

He tells you he needs to help save as many of the books and scrolls as he can, and you tell him to give you all you can carry and when you run, you’ll take them with you. So he loads your arms full to bursting, and when a rock flies by inches from your face and you drop the items at the top of the pile, he ignores that and pushes you roughly in the direction of the side exit. He says you must leave now, and he’ll be behind you before you know it.

He presses his lips to your temple ever so briefly, spares you a pained smile, and says you’re a goddess for the small bit of assistance you are giving.

As you run for safety, or what might be further peril, you spare a glance over your shoulder and see him helping Hypatia grab as much of the library’s contents as they can, and you don’t have another second to spare on deciding whether or not to believe him.

***

When you are twenty four, it’s your wedding day and everyone tells you this will be the most joyous day of your life so far. Your mother helps you dress in the softest, most expensively beautiful gown you’ve ever owned, and one of your sisters weaves a crown of laurels for your hair. Another sister makes a chain of wildflowers to wind around your wrist. You have never felt as beautiful as you do on this day.

Your father comes to the door of the chamber where your preparations are taking place, to let you know that the guests have all arrived and the groom is nearly ready, and it is almost time. He gives you a kiss on both cheeks, a gesture not common from him, and tells you he will be waiting out by the garden gate when you are ready. Your mother and sisters each kiss your cheek and leave as well, giving you a moment to yourself to gather your thoughts and emotionally prepare for the ceremony.

The door opens again a few minutes later and you turn to face the person behind it, Your eyes go wide, confused, as you take in the man before you. His dark curls are smoothed back and elegantly styled, his robes are regal and dashing, and his eyes are bright and nervous.

You tell him he shouldn’t be here.

He tells you that he knows, but he can’t help it, he has to see you. That he has been thinking of you all morning, wondering how beautiful you look, how happy you must be, and he just had to see you before you walk down the aisle to take your vows.

You bite your lip and tell him, again, that he shouldn’t be here and you can’t stop your voice from shaking. You turn your head away and look anywhere but at him.

And he repeats that he knows this, and he knows it’s wrong, it goes against all protocols, but he can’t help himself, can’t stop thinking that this is the last time he’s going to see you, see your smile and maybe hear your laugh, might be the last time your eyes can gaze upon each other and the last time he can hold you in his arms as his best friend.

You can’t think of a single thing to say to him, and even if you could, you’re certain your body will not cooperate.

Because he is not the one you are marrying. No, this marriage was arranged by your father and the Emperor, and there is the overwhelming chance that you must go back to Rome, and if you and your new husband leave Alexandria it is not likely you will ever return.

This might be the last time he can tell you that you shine with a light brighter than all the heavens, that you are beautiful and he hopes you will be happy, and you truly are a goddess among mortals.

And so Orestes does. He kisses you softly on your forehead, staying there a bit longer than propriety suggests, and quietly slips from the room. And you can’t see for the tears swimming in your eyes, and you want with all your heart to believe him, but you can’t help but find his words hollow and realize this will be far from the greatest day of your life.

***

When you are barely turned twenty-five, there is a knock on your door in the middle of the night. Perhaps knock is not the correct word, it’s more of an insistent pounding, and you swear under your breath at what could possibly be so important to rouse you out of bed at this unacceptable hour.

You pull a robe over your nightdress and open the door, and all the air leaves your lungs.

Four centurions are standing on your stoop, with a man who looks vaguely familiar; is he a general, maybe, or a captain? You can’t remember where you’ve seen him before, but it doesn’t matter, when he greets you solemnly and begins to speak, and tells you that your husband will not be returning from the front.

You did not return to Rome, as had originally been decreed. You stayed in Alexandria after your marriage because skirmishes had broken out along a few of the empire’s borders, and your new husband was called to action to fight for his ruler and the kingdom. Deep down, you could not have been more glad of it, for though you were born there, Rome had not been your home for over twenty years, and starting a new life there with a new husband would not have made it any more so. 

Your knees give out from under you and you consider for a moment that you should be crying, but you aren’t really sad and it strikes you as odd, but you can’t force the tears to come. You love your husband, in a way, but you’re not sad that he won’t be coming home. You’re relieved, and the instant that thought hits you and sends a jolt through your body, you start to laugh. The general, or captain, or whoever he is and his guards look at each other, then at you, and back to each other in utter confusion as you continue to giggle.

It all happens in mere seconds, and you’re sinking to the stone floor beneath, and a very familiar voice, one you have not heard since the day you were wed, tells the guards to stand aside and strong arms catch you before you can tumble completely.

His hair is wild and curly like he was just pulled out of bed himself, and his dark eyes shine with worry and compassion, and he asks you if you’re alright, and this is what finally breaks you from your laughter and brings wetness to your eyes.

Orestes holds you as you cry into his chest and you don’t see the pointed look he gives to the captain and the guards, nor do you see them pull back enough to close the door and wait outside.

You don’t know how long you sit there on the floor in the front hall, or how you’ve possibly gotten his robes that soggy, but eventually you calm and the thoughts roll through your brain again. You are crying because someone has died, you realize this is true even if you’re not so very sad it was your husband. You’re crying because it was your husband and now there will be the mourning period you must dutifully attend as a grieving widow. And now that you’re a widow, eventually you will be expected to take another husband, if one even dares to want you.

And you’re crying because the one reason you were glad to stay in this forsaken city - in the Alexandria which had become your home - the one reason you hoped every day to lay eyes on again and every night resigned that you never would, was suddenly here, his arms wrapped around you and his voice whispering words of comfort into your hair.

You’re not sure when he picks you up and carries you back to your bed, carefully laying you on your pillows and pulling the sheet up to cover your shoulders. You’re not sure how long he stays, holding your hand and brushing stray tendrils of hair from your face. And you’re not sure how long you drift in and out, emotional exhaustion finally catching up and pulling you into nothingness, but before you fade out completely, you feel his thumb gently brush the remaining tears from your cheek, and feel the soft press of his lips on your forehead as he calls you a goddess and tells you to rest.

And as you finally give yourself to the twilight, you aren’t sure if you imagined it, but you choose to believe him, and you cling to it.

***

You’re not sure when it happens, to be honest. Time starts to blend together after that, you just know that you’re older and that it happens, and it isn’t right and it isn’t moral and it isn’t fair. Not to anyone involved, not to the city, not at all.

Hypatia has died, been murdered in the temple at the hands of those who profess themselves to be righteous saviors, brutally stoned and ripped apart as she stood there, proud and defiant to the end. How anyone could do such a thing to another human, especially one such as her, is beyond your comprehension.

It only gets worse when they burn her corpse on a pyre in effigy in the middle of the agora.

Word comes to you of the horrible events, and your first instinct is to find him, the way he found you, came to you when word of your husband’s death made its way back to the city. You set down the parchment you’re scribbling on the desk in your room and grab a dark cloak, partly to conceal yourself and party to ward off the slight chill from the wind.

You make your way to the prefect’s palace but you’re turned away at the gate by pair of surly-looking guards, and giving your name, and then your father’s name, and then the fact that your father reports directly to Rome makes no difference to them. They have  been told to let no one in, and let no one out.

No one except the person you’re looking for, apparently, because somewhere in the aftermath you discover that Orestes is nowhere to be found.

No one knows where he’s gone, and no one knows when he left, just that it was sometime between Hypatia being murdered and the fake funeral pyre. He had words with Cyril, someone told you, and then after that, no one knows.

And the Christians take over the city, much like the library so many years ago, and more people are burned at the stake, more people are murdered, more progress is halted, all in the name of what is right and what is true.

They will kill you, too, if they find you, or find out you’re looking for Orestes. It’s been years since you’ve really been in his presence in anything but the smallest of ways, especially in public, but you know there are still enough people who know how close you were. And if they know you used to be close, you know they won’t hesitate to come after you the same way they came for the philosopher. 

So you make inquiries as discreetly as possible, ask the gossips that litter the merchants’ stalls in the most innocent way possible, like you’re just a curious citizen asking what’s happened to the rule of order in the city. You even ask your father, once, but he doesn’t reply and his stony gaze makes you certain to never ask again.

And you bury yourself in scrolls and reading, in star charts and theories; in anything, really, that will take your mind off everything that is happening and your lost prefect. Your lost friend, your best friend.

The man you truly love, even if it’s taken you years of self-doubt and missed chances to fully realize and admit it, and now, perhaps do something about it.

One day as you’re sitting at your desk, quill in hand and head in the clouds, you think of something. Something that may be nothing, but it comes to you in a flash and you have an idea of where to go, where to find him, somewhere that few others might know.

You carefully pack a bag with some clothes and supplies, and a crudely drawn map that you sketch from memory and hope you’ve gotten right. It’s been so long since you were there but you’re fairly sure you remember the way. You know that Orestes would remember.

A long day’s journey and a fitful night’s sleep take you into the next day, and the afternoon turns into dusk when the hillside comes into view. It is not the same hill you tumbled down more than once when the two of you got into a scrum, but it’s the one that you would go when you could both sneak away and no one would notice for a few days, and you’d stare at clouds by day and the stars by night.

There is an outcropping set back from the hill, in the base of the mountains nearby, that a person wouldn’t see if they didn’t know where to look. You’d found it one day during a particularly vicious thunderstorm and taken refuge in the cave there, and you’d both commented on how someone had clearly found it once before you, for it was somewhat set up as a living space, with some mats and blankets and  a few rations left on makeshift shelves. Anytime you were on these excursions and it would rain, or you simply wanted to be out of the sun, that was where you would go.

And you hope against hope that this is where your answer lies.

You crest the hill and make your way to the foot of the mountain and you can’t help but smile, just a little, thinking this is where he would have gone, should have gone, as his name means of the mountains. In his abandonment, his escape from the city, could he have taken it literally? You’ve known him so long and it feels like the kind of thing Orestes would do.

The hovel comes into view, and you drop your pack, because he does too. Tending to a fire at the mouth of the cave, his back turned slightly to you, his curls a glorious disaster, and he’s grown a beard since last you’d seen him. It’s a look you’ve not seen on him before, but you quite like it, although you consider for just a moment you’d like any look on him at this moment, because he is real and he is standing right in front of you.

The sound of the pack hitting the ground makes him turn, and his dark eyes shine in the firelight, and he looks at you for long moments but doesn’t say anything. Orestes just stares at you, disbelieving, like you might be some kind of mirage or a trick of the light or even some kind of wicked spirit sent to torment him, and so he just stares.

Until you breathe his name.

He blinks once, and his face is suddenly full of hope and relief, all the tension and disbelief of the previous moments falling away, and your heart soars to the heavens and thumps ever so boldly in your chest, and your smile threatens to crack your lips, and the tears fall freely as words finally leave his mouth.

“My goddess.”

~end~

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[empires-recap]

Weekly Recap: Sept 12th - 18th

A/N: Hello and Welcome to Weekly Empires Breakdown 1! Sorry I don’t have many episode breakdowns to attach to this, I go really in depth and with 3 tests in 4 days this week I just didn’t have the time to dedicate to all the episodes to give them the breake=down they deserve. I will get to them eventually, but this overall my main focus. One week of Empires Video’s Lore all nice and summed up for you guys. So look out for these every Monday, covering Sunday to Saturday so people have a chance to watch all the videos the videos and I’m not spoiling the vids that only came out yesterday. Also, perspectives of events will only be sited if it was released in a episode in this timeframe. Duplicate events may be included week to week based on what creators upload. And feel free to let me know if I missed anything important. So, let’s get into it.

Videos Included this week:

Gem Episode 13 (Fri)

Jimmy Episode 15 (Fri)

Joey Episodes 18 and 19 (Mon, Fri)

Katherine Episode 20 (Sun)

Lizzie Episode 15

Pixl Episodes 22 & 23 (Mon, Fri)

Sausage Episodes 29 - 31 (Sun, Wed, Sat)

Scott Episode 19 (Fri)

Shubble Episodes 16 & 17 (Sun, Tues)

Major Events - Multi-person Lore Events 

The Phantom Joins? The Assassin’s guild - Sausage meets the Assassin, who seems interested in joining the guild but is anti-demon, though doesn’t show his stance outright. Sausage asks him to fulfill a contract and bring him the head of an Empire’s Ruler. He then immediately kills Sausage with blue firework rockets (Such a power move omg). (Sausage 29)

Meeting of Scott’s Allies - Scott calls all his allies to Rivendell to propose a plan for their corruption: put it in a box somewhere far away and forget about it. Katherine volunteers her box of corruption, incased in obsidian in the mountains. They all put their corruption in the box and walk away. In a later scene, unknown to the characters, the box begins to leak corruption (Gem 13, Katherine 20).

Re-solidifying an Alliance - Pixl heads to Katherine to re-solidify their shaky alliance. They do this by heading out to the desert and collecting rare mob heads Katherine does not have (Katherine 20, Pixl 22)

The Bloodlust of The Lost Emperor - Joey, taken over by the bloodlust of the crown gifted to him by Xornoth, goes out and kills both Shubble and fWhip (Joey 18, Shubble 16)

Meeting of the Corrupted - Sausage and Joey meet up. They gush over the power they have been gifted before Joey suggests capturing people. They scout out their targets: GeminiTay and Scott Smajor, while Sausage informs Joey on what he knows of the two. This mainly includes the Dragon Egg, the lack of corruption on one side of Rivendell, and the brotherly relationship between Scott and Xornoth (Joey 28, Sausage 30)

The Capture and Rescue - Joey and Sausage meet with Xornoth to talk about the plan of capturing Scott and Gem. He says they can do what they want with Gem, but Scott must be kept alive as he’s part of the bigger picture. Scott and Gem are talking around Gem’s Embassy at Scott’s when Joey comes up to them. Joey tries to get them to follow him but they refuse. Sausage, who was sneaking up on them, come out and hits them with sleeping potions. Scott and Gem wake up with Mining Fatigue in Sausage’s dungeon, where they are questioned: Gem about the dragon egg and Scott about the brother thing. Gem is actually killed twice during this. Sausage and Joey try to get them to hand over the egg and stop trying to stop Xornoth and they refuse. They leave them there after Scott points out they can’t do anything while trapped. Jimmy, coming to Mythland to brag about how tall his wall is to Sausage, finds the two and frees them. (Gem 13, Jimmy 15, Joey 19, Sausage 31, 

Gunpowder Boys Prank - fWhip meets with Pixlriffs to trade and share demon discoveries and how they have been utilizing the corruption to their own benefit. They then work together and put two elder guardians in Mythland: one in The Dark Tower and one under his house in the dungeon. They try to get a third by his afk hole in the Iron Farm, but it dies. This series of clips also confirms Pixl either has no idea about The Phantom or is denying his knowledge about to fWhip, who seems to acknowledge the incident with Sausage and The Phantom.(Pixl 23, Reaction in Sausage 31)

Battle Arena - Pearl and Sausage build a battle arena between their based, however twice - once proposing the idea and another time during their first fight in the arena - Sausage gets possessed and turned into a more corrupted version of himself. Sausage does not remember anything during these blackouts. Also, Pearl wins the fight (Sausage 31)

Demon Watch - What is happening with corruption, the demon itself, and the resistance efforts against it

The Eyeball has moved, the last known location of it being Lizzie’s base. Crystals have also popped up around the server floating above people’s builds, usually important ones (this is pointed out in Sausage 30). Xornoth physically appeared in 3 episodes this week: Joey 19, Sausage 31, and Shubble 17. To Joey and Sausage, he appeared to over them assistance in their plan to kidnap Scott and Gem, and also to tell them not to touch Scott. He appeared to Shubble, taunting her first by calling her a coward and killing Lord of Mars (o7) but also by showing the power he could gift her if she joined his side. Considering he destroyed her last kingdom, she refused and then he killed her. Resistance stances have been mixed. Gem still has possession of the egg, with no indication if it will hatch anytime soon. fWhip has turned the corruption into fertilizer. Pixl has observed that copper slowly kills the corruption  by turning it into a harden substance and, when struck by lightning with a copper rod, can petrify the tentacles in a fossilized state. Katherine had tried to cure the tentacles with the potion that cured her flowers, but it and the new Moat have failed to stop their advancement.

Personal Events - Buildings, Trade Deals, Personal or Single-Person Lore not including the demon

Gem - Gem builds the embassy at Scotts. After returning from being captured, she calls on friends from other servers to help protect her and the egg: Three White Dragons with purple wings now circle her wizard tower.

Jimmy - Jimmy builds a tower next to his wall, officially taller than Sausages, and plans out the border for his wall/mega-base to surround his kingdom. He also promises one diamond to anyone who brings him a cod head.

Joey - Joey works on the start of the interior of the water temple. It’s not finished, but he also talks about his goal as emperor of the lost empire is to build up the temples of the 4 elements - Fire, Water, Earth and Air - to reunite the kingdom in harmony again. He also is still jealous about the amount of corruption other empires are getting, and is also jealous of when empires have a lack of corruption as shown with his meeting with fWhip.

Katherine - Katherine might bring Pixl in to the plushie business, but at the very least has a sale as he wants a husk plushie in his empire. All other events in her involve the corruption or other people.

Lizzie -  Lizzie builds a tunnel from her empire to Katherine’s, decorating the inside to make the steady train ride more enjoyable. In the dessert section of her tunnel she girlbosses tricks Joel and Scott to do the manual labor for her. She also receives Sausage’s “Thank you for Helping to Kill the Dragon” present

Pixl - Pixl returns to Pixandria after several episodes of self imposed exile. He has a brief interaction with Sausage when the man drops off his “Thank you for Helping to Kill the Dragon” Present, basically telling him you are not welcome here.

Sausage - Sir Carlos finally arrives in Mythland, warning Sausage that he cannot escape becoming fully corrupted. He gifts him an artifact he needs to keep in his inventory to escape the spirit realm Bubbles will guide him through after he fully dies, although he is a bit frustrated that Sir Carlos doesn’t tell him who gave him the information or the artifact. He takes a stealth mission to gather information on the other empires, saves the bloodsheep that have been disappearing since Xornoth came to full power, and got the Great Staff of Mythland gifted by a friend.

Scott - Scott shows off his embassy buildings and gets conned by Lizzie to build her tunnel for her

Shubble - Shubble focuses on building a mushroom house for one of her future villagers, and builds the embassy at Scott’s base. Xornoth also gifts her a villager, mainly because he wanted her to kill it testing out her gifted powers. 

[dettiot]

Fic: For Want of a Lightsaber 1/?

For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

For want of a lightsaber, the galaxy is saved.

XXX

Hello! So earlier today, I saw a piece of fanart by @squishbaebae that gave me all the feels--and ideas! So I worked backwards from Anakin and Obi-Wan being involved in the Rebellion during RoTJ to come up with this story that takes a different twist on RotS.

Dialogue taken from RotS.

I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I hope you enjoy reading this!

You can also read this on AO3.

XXX

Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, breathed hard as he held his sparking, damaged lightsaber in his hand. He felt the power coursing through his veins, a dark command ringing in his ears, as he watched Master Windu fall into the depths of Coruscant.

And at the same time . . . he felt the call of the Light Side. He could feel his bond with Obi-Wan, could feel his master’s tired satisfaction at defeating General Grievous, thinking about the end of the war. He could sense Padmé, nearby in  her Senate office. And the baby cradled inside her, so bright and strong with the Force.

“What have I done?” he said, unable to stay upright. He fell to his knees, his head hanging low, as he struggled.

He couldn’t lose Padmé. He would not lose her. Not like he had lost his mother. Nothing else mattered except Padmé and their baby.

Even though he was turning his back on everyone and everything else . . . but that didn’t matter. It wasn’t fair, how the Jedi treated him. It wasn’t fair that they wanted to take away the one thing he needed in the entire galaxy!

“You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin,” the Chancellor said, still so calm, so certain, even after what had just happened. “Become my apprentice. Learn to use the Dark Side of the Force.”

Would the Dark Side give him what he needed? Not just Padmé, but . . . the certainty that the Chancellor had? That Padmé had? Would the struggle be over?

Anakin didn’t know. But--but he had to try.

“I will do whatever you ask,” he said, lifting his head to look at the Chancellor, to see his face wrinkled and aged, his eyes gleaming yellow.

“Good!” The Chancellor’s voice was full of approval, of triumph.

“Just help me save Padmé’s life,” Anakin said quickly, needing the Chancellor to know how important this was. “I can’t live without her.”

The Chancellor nodded. “To cheat death is the power only one has achieved. But if we work together, I know we can discover the secret.”

A voice in the back of Anakin’s head, a voice that sounded like Obi-Wan and infuriated him, quietly nudged him. He doesn’t know? How will that help Padmé, when she dies in childbirth in your dreams? She’s so close to the end of her pregnancy . . .

He pushed away the voice, feeling his anger grow. If the Chancellor said they could do it, they would do it. They could get started right now!

“I pledge myself to your teachings,” Anakin said, bowing his head again. “To . . . to the ways of the Sith.”

The Jedi were so stubborn and righteous. They had lost their way. He was the Chosen One. He could learn from Darth Sidious, save Padmé, and then--then he’d figure out the rest. Just as long as he had Padmé.

“Good. Good!” the Chancellor said, his praise a balm on Anakin’s soul. “The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Anakin Skywalker, you are one with the Order of the Sith Lords. Henceforth, you will be known as Darth . . . Vader.”

Darth Vader? That--that wasn’t--was it supposed to sound scary?. It sounded . . . kinda lame. Like something he might have come up with as a kid.

Anakin--no, he was Darth Vader now--shook off the irrelevant thought. “Thank you . . . my Master.”

His skin crawled a little. It didn’t feel right to call the Chancellor ‘master’. It felt . . . dangerous.

The anger inside him roared and howled at the word. He tried to reason with himself, but--but then he realized he didn’t have to. He could be angry. As angry as he wanted!

“Rise,” the Chancellor said regally. “We have much to do.”

Standing up, Anakin nodded. “We have to begin our research.”

“Research?” the Chancellor said, some of the wrinkles shifting in a motion that reminded Anakin of someone quirking an eyebrow.

Frowning, Anakin said, “To save Padmé.”

“Of course, my young apprentice, of course,” the Chancellor said, patting his shoulder. “But first, we must secure ourselves. The Jedi must be eliminated. They are too dangerous. You must lead the 501st against the Temple. You know what you must do. Leave no one alive.”

The 501st? His legion? They were good men . . . would they follow his order to attack?

“How?” Anakin asked. “They’ll argue--”

“They will follow my order,” the Chancellor said, waving a hand in the air as if Anakin’s objection was a mote of dust.

Why was he arguing with his master? He had to stop--he couldn’t risk Padmé’s life like this!

But there was one more problem . . .

“Master,” Anakin said, holding up his lightsaber. A stray blast of electricity from the Chancellor’s attack on Master Windu had caught the lightsaber. The crystal inside was dead, utterly destroyed.

The Chancellor sighed heavily. “Oh, my. Do you have a spare lightsaber?”

“No, Master. And no spare kyber crystals, either.”

The Force stirred around him and Anakin felt annoyed. It was like someone tapping you on the shoulder when you were trying to ignore them.

“I must go to Ilum,” Anakin said. “The 501st are good soldiers. They will follow orders.”

“Yes, they will,” the Chancellor said, sounding dissatisfied. “And I suppose younglings and elderly Jedi will pose no challenge to the finest men of the Grand Army. Very well, Lord Vader. You will go to Ilum and then await further instructions.”

“Yes, my master,” Anakin said, bowing his head.

He turned to leave, only to stop when his master spoke. “Lord Vader?”

“Yes?” he asked, turning to look at him.

“I am no longer the Chancellor. I am your master, Lord Sidious. The ruler of my Galactic Empire.” He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was cold and hard and . . . terrifying. “Remember that.”

Anakin felt himself swallow. “Yes, Lord Sidious.”

And just like that, his old friend returned. “Very good. Hurry along, Lord Vader.”

His anger sparked. He wasn’t some child! He--he was Sidious’ chosen apprentice, strong in the Force!

Sidious closed his eyes. “Oh, your anger is powerful! Give in to it and feel your strength increase!”

That little Obi-Wan voice piped up again. Well, this is disturbing .

Too confused and angry and worried, Anakin ignored it all and stormed out of the Chancellor--the Emperor’s--office.

XXX

Oh, how he hated Ilum. It was always so kriffing cold.

But he had his crystals, and he had built a new lightsaber, so he was ready to get back to Coruscant. To check on Padmé, to find out if his master had found any information on how to save her.

He knew he was supposed to wait for instructions, but--but he couldn’t just sit in orbit around Ilum! It was too far away. He needed to be close to Padmé--it was nearly her time.

So he set course for Coruscant.

Only six parsecs from the planet, the holo chimed. Anakin quickly answered it, feeling a sense of anticipation in the Force.

His spirits plummeted when he beheld his master’s face.

“You were supposed to wait for further instructions,” Lord Sidious said darkly.

“I know, my master, but I thought--”

“You do not disobey my orders!”

Anakin opened his mouth to speak, but--but he couldn’t breathe--

Putting his hand to his throat, he felt an invisible hand clutch around his neck, cutting off his air. He stared at his master, who looked back at him with anger and glee.

Just as suddenly as it started, the pressure was gone. Anakin gasped, leaning forward in his seat.

“Foolish boy,” Sidious spat out. “Your ineptitude has already cost me plenty. The Jedi in the Temple were able to fight back and several escaped. I can have no resistance to my rule. But first, you must go to Mustafar. Eliminate the Separatists. I have need for them no longer.”

“The Separatists?” Anakin asked in a raspy voice, feeling a wave of anger. “You--you controlled them?”

“A simple matter,” his master said. “I do not like these continued questions, Lord Vader. I see now that part of your training will require reinforcement of my orders.”

He tilted his head. “Or perhaps you require a reason to comply. I should visit your lovely wife. In her hour of need, she must be fearful--”

“No!” Anakin said, leaning forward, his chest aching. “No, I’ll do it, I promise!”

His master tutted. “Your promises mean nothing to me. I require your unhesitating obedience. Do you understand?”

Of course he understood! He wasn’t dumb. He was powerful and strong--Sidious had said so himself. He didn’t deserve to be treated like this! He wasn’t some slave to be ordered around!

Anakin’s blood ran cold. Was that what he was now? A slave? Again?

The pressure was back on his windpipe--not so strong as before, but enough to make his breaths come short. He nodded and wheezed, “Yes, Master.”

“Go to Mustafar. Do not delay,” Sidious ordered before ending the comm.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Anakin leaned his head forward. He was so tired . . . the lack of oxygen made his exhaustion feel even heavier. He just wanted Padmé.

Without conscious thought, he reached for the comm and keyed in Padmé’s personal frequency. Only a few people had this frequency and she always answered it, no matter what.

But this time, she didn’t. Anakin felt his fears grow. “Padmé? Padmé, please call me back as soon as you can. I--I . . .”

He let his voice trail off as he tried to think of what to say. How could he explain what he had done? She would be so disappointed . . .

But it wasn’t his fault! He was doing this for her! Why couldn’t she understand that? He did everything for her!

“I need you to come to Mustafar,” he said. “I’ll send you my coordinates. Just--just meet me there, as soon as you can. Please, Padmé.”

If he could just see her, things would be better. They could figure things out. Padmé--Padmé would forgive him, once he explained everything.

Nothing made sense right now. Padmé would fix that. He just had to take care of the Separatists first.

She would be happy about that. After all, the Trade Federation was part of the Separatists. With them gone, Padmé would be safe. No more attacks on her life. No more danger for the baby.

This was good, Anakin told himself as he changed course. Once he took care of the Separatists and got Padmé, they could go back to Coruscant. He would take Padmé to meet with the Emperor and they would all work together to save Padmé’s life.

You’re lying to yourself.  

“Shut up, Obi-Wan,” Anakin muttered.

You know I’m not Obi-Wan.

“Shut up!”

The voice fell silent, leaving Anakin alone.

Alone and wondering what the voice meant when it denied being Obi-Wan. Because . . . it was so like his master--his former master--but, wait, hearing voices?

Was he going insane?

Anakin shook his head and focused on the blue swirl of hyperspace through the viewscreen. He wasn’t crazy. He wasn’t going to lose Padmé. He wasn’t--he wasn’t--

Sleep.

Even though it felt weird, listening to some strange voice in his head, Anakin closed his eyes. And the next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes, hearing the proximity alarm, and seeing a planet covered in red through the viewscreen.

He had arrived on Mustafar.

XXX

This--this was something he knew how to do.

His lightsaber flashing, the blade bright and blue, Anakin cut through the Separatist leaders. Without Dooku and Grievous, they were all cowering, their pleas for mercy as annoying as the cackles of a Kowakian monkey-lizard.

He left Nute Gunray for last. He advanced towards the Neimoidian, watching as his green skin went pale and his already-big eyes widened.

“No--no, Skywalker!” he said, huddled in a corner. “I beg you!”

Anakin twirled his lightsaber, standing tall in front of Gunray. “This is for my wife,” he said, before plunging the lightsaber through his chest and into the stone wall behind him.

The gasp he let out, the way he slumped down as Anakin pulled his blade free--Anakin felt a ripple of pleasure at his death. He would never harm Padmé again. He would never hurt innocent people in his pursuit of money and power.

Nute Gunray had discovered, the hard way, what true power was.

He held power in his hands and it was . . . it was so good. He could do anything with the Force. He could punish the wicked, kill those who deserved it, bring peace and order to the galaxy.

And he would. He, Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, would fix the galaxy. He would make Padmé see how much better it was. How much happier she would be if she listened to him.

With his robes fluttering around him as he stalked away, Anakin went to the landing platform. He could feel Padmé approaching.

There was something else--some flicker of a presence, too faint and gone too quickly for him to register. But it didn’t matter. Anakin was stronger than any other Jedi. And if Padmé had betrayed him, he would show her the error of her ways.

And he would forgive her, of course.

Padmé’s ship landed and within moments, she was coming down the landing ramp towards him. She had a hand tucked under her stomach, so pronounced in the tunic she wore, and all Anakin wanted to do was step forward and touch their child and her.

But the expression on her face--she was scared . Of him .

“Anakin,” she said, her voice so sweet and so worried. “I was so worried about you! Obi-Wan--he told me--”

So this was what his old master was doing? He must have felt Anakin’s fall--and instead of coming to him, instead of helping him, he had immediately gone to Padmé! To fill her head with lies, obviously.

To make her stop loving him. So he would give her up.

Anakin clenched his fists, feeling his metal hand creak. He would never give up Padmé!

“Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me.” The words felt odd in his mouth, but they were true--they were the truth! Obi-Wan had always been fearful of his power. It must have come from jealousy--the knowledge he would always be lesser than Anakin. A jealousy born from the moment his master had given him up and chosen Anakin.

Padmé shook her head, her long braid swishing a little. “No, Anakin, no--he wants to help us.”

“Us?” he asked, staring at her, unable to believe that--

“He knows,” Padmé said, confirming his worst fear. The fear that had driven him to do anything to protect Padmé, to protect himself.

“He wants to help you--Anakin, all I want is your love,” Padmé said, reaching out for him.

It was all he ever wanted: Padmé, with him, the two of them free to live together in happiness. But if Obi-Wan knew, there could be no happiness. And if he didn’t serve Sidious, he wouldn’t have the power to save Padmé.

“Love won’t save you, Padmé,” he said, trying to make her understand. Hoping for a moment that he could just convince her to listen to him. “Only my new powers can do that.”

She shook her head, getting that stubborn, determined look on her face, even as her eyes looked glassy. “But at what cost? You’re a good person--don’t do this!”

He was ready to tear his own hair out at her blindness. How could she be so cavalier with her life? With the life of their child?

And he felt so kriffing angry at her, for not caring enough about him to protect herself. Didn’t she understand that?

“I won’t lose you the way I lost my mother,” he said, not caring if he was scaring her more. Because he would save her. “I am becoming more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of, and I’m doing it for you--to protect you!”

To his surprise, Padmé stepped close to him, bringing her hands up to cup his face. “Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can!”

Did she really mean that? Anakin searched her face, hoping he would see something to prove that she wanted to do that. To be with him, safe and happy, with their baby and their love. No more Senate, no more Jedi--just them.

He blinked and shook his head, trying to read her. But all he could feel was anger and fear and darkness.

No--no, she wouldn’t give up her career in the Senate. Not for him--not for anything. She was lying to him!

And why should they run? The Sith didn’t have any stupid rules about attachment--he could have Padmé at his side and still use all the power he had!

“Don’t you see?” he asked, bending close to her. “We don’t have to run away anymore. I have brought peace to the Republic.”

Padmé was shaking her head, but Anakin couldn’t stop talking. Even as that Obi-Wan voice started spouting its shavit again, telling him that he needed to stop. That he was losing Padmé.

The voice was wrong.

“I’m more powerful than the Chancellor--the Emperor. I--I can overthrow him. And together, you and I can rule the galaxy--make things the way we want them to be!” Anakin finished, feeling breathless and alive like he never had before.

And powerful. Even though Padmé was edging back from him, looking scared and horrified and destroyed.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” he asked, prodding her, wanting her to say the words so he could prove just how wrong she was.

“I don’t believe what I’m hearing!” she cried out. “Obi-Wan was right--you’ve changed!”

Like Obi-Wan would know anything! He hadn’t been here--he had never been here when Anakin needed him! Always spouting about duty and the Code. He had let the woman he loved die for his duty.

Obi-Wan might be the perfect Jedi, but he was a failure of a man. And Anakin would be a better man and a stronger Jedi than Obi-Wan had ever been!

“I don’t want to hear anymore about Obi-Wan,” Anakin warned Padmé. “The Jedi turned against me--the Republic turned against me. Don’t you turn against me, too!”

He would never hurt her--but he would not let her abandon him. He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t lose her. Even if it meant he had to force his way into her mind and show her how wrong she was. To blot out Obi-Wan’s voice from her head.

She’s crying. You’ve hurt her.  

Anakin used his metal hand to pinch his outer thigh, hard enough to nearly rip out a piece of his flesh. It blotted out the voice of Obi-Wan in his head.

“I don’t know you anymore. Anakin--you’re breaking my heart! You’re going down a path I can’t follow,” Padmé sobbed.

“You can,” he said, standing over her. “You will come with me. I will save you, and then, we’ll be together and happy--that’s our path, Padmé!”

She was crying too hard to respond other than by shaking her head.

“Padmé, don’t you understand?” he said, gripping her upper arms. “Losing you--I’ll lose myself! I love you!”

“But--but that’s not love!” she said, looking up at him, tears pouring down her face, gasps punctuating her words. “You don’t care about what I want--just what you want! We’re having a baby--you’re about to be a father--you have to care about more than yourself! Please, Ani--stop this now!”

How . . . how dare she! Anakin felt the very air around him snap and crackle with his anger. He took a step back from her, watching as Padmé’s body slumped, barely staying upright.

“Stop, Anakin--please stop,” Padmé whispered, looking up at him with big, lying brown eyes.

But he couldn’t stop. Extending one hand, he started looking for an entrance to her mind. A way to make her see.

Even if it took rearranging her whole mind, he would prove to her how much he loved her.

“Anakin, stop!”

For a moment, he thought it was the voice in his head. But then a powerful Force push moved him away from Padmé, who slumped to the ground. And Obi-Wan was there, striding towards him, looking tired and worried and scared.

But it must all be an act--Obi-Wan didn’t care about him--he had never cared! He just wanted to keep him from his power.

“Don’t do this, my friend--my brother,” Obi-Wan said, his voice breaking.

“You turned her against me!” Anakin said, his anger hotter than the fields of lava surrounding them.

Obi-Wan shook his head and spoke regretfully. “You have done that yourself.”

No--no--no--he hadn’t, he wasn’t. It was all Obi-Wan’s fault!

“You will not take her from me!” He moved to stand between Obi-Wan and Padmé, keeping his old master away from her.

For a long moment, Obi-Wan looked at him. Then he slid off his robes, letting them fall to the landing platform. “Your anger and lust for power have already done that.”

“No!” he screamed, grabbing his lightsaber and igniting it.

Unhindered by his robes, Obi-Wan easily blocked Anakin’s attack. He didn’t care. He didn’t care that Padmé was lying unconscious on the landing platform, that his new lightsaber felt hot in his hand--why was it hot?--that Obi-Wan was fighting him like he never had before, giving so much ground, like he didn’t want to win.

If Obi-Wan didn’t want to win, Anakin wasn’t about to let himself lose in order to give Obi-Wan a hollow victory.

Into every blow and strike, Anakin poured his anger. His frustration. His confusion. His doubt. He pushed Obi-Wan back, back into the complex, past the bodies of the dead Separatists. Let Obi-Wan see what he was capable of!

He would kill Obi-Wan if he tried to stop him.

The heat from the lava, so close underneath their feet, didn’t scare him. He could win this fight. He would win and prove to Obi-Wan how much more powerful he was.

Scrambling, jumping, searching for an opening, a way to land the final blow on Obi-Wan . . . he had to do this. For himself, for Padmé.

Anakin leapt for the platform Obi-Wan was riding through the river of lava. A spark landed on his robes and he shrugged it off, unable to get it all the way off before Obi-Wan attacked him. He shifted his lightsaber into his mech hand, the sudden absence of heat in his right hand making him realize that something must be wrong with his new lightsaber.

He wrapped the Force around Obi-Wan, holding him away as he got his robe the rest of the way off. And Obi-Wan, the karking bastard , smiled.

“Remember the first time we sparred? You forgot to take off your robes then, too.”

How--how could he talk like that? Like they were just having fun, instead of fighting each other for their lives?

“Remember all the times you saved me? All ten times, like on Cato Nemoidia?” Obi-Wan said, his voice hoarse. “Anakin, you need to be saved from yourself.”

Saved? From himself? What kind of poodoo was this? He was strong and powerful! He was going to change the galaxy!

You are destroying the galaxy.

Anakin whirled around, bringing a hand to his head. “Stop!” he yelled, not sure whether he was talking to the voice in his head or to Obi-Wan.

“We don’t have to do this!” Obi-Wan said. “We can leave with Padmé, we can get you help--you don’t want to do this!”

“Yes, I do!” Anakin screamed, his whole body shaking. He brought his lightsaber up in a wide swing, his anger and fear making him sloppy--Obi-Wan would see right through this move--

But Obi-Wan didn’t. Or did he, and he just didn’t move? Anakin didn’t know. But as the lightsaber came closer and closer to his old master, ready to slice him in two at the waist, Anakin felt his heart clutch in his chest as he realized he was going to kill--

And then, just before the blade made contact, it vanished.

Obi-Wan stared at Anakin. Anakin stared at his lightsaber, then pulled it towards him and pressed on the button. Nothing happened.

Slowly, he lifted his eyes to Obi-Wan. Wondering what he was going to do. He was unarmed--technically defenseless. Would Obi-Wan continue the fight? Could Anakin win a fight without a lightsaber?

They stared at each other for a moment and Anakin felt his hand ball into a fist. He could still win! He would!

But before he could throw his punch, Obi-Wan shut down his lightsaber. “This ends now, Anakin.”

“No!” he yelled, feeling so tired, so angry, just so done --

Darkness overwhelmed him.

XXX

His head was throbbing. The air was cool. A soft bed cradled his body. A gentle hum filled the air.

And when he opened his eyes, he only saw a dimly-lit white room.

Sitting up slowly, Anakin looked around. It appeared like a medical suite, but unlike any med room he had ever been in. Where were the machines? Where were the healers?

Why was he here?

His clothes were gone and he was dressed in a white gown. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and ran a hand through his hair, finding no lumps or other signs of concussion. Other than the pounding headache, he felt all right.

Anakin frowned. Actually--he felt good . Like he had slept for a year and finally eased his exhaustion, like he had been eating real food for three meals a day instead of ration bars, like he had finally received medical care for all the small, insignificant injuries that had added up over three years of war.

It was like he could actually think clearly, for the first time in so long.

A soft creak made him whip his head around, wincing even as he saw the door to the room open, revealing Obi-Wan.

“Good morning,” he said quietly, stepping into the room. His eyes were steady but opaque as he looked at Anakin.

“Um, hi,” he said, looking around. “Where--where is this?”

“Takodana,” Obi-Wan said, taking a seat on a metal stool a few feet from Anakin’s bed.

The name sounded familiar, but his head hurt too much for him to try and place the planet within the galaxy. So he simply nodded.

“Padmé is safe,” Obi-Wan said quietly. “I thought you’d like to know that first.”

An intense feeling of relief swept through him, almost overwhelming him with its power. “Thank Force,” Anakin said, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment. He sighed and looked back at his old master. “And . . . and the baby?”

“Safe as well,” Obi-Wan said, but with a flicker in his Force presence that told Anakin there was more to that. He opened his mouth to press him, but Obi-Wan held up a hand.

“I have a message from her that you can listen after we talk.”

Anakin frowned, starting to rise to his feet. “Obi-Wan, Padmé needs me--”

“No, she doesn’t.”

The bluntness of Obi-Wan’s words, the complete lack of sympathy or kindness in them, made Anakin stare at him. And when he saw how very serious Obi-Wan was, how much he meant those words, he found himself sitting back down.

“What have I done?” Anakin asked, hanging his head. Hearing the echo of the same words, spoken in the Chancellor’s office, when he had Fallen.

He had Fallen. He--he was a Sith.

And the Chancellor--the Emperor--his master, Darth Sidious--he would know how Anakin had failed. Failed as a Jedi, failed as a Sith--now he wouldn’t be able to protect Padmé, to save her--and their baby--

“Anakin, stop it.” Obi-Wan’s voice was firm. “Be mindful of your feelings.”

“Mindful?” he said, glaring at Obi-Wan. “Mindful?!? All I know are my feelings!”

“And you let each and every one sweep you up, like a leaf in a river,” Obi-Wan retorted. “You must learn control if you are to heal.”

Scoffing, Anakin rose to his feet and started looking for clothes. “Heal? Heal from what--falling to the Dark Side? No one can do that. I’m gone, Obi-Wan--just let me go and I’ll--”

“What? Work at the side of the greatest evil the galaxy has ever known?” Obi-Wan asked, standing up and advancing towards him. “Never see your wife again, never meet your children? Because I guarantee, Anakin, that is your fate if you don’t listen to what I have to say.”

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan. “What?”

Folding his arms over his chest, Obi-Wan nodded to the bed. “Sit.”

As directed, Anakin sank down onto the bed, frowning. It seemed like Obi-Wan thought that Anakin could . . . come back? Not be a Sith? But that was impossible. Master Yoda always said that any action that came from the Dark Side was unforgivable, unerasable. That the stain on your soul would never go away.

It was too late for him. And Obi-Wan should be the first one to know that.

“After I defeated Darth Maul on Naboo, the Council investigated me,” Obi-Wan said, sitting back down on his stool. “To fight a Sith, to defeat one, they believed I must have touched the Dark Side.”

Anakin blinked. “You? Go to the Dark Side?”

“I appreciate your belief,” Obi-Wan said, a bit dryly, but with a smile, too. “The Council finally determined I had not. But they were very cautious during the early years of your Padawan training. You might feel like they were watching you--but they were also watching me.”

“Oh,” he said quietly.

Obi-Wan looked at him for a few long moments. Long enough that Anakin wanted to squirm. To ask questions like where was Obi-Wan going with this and did he really think Anakin could come back and why was the anger so much more bearable now?

It was still there. He could feel it, churning and burning. But he didn’t feel like lashing out at Obi-Wan. He didn’t feel that drive to leave, to find Padmé, to protect her.

Nothing made sense right now.

“What happened, Anakin?”

He shifted. “What do you mean?”

“I’d like to hear, in your own words, why you Fell,” Obi-Wan said, unfolding his crossed arms and resting his hands on his knees. “Start at the beginning.”

“The beginning?” Anakin huffed. “I have no idea where the beginning is, Obi-Wan. And--and why you’re doing this.”

“I think the answer will come to you,” Obi-Wan said. “Just start talking.”

Heaving a sigh, Anakin rubbed at his temples. “Okay. Um . . . I guess--I guess it started when Padmé told me she was pregnant.”

In slow, halting words, Anakin began talking. He doubled back, jumped ahead, ran his hands through his hair, paced, fidgeted, shifted.

He talked about the dreams he’d had. He talked about what the Chancellor told him. He talked about having a secret marriage. He talked about watching Ashoka walk away.

And he found himself telling Obi-Wan about how he had slaughtered that village of Tusken Raiders who had tortured his mother. He talked about all the times he came too close to vengeance when fighting. He talked about the anger he felt whenever Padmé was threatened.

Through it all, Obi-Wan stayed silent, just listening. Taking it all in.

When Anakin finished, reduced to a voice barely above a whisper, Obi-Wan looked at him. “I��m sorry, Anakin.”

He hung his head. Of course he was. Hearing all that, Obi-Wan must have realized there was no saving him. He would--he would have to kill him. And then he’d go back to the Council and tell them . . .

Wait. The Council. Was there a Council anymore?

Sidious wanted all the Jedi wiped out. He said some had escaped from the Temple, and Master Windu had been killed, but--but who else? Who else had died?

Died because of him, Anakin?

“Just--just do it quickly, Obi-Wan,” Anakin said. “And--and please tell Padmé I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”

“Anakin, what are you saying?”

“You . . . you have to kill me,” he said, swallowing hard.

There was a deep sigh, and then the bed next to him shifted as Obi-Wan sat down beside him. “You have Fallen. You have committed evil acts. You have lost your way.”

There was a long pause. “But I believe I should help you find your way back, not strike you down.”

Anakin’s head jerked up and he stared at Obi-Wan. “What?”

Obi-Wan looked grave. “Anakin, the clone troopers wiped out most of the Jedi. Master Yoda was able to escape, as was I. The Temple was attacked, and it is unknown how many might have evaded the clone troopers sent to slaughter them.”

His mind reeled as he took all this in. The clone troopers, killing their Jedi? Force, he couldn’t imagine . . .

“The Emperor,” Obi-Wan said, disgust lacing his voice, “have declared the Jedi traitors. We are at the point of extinction.”

So . . . this was more about preserving the Jedi? Even though he had betrayed so much of what the Jedi Order stood for?

The confusion must have shown in his face, because Obi-Wan shook his head. “Although truly, all of that is merely my reasoning to Master Yoda to keep you alive. Which he knew. But he allowed me to take this position--that we should allow you to attempt redemption, if you choose.”

“Then what do you want, Obi-Wan? I mean, why do you even care?” Anakin asked dully.

For a long moment, there was nothing. It was like that moment before you jumped off a cliff or while you waited for a podrace to begin. You drew in a breath, waiting to exhale, waiting for release.

“I want my brother back. I want him to be happy.”

Two simple sentences. Only a few words each, spoke with such gentleness . . . but with a raging inferno of emotion behind them.

Just like the emotion sweeping over Anakin.

“So, Anakin Skywalker, do you choose redemption for your acts of evil?”

Obi-Wan’s voice was quiet and controlled. But there was so much hope in his eyes. He couldn’t let him down again.

“Yes,” Anakin said firmly.

“It will not be easy,” Obi-Wan warned.

“I want to do this,” Anakin said. “I . . . I want to have the chance to apologize to Padmé in person. And make up for what I caused, what I did.”

With a nod, Obi-Wan stood up. “We have much work to do, then. I’ll get your clothes and we can begin.”

“All right,” Anakin said, standing up as well. He stretched a little, savoring how good he felt. “Hey, this planet--Takodana--does it have some kind of weird regenerative property? I feel better than I have in years.”

“Oh, no--you’ve been asleep for a week,” Obi-Wan said as he left the room.

Anakin stared after his former master. “A week?!?”

End, Chapter 1

[jasontoddiefor]

Hello! Seeing your time travel Vader thing made me want to read some Vader centric fics, but I'm like a fringe fan at best and have no idea where to start? Do you have any fanfic recs? Thank you!

I do have a lot of Vader fanfic recs! Most of these are Luke & Vader because I am a sucker for the Sunshine Son and Nightmare Dad. And also canon-divergence because canon is so sad R2D2 play despacito. Otherwise... In general I’d avoid the stories that are heavy on the Imperial politics because those are confusing af. Luckily, there are plenty fanfics that just decide to deal with Vader (angst)! All these should be p easy to follow without in-depth canon knowledge. This list got longer than expected. Have fun :D

Title: Consequences Summary:  AU, one-shot, complete. After their confrontation at Bespin, father and son meet again at a formal gathering and try to reach an understanding—in front of a lot of people. (This story was written in 1997 it’s older than me RIP) Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24188299

Title: Dazed Summary: When captured by Imperials, Luke decides to try to reach out to his father, and accidentally hits on the one time Vader's mind is not at its most guarded state. He's not trying to control his father, but his call, and the trust placed in Vader, cause the Sith's mind to become a bit muddled. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/17698844

Title: Revenge leads to Karma, and Karma Bites Summary: Darth Vader created them for his revenge; the clones of Obi-Wan Kenobi were his to torture and kill. But when something goes wrong and one of them isn't grown before being released from the pod, he's met with a dilemma that could change the face of the Galaxy. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/9055873

Title: Ripples Series Summary: Vader decides that the creation of the Death Star is a step too far, and finally turns against Sidious. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/series/437479

Title: on the day... series Summary: Vader learns about Leia and intends to make her Empress. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/series/813801

Title:A (Not So) Typical Day at Skelos' Finest Ship Parts Summary: Luke and Vader meet shopping for ship parts. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/7570984

Title: Father and Son series Summary: What started out as simply answering a distress signal quickly spirals into something much greater for Luke Skywalker. When hit with a strange energy wave, Luke finds himself in the body of his eight year old self stuck with Darth Vader, who has also had a bit of de-aging himself. Now Luke and Vader must work together to find out who is responsible while trying to remain low key. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/series/448135

Title: Missing and Presumed Dead Summary: Three months after ESB, Luke Skywalker is still reeling from the revelation of his parentage. When he finally cracks and tells Leia, she comes up with a plot to get Darth Vader off his back: stage his death. However, neither of them know that Darth Vader actually cares for his son, so the news ends up creating a Sith Lord hell bent on destroying anyone even remotely involved in Luke's demise. But when Leia tries to contact an in-hiding Luke, she finds that something terrible has really happened, and now no one knows where he is. Meanwhile, Darth Vader starts getting a mysterious, unwilling visitor in his dreams... Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/20799716

Title: Under the Stars Summary: A space battle goes wrong, Luke and Vader end up shooting each other down and crash land on an uninhabited planet. Vader reaches the crash site of the rebel snub before his adversary has regained consciousness. With Imperial search crews slowed down, Vader decides to interrogate the rebel pilot and then dispose of him. That is, until he realizes who exactly is in his hands. Or Luke and Vader have an (involuntary) father/son camping trip, well sort of. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/10099484

Title: Hostage Summary: AU in which Luke grows up as the Prince of Alderaan and Bail and Breha Organa’s son. When Luke is sixteen Bail becomes too outspoken against the Emperor, who sends Lord Vader to take the young prince as a hostage and cow his father into submission. Held captive aboard Vader’s ship, Luke is faced with the unpleasant reality of being the pawn in this power play under his captor’s watchful eyes; until they both realize a thing or two… Link:https://archiveofourown.org/series/1063433

Title: Into the Starlight Summary: The Empire has the Rebel base on Vrogas Vas surrounded, and Vader offers them an ultimatum: hand over Luke Skywalker and live, or refuse and he will raze the base to the ground.There's really only one option. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/24031285

Title: Falling apart Summary: Since Bespin, Vader has come to realize that his health will not hold out forever. After twenty years, his prosthetics are failing, and the botched surgeries aren't helping. Now, he's waiting for his son, and facing the fact that his only hope to survive is to use Luke as a shield, and pray that Luke wants him to survive. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/18111686

Title: The Family Tree Summary: In which Luke Skywalker is stranded in a tree waiting for a flash flood to recede. Too bad he's got company... Post-ESB oneshot, can be read as canon-compliant. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/18591151

Title: Interruption Summary: Lord Vader is the fearsome Commander of the Imperial Navy. When Captain Roderick is called before him, the last thing he expects is an interruption in the form of a five year old boy. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/23892787

Title: Darth Vader Goes to School Summary: Darth Vader gets bored with killing people and decides to get a degree in Engineering. He develops an interest in his classmate, Luke Lars. Poor Piett becomes the awkward middle man. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/23905714

Title: Cadet Summary: A young Luke Skywalker goes undercover as a Cadet to spy on the Empire for the Rebellion and meets someone everyone fears, Darth Vader. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/20558780

Title: Vader’s Folly Summary: An ancient site filled with ancient technologies, of course Dr Aphra can't resist playing around. The result, one Sith Lord with a lot of options. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/23360584

Title: When Darkness Shows The Stars Summary: Shmi’s new Master was strange. He was a large creature clothed in black with his every word masked by a terrifying vocoder. He didn’t refer to himself as her Master, and he didn’t behave like one either. All he did was tell her to stay in the plain rooms he’d provided her and to not ask too many questions.In which a sixteen year old slave named Shmi appears on The Executor. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/23246569

Title: Plain Sight Summary:  Luke is hiding from Darth Vader in the best place possible. Plain sight. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/10824996

Title: His Father’s Eyes, His Mother’s Nose Summary: Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Luke is captured by the Empire and tortured for information. While Luke struggles to survive long enough to find a way out, Vader searches for answers as to why this rebel pilot was wielding Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/14757731

Title: Bycatch Summary: It is a period of unrest for the Empire, the Rebellion has destroyed the Death Star. Vader's failure has put him in bad standing with the Emperor. There are people working to replace him and now there's rumors of Anakin Skywalker alive in the Outer Rim. Luke Skywalker has heard the same rumors and he cannot ignore them... Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/22037440

Title: An Absence of Fear Summary: It started out with a visit to a grave. That day changed everything in his life, but some people, like his son, don't change. His son remained fearless, unlike him. Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5789386

Title: Truths and Deceptions Summary: A year and a half after he destroyed the Death Star, Luke Skywalker was trapped, and captured by Darth Vader. In a desperate attempt to save his life, Luke pretends not to remember anything after buying a certain pair of droids. Vader, on the other hand, hopes that he can use the probably temporary amnesia to show Luke how much he cares for his son. Luke just thinks Vader is taking advantage of the situation. Link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/18526573

Title: which grows higher than soul can hope series Summary: "If Vader captures you, if he threatens to torture or kill you, you tell him you're Padmé Amidala's daughter." Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1220462

[rainsonata]

Doppelgänger 14/15

Chapter 14: The Cataclysm 

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: T Word Count: 6,968

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.   

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves   

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —  

----------------------------

Class Notes: 

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen   

Alternative Path: Rune Master, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

Transformation Path: Immortal, Metamorphy, Twilight, Nova Imperator, Code: Sariel, Centurion, Shakti, Bloody Queen, Mad Paradox, Iblis and Anular (Diangelion), Herrscher

---------------------------- 

Code: Ultimate 

Henir’s Time and Space existed in a separate plane of its own, balanced between all dimensions and existed at a point where time did not exist. A portal cracked open from the side, forming an enclave big enough for their group to squeeze through. 

Ultimate entered first. She forced her wings to fold back to avoid crushing the person behind her. It was the same as it was the last time she had visited. They all landed on the familiar blue platform shared by parts of Elrianode. Electric circuits glowed beneath their feet. Blue cubes hovered around their platform among the stars. A dark sun eclipsed by the moon floated above their heads. 

Despite gaining access to knowledge from the libraries and databases from her journey, Ultimate had little understanding of Henir’s Time and Space and its existence. Its architecture bore strong resemblance to that of the corrupted monsters and machines in Elrianode. The administrator of the facility was placed in what appeared to be a form of punishment. Ultimate felt her circuits hum into mild stress at the thought of being locked into one place.      

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DIMENSION WILL COLLAPSE?” 

Loud chatter disrupted Ultimate’s train of thought. The queen of destruction closed her eyes and allowed her programs to run scans in the background. Glave was nowhere to be seen, but Ultimate needed to update her database on Henir’s Time and Space. 

“I’m sure she was joking.” Knight laughed nervously. The red knight fought to restrain Aether by placing his hands over her shoulder and gently nudging her away from Metamorphy. The elementary mage did not back away and had her staff out with a dangerous look in her eyes. 

Ultimate recognized that expression. It was the one humans had when frustrated and confused. Aether was both.   

“I don’t joke,” Metamorphy said with a bright smile. She was unaffected by her counterpart’s outburst and stepped out of the portal with her arms behind her back. 

Her sensors notified Ultimate that other organic beings were present. Orange and red light filtered through her ocular lens to let her know there were a few dozen warm bodies. Metamorphy was correct in that they were the last group to have arrived. The platform they were on was one of many. Small stairs connected each platform and formed a chain of them to travel in between them. 

Ultimate heard their names being shouted by the others that saw their arrival. It was too much for the Nasod in keeping track of them all. She allowed herself to ignore them and instead watched her friends interact with each other. Their reunion would be short before they learn about their fates. 

A figure appeared from the mass of people. Ultimate’s scans shot up in response to the high energy levels emitted from Paradox. The time traveler’s energy level was unstable, making it difficult for Ultimate’s systems to keep up with the changes. It was as if Paradox wasn’t human.  

“Of course it’s you causing all the noise.” Paradox was in his adult form and covered his mouth to hide a snide smile. He said to Metamorphy. “So you told them your intentions. Didn’t think you would become the harbinger of bad news.”

“I don’t remember asking for your input,” Metamorphy’s expression soured. “I doubt your group took it any better than mine did.” 

“You took us here knowing we were going to react like this?” Knight protested, “You’re okay with us watching the world be destroyed?”

“Reborn,” Metamorphy corrected. 

“Explain,” Ultimate looked at Paradox and Metamorphy with cold eyes. She noticed more people crowding around them and listening in to Metamorphy’s explanation. Did they know about this before they did? “I don’t quite follow what you mean by rebirth.”  

Destruction and rebirth were two concepts humans liked to bring up through history. Their religion and cultures were built around both. When one group had fallen, another would rise, sometimes stronger than the last in ways Nasods wouldn’t be able to. 

Ultimate was placed into deep slumber because her creator feared that his race had once again fallen into the cycle of death. He was correct, but Adrian failed to recognize that humans were just as compatible with creation as they were in destruction. For she had seen her teammates come up with plans and concepts that helped others. However, Ultimate began to understand his sentiment when Metamorphy showed glee in explaining the death of a dimension the Nasod queen had only come to known for a few days. 

“Rebirth makes it sound grander than it actually is,” Metamorphy said. “It’s more like a soft reboot. Having everyone into the same dimension is stressing the system and forcing it to shut down to reset itself.”

“You’re saying it’s going to come back?” Phantom asked. 

“Yes,” Metamorphy hummed. “Maybe not one-hundred percent. It should be restored to the state before the dimension broke down.”

“We’re really doing this.” Bangs covered Knight’s eyes, “We’re letting people suffer again.” 

There was tension in the red haired man’s features. His shoulders rose and a hint of blue flickered over his glassy eyes. Ultimate frowned and questioned the El’s influence over Knight. Did the El have a stronger presence with Knight than it did for Rune? 

“I’m sorry we had to resort to this,” Rage offered Knight an awkward pat on the back. 

“So this is what happens when too many timelines intersect,” Bringer mumbled to himself. “This is the end.”   

Being a few hundred years old, Ultimate wasn’t one to be as sentimental as most were in occurrences such as the soft reset Metamorphy was suggesting. The end wasn’t a foreign concept to her. According to numerous history books, many Elrian civilizations documented the Nasod war as the death of a prosperous era and the end to the benevolent relationship between Nasods and humans. Rune’s sacrifice to the El was the end of their search for the El Lady and the El Masters. A soft reset would mark yet another ending of a story arc in human history. 

Was there truly an end? 

“Resetting will fix everything?” There was a bite to Flame words and sharpness in the look she exchanged to Metamorphy and over to Paradox. Biting the bottom of her lips, Ultimate could see the flame user trying not to get excited. 

“I don’t know about that,” Paradox scoffed. “No one has done a reset before. I’m not sure if Glave can even do it.” 

“Is that why you brought us here?” Abysser asked. “I knew Glave deals with time and space, but do you really think he’s going to agree to helping us?”

“Didn’t he already help you in Elrianode?” Crusader had his arms crossed, “He gave us information about the corrupted Elrianode monsters and about the Dark El.” 

“I suppose it could be too soon to ask for help again.” Empire said, “We’re already here, so we should at least try.” 

Empire had what humans called “cautious optimism”. When Ultimate expressed her confusion, Rune explained that people wanted to see the bright side of something, but remained careful out of the fear of being wrong. The knight captain remained so, putting on a composed mask but smiling as a way to reassure the others. Flame did the same, but her enthusiasm was more overt and offering loud cheers. 

Crossing her legs, Ultimate examined a floating cube reflecting her face back. She hadn’t noticed before, but some of them acted as monitors and showed the viewer different worlds. Each surface focused on a different part of Elrios, but one caught her attention. Ripples formed over its otherwise smooth surface and offered her a glimpse of a moving figure. 

A woman sharing Devi’s face darted across a muddy terrain with a toothy grin. She wore white outfit similar to that of the warriors from Fluone's Northern Empire, followed by a white fox with many tails. Behind her was a blonde man in a white suit covered by equally pristine armor and a destroyer. An elven woman was with them. Her hair was tied back into a long braid and hoisted a sword and a bow. The sky was red and they were fighting a monster several times their size, covered in spikes and baring sharp teeth. 

An emotionless face reflected back at Ultimate from the screen. The Nasod queen froze, waiting for her circuits to process the face of her twin. Pale blue wings sprouted from the back of her counterpart from another world she didn’t know of. Were these people her friends from another dimension?        

“My, my. There are more of you than usual.” A male voice mused, “Your group gets bigger each time we meet, but this is the biggest I’ve seen.” 

A single orange eye peered through the metal mask Glave wore. His voice made it impossible to tell his age, a quiet chuckle followed by a light toned statement that placed many people on edge. The locks placed around his collar were for a man who had committed unspoken crimes.  

“You took your time,” Paradox sneered. “Where have you been?” 

“Hello, Add.” Glave chuckled, “I see you have made use of the knowledge I have given you.” 

“Cut the crap and tell us what we need to do to undo this idiot’s mistake!” Bringer growled. 

“It looks like there’s three of you now,” Glave looked at Bringer, Dominator, and Paradox. “I suspected this day would come. How can I help you?” 

Bringer fumed as Bluhen commented about the brawler being singled out with his other selves. Dominator was less pleased of being grouped with his alternatives, crossing his legs and sitting on Dynamo in a silent sulk. Paradox became a sitting duck as soon as Glave showed up, glaring at the administrator of Henir’s Time and Space with distaste.

“We need your help,” Crusader explained. “The Demon Realm where we came from is falling apart. If we don’t do something, we won’t be able to save Elrios.” 

“Is that so?” Glave looked at the mob, “Is that because all of you were involved?”

“Yes,” Anemos said. “Add said there were too many of us and it’s causing problems for everyone and the people living in Demon Realm.” 

“I expected this to happen for some time,” Glave admitted. 

“Because you taught someone how to time travel?” Nova raised a brow. 

“Yes, but he isn’t the only one learning to open portals.” Glave said, “I’m sure you remember the demon invasion in Velder?”

“That’s right, they were trying to open portals to invade Elrios!” Aether exclaimed, “But what are you trying to say? Metamorphy said you could reset the dimension and return us back to where we were supposed to be!”

“Did she now?” Glave said, “That is a heavy task you are asking of me.”

“Please, Glave. You helped us before and you gave us all the information you knew about the Dark El.” Knight lowered his head, “I don’t know what we can offer this time, but you’re the only person I know who can help us.” 

Ultimate looked back to Knight, trying to understand his intention. He led a massive group, yet maintained the humbleness Rune had. There was no humor in his intonation, coated by shame and guilt. She was confused about where the unnecessary emotion came from. He was no different than Rune. 

“What can you offer this time?” Glave chuckled again, “Resetting a dimension so I can send all of you on your merry way? It will only take time before all of you find each other again.” 

“I know it’s our fault this happened, but that’s why I want to change that.” Knight said, “I only want-”

An arm blocked Knight from getting closer to Glave. Immortal stepped up and shook his head to Knight, effectively silencing his counterpart with a tiny smile. The sword user beamed at Glave and offered the man a forced grin. 

“Yo, Glave! I got a better deal than myself over there,” Immortal nudged Knight to the side. “Why stop at resetting one dimension? You’re right, we might try to see each other again and that means you’ll have to fix our mess again. So why don’t you sit down and listen to what I have to say?”

“Oh?” A smile could be heard in Glave’s raised intonation, “What do you propose?”

“Why don’t you make it so that dimension traveling is stable across our three dimensions?” Immortal nodded, “You won’t regret this because you will never be bored!”     

Anemos once proposed to Ultimate that Glave’s strange requests were done out of boredom. She kept her voice low and hushed with a snide comment that was uncharacteristic of the elven woman. Ultimate couldn’t relate to the emotion as Nasods did not get bored, but she knew that humans had a tendency of finding ways to entertain themselves when placed in isolation. She could see why Glave would go to such lengths to reach out to the El Search Party when his traveling was limited to a few spots. 

“Never get bored, huh?” Nova laughed to himself, “That’s so Elsword.” 

---------------------------- 

Chevalier

In contrast to the cold weather in Varnimyr, there was nothing in Henir’s time and space. It was warm yet cold. Big, yet small. An infinite sea of platforms floated in space, small stairs suspended in midair and connected to one another. Just big enough to fit all twenty nine of them and its administrator. 

The first time he had visited Henir’s time and space was by Glave himself, who had a tendency of showing up at resting spots in Elrios. A strange light in his eyes gave away that the man had plans of his own. He wasn’t one to share his intentions and Chevalier didn’t want to do with any of it. Chevalier didn’t lack strange people in his life after he formed a pact with Ishtar. 

It has been weeks since Chevalier last saw the administrator of Henir’s time and space. With a look of boredom and a shrug, Glave offered useful information on the Dark El and a quick history lesson of the Henir heretics involvement of it. Their dependence on Glave brought discomfort to the half-demon butler. 

“Are we nothing more than entertainment for this man?” Ishtar scowled, “Fixing someone else’s mistake in exchange for our livelihood. What kind of nonsense is this?” 

Chevalier hushed the former demon ruler. He had seen the hasty plan wrapped together by the newcomers as if it was second nature for them to dimension jump at a last minute’s notice. There was no reason to give Glave a moment of doubt in handing over a gift to their group. 

“How would we travel to each other’s worlds?” Apsara asked. 

“I gave the coordinates to the nerd and the musclehead,” Paradox snorted. “I think that’s enough.” 

“This is a good idea?” Chevalier wondered aloud, “Demons have tried to cross into Elrios through portals in the past. What makes you think they won’t find out about our new access to them?” 

“It’s only a problem if you blurt it out in the cold open like the amateurs you are,” Paradox grinned. “With twelve of you, that surely won’t be a problem, would it?”

Chevalier couldn’t make head or tail(s) about the man who shared Doom Bringer’s face. The time traveler had two forms he could use however he pleased. That was how he tricked Knight into believing he was harmless, yet they were expected to take Paradox’s words as truth. The butler’s gaze locked into Bringer, who nodded as a confirmation. 

“That’s right, he gave us the coordinates for each other’s dimensions.” Bringer said, “Is that all you want to say?”

“You’re not the type to have idle conversations, are you?” Dreadlord chuckled, “I suppose it can’t be helped with our situation.”      

Was the Demon Realm they came from beyond saving? It wasn’t their world, but it was the one the El Search Party promised to protect. It was a relief to make amends with the dark elves and the other creatures living there. Despite the poor relation between demons and Elrios inhabitants, there were civilians living in both. Most importantly, it was Ishtar’s home. Behind her sly smiles was sadness and nostalgia for a place that no longer accepted her.  

Chevalier and Ishtar poured blood and sweat into fighting their way into Demon Realm to restore her reign as a ruler, only for all that effort to go to waste. He couldn’t imagine the thoughts going through Ishtar’s mind in watching her world be reduced to ashes. 

“It’s fine,” Ishar placed a hand over Chevalier’s left forearm. She said with a forced smile, “It doesn’t bother me. Everything will be okay.” 

“Are you sure?” Chevalier disliked how childish he sounded when he asked a seemingly simple, yet personal question to the one he was supposed to protect. 

“Metamorphy said it would be reset, so I’m sure of it.” She closed her eyes, “My people are no strangers to rebuilding themselves. We should be thankful Grave is agreeing to help us again. This will be the second time we owe him.”  

“That’s already several times less than some of us,” Immortal gave a light chuckle. “Are you ready then?” 

All this talk about portal and interdimensional travel was a familiar topic that gave Chevalier a migraine. He could understand why the ability to do so was so appealing to demons. With that sort of power, Chevalier would gain access to stronger allies, multiple versions of himself that would likely share the same objective as he did. It took the effort of many people to prevent such power from falling into their enemy’s possession.   

Meeting their alternates added an extra layer of complexity on top of the original intention to seek out the Dark El. The butler knew they wouldn’t hear the last about portals after the first time they attempted to cross a dimension over from Lanox. Chevaliar had doubts that their group would return to Elrios any time soon.  

“You all right, there?” Abysser’s annoying voice popped into his vicinity. “What’s going on in your mind?”

“Nothing,” Chevalier said. 

“No one thinks about nothing,” Abysser snorted. “Hey Ish, what’s he thinking?” 

“Don’t call her that!” Chevalier growled. Why was being around himself so grating? Ishtar gave Abysser a small smile, but the demon monarch mentally cackled at the exchange between the two butlers. Chevalier sent glares at the tiny demon, struggling not to fill his mind with profanities. That only made Ishtar laugh harder.

“Did I say something funny?” Abysser was concerned, “You look like you ate something bad and Ishtar is giving me a weird look.”  

Chevalier stared ahead, focusing his thoughts and eyes on Glave. The administrator’s lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear the words. For the first time, he wished Ishtar didn’t have to share the same mental space as him. The demon monarch was usually good about backing off and giving him privacy, but Ishtar was taking delight in picking at his thoughts whenever Abysser was around. Her Cheshire grin was one that was usually reserved for teasing Bluhen.      

“Ciel was telling me how much he likes you!” Ishtar dared to speak a complete lie. Her lips couldn’t have spread out even further if she tried. The demon monarch bore a mischievous smirk that was more in line with her appearance age. 

“Aw, I think you’re cool too!” Abysser beamed. 

Chevalier groaned. 

He spied a camera shot of Varnimyr from one of the reflective cubes floating nearby. They functioned similar to the Nasod technology used in Elysion to monitor the city. Red clouds swirled in a dangerous haze, obscured by dark portals consuming the rest of the sky. Demons trekked across the fiery path, seeking for shelter in confusion to what was happening to their world. The demon realm was a mirror to what Lanox was weeks before the demon invasion. So this was how Glave always knew where to find them.  

Past his former days as a hitman, Chevalier pondered on how he would use them. How easy would it be to find his target before they realized he existed and... Chevalier didn’t allow himself to complete the thought. Those days were over. He would have easily picked to live in the present than in a bloodtorn past where he too often scraped the bottom of the barrel for less savory jobs.   

“It’s okay if you don’t know what to think about any of this,” Abysser read his silence as uncertainty. His eyes glazed over the cubes. Anger appeared in a short moment before he said, “I don’t think anyone would know how to react.” 

“You think?” Chevalier gave a dark chuckle. At least Abysser’s voice was good at distracting him from those troubling thoughts. “I was questioning my sanity when you introduced yourself.” 

“I can’t be that bad,” he feigned a hurt expression. 

“It’s like a dream,” Chevalier said. “Everything gets resolved as quickly as the problem came.” 

“We must be blessed because we now have three Elswords,” Abysser smirked. “Lady Luck seems to like them.” 

“I wouldn’t call it luck if it means having to sit through the world crumbling before us,” Chevalier said. 

“You’re welcome to join them,” Abysser grinned. 

“I’ll pass,” Chevalier scoffed. 

“Don’t you ever get bored of acting cool all the time?” Abysser asked. 

Chevalier shrugged, wondering what the demon meant by that. While he was troubled by the idea of watching a dimension reset itself, Ishtar did not need to add his premature death to her list of growing worries. Having sympathy for demon realm civilians wasn’t going to make him into a martyr. He was not Knight.  

“What needs to be done to begin the reset?” Anemos asked. 

“Your visit was unexpected, so I won’t be able to start immediately to fix your… mishap.” Glave said. “For saving the dimension, I expect a token of exchange shortly after. I’m sure it won’t be difficult for one of you to acquire it.”  

Chevalier was sure the first part was a lie, but he didn’t have the proof nor motivation to say otherwise. He took Glave’s word for it and nodded in agreement. His mind glossed over the mention of payment, mildly interested in what the administrator of Henir could want. Glave had previously formed exchange services for them running errands. The requested items were often unique objects obtained from strange circumstances and battles.    

“You can tell us about the price after you finish saving the world,” Immortal said impatiently. 

Similar to Knight, he carried weight in his steps and was terse in his words. He had a sharp look in his eyes, hazy from the effect the Dark El had. Chevalier could feel the Dark El radiating from the sword user, yet he retained his reason and intelligence.  

“There will still be limitations on how many can visit different worlds,” Glave added. “Your dimensions will no longer collapse under the new laws, but having large groups together will cause a delay in regular timeflow.” 

“As in…?” Flame squinted. 

“Try not to visit in big groups,” Phantom finished for her. 

“Having big groups does make it harder to avoid detection from the enemies,” Daybreaker remarked. 

Being forced to arrive as small groups sounded cumbersome, but it was more than what he expected from Glave. Impressed by Immortal’s ability to sway the administrator of Henir, Chevalier quietly thanked the redhead and offered a pat on the shoulder. Immortal backed away, as if the young man had seen a ghost. He kept looking at the butler’s face with a careful expression before moving his eyes over to Ishtar. Fear struck across Immortal’s gaze before he apologized to Chevalier for staring. 

Confused by Immortal’s reaction, Chevalier accepted the apology but frowned. Was it something he had said? Did Immortal have a bad relationship with the other Ciel from his world? It took a split second for Chevalier to force himself away from drawing out his gunblade because of the way Immortal looked at Ishtar, an expression he was quick to recognize. It was one of fear mixed with anger. What did the other Lu do to make Immortal respond like that?   

“Forget it.” Immortal rubbed the back of his head, a trait he shared with Rune and Knight when frustrated. “I need to let the others know what’s happening.” 

“I know you have a lot on your plate, but Glave won’t be ready any time soon.” Chevalier said. He wished there was something he could do to help the young man. “You should take the time to rest.” 

“Lucky for us, time doesn’t exist here.” Immortal let out a dark chuckle.  

“So after this, we’ll return to where we were before like nothing happened?” Chevalier asked. 

Immortal nodded. 

Rune’s group would go back to Elrianode before they entered Demon Realm. Would they once again attempt to enter their Demon Realm or would they change plans and remain in the ancient city? Chevalier and his friends would return to a restored Varnimyr with its inhabitants being none the wiser, still in danger because of a strong demonic presence they have yet to identify. Where would Immortal and the others go? 

“Don’t waste your time thinking about the things that don’t exist in your world,” Immortal said. He gave the butler a critical expression, “I’m sure you’re curious about what my world is like, but that’s our problem to figure out.” 

Problem? Chevalier realized he was judging a group of people he had only met a few hours ago and felt guilty. It wasn’t his place to make opinions on something he didn’t understand. 

“Perhaps we’ll meet again under better circumstances,” Chevalier said. 

“Maybe,” Immortal’s expression softened. Despite his young face, there was age in his eyes. Chevalier didn’t understand why, but he sympathized with Immortal’s struggle to hold the team together. That was something he could relate to. “Maybe not.” 

“Can you at least tell me if you found the Dark El?” Chevalier asked when Immortal excused himself. 

The redhead broke into a burst of genuine laughter, “Would I be here if I knew the answer?” 

----------------------------   

Immortal 

Resting his head back against the palm of his hands, Immortal took deep and controlled breaths as Shakti had taught him. He felt his chest hover before deflating, letting his mind wander off into the distance and blocking out the pointless chatter around him. 

More waiting. Nothing he could do to speed it up. Time didn’t exist in Henir’s Time and Space, which was great because that meant the stakes were lower, but made the extraneous delay worse for the sword user. Immortal was itching to get up and find something to do. 

Paradox didn’t trust Glave, but it wasn’t a question about trust. Glave was useful. He had access to knowledge and power that could easily switch their position in their current battle against the demons. Immortal wasn’t going to ignore a viable resource, not when Glave was so eager to offer his services. 

It was torturous sitting around and waiting for Glave to do his thing and send them back. To hell with Glave saying their visit was unexpected. He knew the guy was keeping a careful watch on his group. Something about them having “potential”, whatever that meant. Glave was never confused when his team visited the administrator, often offering them valuable information they needed. There was no reason for Glave to begin being surprised by their appearances.

Immortal’s concentration was broken by girlish giggling. Scowling at nothing in particular, he opened his eyes to see Metamorphy pointing at Paradox while talking to Devi. The magical girl motioned a pair of cat ears with the use of her index fingers. Devi had a similar expression as Immortal, confused by Metamorphy’s chatter. Flame was amused and mouthed a few words Immortal couldn’t hear over the rest of the mob.    

“It’s hard to hear your own thoughts,” Nova commented. The older man settled down next to Immortal. “I’m surprised it took effort to find them.” 

“I’m surprised too,” Immortal mumbled. “We should have let Aisha lead.”

“She would be happy to hear that.” He could hear the smile in Nova’s tone without looking at the former mercenary. “Convincing Glave to let the paths crossover more than once was a bold move.”

“So was letting the Dark El take over.” Immortal balanced one of his blades to see his reflection shine over its glossy edge and smirked, “I’m a bold guy.”

“If you say so,” Nova chuckled. “I understand wanting to restore their dimensions, but why take the extra steps to let them transverse to our worlds?”

Portals weren’t a novelty for Elrios. Humans and demons alike have spent centuries toying with the idea of interdimensional travel, fighting to ignore the barriers placed by the gods to prevent them from mingling. In many ways, demons held very human qualities in wanting what couldn’t be obtained. If it wasn’t Knight or Rune’s teams attempting to use portals, Immortal was sure the demons would make additional attempts to break into another dimension. 

“I like to call it a haunch,” Immortal said. “Just in case something like this happens again. Besides, they could use the extra help.”

“In fighting Rosso?” Nova raised a brow. 

“Not so loud!” Immortal shushed him, “I don’t think they know about him yet, at least that’s what Paradox told me.” 

“Letting them know won’t hurt them,” Nova gently told him. “They already know they will make it because of us.”  

Immortal questioned if it was wiser to let the other El Search Parties know what they were getting themselves into. His team had barely scraped out of the battle with bloodied cuts and bruises that took days to heal. Unlike Knight’s team, they had no healers and relied on potions crafted by their alchemists.

What would he tell Knight and Rune? That they were going to be ambushed by a burning midget with a giant blade? Immortal sighed, frustrated by the dilemma. Their timelines were already tangled up thanks to Paradox. There was no use in hiding knowledge from each other, yet he hesitated.     

Their small team of eight grew at Rosso’s awakening. Paradox showed up when the first blood was drawn. When asked why, the time traveler shrugged with a mischievous smile. Immortal could never understand what went through Paradox’s mind and wasn’t sure if he wanted to. 

It was one of the rare fights that summoned Iblis and Anular from the depths of hell. Iblis’s face was twisted with madness and delight in the pain she was able to inflict on their enemy, dragging Anular along on an invisible chain formed by their twisted bond. Their party was down to the last of its members able to fight when Immortal thought he saw red hair and a claymore before passing out. When he woke up, Bloody Queen was nowhere to be seen. 

“You think our help will be enough?” Immortal pondered on the implications of being able to regularly interact with his alternates. They were just a walking distance from him, but he couldn’t bring himself to face them. 

Nova noticed his hesitance. 

“You should check on them,” Nova followed his gaze over to the two red haired men talking to each other. “I’ll let you know when it’s time for us to leave.”

“What if they hate me?” Immortal was surprised by his own doubt, annoyed by how honest he sounded.  

“Before you finish that thought, I think they’re more concerned about their problems than about you.” Nova said without heat in his words, “They followed you through this plan because they believed in you. I think your appearance might be a breath of fresh air for them.” 

“You sure put a lot of faith into this eighteen year old,” Immortal laughed. 

“If age was a concern, I wouldn’t have followed you when we first met.” Nova smiled. “If they give you trouble, I can talk to them too.” 

“I don’t think that will happen,” Immortal laughed again. Knight and Rune were foolish, but had good intentions. That made three of them. He gave a mock salute to Nova with a toothy grin, “I won’t be gone for long.”  

It wasn’t hard to find Knight and Rune. They sat huddled together like they have known each other for years, speaking hushed whispers that raised Immortal’s radar. He forced those thoughts away, putting on a big smile as he was supposed to. Relaxed, waving at the two as if he wasn’t bothered by the idea of being the bringer of bad news that they were going to have to deal with a half-demon brat in a matter of hours, two weeks in Rune’s case. 

“Yo!” Immortal heard himself speak. He waved to them, “Fancy seeing you two here!”

“You’re the one who brought us here,” Knight waved back with a sigh. 

“I know,” Immortal kept smiling. “I told you I would help you guys get home!” 

“That felt a little too easy,” Rune said. “Do things always go smoothly for you?” 

“No,” Immortal heard Knight’s voice alongside his. He stopped to look at Knight, who wasn’t as surprised. “Really?”

“Yes,” Knight stressed. The look on his face was one of someone who was exhausted from all the interrogating from others. Impatient, he pressed his hand against his forehead when he saw doubt in his alternates. “Maybe the things I went through weren't as long and strenuous as it was for you, but I have struggles too!” 

“Never said I didn’t believe you,” Rune patted Knight on the back. “Just surprised, that’s all.”

Even if Immortal had purposely avoided talking to Rune and Knight up to this point, he was envious of how easy it was for them to talk to each other. Knight and Rune lacked the tension in their shoulders, relaxed and eager to trust others. It wasn’t that Immortal couldn’t relax, but there was a constant nagging voice in the back of his mind. Conwell urged him to take the next step to avoid the uncertainty of death. 

“Did you make Raven worried again?” Rune asked. 

“Me? Worry him?” Immortal smirked at the idea,“When isn’t he worried? He’s going to get white hair if he keeps fussing like that.” 

“Ours already has white hair,” Knight said without humor. 

Having only caught a short glimpse of Rage from a distance, Immortal was only able to recognize the former mercenary by the monstrous arm. It was nothing like what Immortal was used to, a strange mesh of machinery and organic compounds.   

Rune threw his head back and let his hair flop over his face in uncontrolled laughter. Covered in runes, his appearance was a sharp contrast to Knight’s conservative armored look. It was amazing how consistent their looks were to their personalities. If not for their shared names, they could have been different people. 

“Anyway, I think it’s only fair I share some information about what’s coming up for both of you.” Immortal ran one hand through his hair. 

“You mean what was causing the earthquakes in Varnimyr?” Knight asked, “Yeah, Paradox mentioned something about that. Rune and I were talking about that.” 

“Did Paradox mention how strong the next enemy was?” Immortal asked. 

“We’re going to have to fight something stronger?” Rune laughed, “When is that not the case?” 

They were taking the news better than Immortal thought, maybe too calmly. He didn’t like how quick Rune was to accept his word. No hesitance or questioning involved. Maybe Paradox was right about him needing more caffeine. Knight blinked, letting the new information process before nodding in agreement to Rune. He looked at Immortal with interest and ushered him to keep talking. 

Well, that’s why Immortal was here - letting them know what they were getting themselves into. It wasn’t going to stop them from going after Rosso, because they were Elsword and none of them could ignore someone’s cry for help. If no one was going to fight Rosso, who would? The ones who felt the most connection to the El. Good gods, why did all of them have to be big damn heroes?    

“The enemy will be heavily protected from outside its tower,” Immortal explained. “You need to take down the barriers quickly before they overwhelm you. Make use of everyone’s abilities and distribute your strengths. If one person gets shot down, let someone else take over.”

“People died?” Knight looked alarmed. 

“No,” Immortal realized his wording and stepped back. “But you’re going to need all the help you can get.” 

“Is that why you asked Glave to let our dimensions overlap?” Rune asked. 

Immortal cocked his head to the side, “Am I scaring you yet?”

“Not really.” Knight’s brave front was betrayed by his face losing color. Clearing his throat, he said, “Telling us what you know will make the fight easier.” 

“Will it be easier?” Immortal asked more for himself than to the others. “I doubt things will ever be easy for any of us, but you’ll continue?”

“Of course!” Rune bumped his fist up, “Who the hell do you think we are?”

Knight nodded in agreement. 

“Figures,” Immortal smiled. “Then I see no point in stopping either of you from doing what you have to do.”

He sat with his legs crossed with his body leaned back, looking up to the stars surrounding Henir’s time and space. No wonder Glave kept finding excuses to leave this bubble and interfere with his group. There was nothing to see once the novelty in the monitor panels and space wore off. 

“What’s your team like?” Knight asked. 

“You already saw half of them,” Immortal said. “What do you think?”

“Blunt. They have a lot of energy,” Knight after some thought, clearly putting careful consideration into his response. How cute.   

“They have a lot of powers we haven’t seen before,” Rune commented. “Where did Paradox learn to use portals?”

“None of us know,” Immortal shrugged. “Metamorphy thinks Glave is involved, but that’s besides the point. Paradox does what he wants.” 

“You mean he isn’t with you?” Knight asked. 

“Yes and no,” Immortal said. “Our team is a little smaller than yours because we don’t travel together.” 

Immortal saw the wheels spinning in Knight’s head, taking in the new information and forming new questions to throw at the sword wielder. He caught the red-haired knight tongue-tied on whether to probe further. It didn’t matter to him. If Knight asked, he would let the other know that their team functioned differently. Having a smaller team didn’t bother Immortal. It made traveling easier and drew in less attention. 

“It must be hard fighting that enemy if you had a smaller group,” Rune said. 

“We’ve managed,” Immortal replied. 

Although Iblis, Anular, and Paradox had joined for the bigger fights, he wasn’t sure if they counted as allies. Their loyalties laid elsewhere, not in him. Anular followed wherever the corrupted queen went and Paradox had a separate agenda unrelated to the El. It was better than no help at all. He wanted to offer the two El Search Parties more than that. No one deserved to barely scrape by with burns and blisters on their sides. 

“I hope we get to see each other more after this,” Knight spoke up. His voice was quiet, but firm. There was determination in his tone. “Not just to help each other, but to talk. It would be nice to stop thinking about saving the world for once.” 

“You need to come visit!” Rune exclaimed, “Not sure how similar our worlds are, but it would be nice to take a break once in a while.”

“That sounds nice,” Immortal closed his eyes. 

Yeah… he liked the idea of that. When was the last time Immortal rested and didn’t stop to think about the state of the world? Traveling with his friends for the last several years was fun, but it’s been months since Immortal got to enjoy himself. Maybe he could ask COBO services for suggestions. 

“Elsword!’ Nova’s voice forced him to blink and look up. “Glave said he’s ready!”

“What do you know, it’s already time.” Immortal murmured to himself. “Guess it’s time to watch the world end.” 

“It’ll be okay.” Even Knight sounded unsure. He turned to Immortal for help, “Right?”

“Guess we’ll find out very soon,” Rune had an uneasy smile. “We have the front row seats to watch it unfold.” 

Immortal wondered what went through Rune and Knight’s minds as they passively sat there and witnessed a cruel image. Displayed on multiple screens was the same climatic scene of a redden world. Varnimyr was already red from the chaos caused by Rosso, but the portals have crushed the mountains and trees that made up the region. They dissipated into fine dust and sucked into the portals. The inhabitants’ cries were silenced by the light. 

A blinding light flared from where they stood, beaming downward into a distant galaxy containing the demon realm. Immortal watched the light consume what was left of the crumbling dimension with a promise of starting anew. His very being felt electrified in response to the Dark El in the demon realm inverting on itself.

Glave remained standing in silence. His fingers traced over a diagram of portals overlaying between different spheres of galaxies and interdimensional planes. The display of writing and symbols meant nothing to Immortal. 

“I look forward to watching the three of you make use of the reset” He heard Glave chuckle, “Don’t let it go to waste.” 

He watched as Glave manipulated something to make the lines intertwine before his body snapped into shock. Unable to hold his head up, Immortal lost his focus and closed his eyes. Glave’s laughter echoed in his head.    

[stonefreeak]

Hello! Welcome to the month of October and another update! I hope y’all enjoy it <3

When the news of Supreme Chancellor Kenobi's recovery hits the holonet, the reactions didn't wait. They are many and varied: elation, anger, worry, fear, and relief.

Obi-Wan stays away from the news, he has little interest in hearing what the news think of him on a continuous basis—some of his men have taken it upon themselves to make a rundown of the most commonly expressed opinions to help Obi-Wan know what the people seem to be thinking—instead he needs to keep his focus on doing his duty and try to help facilitate the return of peace to the galaxy.

Nothing is more important than peace. Certainly not Obi-Wan's reputation.

~~~~

Asajj stares at the holoprojector, anger bubbling in her gut.

The urge to take her lightsabers to the damn machine and cause a rain of sparks and clumps of melted metal all around is almost impossible to contain, but a quick glance at her master's calm manner leaves her clutching at the tatters of her self control.

She was certain he'd finally die, and yet, here he is. Still alive.

She hasn't met him in battle for a long time now, not since he got elected—what a joke—but the mere memories of his jokes and flirting and gentle beseeching to her "better nature" makes her want to punch him in the face.

Destroy those who would try to sway you from the Dark Path, forsake those who would forsake you in turn.

The Jedi can preach unity and peace and speak of camaraderie... But she knows their treachery intimately. She knows what it's like to be thrown away by them. She was a Padawan once, but the Jedi left her Master to die... Left her to die.

They're all better off dead for the betrayal.

By her hand if she can achieve it, but she'll take it in any manner it's willing to come.

Death to the Jedi.

Long live the Separatists.

She glances at her master once more.

One day he will take her as his Sith Apprentice officially.

He will.

~~~~

Dooku can feel the emotions coming off Asajj in waves, though she's doing an admirable attempt at keeping herself in check. She's young yet, with much to learn still.

So Kenobi lives.

He suppresses the small smile that twitches in the corners of his mouth. His former master must be positively frothing at the mouth. Another attempt failed. If he keeps at it like this, failure after failure, not even the blinded Jedi will think it's anything resembling a coincidence or an attempt at someone else. In fact, Dooku cannot help but wonder if they've already ascertained that the attempt was aimed for Kenobi, and will soon be on Sidious's trail.

Whatever control he once had over the situation is slipping out of Sidious's hands as water through a sieve.

The last bit of Qui-Gon Jinn, his legacy, remains in the galaxy.

Dooku has plans to make. The war still rages even as more and more in the Separatist senate are clamouring for a cease fire and a re-opening of negotiations. He quashes an undignified snort at the thought. As if any peace negotiation could ever happen without the Republic demanding Dooku's death or incarceration.

He won't stand for it.

He will not become a prisoner among the Jedi, among people who were once his friends, family, and community.

He has chosen a new path, and life among them—prisoner or no—is not an option. Will never again be an option.

He cannot return to them.

~~~~

Cody has, of course, already received news from the Temple itself regarding General Kenobi's recovery, but seeing it on the holonet somehow makes it even more real. He's not so stupid that he doesn't realise that it would be possible the Jedi could have faked the General's survival, had him withdraw as Chancellor for "health reasons" and pretended he needed to stay in the Temple to keep morale among the troops up.

However, the General is back in the Senate, has been caught on holovideo walking around—Blast as an ever-present shadow these days—and that cannot be faked.

The relief he feels is almost overwhelming.

He's not sure how he'd handle knowing that he'd failed his General, knowing that he'd lost his Jedi when he wasn't even there. That he wasn't there to protect him... That he wasn't even there to give his life for him.

He's quite certain the shame and loss would have killed him.

He looks towards his personal comm, remembering the message Rex sent him, and smiles.

His brothers would have helped him get through, no doubt.

Still, he's relieved it isn't necessary after all. The General will continue to do his duty, and so too will Cody.

It's what he was made for, after all.

~~~~

Palpatine knew it was coming, Skywalker had told him as much after all... And yet, he cannot quell the rage that threatens to boil over as he watches the holonet report with joy of Kenobi's survival.

News anchors talking about how hope of peace has not been lost for Kenobi still lives and is recuperating.

As if Palpatine will allow peace to return to the galaxy as long as he lives. The only way the galaxy will know any resemblance of peace is under Palpatine's heel, once he's finally ascended the throne as Emperor of the Galactic Empire...

There's little he can do about it for now.

If he can't get rid of Kenobi directly, then he'll need to find some other way to damage the man's powers—some other way to stop him from mucking everything up.

Pesky Jedi.

—

(Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi masterpost)

[three-houses-text-files]

byleth/hubert

c-s support + paired ending + night of the ball

Hubert: Hello, Professor. You seem to be in good health.

>I am, yes. And yourself?

H: Of course.

>Do you need something?

H: Indeed I do.

H: Hm. Doesn't seem intimidated.

>Something wrong?

H: No, not at all. It's just that I find myself a little concerned for your well-being. H: You see, Lady Edelgard has taken something of an interest in you.

>It seems so.

>I think not.

>Don't be flippant.

H: She has. And it's beneath you to be so glib. H: There is something you need to understand about the role I play here. H: One of my many duties is to determine potential advantages and potential threats to Her Highness. H: If you prove yourself useful to Lady Edelgard, then all will be well. H: If you pose a threat...I shall have to dispose of you.

>Dispose of me?

H: Yes. This is no joke. While I may be a student here, I am her servant first and foremost. H: Therefore, if an untimely demise is not to your liking, you would do well to demonstrate your utility with all haste. H: I should warn you that I am far less compromising than Lady Edelgard. H: Do not be at ease merely because you stand in her good graces for the time being.

>I'm not worried.

H: Ha! Such confidence.

H: I'm beginning to see why you caught her eye.

>I'm not sure about this.

H: Don't be coy.

H: If I were you, I would take this more seriously. Your life is at stake.

H: My family, House Vestra, has been sworn to House Hresvelg for generations. H: Since the dawn of the Empire, we have worked to protect the emperor by any means necessary—both in the open and in the shadows. H: If you incur our wrath, you will see just what I mean.

——————————————————————————————

b

>...

H: It seems I am discovered. I suppose that means assassination is out of the question. At least for now.

>What do you think you're doing?

H: Merely keeping an eye on you, for the moment. Nothing to be concerned over.

>Assassination?

H: Unusually watchful—difficult to steal upon in slumber. Perhaps an odorless, tasteless poison... H: Lady Edelgard certainly took interest in a difficult one this time.

>Why are you following me?

H: I suppose that question does warrant a response, considering it may mean your life. H: The answer requires me to explain some of the complex internal politics of the Empire. H: Are you familiar with Volkhard von Arundel? He is Lady Edelgard's uncle. H: You may also know him as Lord Arundel, the Empire's Regent. H: Many years ago, he took Her Majesty and fled to the Kingdom of Faerghus. H: Then, after a time, he returned to seize power. H: Joining forces with Prime Minister Aegir and my father, Lord Arundel rendered Emperor Ionius IX... politically impotent. (pre-skip) H: Together with former Prime Minister Aegir and my father, Lord Arundel rendered Emperor Ionius IX... politically impotent. (post-skip) H: Lady Edelgard is Ionius IX's daughter. I cannot begin to fathom the depth of her sadness at his betrayal. H: I see something of Lord Arundel in you... H: When I look at you, I feel I can almost see a second self lurking beneath the surface. H: It is as if you are in constant dialogue with something inside your heart—something with desires very different from your own. H: Does that description feel familiar to you at all? H: Because to me you seem unpredictable. As though you could turn traitor at any moment.

>No, not familiar at all.

>There might be something to that.

H: The more I learn about you, the less I like. H: I had thought you might be of use to Lady Edelgard. H: But now I am beginning to think you may, through no fault of your own, present too great a risk. H: I hope you will prove me wrong, Professor. H: I would hate for this to come to bloodshed.

——————————————————————————————

a

H: Nice place, isn't it, Professor? Standing here, you can almost feel the goddess's absence. H: Discounting what dwells within you, of course. H: Do you think some punishment would rain down from the sky if this monastery were to be destroyed? H: Of course not. Even if the so-called Immaculate One came back here for revenge... H: That would only be a result of this war, not the work of a deity.

>Do you hate the goddess?

H: If it is between love and hate, then I would choose the latter. The goddess failed to properly govern this world. H: That is why it is necessary for Lady Edelgard to become the supreme leader of Fódlan. H: Those with power must use it wisely. Is that not a teaching of the Church of Seiros? H: It's absurd to preach to others what you cannot practice yourself.

>Sometimes it's necessary.

H: That is logical, but I am afraid your logic is informed by your humanity.

>You're absolutely right.

H: Yes. It is our humanity that pushes us to step up and take the lead should the need arise.

H: That is not the case for inhuman creatures with lifespans well beyond our own. H: We must fight to preserve what makes us human. H: You are the one closest to the enemy. I wonder if you will be able to maintain your humanity to the end.

>Of course I will.

H: You make it sound easy. I find myself trusting you. Even with my life.

>If I'm unable to...

H: Does that mean you know I will do what must be done?

H: You must trust me a great deal.

H: Heh. I've already dedicated my life to Lady Edelgard. H: To throw my lot in with you is inconceivable. H: But if I had two lives to give... H: I might devote one of them to you. H: Not as master and servant, but as equal partners. H: We could be a couplet of birds, flying alongside the sovereign of Black Eagles...

——————————————————————————————

s

H: You’ve kept me waiting. Where have you been? H: The war may be over, but matters of government, diplomacy, and justice remain to be dealt with. H: There is one problem in particular that must be sorted first, however.

>What problem is that?

H: You. H: Rather...you and me. H: To think, I had rehearsed a long preamble. H: Now, when it matters, it's all vanished from memory as suddenly as the morning dew. H: To the point, then. I...love you. In fact, I wish to marry you.

>You what?!

H: I know this must come as a surprise.

H: Especially in light of my devotion to Lady Edelgard.

>Yes! Gladly!

H: Your candid sincerity is...overwhelming.

H: You must have known all along that I had feelings for you.

H: I've already spoken to Her Majesty about this. She told me to follow my heart. H: She seems to prefer that you be with me rather than some dubious individual. H: So, you could say that we have her blessing. H: Then, this is yours... H: Is that...a ring? H: You came here with the same idea? H: I cannot believe I am saying this. I am truly happy. H: I am afraid you've outdone me. I've brought no such token. Not much of a suitor, am I? H: I've never done well with gifts or flattery. H: Protecting you is easy. But to be a good husband...

>No need to worry.

H: Of course such a thing doesn't bother you. H: I hope I can support you with the same tenacity. H: Thank you for doing me this honor. H: I once thought killing you would be a great challenge, but... H: The real difficulty was declaring my love.

——————————————————————————————

paired ending

After a fierce battle, Byleth and Edelgard finally brought the tyranny of a godlike being to an end. Though wounded in the conflict and stripped of divine power,Byleth continued to fight alongside the emperor to bring true peace. Hubert joined them in this fight, fulfilling his promise to confront those who slither in the dark head-on. In that darkness, Byleth and Hubert formed an unbreakable bond. It is said that, as a married couple, they were totally inseparable.

——————————————————————————————

night of the ball

H: Here for a tryst, Professor? I won't interfere. H: I shall take my leave at once. Farewell.

>Just a moment.

H: Yes, what is it? I assume you are waiting on someone.

>What do you mean, a tryst?

H: You have arranged to meet someone here at the Goddess Tower, have you not?

>No, not at all.

H: I see. Apologies for the misunderstanding. H: Then I take it you are unfamiliar with the rumors about this place?

>What rumors?

H: There is an old legend that says promises made between lovers here are sure to be fulfilled. H: If you believe in that sort of thing. H: I would have expected you to be familiar with the story already, considering how popular you are. H: I was certain that someone had asked you here.

>I am not that popular.

H: On the contrary, I suspect those who wished to ask were simply too daunted to try.

>That is not the case.

H: No need to sound so dejected.

H: I suspect those who wished to ask were simply too daunted to try.

H: But thanks to their cowardice, I am gifted with this opportunity to speak with you. H: It's clear you have never felt at ease around me, as a result of how little trust there is between us. H: I should get back to the ball, regardless. H: I imagine there would be quite a scene if you turned out to be lying.

>You don't believe me?

H: Trust is not in my nature. H: Good night.

[overthinkingkdrama]

hi! love in sadness anon again. if you can rec some good melos i would be thankful.

[Oh my gosh, anon. I suck. Seriously. I’ve been trying to sit down and get this done from the moment I got your ask and I just haven’t been able to do it. Anyway, hopefully you see this. Thank you for your patience.]

Little do you know how long I have been waiting for this moment. This is my time to shine! Jk, but I would be happy to give recs. It’s a delight. I started going through my MDL and realized just how many dramas in this genre I have actually seen and realized I would probably have to trim my recommendations somewhat not to seem like a crazy person. Also I have subcategories! Yay!

(I’ve included the *** next to titles that I have watched multiple times or that stand out from the rest of the pack.)

First of all, Movie Melos.

Sometimes you don’t have time for 16-30 hours of drama. Sometimes you want to get all your feels out in a single sitting and move on with your life. That’s where movies are so helpful. My favorite bite-sized melos are:

Always*** – An ex-con trying to get his life together falls in love with a blind woman, but his efforts to help her recover her sight might drag him right back into the violence he’s tried to escape.

Shoot My Heart – A young heir is forced into a mental hospital by his rich family where he meets a disturbed young man. They become friends, try to protect each other, and eventually escape. This one has a bit more of a comedic element to it than the other movies I’m recommending, but there’s plenty of the melo tone as the movie goes on.

Will You Be There? – After finding out that he’s dying of cancer, a man travels through time to beg his younger self to save the life of his first love.

Butterfly Sleep – This is a Japanese movie, but it also stars Korean actor Kim Jae Wook, who recently got a boost in popularity from Her Private Life. The movie revolves around a poor young man from Korea who ends up living with an older woman, a novelist who has just discovered she is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and the passionate relationship that develops between the two as he helps her finish what will be her final book. #tragedy_tag

High Quality, Human Melodramas

So, this category is for if you want something with all the emotional gut punch of a really wild family drama, but you also want your melos to have actual artistic merit so when you tell your non-drama watching friends and family members about them they don’t end up losing respect for your taste.

Just Between Lovers – This is the story of two young people involved in and scarred by the same horrific accident, but survived and end up finding solace in one another as they deal with their combined traumas. If you’ve seen this drama around the kdramasphere on tumblr you might have seen a lot of gifs of the soft romance. Don’t be fooled though. The romance is indeed wonderful, but the themes are heavy and it can be rough sit.

My Mister*** – I really am just looking for every possible opportunity to recommend this drama. It has supplanted my former favorites and become my top drama of all time. It’s about two people, a troubled young woman in her 20′s and a structural engineer in his 40′s who have become beaten down and broken by life. Their two lives end up intersecting and they develop a really complex friendship that changes both of their lives. Acting, writing, directing…I have nothing bad to say about My Mister. This drama is actually perfect. 

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes – Do you like your melos a bit murdery? I know I sure do. Give me a sociopath any day of the week and I’ll say, “Thank you. I’ll take two.” This drama is about a young man who might be a monster. He becomes a detectives prime suspect in a murder investigation. At the same time he meets the detectives younger sister and they begin to fall in love. #tragedy_tag If this sounds like your thing, but you don’t like super sad endings check out Hello Monster, also starring Seo In Guk.

Secret Love Affair – I think it’s probably safe to say this drama is considered a modern kdrama classic, and for good reason. A story revolving around a woman who gave up her dreams for security, trapped in a loveless marriage, who meets a piano savant from an extremely underprivileged background and he sets off a spark for passion, music and love that she hasn’t felt in a long time. This is a quiet, pensive drama with a lot of wonderful music and atmosphere. YMMV depending on your tolerance for cheating and a slow-burn pace.

Alright, Cut the Crap Jona, Show Me the Extra Soapy Guilty Pleasure Dramas We All Know You Like…

Maybe you don’t go in for this type of self-conscious, “serious” drama watching. You’re going to watch these things in the sanctity of your own room and never tell a soul about them. Or perhaps you’ve evolved past needing other people’s approval to enjoy the things you like. Good for you, I say! As it should be. In that case, I have some top shelf makjang crack to deal you. This is the part of the list where the sliding scale of quality gets a little wobbly. Most of these shows contain a little, if not a lot, of crazysauce. All of them are over-the-top melo fun.

Baker King Kim Tak Gu – A drama about the illegitimate son of a conglomerate CEO who has inherited his preternatural baking abilities looking for his place in a family that will never acknowledge him. Yeah, the premise is pretty “what”? When I first watched this drama I thought it was supposed to be a satire of the makjang genre. To this day I’m not sure how seriously this drama actually takes itself. What I will say is it’s hella entertaining, even as it piles on more than it’s share of craziness (machinations, murder, affairs, chaebol fuckery, love polygons, gangsters, birth secrets, and on and on.) I was surprisingly invested and remarkably satisfied by the ending.

Ms. Perfect – This drama is something of a gothic romance/makjang melo mash up. It involves a woman whose marriage shatters just as she loses her home and finds herself desperate to take care of her family. She’s enticed by a mysterious woman to live with her in her huge house, but this stranger has eerie motivations of her own. Really fun, weird show. But brace yourself to be blue-balled by the romance. It’s one steamy make out session from being noona-romance catnip. 

Money Flower*** – I unironically love this drama. It’s very close to the platonic ideal of the Revenge Melo. It involves a Dantes-esque male lead, Kang Pil Joo, who is willing to destroy himself to enact his multi-decade revenge on a wealthy family that took everything from him. He is the shadow of a spoiled young heir who he plans to use to take down the whole evil empire of Chungha group, but in order to do that he has to orchestrate the heir’s marriage with the innocent daughter of a powerful politician, the woman who Pil Joo himself is in love with.

That Winter, The Wind Blows – This one is a lurid conman tail about a gambler who, in his attempts to pay back a dangerous gangster out for his life, pretends to be the prodigal brother of a blind heiress. He tries to get the money and skip town, but ends up falling in love with the mark which comes with a host of other complications, not the least of which is she thinks he’s her brother. This one is high on the guilty-pleasure-o-meter for me.

Come and Hug Me – Some people might disagree with my putting this one on here, but for me the premise is too wildly melodramatic to omit. The leads start out as childhood sweethearts, but the problem is his father is a deranged serial killer and her parents end up two of his victims. As adults he becomes a detective trying to make up for his father’s legacy of cruelty and she becomes a famous actress like her mother. Traumas resurface when she becomes the target of an apparent copycat and their past connection becomes the fixation of a ruthless tabloid journalist.

Thank You – After his fiancee dies of cancer, a Doctor travels to a remote island to fulfill her last wish–to help the family of a little girl the late fiancee was responsible for inadvertently infecting with HIV. Unexpectedly he finds himself attracted to the girl’s single mother. However, he will have to contend with the prejudices of the island people about AIDS and the reappearance with the girl’s father. This one is as heavy as it sounds, and the oldest drama on this list, from 2007, with all the idiosyncrasies that go along with older dramas. But it’s remarkably well done. From the same writer of a bunch of classic melodramas (I’m Sorry, I Love You; A Love To Kill; Innocent Man; Uncontrollably Fond, etc) but this is my personal favorite of hers.

The Last Empress – Okay, I couldn’t omit this one. I tried. Average musical actress Oh Sunny winds up married to the Emperor in an alternate history version of Korea and becomes embroiled in the machinations of the corrupt royal family. With a nice side helping of revenge plot. It’s demonstrably not a good show. It’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen. But it had me hooked early on and then I couldn’t get myself free. What a magnificent train wreck this drama was. If you’re looking for problematic nonsense melos that were MASSIVE hits in Korea and you’re torn between this and Baker King, go with the silly bread show and keep this one in your back pocket.

Fated to Love You – This one is probably the most off-brand on the list, because it leans heavily on the comedic tone, especially for the first half. There’s a definite turn at the midpoint of the drama where it becomes MUCH more melodramatic (with all the tropes you expect to go along with that), but I think it pulls of the transition impressively well. Besides, it’s a fun watch with a fluffy feelgood ending with a bow on top. It’s a dash of sugar for your melodrama sojourn, a genre that admittedly can be a bit of a bummer.

There it is. I tried to do an extra good job with my list because it took me so long to get it out. I’m sorry again. Happy watching!

Jona

[fierce-little-miana]

Hello^^ Since I am now totally consumed by Marco Polo thanks to you, I wanted to ask you what you think of the female characters in the series and who is your favourite? Only if you don't mind of course :)

I absolutely do not mind at all. It is always a pleasure to talk about Marco Polo and especially to talk about the female character that I love with a great passion. I find them to be generally interesting and well written. 

So, since I have a real weekend in really long time, I am going to explain what I think of every significant female character in Marco Polo! Buckle Up!

Empress Chabi:

Chabi is my favorite female character in the show. Actually, she is my favorite character in Marco Polo. Frankly Chabi is one of my general favorite characters even outside of Marco Polo. She is the political consort done right. 

Often in TV-shows or period dramas when they say political savvy woman they mean woman who uses her sexuality to manipulate men. It’s true that women did reach powerful position by using their sexuality but not only and writers of period drama don’t seem to have the slightest idea on how to write a political savvy woman if there is no sex involved. 

That’s not the case with Chabi. Yes she has a sex life and the she manages Kublai’s harem but her power doesn’t come for her sexuality. Her political strength relies on the complete trust that exists between her and her husband (which seems to be an historical truth by the way). She is his most trusted advisor. She is also the one in charge of managing and assuring his dynasty. She also takes care of the public depiction of the dynasty and she does it very well. She is deeply ambitious for her family, and an excellent judge of character that makes sure that people who have talent are put in positions where they can express them (for the empire), and generally brillant.

However that doesn’t make Chabi a good person. She is ruthless and doesn’t hesitate to hurt and manipulate the people around her for the sake of her family, her dynasty and the empire. In short she is a mongol queen, an actual political player who is here to win. I love her. Also the actress that portrays her, Joan Chen (love her too), was 53 during the first season and there are no reason to believe that Chabi was supposed to be much younger. Having one of the main female character be a woman in her fifties presented as extremely important, clever, and beautiful isn’t that usual (Lena Headey and Indira Varma that are I think the two oldest actresses that are supposed to interpret beautiful/desirable women in GoT are 45 this year, Katheryn Winnick from Vikings is 41) so double Yeah for Chabi!   

Khutulun:

Khutulun is the kind of historical character that are too big for any artistical representation of them. I mean a wrestling princess that refused to marry any man that can’t defeat her in a wrestling match and stayed undefeated (even if she did marry in the end). The favorite child of her father and one of his generals… Khutulun is an exception even in Mongol History. She straight up escaped from a a legend.

I also really like her character in Marco Polo. She has bravado but it never makes her disagreeable. She is just proud of herself because well she is a great warrior and she should be proud of herself. She is also generally a great character to be around that cares about her loved ones and is distraught by having to do dishonorable things in order to win.

Her moral conflict is really interesting and her relationship with Byamba allows her to show fragility and doubt without undermining her warrior status. I also really like the low key conflict she has with her brother which is not her fault and that she doesn’t want but that she has to live with. Khutulun in Marco Polo isn’t a political player like Chabi is but she has to navigate this political context and she tries to do it while not disappointing her father, not losing her brother and her lover but more importantly not losing herself.  

Kokachin/Nergui:    

Kokachin is a very nicely done tragic character. It is someone divided between the lie she said to save her life and what she wants from her life. She knows she can’t get it and she does her best to survive but it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want it. This fondamental dichotomy is slowly destroying her. Even more when she ends up completely in Chabi’s claws.

Her sanity slowly slips away. But she tries, she tries so hard to do what is expected of her to become someone worthy of who she is pretending to be. She is so brave. She is clever and political too. But she fails. Of course she fails because that is the point of a tragedy but she sure makes an impact on the audience. Everyone wanted Kokachin to succeed, to become the next Chabi. Maybe a better kinder Chabi. Everyone knew she was going to fail. It didn’t mean that we weren’t completely wrecked by her ending.

Mei Lin:

Okay before starting on Mei Lin I wanted to say that her back story makes no logical sens. There are no scenario that explains how a child so poor she ends up in prostitution (and not the ‘classy’ kind of prostitution), learns to fight like an art martial master and read like it is expected of imperial concubines in China, and then becomes one of the high ranking concubines of the Emperor. Don’t get me wrong I see scenarios where three of this points could work together (Ching Shih) but never the four at the same time. Especially in a society as codified and rigid as Song China.

That being said Mei Lin is still a good character. Even if there are plot holes in her backstory it actually still does the job of explaining her character, and her brother’s character, pretty well. She doesn’t care about the big picture, after all the big picture never cared about her, and she is out there for herself. And for her daughter. I can see how someone who has been used and abused would be particularly protective of their child and also could love them unconditionally, since the child isn’t trying to use them. Mei Lin keeps her goal in mind for both seasons of the show and works toward it with the little margin she is granted.

She is angry, maybe a bit too impulsive, unimpressed by power structure and symbolic representation of power (because she knows what they are for) and that makes an extremely compelling character.  

The Dowager Empress of the Song Empire:

It’s probably going to sound weird but I really like her. I think the Dowager Empress of the Song Empire was a really interesting character to have on the show. Once again we follow a woman in her fifties wielding power. She is chancellor Sidao main political opponent. While he wants to go for broke and try to shake the mongol yoke once and for all she is trying for conciliation. 

She does everything in her power to push her political agenda and her main weapon his honor and decency. In a way she is a model of Dowager Empress, a person without moral fault doing her best for the survival of the dynasty and her people. And she tries to do that by upholding moral virtue. No one can look at this woman telling chancellor Sidao «It is a powerful man who injures little children» and not stanning her forever. I wish her end was closer to her historical end but I guess I can’t have everything.

Also she was Chabi’s greatest rival for killer head-dresses/headpieces. I love overly complicated headpieces.

Jing Fei:

Jing Fei is a less important character than the ones above but I also have a soft spot for her. Here we have Mei Lin best friend. I mean how many show would have given a best friend to the bad ass girl who uses her sexuality to advance her goal? It’s even better because Jing Fei and Mei Lin were in the same harem but no cat fight occurred. They sticked together. 

Jing Fei is a clever and ingenious woman who always privileges her relationship with other women. She puts herself in danger for Mei Lin and the Dowager Empress. A woman always choosing to stay by another woman’s side? Starz and Emma Frost are chocked!  

Shabkana:

Probably my favorite character introduce in season 2, Shabkana is Kaidu’s mother and Khutulun’s grandmother. She is our link to the violence that took place during the Toluid revolution. She makes the ideological conflict between Kaidu and Kublai personal and intimate. Her monologue on how she tried to save her sister by swearing fealty to the Tolui line, laying her honor and loyalty down, just for her sister to die in horrible pain while believing Shabkana had betrayed her is incredible.  

She wants the Ogedei line to be back in power. She is angry and out for blood. But she is also a shrouded politician and a ruthless manipulator. She is our only glimpse at the type of power widows could wield in the Mongol Empire and she is such a great antagonist. Really I love her.

Bonus point Lotus:

Lotus is the only female character that didn’t left an impact on me in Marco Polo so I guess she is my least favorite character. I don’t have a lot to say about her I don’t remember her very well (which is always a bad sign). But I remember being delighted to see Michelle Yeoh plays an unstoppable fighter that no-one wanted to face in duel. 

Super Bonus point: You will notice that 4 out the 8 main female characters of Marco Polo are older than 50. Hurray!    

[muses-darling]

A Seduction of the Darkside - A Star Wars AU - CH.1 Alderaan

Arrogance, the downfall of the righteous, Jedi were no different, one by one blinded by it, one by one they fell. They lacked ambition, they lacked vision, and with the guidance of the Emperor, the Sith had swept over the lighted worlds of the Republic swallowing them in the darkness. Heated battles waged over planets, lasers firing from turrets, troops marching to assault, as the Republic attempted to rear their defenses up slow, lazy with bureaucracy and all other trappings that helped to lay it low. Still they put up a decent fight yet one by one each world would fall in a fiery blaze if they had too. The Sith Empire was on the rise, and their numbers grew day by day as more and more were claimed to the dark side. It was the will of the force, for the light to at long last yield to the darkness and be snuffed out. 

Perperations over the last three hundred years were coming to fruition. All that time spent lying in the shadows hungry, patience learned with time growing in power, waiting for the moment their revenge would be at hand. Overseeing it, transferring life, much like their emperor from one vessel to another. The best laid plans were the ones over seen by their maker. Ignis was more than willing to wait, more than willing to seek out all that would bring about the fall of their weakened enemies. The Jedi would never see it coming, and when they did it would be only after the route to victory was assured.

Harrower Class Dreadnoughts entered the space above the tranquil planet of Alderaan. A creamy green of an orb centered in the viewport, a lovely sight, only to be made more so when it burned. Darth Ignis turned, fingers waving sending out the force bringing the comm on, the Sith Emperor sat looking pleased, “My Emperor.” Darth Ignis knelt down if only because he had yet to find a way to over throw the man.

“Lord Ignis, destroy what you must, leave what you can, supplies are needed in winning a war, and this planet is lush. Destroy the Republic’s foothold and bring about a victory. Take prisoners, especially promising Jedi.” The Emperor commanded, before the connection terminated.

“It will be done my Emperor,” Darth Ignis asseverated while rising, crimson eyes pivoting to where the planet, already receiving bombardment. “Ready my ship, I will see to this personally.”

______________________________________________________________

Waves of grass on his home planet of Alderaan waved in the gentle wind as Kit meditated on the force. In the force he could sense the impending darkness keeping his mind on the peace that surrounded him. “I am one with the force, the force is one with me. There is no emotion; there is peace, there is no ignorance; there is knowledge, there is no passion, there is serenity, there is no death; there is the Force.” He fell silent as he became aware of the encroaching numbers, repeating the code as a mantra; a lightsaber lay ready for when he needed it. Let them come...

Sith imperial troopers, warriors, inquisitors, and the like marched on him and the town beyond. If they thought him alone well they were in for a surprise. They had done well in cloaking themselves in the force but not well enough. The hum of lightsabers, a fear tried to rise in his belly. There is no emotion! His nerves steadied with the words of the code- There is only peace- A crack of a fallen branch under foot- there is no ignorance- closer and closer rocks came loose colliding with each other as they were kicked up in the footfall- There is knowledge. His hand moved slowly extending outward as he did so with the force. There is no passion, there is serenity. Rising with the blade in a swift motion, viridescent eyes same color of the blade taking in his surroundings.

“You will die today Jedi.” An assassin purred behind him.

There is no death, there is the force! His lightsaber was a cue, Republic troops came from where they had been deployed between the Sith and Kit cutting them off. 

“Jedi Scum!” An Inquisitor bit out, his final words as Kit brought his hand up the lightsaber flying forward and through the target as Kit leaped into the air twisting and landing his lightsaber to his hand. Igniting his other blade as he brought it out and down through another enemy. The Emerald of the Order was what they called him and he certainly lived up to the name. Blades crackled with energy as they met. Kit used the force to push one of them away from himself as he wheeled a blur of motion. Safeguarding the innocents required he put them to the blade. Ordinarily he would have found a least confrontational manner. However when necessary he found himself able to contend with aggressive negotiations.

________________________________________________________________

Azure peaceful skies choked with smoke turned red with flames that burned brightly through the forests, valleys, and towns. Fire was something that Ignis felt embodied the Darkside well. The Code of the Sith was just as opposite of the Jedi, his lightsaber crackled red, it sliced through them down the middle, Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Flames lit him in a beautiful and grotesque way causing fear in his enemy’s eyes some turned and fled only to be cut down by blaster fire. Through passion, I gain strength. He reached out through the force bringing the fire up in a swirl and at the enemies watching them reduce to ash. Through strength, I gain power. Feeding on their fear gave him clarity to see them his lightsaber through them cutting them like wheat in a field. Through power, I gain victory. Lopping the head off of one of the Trooper Captains. Through victory, my chains are broken. There had been a time where he had been held back by the code the Jedi, the lies they told themselves enslaved to an impossible philosophy. The Force shall free me. Their ways had allowed him an illusion of safety once shattered with the loss of Persephone. The man known then as Jedi Master Hades fell to the darkside consumed in the need for vengeance. That had been long ago... Republic troops crumpled under the might of his army. 

One Republic trooper stood before him holding his blaster out at him, brave one, foolish one, now dead....

Darth Ignis perceived him try to fire only for the force to break the man’s arm, relishing the scream as the man’s mind caught up to the knowledge of his impending doom. The blaster went off sealing his life while Ignis pressing onward passed him. 

________________________________________________________________

Kit’s blades twirled as he sent blaster lasers back at those who shot at him. The air was becoming too hot and thick, flames licked away at the growth coming near. Blades met others, it was in the way they met that told him this was someone not to underestimate.

The Adversary’s face was partially covered with a breathing apparatus scarlet-yellow, hate filled eyes scorched into Kit’s evergreen ones. Savage blows forcing Kit back the dark Jedi clearly drew on the force to augment himself. “Hello pretty Jedi-”

Kit smiled, “Aw darling, shame the same can’t be said about you.” Reaching out with the force he tried to hit the man with a rock, barely missing him.

“Please you didn’t think I would fall for that?” The Sith chuckled. “Certainly not after I’ve seen you use it on another.” He caught the rock using the force to shatter it, the sharp pieces hurtling at Kit blocking with lightsabers destroying all, but one shard slicing his arm. 

Kit gasped with pain his lightsaber locking with the man’s blade narrowly blocking him, stumbling back. 

“You fight well, but see that you fight a master.” The Sith jeered at him, “while you are only a mere knight.” 

Kit reached back with the force stopping his fall as the Sith neared him keeping him from truly finding any real balance. Kit closed his eyes breathing in, Peace, Knowledge, and Serenity. Letting his blades drop using the force to sweep them at the legs moving away from the Sith.

The Sith used the force to push hurtling over Kit and landing behind him. 

Kit turned, lightsabers flying up to meet the Sith’s his hands finding purchase on the hilts. He shut them off feeling the Sith slam into him as Kit used the force to fall backward softly into the tall grass controling his landing, using the hit of his landing to send up a powerful blast.

The Sith was sent flying into a tree hard enough to make him drop his lightsaber. Kit spun rising up, lightsabers arcing around him soaring to the Sith. “Yield.”

“Funny I could ask you to do the same thing.” A voice said from behind him. 

A man clearly a Dark Lord of the Sith nearing him Kit moved a lightsaber to be between each opponent. 

Releasing from the tree the other Sith brought up a lightsaber cutting through the hilt of one lightsaber hovering it at Kit’s throat.

“Darth Vesania, we have a rare opportunity before us, I think he will be of more use to us alive than dead.” The newly arrived Sith Lord spoke.

Darth Vesania clearly sounded bored, “I would prefer him dead, his goodness in the Force makes me sick, Lord Ignis.”

“Then leave and find other’s to kill.” Darth Ignis dismissed him, bringing Kit’s remaining lightsaber into his hand. “This one will live today at least.” 

Kit watched the other leave as more surrounded him looking to the one who had intervened, “If you think I will be your willing prisoner, think again. I will give myself to the force before I surrender.”

“Oh that I don’t doubt but it would be such a waste of a pretty face.” Darth Ignis smiled to him beneath the hood. “Even more of such skill. There are not many who have stood up to Darth Vesania and lived, in fact I think you may be the only one who has.” The voice was regal and clearly used to giving commands. “I have no desire in seeing a flower like you burn, now be a good Jedi and choose the peaceful option. Surrender Just like your precious Republic did this day.”

Live to fight again, his mind offered up as wisdom. Perhaps this was the Forces’ will? To take this Path it wasn’t a clear path and he had no certainty. Uncertainty could lead to fear, to the darkside. There is no emotion; there is peace, there is no ignorance; there is knowledge, there is no passion, there is serenity, there is no death; there is the Force. In the voice of his Master Gabriel the code came to mind again. The Republic had lost Alderaan his homeworld, just like Kit himself as he felt the force repelling manacles lock around his wrists.

[stuffandnosense]

To Love - Part 4

Description: In an alternate ending to S6ep5, after Lotor snaps and forms his robot, he snatches Blue and Red and their pilots before Keith can arrive and flees the scene rather than trying to fight them all just yet. Lance and Allura, in Lotor’s clutches in the headquarters of an empire that has suddenly turned against them, are forced to make difficult decisions to protect each other.

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3

Allura always wondered if she would make a good leader.

She sings, and Lance, mercifully, falls asleep before too long. It’s a relief to see his body relax somewhat - to see at least some of the lines in his face smooth themselves out.

It leaves Allura alone for now, but she can’t begrudge him that.

She leaves the window transparent much of the time, so she can keep an eye out for any signs of trouble. She only darkens it when the door opens briefly, for a stark-faced Galra woman to bring her more clothing. Like the ones she destroyed when she was first shoved into this room, the dresses are almost Altean in style - not so different from her own clothing, before the war.

Lotor really did study ancient Altean culture, didn’t he? If he had these made. It’s almost as if he was ready for this.

She was skilled at flying the castle, yes...and she could take her own father down in training on a good day by the time she was sixteen…

When the woman tells her she has a varga before the Emperor comes to collect her for dinner, maybe she spends too long staring at the absurdity of her reflection after she changes. At the skirts around her ankles that don’t feel like her anymore. The bile rising in her throat doesn’t help either, when she thinks about the sort of charade these clothes are meant to further.

Maybe she should have gone back to the window sooner, but would it have mattered?

But leading her people? Could she do that? Her father...Alfor was always smiling. Always laughing. Always brave. He had so much wisdom.

When Allura lightens the window to be able to see through once again, Lance is more curled in on himself more than before. And when did he grow so pale? Even more than he had been? When did his breaths become so short?

She stabs at the audio channel. “Lance? Can you hear me?”

He stirs, but even the small movement seems to hurt him. His free arm wraps more tightly around his abdomen, and a moan is the only answer she gets.

“Lance!”

“M...Mom…?”

“Lance, it’s Allura. Please wake up. I need you to tell me what’s wrong. Lance!”

His eyes open, finally, but they clamp shut again as he balls up and presses his head into the wall. “Wha...ahhh...quiznak…!”

“Lance?”

“Allur...ra...what...something’s…” He cuts off in a pained, confused cry.

Is there more blood than there was before? The blanket that covers his legs is dark, it’s difficult to see, but there are places where it sticks to him now - fresh dampness clinging to his skin.

Oh ancestors, he’s still bleeding.

“Hold on!”

She runs to the other side of the room, to the door, and pounds on it. “Hello? Is anyone out there? Help! Lance needs help! Something is wrong, please!”

Allura could only hope to be as good a queen one day as Alfor was a king.

The hinges groan under the force she’s exerting on the door, but they don’t give way. Allura continues to pound on the door, on the window, on anything, calling out for help. When no one answers after several doboshes she resorts to actively trying to break down the door or smash the window.

Neither works. It only leaves her arms and shoulders bruised from ramming them.

“Lance…?” When she limps back to his window, he is shivering and moaning between shallow breaths, what’s left of his voice cracking on the sounds. “Hold on, please…”

Lotor will come for her. It can’t be too much longer now, can it?

Loss of blood has left Lance confused. His eyes are roaming, his pupils blown out and hazy, and she only hopes it’s soon enough.

“It’s all right, Lance. You’ll be all right. You’ll…” Allura trails off, and she doesn’t know what else she can say. She can’t do anything else. She can’t reach him.

So she sings again. It comes out unevenly, but it’s something. She doesn’t know if it does any good. Lance asks for his mother again, and this time she doesn’t correct him.

What she would give to see her own mother again…

“Don’t let me win,” she had to tell her father when they trained. Eventually, she realized that sometimes he would. Not all the time. But sometimes. Maybe to bolster her confidence. But when she asked him not to, he didn’t. She won on her own.

Her sharp ears catch the movement outside the door before it opens; she has time to cross the room again to stand in front of it as it opens. As expected, Lotor is the one on the other side.

“Why did no one answer me when I called! Something is wrong with Lance! He could be in serious danger!”

Lotor only blinks, and Allura’s cheeks burn in equal parts anger and embarrassment as he looks her up and down - at the dress she’s wearing - before he even bothers to brush past her to go to the window into the paladin’s cell.

“His condition has worsened. Something is not right,” she insists. He makes a noncommittal sound, and Allura draws herself up.

“I know why you refused to release him. Need I remind you that you cannot continue to hold his life over me if he dies?”

When she asked Alfor if he thought she would make a good leader, it was those requests not to let her win unfairly that he spoke of.

Lotor lets out a breath. “Very well. I will have medics sent, but you will come with me.”

“I need to know how he—”

“You will be the first to know, but you will keep our agreement.” His voice his hard - no room for give or negotiation.

Allura glares at him, but she nods once.

“A...Allur...Allura…” Lance’s voice, from the next room. Confused and breathless. She’d almost forgotten the audio channel was still on.

She holds Lotor’s impassive gaze with her scowl as she answers. “Lance...you will be all right. Help is coming.” She doesn’t know if he really hears, or understands, but it’s worth it to see the momentary pinch in the skin between Lotor’s eyes. Annoyance, perhaps - or jealousy. Right now it’s easier to give in to the petty side of herself - the one that enjoys causing it. It’s easier than feeling the pain of his betrayal.

He pushes past her again to bark at one of the guards outside her door. “You. Have a medical team sent to the paladin’s cell immediately. They are to treat him if it’s necessary to preserve his life and report to me as soon as his condition is stable.”

A salute, before the guard hurries away. “Vrepit Sa!”

Lotor looks back to her and holds out a hand. “Coming, Princess?”

She can’t help glancing back to the other window - to Lance. But in the end she straightens her shoulders and steps from the room.

“I think you are well on your way, Allura,” Alfor told her. “I am proud of you. You want to fight your own battles, but if you have questions I may be able to answer, you still come to me, like you have now.”

Allura ignores Lotor’s offered hand. He really is mad, she thinks at dinner, if he believes he can pretend all is well. She ignores his attempt to engage her in conversation. He asks about Altea - of course he does - but she merely pushes food around her plate. She takes the occasional bite when he stares disapprovingly at her, but she isn’t hungry. How could she be hungry?

“Come now, Allura - this is the beginning of a new era! A new empire. Together we can bring peace to the galaxy. That is what you’ve always wanted, is it not?”

She stabs hard at a piece of meat, breaking her silence. “Not like this.”

“Like what?”

“On the backs of thousands of dead Alteans?” she chokes.

He winces. “I have told you...I am not proud of that. But it was necessary to further the research needed to bring about the peace we both want. Lives are always lost in war.”

“Lives lost fighting for freedom are one thing! People murdered for your own good are quite another, Lotor!”

She can see it when he shutters himself off again - his momentary lapse forgotten. “I’d hoped you would understand, but I am beginning to see that you never will.”

“Never,” Allura confirms vehemently.

“At the very least you could hide it better,” he snaps. “Your behavior is hardly fit for an empress.”

“I thought you said queen? Which is it you would prefer me to be?”

Lotor narrows his eyes at her. “It hardly matters to me; choose whatever title you would like for your coronation. Regardless, your attitude will need improvement.”

Enough. She can’t pretend to eat anymore. Allura pushes back from the table, trying to slow the heaving of her chest and the shaking of her hands. “I agreed to this macabre charade to safeguard the lives of my friends. I never promised I would be a good actress.”

He snorts and stands with her. “Very well. If we’re done here…”

He motions to the door, and she knows what comes next. She follows him because she has no choice. Because Lance’s life and the safety of the other paladins hangs in the balance. But still her feet bring her to a halt outside Lotor’s chambers. Her fingers are curled into fists to disguise that they’re still trembling.

“Lance…” she says.

“Your paladin will be fine. We have the best doctors in the empire here; there is no need to be concerned about him.”

“Of course I am concerned about him; he is my friend.”

And thank the ancestors, that is when the guard from before finds them, with what appears to be medic on his heels. Both of them bow curtly.

“Well?” Lotor demands.

“The paladin is stable, my lord,” the medic says. “He was suffering from internal bleeding, but we have repaired the damage and were able to synthesize enough vital fluids to improve his state. We recommend observation for at least twelve vargas to be certain there are no further complications.”

Allura’s fingernails dig into her palms. Of course. It makes sense, after what happened to him. But even though she knows Lance is being taken care of now, it still makes her heart stutter to think that he could have died in that cell...that Lotor did that much damage to him.

“A balance is needed in any leader,” her father said. “Trust those around you for what they can offer you in support, and counsel…”

She wants to scream, but what good would that do now? She’s tried that. Lotor has already proven he won’t listen. He is gone. He will do exactly as he says he will if she does not cooperate. He could still have Lance killed, or worse.

“There,” he’s saying, as the medic and the guard leave them. “See? The boy is fine.” He opens the door to his chambers. “Come.”

“...but also know that serving your people can require sacrifice.”

Read Part 5 >>

[vradika]

🌓 Vaderwan/Vaderkin Obikin Fic Recs

Updated 5/10/2021

Here you’ll find the Obikin Fic Rec Masterlist, and here are some tags and warnings in case you don’t want to read about certain topics:

🔥= Mustafar AU ⌛= Time travel/de-aged/rebirth 🔗= Slavery 🍫= Explicit sexual content 🍂= Master-student relationship or mentions/underage

🔥♥♥♥♥♥Dearly despised by Anonymous Status: on going Where a Jedi was spotted, Darth Vader was sure to follow, leaving behind a trail of corpses; Jedi or otherwise. To finish what he started when he knelt down and swore allegiance to a new Emperor. To finally bring peace to a galaxy that had been ripped apart from war.Obi-Wan knew better. This was a more personal matter: Vader wanted revenge. Vader wanted him.

🍫🔥♥♥♥♥ where every mask cracks by little_tales Status: on going

Four years after the birth of the Galactic Empire, Obi-Wan approaches Darth Vader with an offer he doesn't expect.

⌛♥♥♥♥With the will of the force, In the palm of my hand. by Spice_Runner Status: hiatus

After Obi-wan's supposed death on the death star,Darth Vader is sent back in time to his home planet by the will of the force, in the body of his nineteen year old self. He's been given a second chance,but to do what with? He doesn't know. All he knows if that the Jedi are alive once again,and so is Obi-wan. He plans to destroy the Jedi again without the rise of Darth Sidious,and With Obi-wan at his side as his apprentice. To right the wrongs of the Jedi,rebuild his Empire as he sees fit and take back all those he loves. The Force has different plans.

🍫♥♥♥♥come back from the dark by amidnightlove Status: on going

Almost a year after Mustafar, Obi-Wan is slowly becoming accustomed to living in exile, being an unmated Omega and watching over Luke. And then an imperial pod crashes into Tatooine.

🍫♥♥♥snowbound by amidnightlove Status: complete

Sent to Ilum to investigate the sighting of a new Sith apprentice, Obi-Wan expects to simply find them and detain them. Sharing shelter with a Sith during a snowstorm was the last of his wishes.

♥♥♥♥♥Neutron star collision by liv_k Status: on going

A neutron star merger is a type of stellar collision. When two neutron stars orbit each other closely, they spiral inward as time passes due to gravitational radiation. When the two neutron stars meet, their merger leads to the formation of either a more massive neutron star, or a black hole. In the aftermath of Order 66, Anakin Skywalker's miraculous survival after his confrontation with the new Sith Apprentice Darth Vader ignites a sparkle of hope in the remaining Jedi, in the fledgling rebellion and, above all, in his former Master, who had thought he had lost everything to darkness. But darkness is generous, and it is patient. [Title changed from "This time we'll fall together"]

⌛♥♥♥there is peace (peace is a lie) by luminousbeingsweare Status: on going

Ben Kenobi, Wizard of the Wastes, was really tired of this. For some ridiculous reason, he really thought he'd be able to rest for once in his (after)life. Of course, it couldn't be that simple. Judging by the intense cursing coming from Darth Vader's - or was it Anakin? - side of the room, it seemed he wasn't the only one in this predicament.Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are thrown out of the afterlife back to right before AOTC starts. Everything goes to hell.

🔥 ♥♥Bound to Me by ilcuoreardendo Status: complete Summary: One of the memories Anakin carries away from Geonosis is that of his master in chains.

⌛♥♥♥♥♥ Vader in time by  SWModdy Status: on going

Summary: He’s given a new chance. Or rather Vader takes the new chance as he feels the death of Obi-Wan somewhere out in the wide galaxy, the Jedi passing utterly alone without Vader there and in a moment of madness everything becomes clear… so he takes a new chance for himself. By going back. And this time Palpatine shall not take it all from him.

🍫♥♥♥♥What Dwells in Us by Caudipteryx dreamwidth

Status: complete

Summary: Three months have passed since Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived on Tatooine. He has settled into a quiet, uneventful life in the desert, watching over the infant Luke from afar. Alas, his life isn’t going to stay quiet or uneventful for much longer.

Or: The story of Obi-Wan’s years in exile I have always wanted to read. (Yes, it is written in first person, and I know a lot of people hate first person. But this serves a very specific aesthetic purpose; if you think the subject matter may interest you, please try giving it a chance anyway.)

🔥♥♥♥ Eyes by  TiBun

Status: hiatus (last update:  2017-11-11)

Summary: Darth Vader had won the inner battle. He had wrapped Anakin in darkness and snuffed out his light. But Obi-Wan wasn't quite sure Anakin was completely gone, and the Sith Lord's eyes could be very telling.

♥♥♥ Ascension by  lilyconrad

Status: complete

Summary: Anakin loathes the soulmark Obi-Wan bears, a black dragon that will one day take his beloved master away from him.

🍫♥♥♥♥♥The Negotiator Series by  Ralph_E_Silvering

Status: complete

Part one  🍫♥♥♥♥ The Negotiator: Darth Vader was always arrogant. He forgot that Obi-Wan had spent 20 years in the desert, with nothing to do but learn new ways to mess with him. Or the story of how Darth Vader touches Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber after the events on Cloud City but forgets about that little Force-trick of psychometry. Obi-Wan has one last surprise for his old Padawan.

Part two 🍫♥♥♥ Hindsight: Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi woke every night, sweating and gasping, from nightmares of Darth Vader. It had been nine years since he had watched his Padawan burn, watched the Republic fall, watched his life be destroyed around him. And every night he saw Anakin’s face, twisted by evil, his eyes sickly yellow, as he screamed his hatred of Obi-Wan. It was that last which he could not bear.

Part three 🍫♥♥ Darth Vader's Master: Yet always he would be pulled awake far too soon, finding himself in his sterile and empty Imperial chambers, hard and aching once more.........

Part four  🍫♥♥After the End: Obi-Wan tilted his chin up until their eyes met, and Anakin felt shame burn through him. But Obi-Wan was still smiling, his eyes deepest blue-green, and as he bent to place a gentle kiss on Anakin’s lips, the younger man finally began to relax. “Hello, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, joy suffusing his presence.

♥♥♥And Back Again by DreamingMoonlight

Status: complete

Summary: Darth Vader is on Tatooine with a mission and cannot be stopped. Not until the Witch of the Junland Wastes stands in his path and changes the course of his destiny.

Also, look at this lovely art by @crinzinzey​

⌛🍫♥♥♥ Soldier, Poet, King by Glare @glare-gryphon

Status: hiatus (last update: 2017-06-08)

Summary: Second chances are very rarely given, but the Force smiles upon two of its favorite children and returns them to a time before their actions have met their consequences. Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader, seeks redemption while Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, disillusioned with the Jedi Order and its Code, falls to the Darkness. Trapped out of time, Master and Apprentice must once again work together to stop Sideous’ plans from reaching fruition and bring Balance to the Force—all the while dodging the Jedi, the Sith, and their feelings for each other.

♥♥ Disjointed by Ha_neul @octavigustus

Status: complete

Summary:  Returning to Tatooine to erase his past, Vader reunites with his old lover and their son.

⌛♥♥♥♥ I myself have torn myself to shreds by iiscos @jamesalarcon

Status: complete

Summary: The Force whispers in its ageless voice, its touch peaceful and lulling against Vader’s ancient soul, “Tell me your biggest regrets.”

Or the five times Anakin traveled back in time with the intention of making things better, and the one time that it actually worked.  I would say this story begins as Vader and ends in Anakin, a more wise Anakin who have suffered a lot.

⌛♥♥ Anathema by poplitealqueen (Isimun) @poplitealqueen

Status: hiatus (last update: 2016-11-29)

Summary: An illogical visitor appears on the Death Star, following the apparent death of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

🔥♥ Am I only dreaming? by Kris_Amethyst  (now orphan account)

Status: dropped (last update: 2016-03-10)

Summary: It's been five years since Obi-Wan Kenobi saw Darth Vader. Now, in the deserts of Tatooine, he finds a seemingly amnesiac Anakin Skywalker who doesn't know of his fall. Can he and Padmé save him once and for all?

⌛♥♥♥♥ Tell Me, Show Me by LeelaLaFleur  ArvisTaljik

Status: hiatus  (last update: 2016-07-02)

Summary: While searching the Force for the spirit of his former Master, Vader finds himself thrown deep into the past. Free of the Dark Side and with his youthful body back, Vader/Anakin is ready to change his own destiny for better, but when he comes across shy, yet incredibly stubborn Padawan Kenobi, everything rapidly spirals out of control and the ex-Sith is forced to face some of the old attractions and attachments....

⌛♥♥♥♥♥ Return to the Point of No Return by theascetic

Status: complete

Summary: He turns around, his tunic soaked with blood, and holds the gorgon's head up by its wispy hair.

"Anakin, please-"

"Don't beg me, Master,” says the last of the Sith, tenderly reaching to cup Obi Wan's hot cheek with a gore-stained hand. “Command me.”

The ever-popular time travel fix-it fic... with a bit of a twist.

🔥♥ Go Away Closer by MissPop (before poplitealqueen (Isimun) ) @poplitealqueen

Status: hiatus (last update: 2016-04-04)

Summary:  'Go Away Closer' aka a double bind: where every decision you make feels like the wrong one. However, in Zen Buddhism, it's also viewed as a path to enlightenment. The impossible question with no correct answer.This is a Star Wars AU, a Mustafar AU to be exact, where Obi-Wan doesn't cut Anakin down to size and nothing is okay.

Also a SPOILER WARNING of Go Away Closer, for the next one shot:

🍫♥♥ Comorbidity by MissPop,poplitealqueen (Isimun) @poplitealqueen

Status: complete

Summary: Anakin's premonitory "Probably-Palpatine-Just-Fucking-With-Him-But-Also-Lowkey-His-Old-Pal-The-Force-Trying-To-Give-Him-A-Head's-Up" nightmares return.

🔥♥♥♥♥♥ I have lied my way to the stars by iiscos @jamesalarcon

Status: hiatus (last update: 2016-03-13)

Summary: Anakin wavers in darkness, while Obi-Wan questions the light.Or another post-RotS AU where Obi-Wan is captured on Mustafar.

⌛♥♥♥♥♥ Second Life by Sapphirethief

Status: hiatus (last update: 2017-01-05)

Summary: Vader takes his last breath only to wake in times long past.

...keep updating

[miraculart]

His True Home: -Chapter Four-

- Ch. 1 - Ch. 2 - Ch. 3 - Ch. 4 - AO3

Rating: T

Summary:  Lotor didn’t want to meet the princess. Why would he? Wasn’t he enough for his parents? He wasn’t. His parents robbed him, they took his childhood, his innocence, his claim to the throne. But he’s thankful, the one thing his parents did right for him, was introduce him to his best friend, his new family, and his true home.  Pre-Canon Lotura Friendship AU

Chapter Summary: Lotor commits treason against the Galra Empire and suffers the consequences.

WC: 2162/10244

“For that, we shall destroy Altea.” Lotor’s blood froze in his veins. Of course he was upset with Alfor, Daibazaal is the home of his people, the ones he swore to protect. But what Zarkon proposed, destroying his home? Nausea swept over Lotor’s frame, the minimal contents of his weary stomach emptied on the cold metal panels, covering the battleship floor.

What of Alfor? Coran? What of Allura? Would they all perish at the hands of his father’s army? He blanched at the thought.

Zarkon scoffed, “What’s the matter, boy? Still loyal to those Altean pricks? Maybe you should join them!” The emperor raised a heavy fist, preparing to strike a finishing blow to Lotor’s nape.

Lotor stood despite his shaking knees, he’d have to be stronger now, for Allura. His composure steeled itself, preparing for the worst. “No, sir, just a quick bout of star-sickness, that is all.”

Zarkon’s fist lowered slowly to his side, a skeptical glare flaring through his fluorescent gaze. “Star-sickness? Fine, soldier. Prove your worth in battle. 

Take your squadron and lead the ground assault. I trust that you know your way around their security systems, yes?”

Lotor held his gaze, “Yes, sir, give me 6 vargas to prep my team and-”

Zarkon cut him off with a growl- “No! We move now.”

Lotor sighed, he must comply. “Vrepit sa.”

He dismissed himself, sprinting for the hangar. He opened the comms tab on his combat suit, “Axca, Ezor, Zethrid, Narti, on me! Get to the ships, we leave for Altea immediately!” His team had to get there first. They wouldn’t be able to communicate with their Galra comm lines, he was about to commit treason, after all. His generals would follow him, but he couldn’t risk being outed before the time would arrive.

He leapt into his fighter, clasping the custom helmet atop his head. It contained a transmission scrambler unique to his team. He had to fight for these custom communications but eventually he was able to convince the Quintessence Technology Firm to fill his order. He hadn’t had the chance to test it yet, but it should be able to pick up signals from Alfor’s army on Altea. “Everyone ready to go?”

“Copy, Lotor, why are we going to Altea? We’re on private comms so I expect you to be honest.” Zethrid spoke spitefully through her mic.

“My orders are to lead a ground assault through the weakest defenses on Altea.” Lotor responded cooly.

“What? That’s insane! Their weapons grade system is better than our blast shields by light-years. We’ll never make it through their defenses.” Ezor cried, astonished by their leader’s poor judgement.

“Calm down Ezor, I told you those were my orders. Your orders are to protect the royal family of Altea at all costs. I am committing treason against the Galra Empire, you are following the orders of your commanding officer. Questions?” Lotor enunciated every word clear and with purpose. If Zarkon is planning to destroy his home, there isn’t much Lotor can do about that. But he will protect his family against all odds. At the very least he has to try.

The five sat in a silent stupor, Lotor, through with his decision, called out a final order, “No questions? Then let’s move out!”

---

Zarkon loomed over the unconscious form of his wife. She had nearly passed away just as he entered the rift with her. When they exited the rift, her essence of life returned, but her consciousness did not.

“What have I done, sweet Honerva? I’ve saved your life, yet you do not wake. Why do I only feel this emptiness inside me? This rage?” He sat at the end of the bed, stoic as ever, his only emotion shown through his fist, clenched tight by his side. His other hand trembled forward, as if to provide some reassurance to his unmoving wife, “Not to worry my love, the destruction of our planet will be avenged by our son’s heroic hand. When you wake, we will reign supreme over the edges of the empire. We will grow our empire to the vast reaches of the universe!”

Honerva’s eyes snapped open. Zarkon flinched at her awakening, such power she emitted, such control. Her aura seemed to burn with black unforgiving flames. A cold, distant voice filled the fiendish void, swirling around the small medical room. “Honerva is dead, husband. All that’s left has become this haggish shell… henceforth, I am the all-powerful druid, Haggar.”

Zarkon stumbled forward, dropping to his knees in agony, something burned within him, boiling over the edges, a desire for power, a hunger for control, and a fear of the witch that lay before him. The fires lit like suns beneath his skin, boiling up through his chest. And then it stopped, it quelled quick as the night, leaving a heaving, fearful giant to mourn it’s loss.

A new voice, less ethereal, creaked from his bedridden mate. “Zarkon, the boy, Lotor, he will warn the Alteans of our arrival. He intends to fight by their side. His generals have already accepted their orders.” She paused for a moment, audibly swallowing through a sandpaper throat. “He must be stopped.”

Zarkon rose to one knee, dipping his head to the druid. “Yes, Haggar. Your wisdom shall guide my hand.” He stood, saluting the shadow leader. “Vrepit sa!” And he left without a word.

-----

“A squadron of cruisers is on our tail, it appears that they are hostile. Do we have a leak within the group?” Lotor cringed at the mental intrusion.

“Narti, you’re supposed to give a warning before communicating like this.” He  hoped that nobody on his team leaked their location, but their private comms were secure within the Galra fleet’s radio system.

Narti replied sincerely. “My apologies sir, but the hostiles are approaching quickly, what should we do?”

Lotor banged a fist on his console. They couldn’t risk a leak within the team, but they had to avoid the incoming Galra cruisers. He barked orders hastily. “Okay team, we’ve been compromised, put up camo shields and head for Altea. I’m routing coordinates to each of your cruisers. If we break rank we’ll be harder to catch. I’ll have Narti check in with everyone when we reach the surface.” He scrambled to send out the directions to each drop point, fully intending to keep everyone but himself and Narti far away from the castle.

Each of their shields went up and they went their separate paths. “Okay, I’m on my own now. I’ve got to reach Allura. When you hit ground send the team coordinates for rendezvous at the druid church in Aoef. I will meet you there once I’ve secured the royal family.” Narti is the only one he could trust completely right now, as she warned him of their leak. Lotor sprung to action, whirling his ship around, he’d eliminate the cruisers immediately behind them and spare the team a tic or two. It wouldn’t be long before the entire empire knew of this felony.

He fired hundreds of shots, sending a barrage towards the fleet. He saw them make contact, destroying the cruisers and the galra inside. “I’m sorry, brothers.” He thought his condolences, willing them to reach the people he fought alongside for many quintents.

Turning back to the steering column, he pushed the ship onward towards Altea. Or at least, he tried. His arm moved through time slowly and reluctantly, as if tied to a string somewhere behind him. He tried his other arm to no avail, he pressed on harder, his body just wouldn’t respond. The ship itself began to slow, the images outside blurring, like traveling through a black hole. And then it stopped. He moved quickly again, falling into the side of his controls. They were unresponsive, broken. Looking out through the visuals, there was nothing. Just, space. Where was he? How did this happen? What of Altea?

“Hello, son.” A gravelly voice filled the cabin, dark flames consuming the innards of the ship.

He choked, his will and strength crushed beneath overwhelming power. “Honerva? Is that you?” He managed to croak, fighting for breath.

“You committed treason against the Galra Empire. After 10,000 quintents, you have served your time in exile. Your father is sick, on his deathbed. It is time for you to return, it is time to rule your empire.” The voice never answered him. But 10,000 quintents? Did the Galra win? Is Altea destroyed? Did Allura make it out alive?

“Altea is destroyed!” The voice growled, clearly unpleased. “Your loyalty lies with the Galra Empire now. Return, my son, and avenge your father’s death. Defeat Voltron!”

“Zarkon was defeated by Voltron? How is that possible without the pilot of the Black Lion?” He wondered aloud. The pressure subsided considerably.

She(?) responded angrily, “Voltron has chosen new pilots. They defeated your father, and now they attempt to destroy our Empire. Return and rule as your father did before you!”

“If I return, I’m the emperor of the Galra Empire?” Lotor questioned. If he’s truly the emperor, the Galra will have no choice but to follow his command.

“You are the rightful heir to the throne. Return.” His ship rebooted, the controls flashing and returning to their previous state. Through his screen he could see the locations of his team, and of the command fleet.

“Alright, I’ll return and command my army.” He felt the power leave the ship, taking in a large, much needed breath. “But first, I need to visit some old friends.” He routed the coordinates in his fleet for Altea. His ship jumped to hyperdrive, the stars returning slowly through his view of hyperspace. The Alteans must have won. They must have forged a peace contract with the Galra. That’s the only way the Empire could have grown this large. He thought to himself as he studied the growing map of the universe.

He noticed that Altea wasn’t shown on the map. Likely a precaution on Alfor’s part, he was always so cautious regarding information.

“You have arrived.” His console spoke freely, but didn’t make sense. There was no Altea in this system, just a strange asteroid belt.

“Computer, reroute for Altea.” He spoke nervously, not wanting to admit what must be true.

“You have arrived.” He screamed in anguish. It couldn’t be so.

“Reroute for Altea.” He commanded frantically.

“You have arrived.” He slammed both hands on his console, his voice command reader must be broken. He flitted about the cabin, manually inputting the specific coordinates for Alfor’s castle. The ship began to move, and he released the breath he didn’t realize he’d held. He saw the ships of his generals arrive one by one, moving to join him.

“You have arrived.”

His heart sank deep into his chest. His blood froze, and boiled, then froze, and boiled again. The ruins of Altea drifted aimlessly. A once proud planet with beautiful seas and skies, reduced to bits of tarnished rubble. What kind of weapons did his father possess that could cause such caustic destruction?

Hot tears charred the skin on his face, carving canyons of despair into his heart. His home, destroyed. He’d never walk the stunning palace grounds again. His family, gone. His shoulders would never bear the hand of Alfor, donning a proud smile. His chest would never feel crushed by the power of an Altean hug from Coran. He’d never taste the delicious food made by the royal chefs. He’d never train with his fellow knights on the soft Altean grass. He’d never see Allura again.

A fresh wave of agony bent his heart and twisted it to ruins. The tears becoming acid that burned into his eyes, cursed to never witness the place where he truly belonged again. He wailed, remembering all the happy moments in his childhood. He shouted and screamed with every passing memory of Allura’s smile, of her laugh. He tore at the hair on his head, remembering how she used to braid it so gently, so lovingly. He sobbed, curling himself into the smallest, most insignificant little ball in the universe. Without her, he was nothing.

Narti’s voice interrupted his mourning. “Lotor, I’m sorry to intrude, but we need to leave. Our comms are down, Haggar visited all of us before you. It is time to return to command.”

His gentle soul, his kind heart, shattered by loss, were replaced with a pit of rage and a hellish resentment towards his parents that he could never forgive. “Narti, inform the others of these commands: We will take rightful control of the Galra Empire. We will liberate the workers enslaved by my predecessor. We will destroy Voltron. Penance must be paid, too many lives have been lost to this war. Let us end all war under the united Galra front.”

A tone Lotor had yet to hear from his most expressionless general, fear, crept through her reply. “Yes, sir. Vrepit sa.”

AN:// This story really has been a gift to work on, and I couldn’t ask for a better writing partner. Thank you to those of you that commented and gave kudos to our work! It really makes our day! 

Next chapter will be posted on @litttlewings go follow her!

Don’t repost!

[aion-rsa]

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 10 Easter Eggs & References

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This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 10.

With only three episodes to go in Season 3, Star Trek: Discovery delivered an episode that is moving the series forward, but also, changing Georgoiu’s role at the same time. “Terra Firma, Part 2” was also nostalgic as hell, and felt right at home among some of the rough-and-tumble TOS episodes, including, of course, “Mirror, Mirror.” But the deep-cuts in “Terra Firma, Part 2” weren’t just limited to a Terran dagger of Georgiou’s sword. From aliens from all corners of Trek canon, to a very slick reference to Scotty, “Terra Firma, Part 2” had it all.

Here’s every Easter egg, callback and reference we caught in “Terra Firma, Part 2.” Your Emperor warns you, spoilers are ahead!

Agonizer references Kirk and Chekov 

Georgiou’s leniency on Mirror Burnham echoes exactly how Kirk treated Mirror Chekov in “Mirror, Mirror.” In that episode, Mirror Spock was blown-away when Kirk didn’t order “full duration” in the Agony Booth, even though Chekov’s crime warranted death. Basically, Georgiou is behaving a lot like Kirk did in “Mirror, Mirror,” the irony being, she’s from this universe, and Kirk wasn’t. 

Georgiou predicts problems for the Empire 

When Georgiou tells Mirror Burnham that the subjects of the Empire are in constant rebellion, she suggests that the current model of the Terran Empire is doomed to fail. This assessment aligns with what Mirror Spock said in “Mirror, Mirror,” when he outright acknowledged that at some point in the future “the Empire will be overthrown, of course.” 

“An Alliance to Destroy Us”

Mirror Burnham mentions a vast alliance trying to take down the Empire. This vaguely references a similar alliance that Prime Burnham discovered in “The Wolf Inside.” In that episode, Georgoiu destroyed those rebels from orbit, but this timeline is slightly different. 

Coalition Members

Burnham rattles off a lot of alien races that are part of the coalition against the Empire. And, those selections all seem very pointed, and interesting. Here’s why.

Romulans– This implies the Romulans and the Vulcans split in the Mirror Universe, much as they did in the Prime Universe. Plus, it also implies the Terran Starfleet might be more aware of Romulans in the 2250s than their Prime Universe counterparts.

Andorians- Founding members of the Federation of the Prime Universe, sworn enemies of the Empire in the Mirror Universe. 

Tellierates- This checks with what we saw in “The Wolf Inside,” in Season 1 of Discovery.

Klingons- Again, in “The Wolf Inside,” we learned that Mirror Voq was the benevolent leader of the rebellion against the Empire.

Denobulans- This is a callback to Enterprise. Dr. Phlox was a Denobulan, and in the Enterprise two-parter “In a Mirror, Darkly,” Mirror Phlox worked for the Terran Empire. So, if Denobulans were revolting, then yes, the Empire was in real trouble. 

Rigelians- Although mentioned in TOS and DS9, we first saw Rigelians in Enterprise. Most recently, we saw a Regelian in the Lower Decks episode “Much Ado About Boimler.”

Coridanites- We most recently saw members of the Coridanite species in the Discovery episode “Far From Home.” But, the first time they appeared was in the Enterprise episode “Shadows of P’Jem.”

“You could kill her with the press of a button”

Does Georgiou have a Tantalus Field? Captain Killy suggests that she has the ability to kill Mirror Burnham with “the press of a button.” In “Mirror, Mirror,” Kirk discovered a device called the Tantalus Field, that was able to remotely vaporize people. In an unused concept for Enterprise, at one point, it was going to be suggested that the Tantalus Field sent people to alternate dimensions. That said, in this scene, it seems like we’re meant to get a similar feeling from “Mirror, Mirror,” and not necessarily assume Georgiou has the Tantalus Field. 

Mirror Image Credits

The credits for “Terra Firma Part 2” are inverted, to acknowledge the idea that the episode begins in the Mirror Universe. The only other time a Trek show has had “Mirror Universe” credits was in the two-part Enterprise episode, “In a Mirror, Darky. Parts 1 and 2.”

No one has heard from Lorca 

It seems possible that during the 3-months that Georgiou stays in the Mirror Universe, Captain Lorca does cross over into the Prime Universe. This would explain why “no one has heard” from him at all.

Landry and the other co-conspirators 

Rekha Sharma returns again, as Mirror Ellen Landry. She’s the first of the co-conspirators to be tracked-down by Mirror Detmer and Mirror Bunrham. In the “original” Mirror timeline, Landry had been put in an agonizer booth for like a year or something. But, she was very much a part of Lorca’s rebellion.

You are not Terran!

When Mirror Saru hears about all the great things Kelpiens have been able to do, he mentions that Georgiou must have “traveled far beyond the Empire.” Later, he accuses Georgiou of not being a Terran, essentially, because she’s acting way too nice. All of this implies that the Kelpiens in the Mirror Universe are aware of another universe, and another reality. Mirror Saru even says “Return to where you are from!”

Also, bummer news, but in the Mirror Universe, Saru’s sister, Siranna, is apparently dead. 

Mirror Airiam Is Not a Cyborg! 

Actress Hannah Cheesman appears in both “Terra Firma Part 1” and “Terra Firma Part 2,” but it’s only here, in dialogue in Part 2, that it’s outright established that yes, this is Mirror Airiam. Obviously, in the Mirror Universe, Airiam never was involved in the shuttle accident that led her to become an augmented human. Interestingly, Hannah Cheesman was not the original Airiam, that would be actress Sara Mitich, who played Airiam in Season 1 of Discovery. Since Season 2, Mitich (sans-makeup) has played Commander Nilsson. In “Terra Firma Part 2,” Mitich plays Mirror Nilsson, opposite Cheesman as Mirror Airiam. This is the first time since the beginning of Season 2 that both Airiam actresses have been on the bridge at the same time. You could call this Mirror,Mirror Airiams, but that would be going to far, right?

Risa

You know this one! Risa is the pleasure planet, made famous by the TNG episode “Captain’s Holiday.” Is Risa a pleasure planet in the Mirror Universe? Seemingly not? Maybe?

Klingon-Romulan Alliance 

The idea that the Klingons and Romulans form an alliance in the Mirror Universe in the 2250s is oddly similar to what happens in the Prime Universe in the 2260s. In the TOS episode “The Enterprise Incident,” we learn that the Klingons and the Romulans started sharing technology, partially because they wanted to take-down the Federation. 

Scotty Easter egg!

Carl’s newspaper contains all sorts of interesting headlines, including one headline that reads “Starship USS Jenolan Reported to Be Missing.” This references the USS Jenolan from the TNG episode “Relics.”In that episode, Scotty was brought into the 24th Century after having stored himself in a transporter for like 70 years. Relevantly, Scotty was present in “The City on the Edge of Forever” when Kirk and Spock returned through the Guardian of Forever, and said, “You only left a moment ago.” 

Tkon Empire

Another of Carl’s headlines reads: “Supernova Threatens Tkon Empire.” This references the TNG episode “The Last Outpost.” In that episode, the Tkon Empire had been destroyed for 600,000 years. They also had the ability to move planets and stars. 

Guardian of Forever

Obviously, the biggest reveal here is that Carl is really the Guardian of Forever, first seen in the TOS episode “The City on the Edge of Forever.” The Discovery writers choose this name in honor of Carl Sagan. When the Guardian speaks his name, we hear an audio sample from Bart LaRue, who played the original voice of the Guardian in 1976. When the Guardian says: “Back in the day it used to be sure, come on through, just don’t screw up history or you’ll have to fix it,” he’s clearly referencing Kirk and Spock. And probably, Spock again in “Yesteryear.” 

For more on how the Guardian of Forever has changed Trek canon again, check out this deep-dive. 

He was called “San”

Georgiou’s flashbacks earlier in Season 3 are now connected to a character named San. We still don’t know exactly who he was, but he is mentioned in the tie-in novel Die Standing. Clearly, we’ll hear more of this story in Michelle Yeoh’s next Star Trek show.

Read more

TV

How Star Trek: Discovery’s Guardian of Forever Twist Sets Up Section 31

By Ryan Britt

TV

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 9 Easter Eggs & References

By Ryan Britt

“He��s not the only one suited for the Captain’s Chair”

Mirror Georgiou brings the relationship between Burnham and Prime Georgiou full circle when she tells her that she’s also got what it takes to be the Captain of a starship. This references the opening moments of the very first episode of Discovery ever, “The Vulcan Hello.” In that episode Captain Georgiou straight-up told Bunrham it was time for her to get her own ship. Okay, so that’s two Georgious who have said it now. Does that mean it’s going to happen?

Live long and prosper

Not really an Easter egg, but it’s straight-up adorable that Michael’s default goodbye is still the Vulcan salute. Someone stepping into the Guardian of Forever, while having someone else give them the Vulcan salute? That’s Star Trek, baby. But like, a double-shot of Star Trek with no chaser.

Romulan Ale toast for Georgiou

Speaking of booze, it seems that everyone in the DISCO crew is drinking Romulan Ale during the toast for Georgiou at the end of the episode. This could be a vague reference to Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, when Kirk and gang all have Romulan Ale, and Kirk says “To absent friends.” Chris Pine Kirk says something similar in Star Trek Beyond, and there’s a similar vibe in this scene, as to those two scenes. In each case, we never really saw if there were any lasting effects of that Romulan booze, but we did know that those respective crews were now ready to get down to business.

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 airs its last three episodes on CBS All Access over the next three Thursdays. 

The post Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 10 Easter Eggs & References appeared first on Den of Geek.

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