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slugtranslation-hypmic · 4 years

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Hey slug, thanks for the hard work you and your team do for the fandom!! me and some friends were discussing this and i thought it would be nice to see ur answer to this (only if it doesn't bother u, of course!!): what characters do you think parents would give a big thumbs up if you introduced them as your partner (in terms of personality and traits)? I personally think Hifumi or Ichiro would be the best son-in-law...

What an entertaining question. Believe it or not, I’ve given the matter some thought before for reasons entirely unrelated to this, so presenting: Hypnosis Microphone Men and Whether or Not You Should Bring Them Home to Your Parents.

Since there’s a wide age range among the cast members, assume that the “you” in question is roughly each character’s age.

Ichirou: Absolutely. This man is objectively a dream boat. Runs his own successful business? Check. Respectful to people of all ages? Check. Cooks? Check. Cleans? Check. Good with kids? Check. Take Ichirou and marry him before your parents marry him themselves.

Jirou: As far as high school boyfriends go, Jirou’s not a bad choice. He’s a sweetheart, popular, plays music. Doesn’t do drugs in the school bathroom. Could have better grades, but hey, you can’t win them all. He seems like he’d have you home by 8 pm. You know what? Sure. Why not? You could do worse.

Saburou: Saburou is the kind of middle school boyfriend that your parents openly like and privately dislike. What I mean is that he’s very polite to most elders and super smart, so he’s the kind of kid who is entirely unobjectionable, but he’s also the kind of kid who would try to mansplain your parents’ jobs to them. Worst of all, he would be entirely correct in what he’s saying. Your parents probably want to punch him, but they don’t because assaulting children is illegal, not to mention immoral. They will breathe a collective sigh of relief when he finally breaks up with you so he can focus on studying for the Science Bowl nationals.

Samatoki: I am so torn on this one. On the one hand, he’s every parent’s worst nightmare. He smokes indoors, has an awful temper, and is a fucking gangster, for pete’s sake. Yet he can also be a sweetheart who cooks for you and does everything to treat you right. I’m really stumped. Probably the best solution, if you’re really wanting to get in on that Aohitsugi ass, is to cut out the middle man and date Nemu instead. She is perfect in every way, so your parents will love her.

Juuto: If your parents watch Antiques Roadshow, then he will have a lot to bond with them about. Otherwise I think he’d be that kind of person who tells stories about himself way too loudly at family dinners, and after he leaves, one of your parents pulls you aside to say, “Your boyfriend’s really kind of an asshole, don’t you think?” I guess date him if you’re okay with your parents thinking you have cruddy taste.

Riou: I feel like the hard part here is luring him out of the woods and into a family dinner, but from there, it should go great. He’s over 6 feet tall. He can cook well. He has a strong sense of purpose and knows what he wants to do in life. Most importantly, he has a wonderful heart AND every survival skill known to man. He will change the oil in your parents’ car, fix the leaky pipe you’ve been meaning to get around to for six months now, clean the hood above the stove, and then swap recipes and heartfelt compliments with whichever parent does the cooking. Who cares if he doesn’t have a stable income? You don’t need that with guns like those. (insert flexing Riou image here)

Ramuda: I’m trying to think about the concept of a) dating Ramuda and b) introducing him to a set of parents, and I’m drawing an utter blank. There is nothing but “???” in my mind. I’m going to hazard a guess that this one would be a terrible idea.

Gentarou: Wow, your parents had no idea you were dating a prince of a tiny little kingdom in the Mediterranean AND a Harvard law graduate AND the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize AND the man who discovered a cure for cancer in an expedition deep into the heart of the Amazon rain forest. Look at you! What a catch. Only attempt this if your parents are gullible.

Dice: As much as I love Dice to death, this one is a no. Your parents do not want you dating a homeless man with a gambling addiction and bad table manners. Plus, the MIL here seems hard to get along with. Nuh-uh.

Jakurai: Absolutely. You’re in your 30s, so your parents are at least middle-aged. Probably they have some joint problems or some back pain. Jakurai can let them kiss that pain goodbye, and in return, they can let him kiss you! A win-win. He also boasts a handsome salary, has a lovely house, and seems like he’d be super respectful in a relationship. Yes. Go. Marry him.

Hifumi: If you’re a girl, you’re probably going to have to sit this round out. If you’re a guy or nonbinary... yeah, you’re probably going to have to sit this round out too. See, if you have a mom, how is Hifumi supposed to meet her? I guess you could... idk... stick a lampshade on her head and expect him not to notice. That could potentially work, but it’d raise a few awkward questions. If you do happen to live in a female-free household, though, you’ve hit upon the golden opportunity to make this man yours. You can replace every instance of the word “wife” in Judy Brady Syfer’s famous essay “I Want a Wife” with the word “Hifumi” and still have it make perfect sense, and it shows.

Doppo: I can’t in good conscience recommend this one. Sure, he’s hardworking and certainly polite enough, but does he have the time to respond to your emotional needs? Hell, does he have the time to respond to his own? If you invited him to family dinner, there’s a good chance that he’d need to work overtime and miss it. He’d apologize and buy you flowers to make up for it, but you know he’d also be worrying about the cost of those flowers, so... is it really worth it?

Kuukou: For some reason, my parents actually like Kuukou (although I think he’s also the only character they know besides Ichijiku), but I don’t think this would hold true for most parents. He sounds good on paper, but he’d probably make a disparaging comment about someone’s ass in the first five minutes. Perhaps if you tape his mouth shut and tell your parents he’s doing a vow of silence, then yes.

Juushi: As far as high school (is he still in high school?) boyfriends go, Juushi’s not that bad either. He’s shy but sweet. Respectful. In a band, but the kind that makes money and doesn’t operate out of someone’s garage. Yeah, you know what? Go for it. You could do worse. Just scroll up on this list if you need proof of that.

Hitoya: Yeah, absolutely. Hitoya has a great career and a fantastic attitude. He doesn’t take shit from anyone but can still be polite in the correct contexts. He also seems like the type who would get into a serious relationship and treat his partner right. Fuck it up. I support your love.

Sasara: Yes. He has the exact type of humor favored by parents of the father variety. Plus, he’s a famous comedian. There is good money to be had right there.

Roshou: Absolutely. Rather shy but very talented, hardworking teacher who obviously puts his heart and soul into his job? Of course. As long as he doesn’t death glare your parents, it will work out fantastically. Plus, he can talk about sports! That’s a thing that parents like, right?

Rei: Absolutely not. You remember last May when your parents answered a call from the IRS telling them they were about to lose all their money unless they gave the nice man on the phone their bank account password right at that very instant? He was the nice man on the phone. Why the hell would you bring this threat into your parents’ home? Look, you’re in your mid-40s. Your parents are getting up in years, and they want to see you settle down and be happy with someone. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is not it. Why are you with Rei in the first place? Is it the fur coat? Listen, you are a grown-ass adult, and you can buy yourself as many fur coats as you want. I believe in you. It doesn’t have to be this way - you deserve better.

#not a translation #asks

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myriad-ocs · 6 years

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OC Questions

huge shoutout to @discord-of-laughter for tagging me in this!! sorry it took so long, i impulsively decided to make 2 more new ocs and couldn’t decide if I wanted them to be in Divergent, The Gifted or Star Wars (they’re still a work in progress)!!

i’m gonna tag @lilysmuses !!

Facts

List five basic facts about your OC:

Eloise:

Was training to be a Guard on the Ark with Bellamy before her arrest

Arrested for aggravated assault.

Knew about Octavia Blake a few years after she was born.

Likes to go exploring Earth

Always wears a jacket which used to be her father’s

Madeline:

Moved from California to Gotham

Became a forensic scientist at the GCPD

Already has a bit of an alcohol dependency problem, which escalates when she becomes an undercover bartender at The Sirens.

Was given the nickname ‘Mirror’ by Barbara

A hopeless lesbian who tries her best to flirt but often fails

Brett:

His mom unexpectedly left Brett and his father when he was 2.

Until Brett found out the truth, he thought his father was a businessman.

Works in the recruiting part of Kingsman, partially because he likes scaring new recruits

Has a bit of an anger issue.

Not very good with guns, but is excellent at hand to hand combat.

Dorothy:

If she hadn’t been recruited by Kingsman, she would’ve probably ended up working in the ER

She and her mother live together, and the two have a very good relationship

She doesn’t know who her father is.

Likes to paint in her spare time.

Buries herself in her work whenever she’s stressed about something

Olivia:

Doesn’t spend a lot of time at home between school and working at a local bookstore.

Very close with her younger brother, Scott, and is very protective of him.

Doesn’t have many friends at school, until Cook invites her to a party one day.

Generally very calm and quiet, but can be very stern if she has to be.

Plans to move out once she finishes school and take care of her brother on her own.

Trysha:

The eldest daughter of the Starks.

Closest to Arya, although she loves all her siblings.

Is very family oriented and would do anything to protect those she loves.

Has a grey Direwolf named Ashwood, who is still alive and is always by her side.

Although she is the eldest and technically the Lady of Winterfell, she declines and insists that Sansa remain in the leadership role.

Alexandra:

Started working at Nelson and Murdock quite quickly after she graduated law school.

A bit of a workaholic.

Doesn’t agree with Matt’s life as a vigilante, especially since she sides with the law more than the work of vigilantes.

Accompanies Matt when he goes to serve as Jessica’s lawyer, which is the beginning of how she meets all the Defenders.

Follows in Foggy’s footsteps and gets a job at Hogarth, Chao and Benowitz when Nelson and Murdock shuts down.

Ryan:

Had wanted to work for NASA and go to space his whole life.

On his first mission in space, an asteroid knocked out his engine, sending him into an asteroid belt.

Rocket had caught sight of his ship, and he was saved by the Guardians.

Thought he was dead or hallucinating when he woke up and met the Guardians.

Creates a special radio, with the help of Rocket, which he often uses to communicate with his family.

Zachary:

Has the power to manipulate and implement death on any living thing around him.

Grew up imprisoned at an A.R.G.U.S. lab until he is freed by Lily.

Accidentally almost kills Ray when the Legends find him and Lily’s metahuman refuge.

Doesn’t trust the Legends and was upset that Lily wanted to go with them.

Is incredibly insecure about his powers and believes he hasn’t fully accessed his full potential.

Lily:

Has the power to manipulate all sort of energy, including life force.

Knows her power isn’t as strong as Zach’s, which she believes is because death is stronger than life.

Wants to become part of the Legends so that one day she can change the timeline and erase A.R.G.U.S.’ existence.

Does not forgive her father for experimenting on metahumans, although she misses her parents very much.

Is very trusting and optimistic, despite all she’s seen

Natalyie

The only survivor the massacre at Tuanul, was saved by Poe and escaped with BB-8.

Becomes close friends with Finn and Rey when she becomes part of the adventure.

Meets Mia when she decides to stay at the Resistance base.

Skilled with a speeder and other vehicles, eventually trains to become a pilot.

Becomes close with Mia when she is assigned to maintain Natalyie’s ship

Mia

Has been a part of the Resistance all her life.

Was taught to be a mechanic from her father and older brother.

Blames herself for the death of her mother when her ship malfunctions during a mission.

Also good with droids

Close friends with Poe and the Tico sisters

Are they in love or do they have a crush? A relationship?

Eloise: If you’d ask her straight up, she tell you no to all three, even though Raven would say otherwise. She has a weird relationship with Bellamy, which is somewhere between best friends and something more, but Eloise is still reluctant to let people too close.

Madeline: Madeline has the biggest crush on Barbara, and she doesn’t even bother trying to hide it. They eventually start dating, even when Madeline is supposed to be undercover.

Brett: Brett has a massive crush on Eggsy, but he’s too afraid to say something about it.

Dorothy: Dorothy has a tiny crush on Jack, but they also have a bit of a weird relationship that borders between mentor/apprentice, friends and something more. But Dorothy knows he’s still not over the death of his wife.

Olivia: Olivia has a tiny crush on Cook, but she’s too shy to tell him about it. Especially since she think’s he’s more interested in Effy than her.

Trysha: Trysha definitely wouldn’t say she’s in love, but she has a bit of a soft spot for Jaime, even though they’ve only met once or twice, because she thinks he’s truly good at heart. But she’s not sure if she’d describe that as a crush.

Alexandra: Alexandra had hooked up with Matt, yet it never went anywhere. They both tried to make it work, but it eventually fizzled out, especially with the arrival of Elektra catalysing it. She’d want to try again if she had the chance, but otherwise, she’d rather focus on work.

Ryan: Ryan’s never had that many crushes his whole life, even back on Earth, and sometimes he wonders if he’ll ever find someone. However, if he doesn’t, he think’s he’ll be content with it, especially he loves being with the Guardians.

Zachary: Zachary is in love with Lily, no matter how hard he tries to deny it. She’s his best friend, and he gets incredibly jealous when she starts hanging out with the other Legends.

Lily: Lily will fall in love with someone at the drop of a hat. She’s pretty sure she’s had crushes on half of the Legends already, but she has a soft spot for Zachary.

Natalyie: Natalyie had been attracted to Mia right from the start, and has asked her out. The two have been in a relationship ever since.

Mia: Mia is been in a relationship with Natalyie, and is secretly grateful Natalyie is so upfront with her feelings and asked her out first, since Mia is pretty sure she’d be to shy to ever ask Natalyie out.

Is there a song that makes you think of your OC?

Eloise: Demons by Imagine Dragons

Madeline: Carried Away by Passion Pit

Brett: The Kids Aren’t Alright by Fall Out Boy

Dorothy: Shore by Daniela Andrade

Olivia: Drop Everything by Barcelona

Trysha: Carry You by Novo Amor

Alexandra: Sick of Losing Soulmates by dodie

Ryan: Some Nights by Fun.

Zachary: Dangerous (feat. Joywave) by Big Data

Lily: Renegades by X Ambassadors

Natalyie: Unstoppable by The Score

Mia: I Wanna Get Better by Bleachers

If you have more than one OC:

Who was the first? Eloise!!

Who is the tallest? Probably Brett, who’s 6″3′

Who is the shortest? Olivia, who’s 5″2′

Who is the most intelligent? It’s a tie between Dorothy and Ryan, with Mia close behind

Who is the most ruthless? Eloise and Zachary for sure, and Trysha could be up there when she wants to be.

Who is most likely to get themselves killed? Brett, possible Natalyie

Who has the prettiest singing voice? Olivia is great at singing when she actually opens her mouth, and Madeline is pretty good too.

Who is most likely to become a crazy cat lady? Madeline, I mean, she’s already halfway there with the crazy part.

Who is the worst cook? Alexandra. She doesn’t even bother anymore, she just gets takeout.

Who is the most likely to steal candy from a baby? Brett, since Eggsy probably dared him.

Who sings in the shower? Lily and back on the Ark, Eloise, although she’d rather die than admit it.

Who doesn’t believe in ghosts? Dorothy and Alexandra. Ryan didn’t use to believe, until he got to space, then figured anything was possible.

Preferences

If your OC could have any superpower, which would it be and why?

Eloise: Eloise would want the power to manipulate time, specifically be able to go back and time and change the past. She wouldn’t be sure how to do it, but she’d make saving her father her top priority.

Madeline: Madeline would love to be able to read people’s minds and influence them.

Brett: Brett would want something that enhances him physically, like super strength or super speed -- something that would make him better in combat.

Dorothy: Dorothy would want healing powers. She’s saved lots of lives as a paramedic, but she’s also lost many -- and she hates the feeling of losing someone she’s trying to save.

Olivia: Olivia would also want to be telepathic. She likes observing people, and she’d be curious to know what goes on in people’s heads.

Trysha: Trysha also want to be able to go back in time and save her family, and everyone else she loves.

Alexandra: Alexandra sometimes wishes she had enhances abilities, like super speed, because when she’s with the Defenders she sometimes feels a little useless being unable to fight.

Ryan: Ryan was fascinated by Peter’s abilities on Ego’s planet, and wishes he could control energy, just because it looks cool.

Zachary: --

Lily: --

Natalyie: Natalyie would want pyrokinetic powers, because she develops a little bit of an obsession with fire, because it makes her think of how The First Order destroyed her home, and reminds her what she’s fighting for.

Mia: Mia would want hydrokinetic powers, because water calms her. She likes sitting by rivers or lakes and just listening to the sound of the water.

What is their favourite kind of candy?

Eloise: Eloise isn’t a fan of sweet things, although she doesn’t mind a little bit of chocolate

Madeline: Lollipops, any flavor

Brett: Chocolate

Dorothy: Gummy worms

Olivia: Also gummy worms, since they’re also Scott’s favorite.

Trysha: Chocolate

Alexandra: Caramel hard candies

Ryan: Any kind of sour candy

Zachary: Any kind of minty candy

Lily: Gummy bears

Natalyie: Lemon sherbets

Mia: Bubble gum, it helps her concentrate

What’s their favourite flavour?

Eloise: Salt and vinegar

Madeline: Any type of berry

Brett: Sweet and sour, jalapeño

Dorothy: Coffee, peanut butter

Olivia: Vanilla, cinnamon

Trysha: Lemon, rosemary

Alexandra: Coffee

Ryan: Apple, grape

Zachary: Mint chocolate

Lily: Anything fruity, except orange

Natalyie: Anything citrusy

Mia: Peach

Which TV show do you think they would definitely like if they could watch it?

Eloise: The Amazing Race

Madeline: The Bold Type

Brett: The Punisher

Dorothy: Legion

Olivia: Stranger Things

Trysha: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Alexandra: Narcos

Ryan: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Zachary: Mindhunter

Lily: The Gifted

Natalyie: Supergirl

Mia: Black Lightning

Details

Name a bad habit your OC has?

Eloise: Shuts people out really easily. All it takes is for one thing to go wrong, and Eloise can completely shut down. It’s a coping mechanism she’s developed to protect herself, since she figures if she doesn’t let anyone close, she won’t get hurt.

Madeline: Drinking too much. Before she went undercover, Madeline already has a bit of problem with alcohol, but it becomes a full on problem when she starts working at The Sirens. She has problems knowing when to stop.

Brett: Swearing. A lot. Of course, if you asked him, he wouldn’t think it’s a problem, but especially when he’s mad it can get out of hand.

Dorothy: Fidgeting. Dorothy is so used to working and moving around a lot, that when she doesn’t have something to do, she usually finds herself pulling at her sleeves, spinning around pens, and generally just being unable to sit still.

Olivia: Eating too much junk food. Generally, she has a balanced diet, but when she gets stressed she can go through bags of chips and candy without even noticing.

Trysha: Biting her lips. No matter how much her mother tried to get her to drop the habit, it’s just become something she does. She’ll sometimes pick at the dry skin on her lips too, although she knows she shouldn’t.

Alexandra: Overworking herself. She’ll work day and night and won’t look after herself, and she’ll usually end up stressing herself out.

Ryan: Staying up late. He doesn’t mean too, but sometimes he’ll get so absorbed in a new invention he’s building, or talking to his family on the radio, he won’t realise he hadn’t slept at all until Peter or Gamora comes by his room the next day.

Zachary: Incredibly distrusting. He just has a hard time opening up to people, which means often times he comes off as very rude or standoffish when he meets new people.

Lily: She plays with her hair a lot. Usually when she’s nervous, but even when she’s deep in through she’ll find herself tugging it or twisting it, which means the ends of her hair are kinda frayed. She’ll keep it up out of her face most of the time to stop herself.

Natalyie: Being a bit close minded. She’s incredibly stubborn, and it takes her a while to see things from another perspective.

Mia: Stressing herself out too easily, especially over the most minute failure. She’s a bit of a perfectionist, so she doesn’t handle it very well when something goes wrong.

Empty their pockets – what’s in there?

Eloise: A knife. Maybe a few bullets she forgot she had stashed. Possibly a tool or a loose wire Raven asked her to hold onto and she had forgot to return.

Madeline: Receipts. Pieces of paper she’s scribbled on. A pen. One or two lipsticks and maybe some mascara. Some loose change she couldn’t be bothered to put in her wallet.

Brett: Tips from his job as a waiter. His phone. Wallet. Kingsman glasses.

Dorothy: Surgical gloves. A pen or two. Statesman glasses. Her phone. Lots of hair ties and bobby pins.

Olivia: Her phone. Wallet. Probably a folded up drawing Scott had given her.

Trysha: A knife or two. An arrowhead. A small piece of fabric she was intending to make into a dress for her mother, but never finished.

Alexandra: Her phone. Wallet. Apartment keys. Maybe a hairband or two. An earring.

Ryan: A picture of his family. A weapon Rocket had made for him. His radio.

Zachary: Probably just some lint.

Lily: A bracelet from her mother.

Natalyie: Her communications device which she frequently forgets to wear. A small trinket Mia made for her. Knife.

Mia: Loose bolts and screws. Hairbands, both new and broken.

What makes them (unreasonably) angry or defensive, what kind of behaviour in others can’t they stand? Pet Peeves?

Eloise: Eloise will get incredibly angry if anyone tries to bring up her past against her, or try and hurt her friends. She hates being excluded from important decisions.

Madeline: Madeline gets angry if anyone brings up her alcoholism, or even makes a small remark about how much she drinks. She gets annoyed when others are too serious.

Brett: A lot of things can get Brett riled up, since he’s got a bit of an anger issue. If you try to sideline him or underestimate him, if you’re rude to his friends, even if you just accidentally bump into him, he might snap.

Dorothy: Not many things can get Dorothy angry or defensive. She’ll get angry if someone threatens her mother, otherwise she’s pretty patient. Occasionally, she’ll get annoyed when the paramedics she’s working with get in her way or aren’t doing their job right, especially if someone’s life is on the line.

Olivia: Bringing up her family, especially her little brother, is a bit of a sore spot for Olivia and will definitely make her defensive. Other than that, she’s keeps to herself.

Trysha: Thinking about the death of her parents and brothers gets Trysha incredibly angry, and she also can’t stand when people underestimate her and Arya.

Alexandra: Alexandra gets annoyed pretty easily, especially if a case doesn’t go right for her. She’s not very good at losing, and will overwork herself to win a case, and expects the people around her to do the same -- so if anyone slacks off around her, she’ll get angry. She also can’t stand slow walkers.

Ryan: Ryan’s a pretty chill guy, but one of his pet peeves is when someone messes with his stuff. Especially in his room. He has everything in a certain place and has a system for everything, so if someone goes in there and messes it up, which is usually Peter or Drax, that’ll really push his buttons.

Zachary: Zachary gets angry very easily, but will lose it if something every happens to Lily. He also gets defensive when it comes to his family and his past.

Lily: Lily gets angry when people don’t believe in her, and also if they try and agitate Zachary. She also gets angry when she can’t help others, but more so getting angry at herself than others.

Natalyie: Natalyie gets furious thinking about the First Order, and that’s pretty much it. She also gets angry at herself when she fails a mission, or when she’s ordered to fall back or do something she doesn’t fully believe in.

Mia: Mia also gets angry at herself when she fails something. She also gets angry whenever someone doubts her abilities or tries to do her job.

Is your OC a good liar?

Eloise: She didn’t use to be, but she’s developed the skill over time. But she doesn’t usually lie, she prefers to be upfront.

Madeline: When it comes to big things that matter, she can be trusted to lie (Jim did send her undercover, after all). But when it comes to little things, not at all. She either gets too flustered or starts getting all giggly, especially when she’s drunk.

Brett: He’s not great at it. He usually blurts out the truth.

Dorothy: She can be if she needs to be, but people she’s close to can usually tell if she’s lying.

Olivia: She’s a decent liar, and becomes better at it.

Trysha: Although Trysha prefers to tell the truth, she’s an excellent liar when she needs to be, a skill she perfects even more over time.

Alexandra: She’s great at lying.

Ryan: Not the greatest, both when he was on Earth and in space.

Zachary: Pretty good at lying, especially since he’s spent most his life being secretive and hiding his true feelings.

Lily: In a serious situation, she can lie decently. Otherwise, she’s not great at it, and gets too nervous.

Natalyie: Was a great liar as a kid and still is, to this day.

Mia: Not a good liar, she gets too flustered.

#oc tag #ive technically only watched one ep of mrs. maisel but im planning on getting back to it i loved the first ep

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preservationandruin · 7 years

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Oathbringer Liveblog, Part Three: Chapters 68-76

I’m not sure where half of these plotlines are going, but I’m intrigued! That’s how it always seems to go with these stories, isn’t it?

Shallan goes out for lunch with a bard, Kal makes some friends, we meet Highmarshal Azure and I fall in love instantly, Dalinar has flashbacks, Shallan is having some identity trouble, and Dalinar burns a scar into Alethi history, and I cut this off because I’m legitimately too nauseous to keep reading.

So Shallan and Wit are going to go out to eat. Not a sentence that I expected to write, but here we are. Apparently Wit promised the owner that he would draw patrons, and not only was bullshitting (of course) but also is now trying to use Shallan as proof he did what he said. He also lifted her purse at some point. Shallan is so confused.

Wit is such a fucking bard.

As he ushered her in, he raised a fist toward the innkeeper. “I’ve had enough of your oppression, tyrant! Secure your wine this evening, for the revolution will be swift, vengeful, and intoxicated!” Closing the door behind him, Wit shook his head. “That man really should know better by now. I have no idea why he continues to put up with me.”

I mean, I’m not wrong.

Shallan asks if he’s a Herald; he replies no, because “the last seven times” he tried to get involved in religion were all disasters.

“I believe there’s at least one god still worshipping me by accident.”

The worst thing is, this is probably true. He reveals to Shallan that he’s far, far older than the Heralds, and notes that when he was young, he made a vow to “always be there when he was needed” but has realized that he should have been way more specific, because “there” is usually somewhere useless.

Shallan and Wit are great snark companions, though. Shallan has to break the news to him that Sadeas is dead.

“Someone offed old Sadeas, and I missed it?” “What would you have done? Helped him?” “Storms, no. I’d have applauded.”

Adolin has unknowingly gained a fan.

Anyway, Wit knows which spren is in the palace--it’s called the Heart of the Revel, and it’s dangerous; it reminds Wit of something he used to find, and he tells Shallan she’ll need to bring food for their revels to get in. The Heart of the Revel seems to spur on hedonism.

...it may have been controlling Aesudan for far longer, now that I think about it, and only awoke to full power with the Everstorm. Only Rei-Shephir was bound, after all.

Also Wit stole some of Shallan’s money. Of course.

Over to Kaladin! He tries Lashing, and notes that it seems to attract the shrieking spren. Kal also approves of the Voidbringer’s spear--it’s a good one for battle. Lightweaving, being “quiet” (according to Pattern) doesn’t attract them, but actively Lashing does--although just holding stormlight does not.

Makes sense that fucking with gravity would be “loud,” though.

“A party,” Kaladin said, pacing back and forth in the tailor shop’s showroom. Skar and Drehy leaned by the doorway, each with a spear in the crook of his arm. “This is what they’re like,” Kaladin said. “Your city is practically burning. What should you do? Throw a party, obviously.”

I’m with Kaladin on this one. First of all--the palace is inhabited by a spirit of hedonism called the Heart of the Revel and you throw a party? Second of all, this is high-quality “Nero fiddles while Rome burns” action happening.

Drehy and Skar point out that it’s sort of like going out drinking during war, which is a good point, but still.

[Casper gestures furiously toward the giant evil party spren in the castle while making a noise like a boiling teakettle]

Anyway, Adolin got a new outfit! Kal gives his opinion:

“You look like you tripped and fell into a bucket of blue paint,” Kaladin said, “then tried to dry off with a handful of parched grass.”

“And you look like what the storm leaves behind,” Adolin said, passing by and patting Kaladin on the shoulder. “We like you anyway. Every boy has a favorite stick he found out in the yard after the rains.”

Adolin also has started to call Kaladin Kal. He also talks to Skar and Drehy and get their requests for food he can steal from the lighteyes’ table. I’m so glad that Adolin gets along well with Bridge Four now. He also offers to take them drinking the next day--apparently the three of them have gone drinking a few times since the pair of them stopped Adolin’s ass from falling in a chasm at the end of Words of Radiance.

Anyway, we get that Kaladin doesn’t like lightweaving over his face--because it feels like lying to him, which makes sense. Interestingly, if you put all the orders in a circle, windrunners and lightweavers are opposites. I know this is news to nobody ok.

Also, summoning the Sylblade doesn’t draw screamers, so at least Kal has that to fall back on.

He felt good lots of days. Trouble was, on the bad days, that was hard to remember. At those times, for some reason, he felt like he had always been in darkness, and always would be. Why was it so hard to remember? Did he have to keep slipping back down? Why couldn’t he stay up here in the sunlight, where everyone else lived?

THIS IS A BIG MENTALLY ILL MOOD Y’ALL. Like, god, if that isn’t the story of my life.

C’mon, Kal, we can do it.

Anyway, Adolin notices that Kaladin is upset, and drops back to talk with him. They discuss whether or not Kaladin should train in side sword, then--

“Maybe I’m one of those punchy guys.” Adolin stopped in place and grinned at Kaladin. “Did you just say ‘punchy guys?”’ “You know, ardents who train to fight unarmed.” “Hand to hand?” “Hand to hand.” “Right,” Adolin said. “Or ‘punchy guys,’ as everyone else calls them.” Kaladin met his eyes, then found himself grinning back. “It’s the academic term.” “Sure. Like swordy fellows. Or spearish chaps.” “I once knew a real axalacious bloke,” Kaladin said. “He was great at psychological fights..” “Psychological fights?” “He could really get inside someone’s head.”

This is too good for me to leave it out look at these pun idiots making jokes at each other. Anyway, Adolin is really excited about possibly teaching Kaladin sword, and also points out to be a good warrior he’s going to need to learn how to fight all kinds of people--and the best way to know how to do that is to practice with their weapons himself.

When I was imprisoned for daring to accuse Amaram, he was the only lighteyes who stood up for me. Adolin Kholin was simply a good person. Powder-blue clothing and all. You couldn’t hate a man like him: storms, you kind of had to like him.

As I’ve said before: this is the good Kaladin and Adolin content I love to see. Shippy or not, it’s just good content.

Anyway, Kal feels sick at the idea of going into the non-noble lighteyes’ tent like he’s supposed to, so he borrows a spear and decides to walk the block. Kal goes over to the wall, and Shallan’s illusion over his brands has dropped. It might just...work less well on Kaladin?

Anyway, there are apparently free meals for deserters. He heads over and decides to talk to them to get his information on this Azure.

The epigraphs from the gems are mentioning something called “the Sibling” that has withdrawn some from them.

Anyway, Kal’s with the Wall Guard now. He also notes that he’s been spoiled by Rock’s cooking. Anyway, the state of the men speaks well in Kal’s mind of Highmarshal Azure, who he assumes is some midrank officer thrust into power by the chaos.

Kal tells the basic truth about his shash brand--got in a squabble with Amaram, who killed some of his men. The sergeant keeps trying to recruit him, and Azure apparently has a Shardblade.

And then Azure appears and I shriek, because she’s a lady.

fuck YES. I feel like Eowyn is an appropriate reaction image.

She’s orange-eyed, with short hair; she wears her Blade and doesn’t dismiss it, but it looks like a Shardblade. Weird. Anyway, have I mentioned that I’m perpetually gay for women and swords? Because I’m in love with Azure now.

Anyway, she takes Kaladin up to the top of the barracks. Apparently it’s a “secret” that she’s female, despite her, well, obviously being female. Well, if that’s what it takes for the Alethi to rationalize it. She says that the wall is redemption--they’re the only thing between the Voidbringers and the people, and she trusts that Kaladin will be back to help eventually. Anyway, Kaladin suspects that she is a Radiant--which she honestly sounds like.

Back to the Blackthorn, eleven years ago, in case seeing a female possibly-radiant being badass made you think everything wasn’t shit.

Dalinar’s sent Adolin back to Kholinar, and has his forces attacking from the west while Sadeas’ attack from the east and have I mentioned that I do not trust any plan that a) has already been foreshadowed to end badly and b) involves both Blackthorn Dalinar and Sadeas in the same area?

Anyway, Dalinar notes that Evi is being the “perfect Vorin wife” and that she’s so clearly miserable that it’s crushing him. Hey, bright idea, asshole--tell her she doesn’t have to and actually support her for once. Just saying.

He notes that this is the first time an argument has bothered him this much. Maybe it’s because she made good points that you can’t dismiss by hitting things with a sword, Dalinar. Maybe you’re actually feeling guilt. Consider that.

Anyway, he goes to talk to her. Evi says that she was praying for Dalinar’s heart to soften--not for her sake, but for the men he was riding out to kill.

“I hate what this does to you,” she said softly. “I see beauty in you, Dalinar Kholin. I see a great man struggling against a terrible one. And sometimes, you get this look in your eyes. A horrible, terrifying nothingness. Like you have become a creature with no heart, feasting upon souls to fill that void, dragging painspren in your wake. It haunts me, Dalinar.”

It seems a lot to me like Evi--coming from a culture where the Thrill isn’t normal--has a much clearer view of it than any of the Alethi. She sees it as the monster it is. She asks Dalinar to hold back, saying that his mercy against Tanalan--the boy--before was a sign of humanity, not a mistake. She asks him not to “feed it”--feed the darker version of him. Feed the thrill and, by extension, the Unmade that controls it.

God, the thrill is toxic and awful. The more we see its effects, the more it makes my skin crawl. And it’s so normalized.

Anyway, Dalinar notes that many of the men do see the Thrill as something external to them, a companion, which isn’t creepy at all. A silent companion with you always, rewarding you with euphoric highs when you slaughter people? One so regular that not feeling it is seen as strange?

This is horrifying. It blatantly rewards slaughter and viciousness--and explains why Alethi culture is so combat-driven and violent. They’re all trained to think that this druglike high is the best reward possible, the most normal reaction to battle.

Does Dalinar forget, sometimes, that it almost made him kill his brother?

Dalinar asks to walk with Tanalan, reminding him that the last time they met, Dalinar should have killed him, and didn’t. Tanalan agrees; Dalinar compliments his forces, saying it will be a pity to kill them, and Tanalan asks if he can.

Dalinar points out that he has never lost a battle.

“My brother attempted words and politics to bring you into line,” Dalinar said. “Well. I’m good at only one thing. He builds. I destroy. But because of the tears of a good woman, I have come--against my better judgement--to offer you an alternative.”

A great man battling a terrible one. That’s really the story of Dalinar. This time, it seems that for a moment, the great man won.

Tanalan doesn’t accept the parlay, of course, but he says that it could have been a trap--one decided to catch the traitor, who, he says, was Sadeas.

I wholeheartedly believe that.

Anyway, Dalinar decides he’s going to check this out, following the caravan that they missed leaving Rathelas. I hope this works. I hope it works so, so much.

Back to Shallan.

Veil says that the city has a heartbeat, one she can hear when she closes her eyes. She’s investigating a noble house--but her illusions and roles are getting to her more and more. That’s alarming. For a moment, she even refers to the actual lady of the house as “an inferior version” and considers taking her place, and hurriedly drops the illusion.

That’s very not good.

“Sorry,” Veil said, grabbing a sack of grain. “That woman’s head is a frightening place.” “Well, I did say Nananav is notoriously difficult.” Yeah, Veil thought. But I was talking about Shallan.

ANYWAY. They were doing a Serious Food Heist, but are about to get caught and thus are sprinting out of there. They nearly get caught, and Shallan makes herself look like a horrifyingly melting Nananav, who then gets shot in the head.

YIKES.

The stormlight healed the crossbow bolt inside her head holy fuck, so she needs to pull it out. She’s starting to worry Vathah. Anyway, Shallan asks the kid she gave food to earlier if there’s other people who need it, and gets the name of a seamstress, some refugee kids, and a cobbler, and she gives it to them. Veil likes doing things, helping people.

Over to Kaladin. He seems to be back in the barracks, and one of the soldiers--who tells tall tales--is saying he met the Blackthorn. He’s officially joined the Guard, because Elhokar asked him to, and almost seems to be making friends there. Anyway, the guard sees and shit-talks Adolin a little, and we get that Kal is shit at acting lighteyed.

“But,” Kaladin said, “how can you say that? I mean, he’s lighteyed. Like us.” He winced. Did that sound fake? it sure is nice being lighteyed as I, of course, has light eyes--like you, my eyes are lighter than the dark eyes of darkeyes.

I’m fucking wheezing. And Kaladin is legitimately wanting to defend Adolin Kholin and his stupid bright clothes.

Side note, everyone uses he/him pronouns for Azure. I’m not sure if that’s the soldiers just doing it because it’s weird using she/her for a general, or if that’s what Azure actually uses? I’ll try to use “they” to be safe until I get an actual verdict on that one.

Anyway, their shardblade doesn’t have a gem on it, which is one reason Kal thinks they’re a Radiant. He notes that if they have Soulcasting, that would explain why the screamers haven’t come, although it looks like they do have a soulcaster.

Although--they can’t have soulcasting. We know that Jasnah at the moment is the only Elsecaller, and Azure doesn’t seem like a Lightweaver. A Lightweaver would be wearing a disguise.

Apparently, if you get too close to the Palace Guard, you hear whispering voices telling you to join them, but according to Azure they can’t get you if you don’t listen. Beard, as a side note, seems to be a Rosharan atheist. Kal seems less certain.

Kal immediately starts acting as a commander when there’s an alert and then sheepishly realizes he’s not a commander. He’s also not used to forces that actually have surgeons.

Back over to Veil. In the epigraphs, we get the melancholy musings of a Windrunner as they leave Urithiru:

Today, I leaped from the tower for the last time. I felt the wind dance around me as I fell all the way along the eastern side, past the tower, and to the foothills below. I’m going to miss that.

Veil is starting to regularly supply food to some people, when she can. People are calling her the Swiftspren--a Robin-Hood-esque figure robbing the rich, uncatchable because she’s a spren. White hat, white coat, looking and acting different sometimes. She knows she’s thinking too small-scale--but still, it’s something she can actually do.

She gives herself the illusion of being a cultist herself, but as Swiftspren--a beautiful glowing arrowhead, golden-tasseled with arrowhead designs. And, maybe, gets a little too far into it, because she hears what they hear whispering, and it calls her by name.

So she stops, still looking like an actual spren, and changes the chanting.

“There are spren,” Shallan said to the gathered crowd, using Lightweaving to twist and warp her voice, “and there are spren. You followed the dark ones. They whisper for you to abandon yourselves. They lie.” The cultists gaped. “We do not want your devotion. When have spren ever demanded devotion? Stop dancing in the streets and be men and women again. Strip off those idiotic costumes and return to your families!” They didn’t move quickly enough, so she sent her tassels streaming upward, curling about one another, lengthening. A powerful light flashed from her. “Go!” She shouted.

She’s still shaken by how quickly their thinking wormed its way into her head.

Anyway, Elhokar says that the pattern on her skirt--which is Pattern--is familiar. We get that Elhokar’s son will be three now, and he’s so concerned. Shallan gets her sketchbook. It’s him kneeling, beaten down, but he’s looking up. He looks regal.

She gives it to him, and he’s almost in tears. And finally, Shallan gets a note--from the Cult.

Man, a lot is happening. Shallan is losing herself. Elhokar seems to be finding himself. Kaladin is working with the guard. Kholinar is still choking to death on its own secrets.

And, of course, we go eleven years ago, to Dalinar hunting down the team from the traitor highprince; he’s brought his elites. Unfortunately, the idea that Sadeas betrayed them--it gives him the Thrill, pumping it through him. He thinks it gives him focus.

I doubt that. Anyway, he was drawn into a ravine, and just as he realized that none of it made sense--why would they wear Sadeas’ colors if they were a secret envoy, their uniforms are wrong--the ravine lip collapses into a landslide. For the second time, the Rift uses its own land against him. He survived--barely.

But it was a trap. Designed to draw him in and crush him. The men are trying to dig him out--because he has Plate and Blade. They rush him, and he sees only red--and comes back to himself pounding a man’s head against the stones repeatedly. There is an entire pile of men lying behind him. The gemstone on Oathbringer cracked; he can’t dismiss it normally and, uh, I just want to re-state, there is a pile of corpses of men he killed behind him.

Evi looks at him, and she goes pale. She’s terrified of him, how he looks now. He made it back, barely. Evi tells him to rest, to sleep, to think. Sadeas tells him to push on now, to punish them.

A great man fighting a terrible one, and we see who backs each side. Sadeas was always a terrible influence on Dalinar.

“No, [make] oil. As much as we have gemstones for. Oh, and someone take my wife to her tent so she may recover from her unwarranted grief. Everyone else, gather round.”

And we see which man wins, and it sure isn’t the great one. He’s going to torch the Rift.

Oh, Dalinar.

I’m glad that this is the third book, and we’ve had two books to learn to love him as he is now. I’m also glad that he didn’t remember this, that thinking about it gives him PTSD attacks, because I’m glad to know the man he has become would be as appalled by this as I am.

Because if those weren’t true, I’d hate him.

There’s a red mist clouding his vision. It won’t let him sleep. An envoy comes to fly the flag of truce, and Dalinar says to shoot them dead. Sadeas approves, of course.

This is the Dalinar Sadeas missed, isn’t it? The strong one. The one who he thought could help Alethkar. Sadeas missed and idolized this fucking monster.

Dalinar is specifically misleading Gavilar to think that he’s still dead, so Gavilar can’t supercede his direct orders. He knows Gavilar wouldn’t let him torch the Rift. So he’s making sure Gavilar thinks he’s dead.

Oh, and in case this scene could get any worse, guess who is of course with Sadeas’s army.

Amaram turned from where he stood with the other generals.

Of course Amaram is there. Of course he is. He isn’t even doing anything particularly bad, but it’s like Brandon went “oh, what could make this scene worse? I know. Putting Meridas Amaram in there.”

God. Did Amaram learn his “do things for the greater good” mentality watching at Sadeas and the Blackthorn’s side? He very well could have.

Tanalan is trying to save his family. He didn’t hide in the saferoom.

Dalinar was going to call the attack off, but Sadeas reminded him that he set a battalion to kill anyone escaping. Thanks to Sadeas’ actions, there is no way to save the city.

“At least this time you didn’t hide in your hole. I don’t know who you let take cover there, but know they are dead. I took care of that with barrels of fire.” Tanalan blinked, then started laughing with a frantic, crazed air. “You don’t know? How could you not know? But you killed our messengers. You poor fool. You poor, stupid fool.” Dalinar seized him by the chin, though the man was still held by his soldiers. “What?” “She came to us,” Tanalan said. “To plead. How could you have missed her? Do you track your own family so poorly? The hole you burned...we don’t hide there anymore. Everyone knows about it. Now it’s a prison.”

Oh god. Oh no, no, no, no, no.

No.

Evi defected to try to plead for mercy. Dalinar shot all the messengers. They imprisoned her in the safehouse.

Dalinar burned his own wife to death, blinded by the Thrill.

I. I have to cut this here. I’m legitimately nauseous and shaking. Damn it. Damn it.

No.

God, do Adolin and Renarin know? They can’t. They must think Evi was assassinated. They don’t know that their father burned their mother to death.

I can’t think about this anymore or I will, actually, puke.

#oathbringer spoilers #stormlight archive liveblog #What Did Dalinar Do #we learn what dalinar did and im sorry i asked #veil doing ghostthings #kaladin has a saving people thing

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southsidestory · 7 years

Text

How Long is Forever? Chapter 2

Rating: Mature

Ships: finnrey, reylo, finnlo, finnreylo

Notes: Many thanks to @xxlovendreamsxx and @reylotrashcompactor for their constant support and beta work on my stories. You ladies are my inspiration!

The quote featured in this chapter is by Erin Van Vuren.

Chapters: 1

They’re always coming and going. And you’re always answering the door. Maybe you enjoy abandonment a little bit. After all, it’s all you’ve ever known. And there’s a comfort in repetition.

Rey stops sparring with Kylo, and when the general tries to pair them together for a mission, she refuses to work with him. Finn heard from three different people about what happened in the technos’ bay, so he doesn’t have to ask why she’s avoiding her—friend? Ally? (It’s hard to pin down Rey’s relationship with Kylo, because she’s never very keen to discuss it.) His wife is too good, too true, to ever be unfaithful, so she’s doing her best to remove herself from temptation’s way.

Things go back to something like normal, except that there are now quiet moments when Finn catches Rey staring off into the distance, as if she sees something impossible and tantalizing just out of reach. She always trains alone, now that Luke is off-world, and every time she returns from practicing her forms, she’s frustrated and short with him. And once, he wakes in the middle of the night to hear the water running in the bathroom. Rey thinks she’s being clever, covering the sound of her sobs with the shower, but she can’t fool him. After two years of marriage, he knows most of her tricks.

Today, she’s barely picking at her food—a sure sign that something is wrong—and Finn only has to look across the hall to see Kylo watching them. He’s trying to be subtle about it, but he can’t seem to help but glance at Rey every minute or so.

“Are you happy with me?” Finn asks.

“Of course,” Rey says, but her answer is so quick, so automatic, that he fears she put no thought into it.

Finn takes her hand, twines their fingers together. He tries to keep his voice quiet, unaccusing and safe from eavesdroppers, when he asks, “Then why do you want him so badly?”

Rey allows herself to look across the hall, and Finn knows she’s gazing at Kylo.

“It’s not that I love you any less, or desire you any less, than I did when we first married,” she says. “I don’t want Ben more than you, or instead of you.”

Finn frowns, relieved but confused. He doesn’t say anything, though, because he suspects that Rey isn’t finished.

She takes a deep breath. “I just—maybe I need you both?”

Finn can’t think of anything to say to that, and Rey stares pointedly at the table. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me to be so selfish, so greedy.”

“You’re not those things,” Finn says. “And there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“You’re not mad?” Rey asks.

No, he isn’t, although Finn supposes perhaps he should be. “You’re not sneaking around behind my back, are you?”

“Of course not!” Rey says. “I’d never hurt you like that. And besides—I may want Ben, but only if having him never comes at your expense. Does that make any sense at all?”

“I think so,” Finn says. He doesn’t fully understand what she means, but he barely cares. What Rey feels for Kylo isn’t borne from dissatisfaction with their marriage, or disappointment in him as a husband, and that’s all that matters.

He’s tired of watching his wife wilt, seeing her brightness dim as she fights her own desires. She’s making herself miserable trying to make him happy, and Finn can’t think of anything he could want less.

Later, he kisses his way down her chest and stomach, then settles between her legs. Finn knows her body, has learned every part of her, and it’s almost easy to make her moan, to make her come. Rey shouts his name into the cloying shadows of their bedroom, clutching the sheets in her fists, as she rides out her climax.

He climbs on top of her and kisses her, presses his cock against her wet sex. Rey wraps her legs around him, and Finn can’t wait another moment. It’s been so long, and he’s missed her so much. She whimpers when their bodies join, and he goes slowly, gently, careful not to hurt, until Rey begs him to have her harder.

“Is this how you imagine it with him?” he asks, breathless, while he fucks her. This isn’t the sort of question he’s supposed to ask his wife, but Finn stopped caring about other people’s rules the day he left the First Order.

Rey blushes all the way down to her breasts. “I don’t think you want to hear about that,” she says.

“I do, though,” Finn whispers, and it’s true. He’s been painfully curious about this for weeks, but for the first time since he discovered that his wife wants another man, his curiosity isn’t colored by jealousy. He wants to hear about her fantasies—all of them, no matter how secret or shocking—because how else can he give her what she needs?

Finn gives a rough thrust, and she throws back her head, mouth open on a gasp.

“When you pretend he’s in our bed, what do you think about doing with him?”

He touches her sex, rubbing rapid circles there that make her shiver.

“Sometimes I think about hurting him,” Rey says, so softly that he almost misses her confession. “Or letting him hurt me.”

“Tell me,” Finn says. Voicing these things sends a shock of heat across his cheeks but hearing her answer is too satisfying to let shame stop him.

She stammers through a quick list of deeds: pulling Kylo’s hair and slapping his face, restraining and choking him; having these things done to her in return. Her desire to punish Kylo is easy to believe, but it shocks him a bit that Rey—always so powerful and in control—wants to be hurt back. What shocks him even more is that the thought of his wife being thrown around by another man doesn’t bother him at all. Finn imagines Kylo fucking her, those large hands of his wrapped around Rey’s throat, strong body pumping between her legs—

He bites back a groan when he comes, grits his teeth to keep from making any noise as the pleasure overwhelms him.

Afterward, Finn lies beside her, breathing hard.

Rey runs her fingers up and down his chest, idly touching him. It feels right, simply because he’s hers. “You liked hearing about that?”

“Yeah,” he whispers. “I did.”

He’s not sure that he found Rey’s fantasy so arousing purely because of his wife’s part in it, and he doesn’t quite know what to do with this discovery. It isn’t that Finn has never found men attractive before—Poe, at least, is far too handsome not to notice in this way—but Kylo Ren is not like other men.

He spent so many years ground under the heel of the First Order’s boot, a system that Kylo supported, and his contributions to the Resistance have not done enough to earn Finn’s trust. If he’s honest with himself, he knows that his nervousness where Kylo is concerned is rooted in latent fear as much as disrespect. The bastard still calls him FN-2187, that awful number that made him less than a person. Just a nameless, faceless soldier in a series. Expendable.

He should hate Kylo without reservation, should find him too deplorable to desire in any way. But apparently he doesn’t, and neither does Rey.

His wife falls asleep with her face pressed against the nape of his neck, one arm hooked around his chest, a slender leg slung over his hip. It’s a sweet little peculiarity, that she prefers lying like this, despite being a bit shorter and much lighter than him. The big spoon, Poe called it, when Finn mentioned this quirk of his wife’s.

He has the odd thought, just before drifting off to sleep himself, that Rey would look both beautiful and mildly ridiculous if she tried to hold Kylo this way.

Rey wakes to the smell of burning food. She hears Finn, voice pitched high as he yells, “Shit!”

The smoke detector goes off, and Rey laughs into her pillow, because even through the blaring alarm, she can hear her husband cursing a colorful streak.

She hurries to the kitchen, where she finds Finn standing on a chair, waving a stack of flimsies at the detector, as if fanning it will trick its sensors into ignoring a room full of smoke. Just as Rey opens her mouth to make fun of him for it, the alarm stops and the red light on the detector blinks to a cheerful green.

“Huh,” she says. “Neat trick.”

Finn smiles at her. “You’d know it already if you ever made breakfast.”

“I don’t cook for you because I love you,” Rey says.

Neither of them had many opportunities to learn their way around a kitchen, but Finn at least has some interest in trying. Rey suspects that it’s his reaction against growing up with no one to cook for. Now that he has someone to love, he wants to spoil her.

They throw away the blackened toast, and Rey eats two bowls of scrambled, scarlet eggs that have been spiced with pink peppers and yellow onions. It’s Rey’s favorite kind of meal, flavorful and hearty, full of bright tastes and vibrant colors.

“This is delicious,” Rey says, and Finn laughs—probably because she spoke through a mouthful of food.

He must know better than to start a conversation when she’s eating, because he waits until they’re washing dishes to say, “We should talk. About last night.”

Rey wills herself not to blush; she blushes anyway. “Last night was fun,” she says, as lightly as she can manage.

Finn takes a clean dish from her, dries it, and puts it away. Then he turns to her, and his grin is genuine, if unimpressed. “Last night was fun,” he says. “But it was also kind of a mess. So why don’t we sit down and talk about it?”

Her husband is kind, and loving, and too generous for his own good. Rey already knows what he’s going to say, and she doesn’t want to hear it.

“We don’t need to—”

Finn cups her cheeks between his palms, and his touch is so warm. Just the barest brush of his hands on her skin makes her feel wanted, safe, loved. At home.

“It’s okay,” he whispers.

They go back to bed and cling together beneath the covers. Rey buries herself against the crook of Finn’s neck, and breathes him in. He smells like smoke and the faded, lewd scent of their lovemaking from last night. Once she feels calmer, they pull apart and sit up.

Finn speaks first. Of course he does; he’s the brave one, of the two of them. The bravest person she’s ever known.

He says, “I think I get it now, what you’ve been trying to tell me. Kylo isn’t a threat to what we have. We come first for each other, right?”

“Always,” Rey says, without hesitation.

“Good,” Finn says. “So if you want to start seeing him, I’d understand.”

He smiles, but it’s weak around the edges.

The day Rey met him, Finn was running away from the First Order so he wouldn’t have to hurt innocents. Then he ran back to Starkiller to rescue her. He’s always been so damn self-sacrificing, and it drives her mad. Rey suspects that Finn is so quick to put the welfare of others over his own safety because he doesn’t value himself as he should, and she’s not about to let him do it now.

“No,” she says. “I’m not risking our marriage—not risking you—over some stupid infatuation. It’s not worth it.”

Rey spent most of her life wishing for the impossible, but each tally-marked day on Jakku crushed her hopes a little more. By the time Finn wandered into Niima Outpost, she’d made an art out of loneliness, honing her self-sufficiency for the sake of survival. She’d tried to push him away, just like she did everyone else, but they met under such chaotic circumstances—the Force throwing them headlong into danger together—that she’d let her guard down. Finn broke through the walls around her heart like they’d been built on sand, like they weren’t even there. By the time she kissed him goodbye on D’Qar, Rey was already so enamored with him that half the reason she ran to Ahch-To was to get away from her feelings.

And later, once she’d returned with Luke, falling in love with Finn had been easy. Friendship flowered into passion, then love, and they’d married within a year of meeting. She’s fought too hard and survived through too much to throw away the best part of her life on a man like Ben Solo.

“Rey—”

“No,” she says. “We’re done talking about this. Don’t bring it up again.”

Finn stands, pulls on his clothes—standard Resistance wear except for the jacket that once belonged to Poe—and says, “I love you, Rey, but nobody gets to tell me when I can’t speak. Not even you.”

The door closes behind him with a sharp, echoing snap. It sounds final in a way that Rey doesn’t like.

She sits in the middle of their bed long after he’s left, clutching her knees to her chest. The last time Rey felt this small, she was watching a ship retreat, shouting her fears to the bright Jakku sky. Begging not to be left behind.

Finn comes to his door while the sky outside is grey, more night than morning still.

“I haven’t even had a cup of caf yet,” Ben says. “So this better be good.”

“Oh, it’s great,” Finn says flatly. “Zak Malbus caught a stormtrooper on his last mission and brought him back alive. So guess who gets to do the interrogation?”

Ben rubs a hand over his face. “Us.”

It isn’t the first time. They’ve been given this task twice before. Finn understands which questions to ask, the right direction to press in, how to obtain the most information with the least damage. And Ben, of course, has the ability to extract answers from an unwilling subject.

“I’ll get dressed,” Ben says.

Fifteen minutes later, they’re sitting across from FN-2000, a stormtrooper from the same class as Finn. He’s a good-looking man in his mid-twenties with a prominent scar across his cheek. It stands out, pale against his dark skin, the kind of mark that never enjoyed the privilege of a bacta bath.

FN-2000 grins when he sees Finn. “Well if it isn’t the traitor. I wondered if I’d be seeing you here, Eighty-Seven.”

“Hey, Zeroes.”

“You two know each other?” Ben asks.

“Yeah, we go way back. Been on the same fireteam since he we were kids. At least until Eighty-Seven here let Slip die, ran away, and killed Nines,” Zeroes says. Then he looks right at Finn, and his smile twists into something ugly. “Guess you weren’t the perfect stormtrooper after all.”

Finn looks away. “I never said I was.”

Ben takes a seat across the table from Zeroes and says, “This isn’t the place for you to air your grievances and petty jealousy. It doesn’t matter who the two of you used to be. Finn is a captain here, and you’re a prisoner. So show some respect, or I’ll make you.”

Ben can feel Finn watching him, but he doesn’t dare break his gaze from Zeroes to see the expression on his face.

It’s straightforward, as interrogations go. Zeroes clearly gets under Finn’s skin more than the last two stormtroopers, but even when Ben can feel that he’s on the verge of losing his composure, Finn keeps himself together. Asks the right questions, the smart questions, until he lulls Zeroes into a false sense of security. The stormtrooper says too much—enough that being rescued would lead to greater pain than can be found in Resistance prison. It only takes the threat of Ben’s interrogation skills to get Zeroes to spill everything he knows.

“Sibensko,” he says. “I came from a new base on Sibensko. It’s a small installation, nothing like Starkiller, but the locals are sympathetic.”

“He’s telling the truth,” Ben says. It doesn’t take a full mind probing to tell when someone is lying, or when they aren’t. Especially if the object of attention is as nervous as this one is now.

“It’s been—” Zeroes stops, his lips pressed together tightly.

Finn leans forward, patient, waiting.

After a minute, Ben breaks the silence, because patience isn’t a virtue he’s ever possessed. Not as Jedi or a devotee of the dark side or a wanderer of this strange grey path he’s taken now.

“What has it been?” he asks.

“Safe,” Zeroes whispers. “So far Sibensko has been safe for us. And now it won’t be.”

Ben snorts. “Well, you’re not wrong.”

Finn steps on his foot under the table, too subtle for Zeroes to see but hard enough to hurt, and Kylo hides his grunt behind a cough.

Zeroes spends the next hour giving them all the details of the Sibensko base, an underwater city that was rebuilt in the shadow of the Amaxine Warriors’ hideout. (“Friends of your general’s,” Zeroes says, nodding at Ben, and that’s intriguing enough that he’ll have to ask his mother about it.) There are a half-dozen unforgiving cameras capturing the confession, so there’s no need to take notes, but Finn records it anyway, tapping away on a datapad. Ben suspects that he simply wants something to look at besides his ex-teammate.

After they’ve updated the brass, Ben tells Finn, “Thank you.”

Finn looks at him, his eyes sharp and suspicious, like he thinks Ben’s gratitude might be a trick. “What are you thanking me for?”

“He made you nervous, but you didn’t let it get in the way of your job, and I didn’t have to probe his mind at all.” Ben stares at the wall just above Finn’s head. “It isn’t something I enjoy.”

“Anymore,” Finn says.

Ben stands up straighter, drawing as much distance between himself and Finn as possible without giving away any ground. He tries not to think about the shallow space between, the heat that’s charging the air, as turbulent as clouds on the edge of brewing into a storm.

“In case you didn’t notice, there are two traitors standing here,” Ben says, “and we just worked together to make a third. I’ve seen your mission reports; you’ve killed hundreds of stormtroopers, soldiers who were programmed from infancy, just like you were. This war is a mess, and none of our hands are clean.”

“And I guess that absolves you of everything, right?” Finn steps closer, closer into his space, until Ben can smell the clean scent on his skin, standard soap and something else—Rey.

“Of course not. Nothing could absolve me.”

He leaves before Finn can say anything else. There’s nothing left to talk about anyway.

He thinks of Rey, strapped to that interrogation chair on Starkiller Base, crying as he stole into her mind to spy on her most private memories. Of Finn, burned and bleeding in the snow. And his father, falling falling falling off the bridge—his father saying, “I’ll be home soon,” one lie after another, because he was a liar—and Ben would give anything, even his own wretched life, if it would bring his father back to tell lies again. But it won’t.

#finnreylo #finnrey #reylo #finnlo #finnreylo fic #finnrey fic #reylo fic #finnreylo fanfiction #finnrey fanfiction #reylo fanfiction #finnlo fanfiction #darkjedistorm #how long is forever?#my fanfiction

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borningrandeur · 6 years

Text

10 Things to Know About...

Keiko Mizu

Daughter of emperor Osai Mizu and his empress, Natsumi Mizu.

Age: 19

Race: Asian/Japanese

Eye Color: Dark brown

Height: 161cm

Hair Color: Ink black

Habits: Keiko tends to act as if she possesses all knowledge and rarely admits to needing help or explanation. Because of her fairly sheltered and pampered upbringing, she is very lost to the outside world and its secrets.

Special Features: Keiko never takes off the golden and emerald ring on her right hand’s index finger. Her hair is usually pinned up into one or two buns.

Hobbies: She finds herself looking up at the sky whenever she has a moment alone. The sun and the way it commanded the skies surrounding it, reminded her of the strength and boldness of her father. She misses him.

Aspiration: Keiko wants to return to Akari. She refuses to allow another family rule over the empire in her place. It wasn’t even her decision to leave, she was abducted only a few days before her wedding night by a crazed man named Patty. If she doesn’t get back to her throne soon, it may no longer be attainable for her.

Natalia Briare

Daughter of upper class Spaniard, Isaac Britto, and his maid, Amare.

Age: 21

Race: Black/Hispanic

Eye Color: Bright green

Height: 172cm

Hair Color: Syrup brown

Habits: Natalia jumps between Spanish and English, never caring if people understand her or not. She makes jokes out of almost everything and typically upsets others with them. She tends to curse when she’s angry... and happy... and sad... and confused... she likes to curse. If she finds herself kissing someone, her hand gentle grasps the side of their neck.

Special Features: Natalia has one of the most unique laughs- it is husky and full and proud and demanding of attention every time it makes an appearance. Her hair is wild mass of curls falling to her elbows and she has a scar on her left forearm.

Hobbies: Drinking, drinking and more drinking. Occasionally star gazing since that’s her job and all.

Aspiration: She finally escaped her past. Now, she only cares about her crew and the ship they sail on. Whether they find eternity or not, she’s happy.

Alice Capella

Daughter of musical prodigies Leonardo and Julia Capella.

Age: 27

Race: White/British

Eye Color: Chestnut brown

Height: 163cm

Hair Color: Icy blonde

Habits: She giggles whenever she’s uncomfortable or flustered. She hums all the time and often tugs at her hair for being ‘difficult’ and falling in her face.

Special Features: Alice has a photographic and flawless memory. She has an angelic singing voice and an incredible mind. She usually incorporates blue ribbons into her hair.

Hobbies: She’s writing and composing music every chance that she gets. She also loves to read cheesy romance and adventure novels, though she never admits it.

Aspiration: She wants to experience new feelings and meet new people, see new places, all in order to create extravagant songs and tales. She wants to become a musical legend and eventually return home with enough money to buy the tavern she used to perform at, and transform it into a complete theater.

Toby Jay

Daughter of bakers Lucas and Helen Jay.

Age: 35

Race: White/Scottish

Eye Color: Jade blue

Height: 174cm

Hair Color: Fiery red

Habits: She’s judges just about everyone for every little thing they do. Whether it’s your clothes or what you’re eating or how you’re talking, etc. you’re getting critiqued.

Special Features: Her hair is always tied up and her accent is incredibly thick.

Hobbies: Cooking always brings Toby comfort. It reminds her of home.

Aspiration: Toby wants to find the Pool of Eternity, not necessarily to use on herself, but to sell to any fool dumb enough to believe in that ‘magical elixir’. With the money, she wants to open up an honorable restaurant, and reach out to her parents... fix her past mistakes. And build something that could support her family for generations.

Linda Desoto

Daughter of merchants Charles and Sera Desoto.

Age: 31

Race: White/Hispanic

Eye Color: Dark brown

Height: 165cm

Hair Color: Coffee brown

Habits: Linda chews her pencils and taps her fingers along a table whenever she’s reading, which is constantly. She often trips over her skirts due to her always trying to carry huge amounts of books at a time that block her sight.

Special Features: Linda wears big rounded glasses that make her eyes appear twice as big and sweet as usual. She adores floral clothing.

Hobbies: She likes to read but she mostly enjoys writing in her diaries, recounting the highlighted moments of her days.

Aspiration: Linda wants to make a discovery that would shake the world, such as the Pool of Eternity. She wants to shed light on humanity’s questions and get paid greatly in return as a grand researcher. She plans to return home to her parents one day and buy them the mansion she felt they deserved.

August Rey

Son of nobles Adam and Anna Rey.

Age: 33

Race: White/British

Eye Color: Blue-green

Height: 185cm

Hair Color: Tawny brown

Habits: He’s headstrong and stubborn when he puts his mind to something. Often times he can become so consumed by his goals, that he forgets he may be harming those he cares for in the process.

Special Features: August always wears a captain’s hat, passed down onto him from the last man that commanded the ship, Blood Diamond. He also wears a golden locket at all times, tucked beneath his shirt.

Hobbies: August doesn’t spend a lot of time winding down. To him, that’s a waste of time he could be spending checking over the crew, marking the maps, or reviewing lore on the Pool.

Aspiration: August wants to be the first to drink from the legendary Pool of Eternity rumored to be hidden within a forever moving shadowed island. By achieving this goal, he will no longer have to fear death nor the physical pains of life. He will be free to do whatever he pleases for as long as he pleases.

Poe

Son of unknown parents that he was separated from at birth.

Age: 24

Race: Black/African

Eye Color: Caramel brown

Height: 202cm

Hair Color: Coal black

Habits: He tends to keep to himself and avoid trouble or conflict whenever possible. He usually intimidates people without trying and his silence and lack of care to explain said silence leads people to believe he’s disrespectful.

Special Features: Poe has thick long dreads usually tied back in a loose ponytail. He stays completely silent except from the occasional chuckle or sigh. He has multiple scars along his chest and arms. He’s extremely tall and muscular with a build like a giant.

Hobbies: Poe likes to read and write poetry. Whenever he has a quiet moment away from the fighting and drinking, he likes to spend it by himself with his literature.

Aspiration: Poe wants to collect as much poetry as possible from all corners of the world. Eternity is not his priority.

Kidd Perish

Adoptive son of Kane and Terra Saunter.

Age: 28

Race: Black/Italian

Eye color: Honey brown

Height: 179cm

Hair Color: Onyx black

Habits: Kidd constantly likes to show off his vast vocabulary, dropping flowery words that often annoy people, especially when they don’t understand them. He also has a bad habit of describing how everyone could get killed if not cautious. Though he’s only trying to be informative, this act often just frightens people.

Special Features: Kidd has a short curly afro that he rarely lets grow out. He is always wearing black clothing as well. Kidd carries around one dagger in particular, always strapped to his hip with a hilt covered with rubies.

Hobbies: Kidd always surrounds himself with others. He never bothers to be alone because truly, he wouldn’t know what to do with it. He always loved interacting with people and building relationships. Ranging from drinking with the Captain himself to going out into the town with the ship’s powder monkeys.

Aspiration: Kidd’s hometown was on the brink of an all out war between rivaling gang associations, including his own. Kidd was chosen from his parents to be the one to look into the myth that is the Pool of Eternity. Kidd wants to find it, and bring it back home for his family and their followers to drink. Together, they’d become an unstoppable force that would easily destroy all of their competitors and enemies.

Boris Graham

Son of Stephan and Evelyn Graham.

Age: 35

Race: White/Italian

Eye Color: Smokey grey

Height: 190cm

Hair Color: Golden brown

Habits: Boris talks about his past and his family back home every chance that he gets. He also likes to talks to everyone as if they’re lost children, despite the closeness in age.

Special Features: Boris has several faint scars on his hands and wrists from accidents and mistakes he had in his profession. He usually is dirtied from his work as well, whether that be coal, gunpowder, sawdust, etc.

Hobbies: Boris likes to walk around the perimeter of the ship, searching for aspects that could be improved upon and then figuring out ways to achieve said enhancements without costing the captain a fortune.

Aspiration: Boris wants to locate the Pool of Eternity so that he can take some of it and bring it to his sick wife. He plans on curing her and living life forever by her side. He also wants to see his daughter, and give her the drink too. That way, he could make up for the time lost while he was away. He hopes Linda joins him when he eventually returns home; he’d miss her terribly otherwise.

Nygel Young

Son of nobles Frederick and Violet Young.

Age: 34

Race: White/British

Eye Color: Teal blue

Height: 188cm

Hair Color: Walnut brown

Habits: Nygel has a huge worrying problem. He’s always thinking of the worst case scenario which only leads him to be incredibly pessimistic and doubtful of everything they do.

Special Features: Nygel still carries himself as the aristocrat he always was. He speaks eloquently and dresses as best as one can aboard a ship.

Hobbies: Nygel found joy in gardening. Back at home, his house was covered in exotic and gorgeous flowers from around the world... however, aboard the Blood Diamond, he can’t exactly plant anything anymore.

Aspiration: Nygel wants to find the Pool of Eternity and drink it for himself. In his mind, it is the only way for him to honor his household and avoid bringing about shame. With immortality, the effects of the Pool are also supposed to cure all illnesses. Including illness of the mind; curing the romantic preferences that Nygel convinced himself to be mental sickness.

Tatum Parr

Son of Amy Parr and stepson to Anthony Parr.

Age: 13

Race: White/British

Eye Color: Sky blue

Height: 155cm

Hair Color: Dirty blonde

Habits: Tatum is incredibly conceited and tends to fail to realize how much of a liability he actually is. Because of his abundance of self pride, he throws himself into ridiculous situations, thinking he can handle them and thinking he’s invincible.

Special Features: Tatum has a squeaky, cracking, voice that is usually the center of many jokes cracked by the crew.

Hobbies: Tatum loves to play with animals whenever he has the chance. Especially cats. He always has time for cats. Even the strays.

Aspiration: Tatum is determined to retrieve the man he assumes to be his father, August, back to his hometown to see his mother. He couldn’t care less about the hopes and dreams of the other people on the ship. All that matters is making his mother happy with the closure she needs.

Haze Dalton

Son of Xavier and Kalliopi Dalton.

Age: 41

Race: White/Scottish

Eye Color: Cloudy Grey

Height: 182cm

Hair Color: Bronze brown

Habits: Haze usually wonders off and apart from the crew. He doesn’t speak much about himself or his past to anybody and prefers to live his life in seclusion since the people he loved and trusted are gone.

Special Features: Haze is partially blind from an accident in his childhood. Raised by a blacksmith, Haze understands the many different forms of weaponry and which to use for what occasion.

Hobbies: Haze usually volunteers to clean the dirtied weapons of the crew so that he is provided with a moment of quiet that still connects him to the chores he had done in his youth, when he was at his happiest. Before the regrets and the loss.

Aspiration: Haze wants to find the Pool of Eternity and drink from it, so that he may live on- forever honoring the memory of his family by serving justice, or vengeance as some would say, to all the monsters of the world.

Philippe Barlow

Son of Matthew and Cindy Barlow.

Age: 44

Race: White/French

Eye Color: Copper brown

Height: 187cm

Hair Color: Golden blonde

Habits: He is completely unwilling to cooperate with the majority of the crew and because of that, however he is also not a fighter, so he only says whatever he can to antagonize the others. He quivers often as well, angry, sad, scared, he’s shaking all the same.

Special Features: Though difficult, Philippe is incredibly intelligent and skilled in his work. He is a lifesaver. Unwillingly.

Hobbies: Philippe would lock himself in his quarters at all times if he could. Whenever he does have free time, he spends it either reading one of the many books different crew members have in their possession, or going into the kitchen to talk to whoever he pleases.

Aspiration: To escape the Blood Diamond and all of the worthless people aboard it. He wants to bring Toby along with him when he goes, and make a wife out of her.

Patty

Son of unknown parents.

Age: 47

Race: White

Eye Color: Pecan brown

Height: 176cm

Hair Color: Dirt brown

Habits: Patty is a kindhearted person, though he usually does things that infuriate the rest of crew members, driving them to almost toss him overboard. He speaks in the third person, and most of his sentences are broken, jumbled, and indecipherable to those now accustomed to him.

Special Features: Patty adores pretty things, so he’s always covered head to toe in dramatic and sparkling jewels that he either steals or is given. This always leads to conflict as well, with poor men and thieves.

Hobbies: Scribbling on tables, talking to a ghost, stealing princesses and potatoes.

Aspiration: To have a good time for as long a time as possible.

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