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penvisions · 6 months

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of beskar and kyber {chapter 10}

Paring: Din Djarin x Force Sensitive! Reader (the Mandalorian x Force Sensitive! Reader)

Summary: Toro Callican using a sedative to capture you has many effects, some you were all to familair with and one that is completely unexpected.

Word Count: 6.5K

Warnings: canon typical violence, canon typical gore, mention of injuries, blood, mention of past injuries, description of self-inflicted scarring, mentions of past self harm, depression, mental illness, body high, head high, angst, reader is drugged, reader is under the influence of a sedative, body dysmorphia, body image issues, feelings of uselessness, feelings of weakness, altered mental state, ptsd, arousal, sexual themes, offer of sexual favors by reader, reader is tied up, reader is held captive, talk of past sexual encounters (not detailed), argumentative dialogue

A/N: there is a lot of angst and dialogue in this! it helps to set the tone for the budding relationship between din and our dear san. please let me know what y'all think? this was a rather hard chapter to outline and i wasn't sure if it was the right pacing but i feel comfortable enough to make it an official part of the story instead of abandoned scenes that sit in a document forever

ao3 link || series masterlist || main masterlist

It was pitch black, when you began to come back to yourself.

Blinking your eyes open rapidly, you tried to adjust to where you were. Trying to take stock of your body and how everything felt but it was hard with so many senses taken away from you. Mind fuzzy and body feeling like your nerves were untethered. Drugged, the rational, subconscious part of your brain that was struggling to operate supplied you. It was jarring, to feel so disconnected from your body, too familiar in the way that it made you feel to weak and defeated. So much like the person you had been trying to overcome for weeks now, all of the progress you made vanished in the plunge of a needle breaking through your skin.

Weightlessness, untethered, dizzy.

Your head felt so heavy in comparison, it was hard to shift around in an attempt to piece where you were and how you got to where it was. Ropes that were knotted far too tight were around your wrists and ankles, maneuvered behind you to make the task of detangling them worse.

“Looks like you need another dose, Mando sure is taking his sweet time considering you and that thing are in danger.”

“Please,” You tried to hold your head up long enough to catch the young man’s eyes. The high of whatever he gave you all encompassing, overwhelming.

“You can’t offer me anything that’ll change my mind.”

“I’ll help you,” The words tumbled out of your mouth like you were just learning how to string sentences together, jumbled and full over your tongue that was dried out. But you needed to get them out, to convince him this was all so reckless. “I’ll help you make your name known.”

“Not interested in anything other than turning in Mando, he will make my name known.”

“He’s…strong.” The words pushed out your lungs on a harsh exhale, the ‘r’ rolling as a growl rumbled in your chest. The need to defend the man who treated you like an equal, gave you space in his ship, allowed you a way to maintain your freedom with his protection.

“He tarnished his reputation for you and that thing. Which means he’ll do anything to keep you both safe.”

Words failed you as your concentration waned, the weightlessness taking over and robbing you of all the languages you were fluent in, mind struggling as it drowned.

“See, the thing is, I think he’s going to do exactly that.” He stepped closer to you, something glinting in his hand. When you leaned your head back against the side paneling of the hold, your eyes narrowed as you tried to focus on his blurry visage. You spat the words out, trying to put as much behind them as you could.

“Or he’ll kill you.” His gloved hand descending on your cheek was loud, the force of the action whipping your head to the side and all you could do was groan and take it. Pain so dulled by the drugs in your vein that it barely registered beyond a prickling sensation.

“I’m sure he’ll want to, I know he’ll want to. But he’s got a weakness now and it’ll play out exactly like I want it to.”

There was a sharp sting that broke through the fog of the drugs, demanding attention on your exposed arm. A needle was plunged deep into the muscle in the same spot as before, Callican’s hand holding it there as he administered something into your system, the needle hurting as it moved underneath your skin. You tried to cry out, the pain troubling with how starkly you felt it but all you let out was a warbled sound before you slumped back against the wall.

The coolness of the floor was soothing on your heated skin, tears brimming in your eyes as you clawed at your arms. Trying and failing to dig out the foreign feeling that was cascading over you, your nails only succeeding in creating marks along your skin, delving no further for desperate relief. The ice-cold sensation of something traveling through your veins making you feel trapped in your own body, sweat dripping off of you as it tried to make itself feel like home again, like your own again.

You startled when a deep, modulated voice called your name. Wide eyes cast up to gauge the figure that was standing in front of you. It was vaguely familiar, your fogged up brain not able to make a definition of who it was aside from them not being a threat to you. Not caring much beyond that, you pressed your forehead flat to the ground again, the thud of it making contact reverberating all along your neck and shoulders. Groaning, you curled your legs and brought them up to your chest, hugging them close. Your arm brushed across a bandage wrapped around your thigh and you hissed as it sparked a sensation that should’ve been painful but only felt like tingles spreading across your skin.

Nerves responding to what should be pain but felt like a wave of cold prickles over your body, making you groan as they skittered all over. They didn’t do anything to combat the heat licking at your senses, if anything they made you realize how intense it felt all over again.

Vision wavering, you could hear a low buzz of something around you. Not paying it much mind, you dug your fingers into your thighs, trying to relieve the tingling that was coursing through your veins. The bandage wrinkled under your hands, pulling on the wound below and you felt the rush of blood as the cut reopened, allowing some of the intensity of the heat consuming you to wane. You signed in relief as the tingling ceased at least on that part of your body, replaced with something that was a dull throb.

Suddenly there was a weight, pulling your hands up, that insistent buzzing now louder and closer. You brought your hands up to grip at your temples, fingers digging into your hairline before you dragged them down the length of your face, over your cheeks. The action smeared a metallic tang that was too strong on your nose, and you felt your stomach lurch. Scrambling, from your side to push yourself on your knees and hang your head over the toilet basin beside you, fruitless dry heaving wracked your body.

A weight landed on your shoulders, pulling at your hair and bringing it to lay over your back away from your face. The action caused arousal to flare in the apex of your thighs, warming you even more so as you felt the need for touch so strongly, for relief from everything that was barrage on your senses, on your body. Panting with the effort it took to catch your breath, you cast a glance over your shoulder to see a shadow kneeling beside you. It was comforting, despite being so far under the fog that was occupying your mind. The thought crossed your mind that they would be able to help you, but your eyes wouldn’t focus.

Suddenly, you recalled the sensation of floating. Of being buoyant while you simply let small currents jostle your body in slow motions, swimming. The cool of salty water washing over you, surrounding you, smelling so comforting. The weightlessness of your real body intertwined with the recollection of it and you felt tears prick at your eyes as you yearned for something you had tried to forget.

“I want to go home.” You cried, voice broken and fragile, words barely spoken above a whisper. “But home doesn’t exist anymore.”

“You’re safe here, mesh’la.” He knew what you were talking about, not just the physical world you hailed from, but the feeling of childhood you both had been ripped from too soon. Things from the past that developed into complicated places and feelings, tainted by the world that was cruel to you both. He held your hair back as you cried for something that could never be again. “I’ve got you.”

As the nausea waned from you, he lifted your weak body and took you up to the space behind the control room he converted into a small room for you. A cot slotted against the right wall, the trunk he had given you up against the left, your bags and things placed atop it. As he settled you in the bed, your eyes barely opened when howling wind sounded outside the ship. The hush of sand and debris coursing through the air was loud, almost deafening and your hands gripped his arms tightly, preventing him from stepping away from you.

“Just a storm, mesh’la.” His voice was a soft display through the modulator, as he took in the wide eyes you were now looking at him with, your pupils blown out and your bottom lip caught between your teeth.

“I can’t stay with you, you’re still fighting off the sedative.”

His name sighed out on a long exhale was a good argument, but he stuck by his words.

It wouldn’t be right, to give into your request to lay beside you. He was only as strong as he could be, and he was realizing when it came to your distress he was unprepared. You were so far gone under the influence of what the medic at the small clinic had said was a sedative and muscle relaxer combination that you were most certainly high off the dose administered to you. They said it would take a few days to work out of your system, something that concerned him, but they said you should be fine. He hadn’t told them about the withdrawal you had already suffered through when he first brought you aboard. He worried for those long hours as they steadily neared.

“I’m comfortable with you, you make me feel safe.” Fingers tight around the part of his arm that didn’t don any armor, you could feel the way his muscles jumped at the contact through his shirt. It stirred arousal, to feel that underneath the armor was a person. The visage of him in nothing but his sacred helmet and sleep pants from a former time stoked flames in your lower abdomen. The broad expanse of his shoulders and chest, dark hair not a shocking but pleasant discovery that spanned across his pecs and trailed below his belly button. The way his biceps had moved as he carried you across the hold, the feel of his body against your own. The scent you had breathed deep from the crook of his neck, it was all so dizzying…so alluring, and you wanted it.

“I know, mesh’la. But it’s for the best, I don’t want to overstep any boundaries.” His words came out even despite his muscles jumping underneath the wandering touch of your fingers as they carefully began to delve underneath the bottom of his pauldrons. He wasn’t strong enough to pry your fingers away from him despite his words saying he felt this was wrong, the play of something so pulling while you weren’t complete of mind.

“But there are none,” Your voice lilted, laughter in your tone as you smiled serenely up at him. There was something glinting in your eyes that he hadn’t seen since meeting you, something he recognized as dangerous should he ask after it. Your head knocked back, eyes roaming over his form from top to bottom as he stood beside the cot. But he didn’t need to, you gave it to him all the same in a sultry voice that he’d think about for days to come. Pitched low like it was for him and him alone. “I’d let you do anything you wanted.”

He grunted in response, feeling himself twitch below the waist. He was completely unprepared. Your eyes were so bright, your face so relaxed. Your words so earnest and alluring, the lines of your body long and enticing as you shifted atop the cot.

“I’d let you put your big, soft hands-“

“Enough!” He barked, his anxiety and worry getting the better of him. His guilt. He tore his arms out from your grasp and turned his back to the cot. Taking a deep breath to center himself, to collect himself, he could hear you shift behind him. He worried you were going to reach for him, play on his conflicting emotions in your altered state. The guilt he was feeling burned in him, to think such things of you when you had done nothing to suggest you would take from anyone in such a way. You weren’t wholly yourself right now, he was completely unprepared for who you were under the influence.

He spared one last look over his shoulder before he left and his resolve almost crumbled. Your bottom lip was trembling, your hands wrapped around yourself as you sat up, hunched over as your eyes shone with unshed tears. A complete shift from the energy you had just been using to entice him, an entire shift to your mood. Because of his reaction to it.

All he could picture for the rest of the evening as he busied himself setting up the ship to withstand a sandstorm was that last glance he had taken of you and the one of you sprawled on the bathroom floor with bloody handprints staining your face and legs as you fought against the drugs pumping through your system.

Din could hear you stirring about, in the space of the ship beyond his personal quarters. The Child was asleep, exhausted from the unsettling events of the night. His quiet snores comforting Din in his agitated and anxious state. Sighing, he kicked the blanket from where it covered him. His armor was piled neatly beside the cot, some comfortable sleep he thought would help only resulted in him laying and staring into the darkness through the visor on his helmet.

It had been…alarming to see you ricochet back and forth between such extreme emotions. All of them amplified by the drugs in your system, something he felt tortured over, as if he had been the one to administer them to you. He sat with his legs over the edge of the cot, bare feet flat on the cool metal of the ship’s flooring. His mind replaying the events even as he tried his best to shove them out and move past them.

‘“Took you long enough, Mando.” Callican’s voice projected around the hangar.

“Looks like I’m calling the shots now.” The mechanic slowly walked out from the dark interior of the ship, steps light on the metal of the ramp. Callican behind her with a blaster shoved into her back and the Child in his arms. “Partner.”

“Drop your blaster and raise ‘em.” The younger man paused at the top of the ramp, not stepping further, with the threat aim of a blaster trained on him. Din didn’t make a sound as he tossed the blaster in his hand to the ground in front of him. It landed with a dull sound as he raised his arms out to show he was further unarmed. Slowly, he dragged his palms over his torso as he moved them up, grasping at a flare with his palm. He placed his hands on the back of his helmet, the Child cooing as if he could sense his caretaker.

“Cuff him.” He shoved the blaster into the mechanic’s back twice, urging her to move down the ramp and toward where he stood.

“You’re a Guild traitor, Mando.” Callican voiced the very thing that echoed in Din’s mind every time he was alone, but when faced with the soft coos of the Child, or a brightening of your face, it didn’t seem like such a tragic thing. “And I’m willing to bet that this here is the target you helped escape.”

“Fennec was right. Bringing you in won’t just make me a member of the Guild, it’ll make me legendary.”’

Anger at the overly confident actions of a younger man he had seen a glimpse of himself in had him shoving off from the cot. He had been fooled by the earnest attitude of Callican wanting to make something of himself, to prove to whoever had told him he would amount to nothing that he could be something, to make a difference in the world by bringing in trash that was sought after for their indiscretions with the Guild. The door of the small space hushed closed behind him as he padded toward the makeshift table.

Making sure that the ship was still locked down and there was no chance of anyone sneaking aboard or disengaging the settings, he moved about the space freely,

He hadn’t cleaned up the mess he came back to yet, so focused on getting you comfortable and making sure you were alright. That the Child was alright, not too worked up by seeing you taken down and not knowing where he had been must’ve been hard on such a young one. Ad’ika, you had begun to call him, the term holding endearment and care when it passed through your lips for the first time over the comm link. His chest had hurt at the call, the sounds of you moving about his ship comfortably, the sounds of ad’ika cooing in the background.

It had been so domestic, a feeling so foreign to him and yet….it had felt like it had always been as such. It had felt so normal, like a facet of his life that shone when spotted and simply was something his life was made of, that he was capable of. His chest had hurt… and for a fleeting moment he had thought of his parents. The fast beating of his heart had been loud in his ears as he tried to keep his voice even to a listening Callican, lest he pick too much up from the exchange. The lightweight feeling of the memory twisted into something darker as he recalled the way Callican spoke of you.

‘“But it is rather telling, which quarries you decided to keep all to yourself.” Toro smirked at him, overly confident with no reason to be. The deep scratch marks that were angry and bright on his neck displaying as much, that he could barely handle his own against a woman he ambushed and sedated.

“The one on the ship must keep your bed rather warm, seems like a good exchange for the bounty you’re missing out on.”

“She was so unsuspecting, said some really interesting stuff while the drugs were working through her system. Told me she would make it worth my while if I were to let you and this thing go.” Callican jostled the Child in his arms, causing louder sounds of distress to bounce into the tense air.

Din seethed at the filth falling from the younger man’s mouth, baring his teeth underneath the helmet and he pictured tearing him limb from limb, pummeling him until he was nothing more than a collection of broken bones and bruises for even thinking of laying a hand you. He must’ve taken you completely off guard, to not get thrown about or struck down by your saber. The mental image had his hands fisting at his sides, of you just standing there busy with something only to be drugged and tied up all before you even knew what was happening, where he was.’

The helmet hissed as he disengaged it with a bare hand and the weight of it clunked as he set it atop the makeshift table. Running a hand through his thick locks that stretched to curl about his ears and the nape of his neck, he pressed the button that opened the panel storing the scant few kitchen wares he owned. He ignored the hotplate in favor of turning on the caf maker. It was already set up, the water full up to the line indicating it would make exactly one cup. The drawer he opened for a pod of the compressed caf was full as well, despite not being able to remember the last time he even thought of seeking them out in a marketplace or shop.

He tried to picture you flowing through an open marketplace, hair braided as it had been the last time he had seen you fully conscious and aware of your senses. Bringing the pod up to his nose to inhale the rich scent of the caf, he let his mind wander as he closed his eyes and thought of you.

Cautious but aware of your surroundings, polite but not overly talkative to vendors. Kind enough to warrant free samples and discounted prices, toting around a large collection of wares you deemed important. He wondered where you had even gotten the credits from, for the things still laid out on the makeshift table around his helmet. Smile soft and small as you tried out all the different fruits and felt the sun on your skin. But the image bled into the one he had come back to.

‘The metal rings you had been fastening into armor were scattered around the floor of the ship, crunching underneath Din’s boots as he slowly advanced inside. It was dark, all the lights and mechanisms shut off, the only light in the space was what sunlight could sneak in around his frame in the doorway. His steps faltered when he spotted your unconscious form by the ladder leading to the control room. Your hair loose and fanning around you, your hands and feet were bound with rope, the knots looking tight around them, you were on your side, arms pulled behind your back and legs bent at the knee.

Bruises could be seen up and down the length of your arms, visible without the cloak he had gotten you, it was shucked off and crumpled beside you. As if you had been fighting and someone had snatched it, pulling it from your frame forcefully. There was a prominent, irritated spot on the outside of your arm, indicative of someone stabbing a needle deep into the skin there.

Kneeling beside you, he turned started to untie the rope, but it seemed to make the knots wind tighter around your wrists. Growling low in his chest in frustration, he took the knife from inside his boot and cut it away, rubbing his fingers along the marks to sooth them as best he could. He did the same with the ties around your ankles before turning you gently onto your back with a soft call of your name.

Faint whimpering startled him, your body jostling beneath his hands as he removed the rope from around your limbs. You didn’t stir beyond that, lost to the world that the contents of the needle had plunged you into. It was then that he noticed the rip on your thigh, the deep cut already beginning to scab around blood-stained skin. It must’ve happened hours ago, but you didn’t wake.

He stayed beside you, stretching to reach over to pick up the syringe you that was discarded on the ground. It looked small in his hands, but the casing was empty, not even a stray drop rolling around inside. He gripped it tight in his palm, the leather of his gloves crinkling with the force. He pocketed it despite wanting to crush the glass in his hand, to hear the crunch of it as he destroyed the very reason you were unconscious beside him on the floor of the Crest.’

He had to concentrate on placing the pod into the machine before he activated the brew to begin, not wanting to wreck the one thing you had been comfortable enough to use as your own on the ship. He had to focus on not slamming the mug into the space below to catch it. As it began to sputter and drain the water from the storage reservoir, he leaned his hands on the lip of the small inlaid counter and hung his head. The action stretched out his shoulders, underneath his long sleeve shirt, popping where kinks had developed from his ride back into the city.

The wind howled outside of the ship and the caf dripped into the mug as he turned around and began to clean the metal rings scattered across the floor. There were hundreds of them, but he managed to get them all. The different sizes all found themselves in the same pouch, Din not having the energy to separate them. He contemplated just getting you a whole new collection when he spotted the sketches you had drawn up of what you were making. It was armor. A set of pauldrons made of chain mail you were creating yourself with the rings.

The detail and notes on the pages of a small book looked professional and it intrigued him. Is this what you had been raised to do? Or something you had taken up after leaving home, after the attack on the temple as a way to make credits? As he flipped through to the next page, he was greeted by sketches for a design that looked masculine. The top of the figure’s body only went so far as their chin, but it was dusted with scruff much like his own face was. The outline of the figure’s body an exact replica of how he would look without the bulk of the beskar armor.

He closed the book, not wanting to invade your privacy any further than he already had, but his heart was thumping rapidly in his chest as he realized you had been thinking about him.

His mind replayed the way you had been so unnervingly still even after he had untied you from your restraints. He had moved you atop his cot, hoping that you would wake and recognize that you were safe in his personal space. As he had been tending to ad’ika, talking over with the mechanic about waiting out the storm in the hangar, he had hated stepping away from where he could keep an eye and ear out for you. As he had trudged back up the ramp, it was closing and locking just as he heard your muffled cries in the fresher. He had quickly placed the small sleeping figure in the small hammock before going to you, only to find you having a fit on the floor. It had been…painful to see you so worked up and in such a state. Fingers digging into your own skin, over scars he hadn’t known you possessed, that you had carved into yourself…

He shook his head, not wanting to think about that and he began to move once again.

He gathered up all of the tools and metal pieces you had been working with and placed them in a crate, so it would all be in one place for you when you were feeling better. The caf warmed the mug he cupped with both his hands as he sat there and listened to the storm rage on.

Groaning, you stretched a handout to feel for the blanket that had fallen down by your feet. You had all but shoved it off during the night, too hot underneath its confines. You could hear ambient noise from down below, securely in your bed, in your space, in your room. All things Din had provided for you while you had been wrestling with reality while your body rode out the wave of drugs and subsequent withdrawals. You had shut yourself in the room as soon as you were alert enough to handle being on your own, embarrassment making your skin burn from the inside out and shame bubble up to join it.

Rain pelted down on the ship, pinging as thunder rumbled overhead. The sandstorm you vaguely remembered from two nights before delved into a thunderstorm in the early hours of the morning. It ate most of the day after and yesterday, allowing you an excuse to stay in your new room and keep to yourself as the ship needed to stay stationed there at the hangar. The thunder had woken you up some time ago, and you lay atop the cot trying to recall everything that had happened the last day and a half.

Your hands idly traced the scars along your thighs, the recent indents of your grappling nails, the bandage around the right one shielding a tender cut from the open air. You recalled digging your hands into the skin there, as you often did in moments of weakness, of needing to feel something other than the emotions storming inside. You recalled rubbing your hands over your face, of pressing it to the cool metal of the floor, of writhing around as fever and chills warred over the territory of your skin.

The white-hot pinpricks of anxiety could be felt over the entirety of your body, making you restless.

There was a sudden knock at the door to your space, but you turned around to face the wall your cot was pushed up against and curled up. You feigned sleep as the door opened, footsteps nearly silent as the Mandalorian entered. You could hear the rustling of his clothing as he kneeled down beside the cot, a hand resting on your shoulder.

“I know you’re awake.”

You shifted until his hand fell to the top of the blankets. You pulled the blanket up further, prompting him to stand up. You could feel his eyes roam over your form, hiding in the blankets and not daring to cut your eyes at him lest he see something you didn’t want him to in your current state. The motion caused your hair to fall over your forehead, some of it resting on your cheek.

“You’re not feeling well.” A feather light caress of bare fingers moved the fallen hair from your face, you tried not to startle too much, not having heard the man move behind you. They brushed over your forehead, feeling for something that you weren’t sure of. When he made a small remark about your temperature, you didn’t respond, continuing to stare at the wall in front of you.

“You…rejected me.” You whispered after a beat of somewhat tense silence.

“You were drugged, you were high on whatever Callican dosed you with.” His voice was even, as if he was trying to keep it from displaying too much of what was going through his own mind.

“I don’t know what you want from me. I don’t know how to tell you what I want. If I’m even allowed to…”

“I don’t want anything you aren’t willing to offer. If you wish to remain cordial, I will adhere to that. If you wish to allow casual touches, I will adhere to that. If you wish to…explore other parameters of touch, I will adhere to that.”

“You won’t. I’m tainted, I’m dirty, I’m used.”

“You are you, and I admire who that is.” He didn’t dismiss your words, the thoughts that plagued you every time you thought about the things that happened to you in your life. He took them and let them sit in the air, let you voice them even if he didn’t agree with them.

“Strength, abilities, weapons, Mandalorians put so much worth on those. Admiration on skills.”

“Listen to me and hear me,” Din’s hand reached for one of your own, bringing it up to clasp his ungloved hand with your own. His thumb brushed the back of your hand, sparking tingles down the line of your arm. He had sat himself on the edge of the cot, to reach out for you. His fingers were warm against yours, bringing forth a wash of heat up to your cheeks, coloring them for him to be witness to. That such a simple touch from him could stir such a response was dizzying. “Yes, my religion places importance on those things. But you are the most important factor. You are important to me, and I will show you in any way you wish for me to.”

“What if…I get scared…or nervous…self-conscious.”

“Then we will share the same sentiment. My body…is not perfect and I have never shared any part of myself with anyone. Well…” He trailed off, modulator relaying a deep exhale the told you of his trepidations and worries.

You shifted under the blankets, sitting up to face him. His armor was gleaming in the faint light, and you wondered if he had tended to it recently. It was a comforting image, of him sitting at the makeshift table, armor in hand as he gave it all his attention and meticulously buffed out any indentations or scratches, polishing it to make it shine. The love he had for the precious metal of his people, the adoration he placed on caring for it, the pride he took in wearing a full suit of it, of having been the one to return so much of it to his own people.

You mulled over his words, aware that it was a conversation that needed to happen. Some things that needed to be addressed, on both your parts. You lifted your eyes from the cuirass over his chest, to the visor with a slightly furrowed brow. He needed to speak plainly, as did you.

“Yes, you have.”

“Yes, that... I have, but only a handful of times. With consenting partners and with nothing in mind other than chasing a base need.” His words were expected, he was a grown man, free to be who and what he wanted within the parameters of his Creed. You didn’t fault him, but it just made all of your own feelings so much more complicated, jealously flaring at the idea of him with another person, touching another person, wanting another person. You pushed it down, not willing to delve into that just yet.

“This is new… for me…these feelings. These desires,” You ducked your head, bashful. His other hand reached up and tucked under your chin, bringing your head back up for him to rest the forehead of the helmet against your own. When he leaned back, the heat of his gaze through the visor was scorching, the direct attention making you flustered paired with your confession. “And I know that might be…daunting for you. A big…commitment…for you.”

“My life is about commitments, for my Creed, for my people, for my work.” His hand squeezed around yours, bringing them to hold to his chest. The armor was cool against your skin, but it was nice to combat the flush you were suddenly overcome with. You felt your breath get caught in your throat as he paused to gather his thoughts. “I would be honored to make one to you. If you’d allow me to.”

The tears were sudden, the feeling of being seen, of connecting with someone.

Two more days of the incessant storm brought thunder, pelting rain, and blinding washes of sand over the city before it lightened up. You had remained in your room most of the time, body still going through the motions working the drugs out. Din gave you the space you needed but had asked you each time he fed ad’ika if you wanted to join them for the meal. It brought a smile to your tired features to see the small child enjoy spending time surrounded by you both, safe and happy.

The tabac was soothing as you inhaled deeply, a thin cigarra held between two fingers. A bad habit, one that you had only picked up to stave off the feelings of loneliness, something to fill the void that had been your life on the run. Slipping to the market for a quick trip while there was a lull with the storm with a quick wave to Din had allowed you the opportunity to track some down. He had been busy, nodding at you as he held a large panel of metal for Pelli to weld to the side of the ship. A large piece of debris picked up by the strong winds had grated harshly and caused some damage.

“Don’t.” Was all you said as you felt a figure come around the side of the ship toward you.

“Wasn’t going to say anything.”

“It’s a bad habit, I know. But it’s helping,” You blew the smoke out with a long exhale, watching as it wafted in the still prevalent wind. “With the withdrawals.”

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, it was just a lull as you both mulled over things in your respective minds.

“I think I’m through the worst of it, might take ad’ika to the marketplace to get something hot for dinner.”

“He’d like that,”

“Maybe…you could come too?”

“He’d like that too.”

“And you?” A gentle, hesitant question.

“I’d like that.” His voice rumbled closer that it had just moments ago as he stepped toward you, one of his arms reaching. His gloved hand was a comfort as it brushed your bare arm, fingerless gloves and vambrace left atop the crate in your room. Warmth bloomed in your chest as you turned away from him to take a long pull of the cigarra.

“Hmm, but I’m paying.” Mouth lifted up at one corner as you smirked over at him, eyes taking in the shine of his armor in the dull light of the suns.

“Is that right?”

“You gave Pelli everything you had, everything you took off Callican, no?”

“The mechanic?”

“Please tell me you knew her name.” A stern edge to your voice had Din’s stomach jolting as he gazed at you through the visor. You had never used a tone like that with him and it was rather endearing to know you were comfortable enough to do so now.

“She didn’t introduce herself.” Was his flat response and you snorted at the way he worded it.

“Neither did you! You strutted down the ramp and fired on that poor droid as greeting.”

“That droid was going to mess something up, didn’t you notice how shifty it was?”

“Shifty? Kriff, Din, you’re…something.”

“So are you, mesh’la.” His hand that had been caressing you gripped and turned you. His other reaching out to knock the last bit of the cigarra from your hands to the ground where he scuffed it out with his boot. You let him move you, wanting to see what he was up to, how he played along with your harmless teasing. You let him pull you to him, chest to chest and he rested the forehead of the helmet against your own. “Something good.”

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jazeswhbhaven · 2 months

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I just have a massive brain rot, cause, what if Minhyeok and MC have a strained relationship at the start of the game? This is due to MC's past callousness and learned helplessness that affected Minhyeok badly in the past after high school or something but years of arguments led to the estrangment of their friendship. This time instead of continuing to coddle MC to high heaven (the guy admitted to "raising" MC) and possibly ruin himself if MC doesn't come back from Hell, he somewhat moves on to focus on his life (or activate his rizz and charms at full capacity). He still cares deeply for MC of course, and he still loves them (though whether it is romantic or platonic depends), he helped them find an apartment and a stable job, sometimes helping them with money issues if they're low on cash, and even drives them to visit their parents' graves every year. However, seeing how MC not changing even after years of him letting them figure their life out and would likely let themself rot if he didn't check up on them from time to time, it is really sad and difficult to watch since Minhyeok is probably the only one MC has left. The day Gabriel killed him was also the day he planned to cut things off with MC. Also, instead of seeing Minhyeok as a brother/best friend/caretaker 2.0, MC has this guilty intense romantic attraction to him but never tells anyone about it. Like could you imagine??? How much of a asspull it could be??? For me, this would make MC's feelings somewhat more complex instead of just horny and flip-flop determination. Hell fulfilled every one of their fantasies and wants, they have everyone's love for them on the silver platter, they don't have to change and live in lavish and comfort for the rest of their life. But they love Minhyeok, and their feeling for him are more genuine than what they have with any other devils, they actually yearn and long for him, the fact that Minhyeok continues to help them when he can wash his hands off their mess, he still there for them, and they also wanted to have that perfect life with Minhyeok.

PS: Sorry for the words vomit but I need to let a bit of it out and please ignore it if it bother you (｡•́︿•̀｡)

Ahhh anon, I had to take a moment to read this a couple times (brain does a thing ┗(･ω･;)┛) so now I can fully digest it and discuss this!!! It would be so much more realistic I think to have MC harbor these feelings for Minhyeok because let's face it, they're still human and he did stick around and take care of them. In your scenario, he was close to getting exhausted, and that's reality. While he may care for MC deeply, there's a limit to everyone's capacity to take care of a grown adult, and unless you want that role for the rest of your life, you gotta have tough love and set boundaries. MC being in hell and learning that they are receiving unconditional love from entities beyond their understanding and yet still pinning for Minhyeok would ALSO be realistic. Because MC is the vast majority of folks who would be like "damn, this is nice and all but I wanna go home..." especially you know since they aren't dead, they're just in Hell doing a task under Satan's contract. Once done, they do have the option of going back. Knowing this fuels the fact that MC would miss Minhyeok and have someone who genuinely stuck it out for them, who stayed there and saw them at their worst, and had realistic reactions. The devils are nice and maybe not so nice all the time, but they aren't human. They pretty much expect MC to be lewd and do whatever it is that humans do, and they'll just brush it off because it's Hell. Minhyeok is that dose of reality. There ARE consequences, there IS such a thing as tough love, he WON'T baby them forever. In this scenario of yours, I think MC in the game would have more of "I'm just here to do this and go home, don't make my job any harder than it needs to be" kind of attitude. I'm still thinking that canon-wise Minhyeok may be MC's OTP and they will leave Hell in the end to be with him. That's just my guess, because that seems the most likely choice. MC wants that life with him, and will grow old and be with him as normal while still thinking about the devils they met as a distant memory. AH sorry to make this sorta angsty ;.;

#whb #jwhbasks❓#whb minhyeok #ah yes MC and Minhyeok discussions #love those realistic emotional struggles tho

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wild-karrde · 7 months

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In Command - Part 17

Master List | Previous Part | Next Part

A/N: I HAVE FINALLY RETURNED WITH A NEW INSTALLMENT OF THIS VERY NEGLECTED FIC (sorry). As always, thank you to the outstanding @teletraan-meets-jarvis for beta-reading for me!

Chapter Rating: E (18+ MINORS SKEEDADDLE)

Warnings: canon-typical violence, language, explicit sexual content (fingering, cum eating)

Word Count: 8.8k words

It was not an easy night.

Rex awoke with Lothal’s twin moons high in the sky, casting wild, flickering reflections across the walls from the small water deposit inside the cave. He tried to will the ache in his chest away, hoping he could just doze back off and ignore it, but it eventually blossomed into a searing pain that felt as though it was tearing his upper torso apart. He wasn’t sure how long he tried to ignore it, and he didn’t realize he was groaning quietly until he felt a hand press against his cheek. His eyes flew open to find Senna hovering over him, her features etched with concern.

“I’m giving you another dose. Hang on.”

He might have protested if he was more alert, but before he could even think of an argument, there was a slight pinch in the muscles of his neck. The painkiller did its job almost instantly, flooding his body with relief, but it was nothing compared to the warmth he felt at the sight of seeing Senna still there, still with him.

After all this time and everything I’ve been through, I’ve at least got that going for me.

He let his head rest back against the bag heavily as she wiped sweat from his face with a cool, damp cloth. She offered him more water, and that was when he realized desperately needed to relieve himself.

Kriff.

He tried to roll over and stand on his own, but even with the painkiller winding its way through his system, his knee buckled almost immediately when he tried to put weight on it.

“Rex, stop. What do you need? I can get it.”

He grimaced at her. “Not something you can get, love.”

Senna was clearly confused until understanding dawned across her face. “Ah. Ok, well I’ll help you stand and get outside.”

“Sen, I can’t ask-”

“You’re not asking. I’m telling you. I’d have done this even if we weren’t madly in love with one another.” She winked at him teasingly as she quickly pulled her clothes on, but the words she’d said made him almost giddy.

He gave her a pained smile. “I’d somewhat hoped to not ruin the magic just yet.”

She grinned back at him and shrugged. “Who says it’s ruined?”

Gently, she helped pull him to his feet, taking all of the weight off of his injured leg, and the two of them carefully started moving towards the mouth of the cave. Rex had always hated depending on people for seemingly routine tasks when he was injured or incapacitated, but somehow, having Senna hold him up and help him was far less humiliating than he’d anticipated. In fact, there was something oddly intimate about it.

Madly in love with one another.

He was certain he’d never get tired of hearing those words. They sounded so good falling from her lips, he’d almost wondered if he’d dreamt them in the moment. Luckily, he had a massive wound in his chest to ensure he knew he was, in fact, quite awake.

Rex managed to lean himself against the cliff’s face, bracing one shoulder against the rock, and was relieved that Senna turned away, absently kicking at a clod of dirt to give him a semblance of privacy. He managed to relieve himself with only minimal awkwardness and grunting, finally managing to fasten his pants closed again.

Feeling triumphant and perhaps overly confident, Rex tried again to stand on his own once more, pressing his palms against the rocky wall, and again, he failed as his leg crumpled beneath him. Senna’s hands caught him immediately as his knee buckled, and she managed to haul him back to his feet.

“Stop being so stubborn and let me help you,” she muttered, pulling his arm back over her shoulders as she dug her fingers under his belt to hold him up. There was only a little heat in her words, but as he looked at her, he could see she was smiling. Everything about them felt natural to him: leaning on her for support, allowing her to help him, allowing her to love him fully and loving her just as much in return. Being with her was easy, the easiest thing he’d seemingly ever done. Of course, Rex understood there would be hard times still. It was inevitable, but at least for now, he relished this moment with her and the newness of it all. He smiled to himself as they limped back to the bedroll.

Senna managed to ease him down with only minimal grunting and shuffling, offering him a sanitation wipe for his hands from the medpack before lying down next to him and pulling the blankets back up over them. Rex shifted onto his side to face her, propping himself up on one elbow. Her eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled at him, reaching out to gently touch his chest.

“How are you feeling?”

“The best I’ve ever felt,” he rasped, feeling his cheeks beginning to ache from his smile.

She rolled her eyes at that. “I’m serious, Rex.”

He caught her hand, bringing it to his lips and brushing a kiss against her knuckles. “So am I.”

Senna ducked her head slightly, dipping her nose beneath the covers, and even though the dim lighting made it impossible to tell, he was certain she was blushing. After a few moments, she scooted closer to him, close enough that their noses brushed in the dark, and Rex slipped a hand into her hair, cradling the back of her head as he pulled her lips against his.

Maker, he was certain he’d never get tired of kissing her either now that he’d been given permission to. And the best part was how eagerly she kissed him back, as if she too was basking in the newness of it all, of the fact that she no longer had to keep that part of herself locked away.

“Careful,” she whispered, mischief dancing in her eyes. “Or else I may have to take you for another ride.”

He chuckled against her lips. “As if I’d deny you that.” His hands were already moving, slipping underneath the blankets to her waistband, her skin flushed and warm under his fingertips. She groaned into his mouth as his tongue slipped past her lips, teasing her gently.

“You need to sleep,” she mumbled, her scolding tone half-hearted at best.

“I’ll sleep when we get picked up tomorrow,” he murmured, slipping his hand into her trousers. Despite her protests, Senna’s legs fell apart to grant him access, and he found the warm wetness of her arousal waiting for him underneath her undergarments. He huffed in satisfaction as he felt her breath stutter when his fingers grazed her soaked core.

“Besides,” he whispered against her ear. “I don’t think I could go back to sleep knowing how wet you are right now.” His fingers gathered her slick, circling her clit, and her hips bucked against his hand. Her fingers dug into his forearm, and she pressed herself closer to him, making it easier for him to slide two fingers into her cunt.

“Rex,” she whined.

“I’m right here, love. Tell me what you want.”

The wound in his chest protested slightly as he worked his arm, plunging his fingers further into her and searching for the spongy place deep inside of her, but the pain certainly wasn’t enough to deter him, not with the way Senna looked right now. Her chest heaved with each high-pitched moan and gasp, and her cunt clenched around his digits. He felt her hips rise to meet his hand, pressing her clit against the heel of his palm, and he applied pressure, watching as the tendons in her throat became more pronounced. She gasped when he found that sensitive place inside her, pressing against it with the pads of his fingers as he pushed a third finger into her.

The cave’s quiet was punctured by Senna’s whimpers and the obscene wet sounds coming from between her legs as Rex worked to bring her to orgasm. His cock was straining in his pants, but at the moment, he was completely focused on Senna, his own pleasure distant in his mind as she came undone for him. He’d pleasured other partners before, but there was something so very different about watching Senna come undone for him.

He wanted to see her orgasm so badly, and he needed to be the one to give it to her.

Her brows pinched together as she stared into his eyes, and he felt her body shudder once more, her cunt clenching around his fingers. He’d dreamt of giving her this pleasure for months, of what it would feel like and how she’d look, but nothing he’d ever imagined compared to this, and he was certain he’d never get enough of it, of her.

The times they’d been intimate prior to tonight had been laced with apprehension, the looming question of what everything meant hanging in both of their minds. But now, he knew where he stood with her, no more secrets keeping them from fully indulging and letting go.

And he certainly wasn’t going to be held back any longer.

“Don’t stop,” Senna whispered.

Her eyes were pleading, begging for release, for pleasure that only he could give her, and he wanted nothing more than to watch her fall apart on his fingertips. He wanted to learn how to perfectly strum every inch of her, to map every place that made her orgasm, to memorize every sound so that he could know exactly how close she was to the precipice. The knowledge that he’d get to do just that, spend as long as he wanted touching and kissing every inch of her unhindered sent excitement coursing through his veins.

She’s mine, and I’m hers. And I get to touch her like this. I get to sleep with her, sleep next to her, wake up with her in my arms. All of it.

She was clutching his forearm so tightly, he was certain her fingernails were leaving crescent-shaped indentations in his skin, but when her spine arched and his name fell from her lips, he knew there would be no stopping himself from pulling her over the edge, no matter how much his body protested. His hips jerked reflexively, and pain shot through his leg. He buried his face in Senna’s neck, grunting against her skin.

“Rex, we can-” she tried, noting his clenched teeth and labored breathing.

“Shhh,” he whispered. “Let me take care of you. Tell me what you want.”

“Kiss my n-neck,” she whimpered, relenting to him. “I… I like it when you do that.”

Rex tilted his head so that he could press his lips against the sensitive place on her throat that he’d made a note of the first night they’d been intimate. Senna’s response was immediate, and Rex’s pulse thrummed with pride as she clenched around his fingers.

“Rex… fuck, right there. Fuck. I’m close.” Senna was frantically grinding against his palm now. “L-let me touch you. F-fuck let me-”

“No, Sen. This is about you,” he replied huskily, gritting his teeth against the pain in his chest and leg. He wanted to see her come undone again for him, needed it, and that trumped all of the pain he felt. He sucked the skin of her throat, and felt her pulse leap under his tongue. He loved that he could feel her approaching her orgasm, that the signs were already so apparent to him, but he’d always been able to read Senna.

Now, he was just allowed even more.

“Cum for me, Senna.”

Her back arched, and he pulled back to take it all in. Sweat beaded along her hairline as her mouth fell open. The tendons in her throat were taut under her skin as she unleashed a stuttering moan. He felt her cunt spasm around his fingers as she suddenly rocked forward, curling over herself and whimpering as she rode through her orgasm.

“Rex, I-I…”

“I know, love. Let me have it all.”

She shuddered a few more times, her cunt clenching in tandem with the waves of her climax before she finally slumped against the cave floor, her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. When she finally opened her eyes, she grinned dopily at him, reaching towards his belt, but he stopped her.

“But you-”

“I’m fine,” he reassured her. “That was what I wanted.” He leaned back, sucking her release from his fingers, and Senna playfully growled.

“See? The magic’s still very much intact. Especially if you keep doing that to me.”

Rex grinned, leaning down to kiss her. “I look forward to doing that more often. To doing everything more often.”

He felt her mouth curl into a smile against his lips. “I’m open to trying anything if that’s the sort of orgasm I’ll get.”

Rex stroked her cheek, resting his forehead against hers. “I’d give you anything you asked for, Senna Aven.”

She bumped her nose against his before settling back onto her bedroll, her eyes still sparkling as she watched him readjust. Her hand gently grazed the bandage on his chest, smoothing over the edges that were starting to peel up slightly.

“Maybe we wait for the more physically demanding asks until you get better.” Her voice was soft, and he could tell she was thinking about how he’d almost died. He hadn’t needed to be awake to know how strenuous that time had been on her. The minute he’d opened his eyes, he had been able to see the strain she’d been under, the fear and the desperation that came with him being on the brink of death. He’d felt a certain amount of guilt that she’d felt that way on his account, a guilt which had grown when he’d realized she’d sacrificed some of her own life force to save him.

But now I carry a piece of her with me. Forever.

He rested his hand on top of hers, meeting her eyes. “I love you,” he said quietly, hoping the words brought her peace and reassurance that he was still here, that he was hers.

“And I love you,” she whispered back. “I’m sorry it took me so long to come around. I just… I wasn’t sure I could be with you and keep you safe. But maybe I can do both.”

“We keep each other safe,” he said quietly. “That’s what we’ve done from the start.”

“That’s right,” she agreed with a small smile. “There… there’s something I haven’t told you about me, Rex.”

He couldn’t keep his eyebrow from rocketing up, and he could see it immediately made her nervous. “It-it’s nothing major. I just…it doesn’t feel right that you don’t know.” Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “Just before…well, before the war ended, I was granted the rank of Master. I’m a Jedi Master.”

Rex stared at her for a moment as he turned the new piece of information over in his mind. He was far from an expert in Jedi traditions, but he knew it was no small feat to be granted the rank of Jedi Master. That honor came with multitudes of privileges and responsibilities, none of which the Senna he knew seemed that interested in, so it did surprise him slightly. She was still watching him nervously, as if that piece of knowledge was something she’d long kept secret.

She has, he thought. It’s the last bit of herself she’s kept hidden from me.

“Did you think that would change how I see you?” he asked, trying to probe for the source of her nerves.

“Not necessarily. It’s… it’s something that was so new, and then when the Order fell, it didn’t feel right to even mentally acknowledge that. I felt like I’d failed and let the entire Order down, but it is a piece of me. Who I was… am. I’m… I’m a Jedi Master. And I wanted you to know that.”

He squeezed her hand. “Well, since we’re sharing, I was technically a commander for a short while. I was promoted before Ahsoka and I left for Mandalore, but when I didn’t carry out Order 66, I was verbally demoted to captain again. Not sure how official that became since the ship we were on went down. But-” His mind stuttered as the image of the young Togruta he’d escaped with came to mind.

Ahsoka. I haven’t told her.

“Rex?” Senna had lifted her head to look at him, clearly concerned something in the memory had wounded him. He smiled reassuringly.

“There’s something else I meant to tell you. Never found the right time. But Ahoksa commed me.”

Senna’s eyes widened, and she propped herself up. “When?”

He cringed slightly, embarrassed now at how much space he’d put between them.

I thought it was for the best.

And deep down, in the moment, he’d wanted that conversation with Ahsoka for himself. But now, it felt only right to share that with Senna, someone who cared just as much about the young Togruta’s wellbeing.

“I had a message waiting when we got back from the capital.”

She nodded, her teeth digging into her lip as she watched him for a few moments. “How is she?” she finally asked.

“Safe. On Raada.”

“Yes, that’s good, but how is she, Rex?”

He sighed, letting his gaze drift up to the ceiling. “Still hurting. Still finding her way.”

Senna snuggled closer to him, pressing her forehead against his bicep as she ran her fingers along his arm until they interlaced with his own, gently squeezing his hand.

“Do you think she’ll come back to the fight?”

His eyes burned slightly, and he cleared his throat hard to keep the sudden rush of emotions at bay. “I hope so. I really do. But I’d understand if she didn’t.”

Senna appeared to note the change in his tone, and she kissed his shoulder. “She’ll come back, Rex. Like I did. It might take longer, but I do think she’ll come around eventually. And I’m glad she called you.”

He smiled, turning his head to meet her eyes. “I told her I was with you.”

Senna raised an eyebrow. “And what did she say about that?”

Rex chuckled. “She liked the idea. I obviously told her things weren’t romantic at that point.”

Senna rolled her eyes. “Obviously.”

“But she knew anyway. And I… I think she liked the thought that I wasn’t alone. That I had someone with me, someone she knew, in whatever capacity that was.”

He felt Senna hum against his skin. “Well, next time you talk to her, you can tell her things worked out. And that I was an idiot. She always did tease me about overlooking the obvious things in favor of making everything more complicated.”

Rex smiled, managing to place a kiss to her forehead. “I think I can take some of the blame as well. I’d been trying to find the right place and time to talk to you for weeks, and just could never find the right way to start.”

So instead everything came rushing out all at once. Every draft I’d thought through, unfiltered and anxious. The same thing happened last night.

But it worked.

“You came around in your own time, and that’s all that matters,” he whispered.

They drifted off intertwined with one another, both smiling as sleep took them.

—

The sun filtered in through the cave entrance, bouncing off the surface of the small pool of water and the various rock formations, warming Senna’s cheeks and the parts of her that were poking out from under her blanket. Gently, she shifted, turning her face to look at the sleeping form lying next to her. Rex’s face was peaceful as his chest rose and fell in rhythm with his deep breathing. He had an arm draped over her, and when she shifted, she felt his grip on her waist tighten, a smile playing across his lips as he slowly opened his eyes to look at her.

“Good morning,” she whispered.

“Morning,” he rumbled.

“How do you feel?” she asked, searching his expression for any indications of him being in pain.

He smirked. “All things considered, not bad.” His eyes were playful, but she could see he still was a little uncomfortable. Leaning over, she dug through the medkit for another pain killer dose, but when she rolled back over, he stilled her hand.

“I’m alright.”

“You’re hurting, Rex.”

“It’s not that bad.”

She didn’t buy it, and she knew he could see her skepticism.

“I want to wait in case the pain gets bad,” he said quietly. “Just in case our ride gets held up or we need to move. We’ve only got, what, one more in there?”

Senna sighed. “Yeah. Just one more after this.” She met his eyes. “I just hate seeing you hurt.”

Rex huffed a laugh, wincing slightly as he reached to cradle her cheek with one hand. Senna leaned into his touch, sighing as she felt the warmth of his palm against her skin. She closed her eyes, placing her hand over his.

“I promise I’m better than I’ve been in months, even though it might not look like it,” he replied, brushing some hair out of her face.

She chuckled quietly, turning to kiss his palm. “You’re cheesy, you know that?”

He shrugged. “I’ve heard that, although never in this sort of situation.” He played with one errant curl that framed her face. “I’d tried for so long to plan this big speech out to tell you how I feel, and you sort of got every draft of that last night. Everything just came pouring out at once.”

She smiled, feeling her cheeks warm. “I’m glad it did.” Her fingers brushed his brow, smoothing over the bandage on his forehead.

“Maker, you’re beautiful,” he whispered.

“I’m yours,” she replied, leaning down to kiss him deeply.

“You sure?” he asked, his hand trailing along her back.

“Yes, for the first time in a long time, I am finally sure about something,” she said, resting her forehead against his. They sat like that for a few moments, basking in the peace.

While part of her still whirled with worry of what was to come, the most overwhelming thing Senna felt was relief: relief that they were alive, relief that she’d been honest with Rex and herself, relief that he still felt the same, even after everything.

We’ll make it work. We’ll figure it out. Together.

Senna had the silliest thought for just a moment of the two of them just staying there, in this cave, hiding away from the galaxy and just being with one another. She immediately discarded it, knowing there was no universe in which that was a realistic option, but it was a nice thought, to just be with Rex.

“I should get up and get us ready to move out when Echo gets here,” she sighed after a few minutes. “I expect they’ll be here sometime before this evening.”

Rex tightened his grip on her. “Just a little while longer? I’ve been wanting this for a long time.”

She thought about it and then slipped back under the blankets with him, wrapping her arms carefully over his chest. “Me too, even if I was too stubborn to admit it,” she sighed, tucking her head into the soft spot near his shoulder. “What are we going to tell the others?”

She felt his fingers run through her hair, twirling her curls over his fingertips. “Whatever we want. We don’t even have to tell them anything if you don’t want to.”

Senna turned to look at him, resting her chin on his chest. “I don’t really care if you don’t. I just don’t want people to think that we…we’re compromised and unable to do our jobs. This work, this rebellion… it’s everything to me, Rex. I want to keep fighting.”

He grunted a little, brows furrowing. “Yeah, well those in charge don’t seem to feel the same.”

“Is this about the Ilum information?” she asked, stiffening slightly. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t had the same thoughts, felt the same frustration. Even still, she felt the need to defend the rebellion and its leaders, as if admitting the movement that had given her life meaning at her lowest was flawed would destabilize the ground beneath her feet. She met Rex’s eyes. “They’ve got to make the best decisions they can based on very small pieces of intelligence. If they don’t think it’s feasible, then I have to respect it, whether or not I agree with it.”

He looked at her. “Do we? We risked a lot for that information, and to have it just shrugged away is…I don’t even know. Infuriating. It fits with everything else we’ve provided, so why would they just toss it away?”

Senna wasn’t used to seeing Rex insubordinate, and it shook her slightly.

We all have our limits, and he’s been through a lot. Especially in the last few rotations. He has a right to be frustrated.

She sighed, turning to press her cheek against him again. “I know. Trust me, I know.”

Rex stared at the ceiling of the cave for a few moments, and she could tell he was trying to carefully word his next question.

“All of that, the not having our intelligence valued by leadership who aren’t out in the field with us, doesn’t that…bother you? And make you think that maybe this isn’t all worth it?”

Senna squeezed her eyes shut, trying to steady herself as some of the fears she’d dismissed threatened to come creeping back in. “Of course it bothers me, but what other choice do we have? It’s do this or do nothing.”

“Would nothing be so bad?”

“I don’t think I could live with myself.”

He sighed. “Yeah, I thought so.”

“You could just walk away from this that easily?” she asked quietly.

“No, no it wouldn’t be easy. This is a fight I actually get to choose to believe in, not like the war. There, I was just lucky my personal loyalties aligned with what I was created for. But…in the same breath, if Organa and the others aren’t going to listen to what I have to say, then I don’t see the point in continuing to risk it all. Last time I was ignored, I wound up shooting my own brothers.”

Senna flinched at the mention of Umbara. Rex had confided in her about that campaign over one of their dinners, about how Pong Krell had lied and manipulated and misled him and his men. She knew it still haunted Rex, so it was understandable that he’d be cautious when he felt like he was being shrugged off or manipulated.

But this was different. Very different. The rebellion leaders had good intentions and weren’t purposefully sending people to their deaths like Krell. They wanted to make the galaxy better, not purposefully cause harm.

But if the results are the same, needless risk and deaths, then does their intent really matter?

She dug her teeth into her lip, trying to still her racing mind. Rex was right; doing nothing wouldn’t be terrible for them. In fact, it would damn near be bliss, just the two of them off on some remote planet. They could survive on their own, disappear and never be heard from again, and that thought did have a certain appeal. But it also conflicted with how she’d been raised, and she knew that deep down, Rex felt the same, even if he was saying otherwise right now. Still, it was nice to fantasize about how their lives might look if they abandoned the rebellion and let the galaxy do as it would.

But she loved Rex for his tenacity, for his selflessness, for how much he cared. Those qualities mirrored her own values and intentions in so many ways, and she knew those were what kept them both in the fight, even on bad days.

Feeling his eyes on her, she glanced up and met his gaze.

“I don’t disagree with your frustrations and your reasoning,” she said carefully, “but I have to believe I can drive change by being part of the rebellion. I can’t give up on it yet.”

Rex brushed some hair away from her face, sighing deeply. “I respect that. And that’s one of the many reasons I love you. You’ve got a lot of faith for someone that’s been through so much.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“It’s in my programming,” he joked dryly.

“No, it’s because you’re a good person, Rex,” she replied, squeezing him gently.

He smiled, and she was almost certain there was a slight flush in his cheeks at the compliment. It was incredibly endearing, and somehow, she felt herself falling even more in love with him. Taking her hand in his, he kissed the top of her head.

“I’d never give up the fight while you’re still here, Senna. And I won’t ask you to either.”

Relief flooded through her, and she buried her nose in his chest, sighing deeply.

“Thank you for understanding,” she said softly.

“Of course,” he replied. “I meant it when I said I love you.”

“Good. Because I’m not letting you take that back ever.”

—

Senna managed to get everything repacked and Rex’s bandages changed one more time before the emergency beacon comm buzzed, alerting them to an incoming call. She felt her shoulders sag slightly with relief as Rex answered and Echo’s voice piped up on the channel.

“Rex, we’re approaching your location now. You should see us in a moment.”

Rex handed Senna the beacon as he pulled his shirt back down. The wound in his chest was looking significantly better even with just a day’s worth of healing, and Senna knew it concerned Rex. He’d been watching her carefully all morning, as if he was waiting on her to collapse from the strain. Fortunately, aside from some lingering exhaustion, she really didn’t feel terribly different. She was almost certain that the act of channeling her life force into him had taken a larger toll than the loss of the force itself, but it wasn’t a point she wanted to debate with Rex. She could see he felt guilty, but she hoped it would fade with time, time that they’d have together because of what she’d done.

No regrets on my end.

Unfortunately, his leg was still greatly limiting his mobility, so he could do nothing other than sit and watch as Senna grabbed her macrobinoculars and moved to the mouth of the cave, carrying the beacon with her. She scanned the horizon until she finally picked up the approaching ship. It was an Omicron-class attack shuttle that looked like it had been to hell and back.

Certainly traveling in style, she thought grimly, her mouth pulling into a tight line.

The shuttle landed carefully about a hundred meters from the cave entrance, folding its wings up as it touched the ground gently.

“They’re here,” Senna announced. “I’ll be right back.”

“Not like I’m going anywhere,” Rex huffed from where he sat.

Senna grinned, tossing a wink over her shoulder at him as she made her way towards their rescuers.

The shuttle door opened and a set of stairs dropped to the ground as a group of clone troopers in armor unlike any Senna had ever seen stepped out, walking to meet her. Echo was the first one to her, his scomp arm giving him away even before he removed his helmet. Senna gave him a big hug that seemed to momentarily catch him off guard, but he chuckled, returning her embrace.

“I’m so glad you’re here. We were in a pretty bad jam,” she told him, patting him on the back congenially.

“You’ll have to tell us all about it once we get you loaded up. There were some Imperial scout patrols we spotted on the way in, and I don’t want to wait around too long. I doubt they’ll give us as warm of a welcome.”

Senna managed to suppress the shudder that threatened to tear through her.

A few more hours and we might have been up to our necks in Imps.

“Seems your timing is impeccable,” she joked dryly. “Care to quickly introduce me to your brothers?”

The second clone was lean with armor that most closely resembled the armor that Senna was used to from the troopers she’d worked alongside, although it had clearly been repainted, as they all had. His helmet gave off a particularly menacing impression despite its teal coloring that wasn’t alleviated when he removed it to reveal a face that was tattooed in the pattern of a skull on one side. He wore a red headband that also had a skull depiction that somewhat matched the scarf around his neck. The clone’s voice was surprisingly gentle as he extended a hand to her. “Hunter ma’am…er, General,” he corrected, glancing down at her lightsaber.

Senna’s eyes widened as her hands flew to cover her weapon from view instinctively. Echo gently grabbed her arm. “I didn’t know,” he said quietly. “But it’s alright. We’re friends. I promise.”

“No one was supposed to know,” she muttered.

“But Rex does?”

She nodded.

“Well, your secret’s safe with us,” the largest clone rumbled from beneath his helmet. Pulling it off, he revealed an incredibly scarred face and one milky white eye, but the warmth he exuded almost negated his size and physical appearance. “We’re good at keeping secrets.”

“That’s Wrecker, and that’s Tech,” Echo said, gesturing at the last clone in white armor accented with orange and black. The clone was busy typing something on his datapad and halfheartedly waved hello before pushing his visor back up a little further on his helmet, his goggles reflecting the glow of the datapad’s screen.

“Well, it’s great to meet you. Also, for the record, not a general,” she said turning to Hunter.

He nodded. “Commander, then?”

“Nope, just a normal technical specialist that also happened to be a Jedi,” she grinned. That statement finally grabbed Tech’s attention as he looked up from his datapad, readjusting his goggles to survey her more carefully with bright, attentive eyes.

Echo let out a chuckle at Tech’s reaction. “I figured you two might get along.”

“As much as I’m enjoying all this chit-chat, we really should get you two loaded up on the Marauder,” Hunter interrupted. “The patrols weren’t too large, but I’d still rather not risk it.”

“You’re right,” Senna agreed. “You guys are going to have to help move Rex. He’s not in much of a state to be doing anything right now. Also, if you’ve got better first aid on that ship, he could probably use a second look. I’m not well-versed in medicine, but I did what I could.”

“I’ll get him,” Wrecker grunted, stepping into the cave. The massive clone squatted down next to Rex, and the captain reached up to grasp his arm in greeting.

“Good to see you again Wrecker. If you’re gonna pick me up, maybe do it a little gentler this time.”

Wrecker cackled at that. “If you insist, Cap.” Slipping his arms under Rex, Wrecker lifted him bridal style as if he was weightless, carrying him back out towards the ship.

“I probably could have walked on my own, you know,” Senna heard Rex mutter as he was carried past her.

“Yeah, well better safe than sorry,” she called after him, biting back a giggle.

Suddenly, Hunter stiffened next to her, whirling to look out over the plains behind them. Senna followed his line of sight, noting nothing at first aside from the breeze whistling through the grass. It was quiet. Too quiet.

Taking notice of his brother’s reaction, Tech stepped forward, bringing up his macrobinoculars to look in the direction Hunter was staring.

“It seems we’ve been spotted. One patrol inbound, about a klick out and closing fast. It would appear they have a troop transport and an AT-DP.”

“Great. Better hustle,” Hunter grunted.

Senna nodded, sprinting back into the cave to grab her bag while the clones crouched down behind a rock formation to huddle up. As she sprinted back to them, she could hear Tech speaking quickly to Hunter.

“I still need time to complete the pre-flight sequence since the hyperdrive’s been misbehaving. Otherwise, I feel our chances of getting out of here will be significantly lower.”

“Then do it,” Hunter sighed. “We’ll keep them busy until she’s primed for takeoff.”

“I think I can help with that,” Senna said. “Tech, can you get my bag aboard?”

The goggled clone nodded, taking her sack and sprinting off towards the ship without another word. Senna unclipped her lightsaber from her belt, and that seemed to serve as the cue for Hunter and Echo, who both slid their helmets back on. Senna’s eyes widened as she noticed that Echo’s helmet snapped into place under the equipment wrapped around his head.

“Ok, I have a lot of questions about that helmet later,” she said with a grin.

“Thought you’d like that,” he chuckled, his voice now modulated through the vocoder.

Hunter drew his weapons. “Alright, take cover behind the rocks. Echo and I will draw them in, you slice and dice. Also, if you’ve got any ideas about how to take down that walker, I would love to hear them.”

Senna’s teeth dug into her lip as she considered it. “Let me think on it a bit and I’ll get back to you,” she said, ducking down behind the rocks.

Adrenaline thrummed through Senna’s body as she felt the rumble of the approaching transport grow louder until it felt like it was rattling her chest, and the ground shook slightly with each of the walker’s heavy steps. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she felt sweat begin to bead along her brow. Hunter and Echo crouched down beside her, training their blasters on the transport and starting to pepper it with fire. Senna drew hers as well from its place at her hip, firing at the oncoming transport. A few return blaster bolts hit the rocks in front of them, and they ducked lower, covering their heads as pebbles and dust rained down around them.

“You got any explosives or disruptor cannons on that ship?” Senna yelled over the noise.

“Nothing big. We were due for a restock when you commed. Just got a few detonators on me,” Hunter replied, continuing to fire at the transport as it began to slow. The walker was now within range as well, and its weapons shrieked as it unleashed a barrage on their cover. Senna covered her face as much as she could as a cloud of dust inundated them, coating her tongue with dirt and stinging her eyes. She coughed and spluttered loudly as the two clones next to her continued to fire.

“That walker is gonna be a problem,” Hunter shouted over the din.

“Alright, since we’re out of luck with anti-tank explosives, we’re going to have to get that thing close enough for me to do something about it. Our blasters will be useless against its armor,” Senna yelled back, blinking hard to clear the grime from her eyes.

“I’m assuming that’s when you’re going to get that fancy saber out?”

She smirked. “That’s the plan.”

Hunter nodded, and she was pretty sure he was grinning under his helmet. “You got it.”

The troop transport skidded to a stop a few hundred meters from their position, and stormtroopers began pouring out of it, their armor glinting in the sunlight. The walker moved into position behind them, steadily bombarding the rocks Senna and the clones were hunkered down behind. Senna tried to cover her head and make herself smaller, and Echo grunted next to her as a large chunk of rock cracked against his helmet.

“Are you alright?” he yelled over the commotion.

“Yeah, but we’ve gotta scatter these guys a little. We’re sitting mynocks with that walker!” She chewed her lip for a moment. “Hunter, how many of those detonators do you have?”

The sergeant reached into a hip pouch, pulling two out and waving them at her. “These and a few more. Should be enough to be a problem.”

Senna nodded. “Great. Toss these into the middle of the pack when I give the signal. Echo, give him cover fire.”

“What about you?”

She unclipped her lightsaber from her belt, grinning. “Like you said. Time for the fancy saber.”

Hunter and Echo nodded in acknowledgement. Senna moved to a low crouch and focused on the environment around here. She could feel the troopers across from her, the pilots of the walker, and something else. It felt cold, strange, threatening, but distant.

No time to examine anything. Worry about what’s in front of you. Focus.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes.

“NOW, HUNTER!”

Hunter stood, flinging the explosives right into the middle of the pack of approaching stormtroopers. Senna leapt over the rocks as the explosives went off with a roar, immediately downing half a dozen of the troopers. Several more were flung in various directions from the blasts while the remaining ones still on their feet scattered for cover. Echo picked off a few that were on the ground while Senna advanced on the soldiers that were still standing on their right flank. In two bounds, she was on them, her lightsaber humming as it sliced through metal, plastoid, and flesh.

She didn’t relish killing, but she did love the feeling of the warmth racing through her, the presence she’d cut herself off from for over a year. It felt right, smooth, as if she was a fish in a current, made to swim through the flow around her. She felt everything, but most of all, she felt like herself, really and truly, for the first time in a long time.

Turning, Senna reached out with the Force to fling a line of advancing troopers coming from the other direction back against the rocks. Hunter was on them in an instant, pulling a vibroblade from a sheath on his wrist and slicing through any blasters within his reach as he fired with the DC-17 in his other hand.

“BEHIND YOU!” she heard Echo yell, and she felt one of the troopers behind her raising his blaster and taking aim at her. She dropped the blade of her lightsaber behind her back just as the weapon fired, deflecting the shot back into the stormtrooper’s helmet.

“Not bad for a technical specialist,” she heard Hunter laugh.

“We’re not done yet!” she shouted back.

“Heads up!” Hunter tossed her two more detonators. “For the walker!”

Senna nodded, taking off towards the lumbering machine at a sprint. She zig-zagged as she raced forward, leaping between the rocks as the walker fired at her, sending dirt and rocks flying from her footprints, but she managed to stay a step ahead. When she was within ten meters of it, she reached out and focused, channeling the Force around her into a jump. She leapt through the air, landing crouched on top of the walker. The metal hummed underneath her fingertips, but she was already moving again, reaching for the hatch and ripping it open. Two startled Imperials yelled as she dropped the detonators in before slamming the hatch shut and sprinting towards the front of the walker. She dropped into a slide, slicing off the cannon on the front panel with her lightsaber as she skidded by it, wincing as the edge of the viewport scraped her back and shoulders.

The ground rushed up at her as she slid off the front of the walker, and she managed to roll as she slammed into the dirt, scrambling forward as the mechanical beast exploded, teetering forward and falling. Hunter and Echo grabbed her just as the walker fell, diving out of the way and obscuring them in a huge dust cloud. The durasteel groaned and smoldered, and the ground shuddered beneath them as what remained of the crew compartment crashed down a few meters from them.

Senna could smell smoke and burning electronics as she lay in the dirt between Hunter and Echo, trying to catch her breath and listening for any signs of life from their attackers. There were none, and she closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing.

Not bad for being rusty.

She heard approaching footsteps and opened her eyes to find Wrecker’s massive boot centimeters from her face.

“Awwww come on!” Wrecker moaned. “I wanted to blow it up!”

“Better luck next time, big guy,” she joked as he pulled her to her feet with ease.

Wrecker helped Hunter off the ground next, and Senna yanked Echo up, dusting off his kama as he straightened. Hunter’s hand flew to the comm button on his helmet.

“Talk to me Tech. Are we ready to go?” Senna saw the clone’s spine straighten as he dropped his hand. “We’ve got to go. Tech says there’s another speeder inbound, and it’s going to be here in a few seconds. Ship’s ready and I think I’ve had enough fun for one day.”

Senna nodded, but the chill she’d sensed still lingered. Reaching out, she felt it surge suddenly, curling through her veins. She didn’t know who or what was on that speeder, but a sharp spike of fear tore through her.

Whatever was coming wasn’t good.

Echo seemed to notice her discomfort, tilting his helmet at her, but she just gave him a tight smile. “He’s right. We should go.”

Dipping his head, Echo started sprinting towards the ship. Hunter glanced at her, but followed Echo, seemingly understanding there’d be time for questions later. Senna let Wrecker go ahead, lingering slightly to scan the horizon before turning and running. The cold was piercing now, growing stronger with every passing second, and Senna tried to keep her alarm in check. She’d never felt anything like this, but she’d heard Anakin describe it enough to recognize the sensation: it was the presence of a Dark Force user, and they were strong.

Senna could now hear the speeder approaching above the sound of the walker burning and the whine of the shuttle’s engines. The Marauder was close, but tossing a glance over her shoulder, she confirmed the speeder would overtake them.

I’d rather meet them in the open, away from the ship.

And in spite of herself, she was curious. She slowed, reigniting her lightsaber.

Echo and Hunter had paused, noting her hesitation.

“GO!” she shouted over her shoulder. “I’ll buy you some time, just leave the stairs down for me when you take off.”

Hunter started to argue, but Senna was having none of it, raising her hand.

“That’s an order, Hunter.”

“Let’s go,” Echo urged, seemingly understanding something was wrong. Hunter glanced at the approaching speeder, clearly weighing his options before he appeared to concede with a nod. Without further argument, the clones sprinted for the ship just as the speeder disappeared into the dust cloud the walker had created.

Senna turned to face the new enemy, squaring her feet in the dirt as she reached out again.

The speeder was mostly obscured from view by the lingering dust cloud, but she could just make out the silhouette of a tall, armored figure as the engine quieted to an idle. The newest assailant appeared unrushed, observing her for a moment with a strange interest before walking towards her with a slow, deliberate pace. Senna narrowed her eyes, reaching further to try and glean anything, but without warning, her chest tightened, and her breath caught in her throat. She felt darkness reaching back, squeezing her lungs, and she fell to her knees, gasping. The darkness felt overwhelming, consuming, and for a moment, she wondered how Anakin had stood against this feeling so many times and come back seemingly unphased. A chilling voice slithered through her mind.

Well hello, Master Aven.

“Who are you?” she shouted, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Get it the fuck together, she internally chided herself.

The voice intruded into her head once more.

I am the one who will correct the wrongs of those who came before me. I am the Grand Inquisitor.

The figure extended his arm, igniting a dual bladed lightsaber that glowed red in the dust. Senna’s breath caught in her throat as her fears were confirmed.

A Sith.

She scrambled backwards in the dust as the Inquisitor slowly began to advance on her. Senna could see his face clearly now; he was a Pau’an, tall and thin with the trademark pale skin and red markings. He wore black armor emblazoned with the Imperial symbol that appeared spotless even with the surrounding dust swirling in his wake. His eyes glowed yellow, and his lip was curling into a grin that revealed sharp teeth.

“Now now, little one. There is no need to run. It will only prolong things,” he said, finally speaking aloud. His voice was soft and yet threatening in its tone, and it sent another shudder rippling through Senna. Behind her, she heard the engines of the Marauder fire up as it lifted off the ground. The Inquisitor’s yellow eyes flicked to the ship, and he huffed a laugh.

“It appears your friends are leaving you to die. No matter, they will be dealt with in due time.”

Senna pushed herself to her feet, trying to hide the way her legs were shaking underneath her. Her anger fought for control with her fear.

“You will not harm them,” she snarled. “I won’t let you.”

The Pau’an raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Oh? I don’t know that you’ll have much say in the matter.”

Rage flared within Senna, winning the battle with her apprehension, and she charged him. The Inquisitor’s grin widened as he deftly blocked her first blow with no more effort than if he were swatting an annoying insect. Senna continued to swing her blade wildly, and he continued to parry her at every turn. As she sidestepped him in an attempt to flank, he thrust out his hand, lifting her off of her feet and flinging her into the rock face with a flick of his wrist. Her shoulder blades slammed into the stone knocking the wind out of her, and she knew she was going to bruise as she fought to refill her lungs with air.

The bruises are the least of my problems at the moment.

The Inquisitor was already coming towards her again, glowing red blade at his side, prepared to attack again. Senna huffed frantically, scrambling to get back on her feet.

GET UP. GET UP. GET UP.

Suddenly, the ground between her and the Inquisitor exploded with blaster fire, and a new cloud of dust was kicked up as the Marauder hovered above them. Whoever was flying had maneuvered the ship to allow Wrecker to shoot at the Inquisitor with the ship’s gun, and Senna could hear him cackling gleefully through the ship’s open door. The Pau’an leapt backwards away from her, deflecting the blasts back towards the ship. Some of the bolts peppered the outside, scarring the hull, but mercifully not hitting anything critical.

They won’t be that lucky forever.

Senna saw her chance and took it, hooking her lightsaber back on her belt, sprinting towards the open door on the side of the ship as hard as she could. She could see Hunter hanging out of the door, peppering the Inquisitor with fire and dodging the deflected bolts that were slamming back into the side of the ship.

“COME ON, SENNA!” Hunter shouted. “TIME TO GO!”

Channeling the Force once more, Senna leapt, stretching her arms out towards the dangling stairs. Her fingertips slammed into the bottom step and she held tightly as her legs swung wildly underneath her. Her knuckles creaked from the strain, and she ground her teeth, clinging hard as the ship shuddered and jerked.

“ECHO, COVER ME. I’M GONNA GRAB HER. TECH GET US OUT OF HERE!” Senna looked up in time to see Hunter hook a cable to his belt and carefully make his way down the steps towards her as the ship quickly began gaining altitude. He reached out, grabbing Senna’s wrist and helping her pull herself back up. The ship rocked violently again, and Hunter swore as he gripped the cable holding them and wrapped his other arm around her waist. Senna fumbled to find a handhold on his armor and wound up just clinging to him clumsily as he yanked her up the stairs with him. With one final lurch, they flew through the hatch together and collapsed on the inside of the Marauder just as Echo slammed the door closed behind them.

Tag List: @seriowan @partoftheeternalsoul @rosmariner @misogirl828 @ellichonkasaurusrex @zoeykallus @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @staycalmandhugaclone @redheadgirl @fordo-kixed-rex @wizardofrozz @ariadnes-red-thread @justanothersadperson93 @leftealeaf @kaminocasey @echos-girlfriend @lucyysthings @obihiddlenox @merkitty49 @littlemissmanga @clonecyaree @baba-fett @sleepingsun501 @rexxdjarin @samspenandsword @babygirlrex0504 @ladytano420 @fxlsealarm @runforrestr @djarrex @corrieguards @the-cantina @witchklng @wolffegirlsunite @fives-lover @rain-on-kamino @ladykatakuri @ladykagewaki @arctrooper69 @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall

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twotailednekomata · 10 days

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AvA/M Headcanon List

This might be added on as I think of more but I want to throw my thoughts out there.

Overdramatic!Victim. Just Overdramatic!Victim. Sure, 90% of time he is serious, calculated and clever but every once and a while he slips into a more... needlessly dramatic persona.

Victim has a collar/necklace that can project a holographic pair of wings as well as a halo. And the wings aren't even perfect as one of them has the appearance that it's broken (to fully lead into the whole 'fallen angle' thing).

On top of that, he has a pair of contacts that glow a bright blue to add to the ✨ atmosphere ✨

For example: The door swings open as you push your way into the Boss' room. The space is covered in shadow, the only light being from the open door and the green-blue emitting from the Boss' computer. A hint of blue before a flash as a single, bright blue line makes itself known. The Boss slightly tilts his head and rest it on interlocked fingers. Broken wings flap out and an arc appears. He only needs to utter a single line: "Is it ready?"

The high ranking employees and mercs are used to this type of bullshit from Victim. Do not mind the Boss, he is just getting his fix in.

(Look, I never had a Fanon!Victim so Overdramtic!Victim is all I have. In a sense, that means my Fanon!Victim and Canon!Victim are the same stick)

On one last note: Victim loves Classic Disney movies for their villains (as well as villain songs). I have not seen Wish (and have zero intentions to) but, based on what I've heard, I think Victim will have miserable time with that movie.

Not necessarily AvM specific, neather wart tastes like very chalky liver with a tiny but noticeable fermented meat taste.

Because Blue is seen slipping neather wart into food, I wouldn't be surprised if one of two things happens: 1., The Colour Gang pick out and push aside any bits of neather wart they find, which causes Blue to ask if and why they aren't eating it (the others will always politely decline) before he does the sibling thing of eating the unwanted leftovers themself. 2., The CG unknowingly eat small bits and pieces of neather wart which causes them to develop a slight resistance to its effects. i.e it will take a more potent dose of a potion for the CG to get the standard 3-minute effect than a stick that never had nether wart.

(Actually, via that logic, that means Blue's potions must be potent as fuck for him to even get a minute worth of effects. Pal's munching neather wart all day and night and, for addictions, you need a higher quantity of the addicting item in order to feel the same high effects you did day 1)

Purple has a casual interest in plants, flowers to be specific. They enjoy decorating with them and admiring them and I can see them and Blue bonding over that.

Blue's pupils are swirls with a reddish tint that makes them appear a deep lavender colour. I'm also toying with the idea that they change colour depending on his emotions.

This is my boy Soot (Nickname: Canary) and if anything happens to him, I will kill everyone in this room and then myself (/joking)

Red is so youngest sibling coded, I can't ฅ(≈≧ܫ≦≈)/

Likewise, Green gives off 'chill, oldest brother' vibes. Although, whether or not he is actually 'chill' is a whole other story.

(He and Red feel like the ones that will 'fight first, talk later' in a heated argument. Like, they are the quickest ones to get into a fight.)

Yeah, Blue's lower half is as burnt as overcooked pizza (to put it lightly)

#key's post #ava/m #tw drugs #tw addiction #<- It's fictional mushrooms in a show about stickfigures but I'm being safe #ava blue #ava victim #ava red #ava green #avm purple #Some of these might be expanded upon or changed #but these are my current thoughts #Is posting about personal headcanons always so nerve-wrecking?#Welp #here I go #*post*

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nanistar · 6 months

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hi nanistar. i was wondering if all your beautiful cat oc's were seated at a dinner party, who would sit next to saltburn to make her the happiest? amd who would make her the angriest to be sandwhiched between ? and what would she be eating? everytime your comic updates i eat salt.

i love this question what the hell. also don't eat straight salt

Normally i'd say, she'd be happiest between Silversky and Hollowspur, but if we're going off of where we are currently in the story, i think she'd rather sit next to briskwater. he doesn't particularly make her happy but i think she would enjoy bullying him with Hollowspur. She gets along with anyone and can make conversation, so i think she'd adapt to being placed next to anyone. She would have lots of fun besides flickerstar, and she would probably get into trouble if she was sitting between Chollatail and Vulturepaw. Angriest in current canon would be Silversky and probably her dad Chalknose, but she's placing a lot of blame on Silversky right now so just being in her vicinity would be enough to piss her off. if it were regular, outside of current canon, i'd say being placed next to Hawkwasp and Downjay. Hawkwasp for their treatment of Hollowspur-- which i will get in to (someday), and while she's fine with Downjay in small doses, they tend to get really argumentative and are the kind of person who needs to get the last word in, which she finds irritating. couple that with Hawkwasp's shit vibes and you've got a disaster of a dinner party just waiting to happen. If given the choice to eat Anything for a big dinner, i think she'd go with some classic tex mex, or a big plate of grilled steak+veggies (and scorpions, much to everyone else's disgust)

#nyask #saltburn #this one is really g ood i had to think about it for a long time

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intermundia · 1 year

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hello! my name is will :)

what to expect here: it’s like half aesthetic posts and half star wars, specifically obi-wan and anakin, aka the team, with romantic obikin. i also post about ancient greece a bit, and applied my classics degree pointing out some cultural history of obikin dynamics.

i made edits of obi-wan saying “anakin” and anakin saying “master” at each other and a combo. i love to read about star wars and talk about it, esp. the revenge of the sith novel. sometimes i write meta about it all. i also collect star wars books too (more than 300 so far!)

i've also officially published more than 50 obikin stories! if you are interested in checking out what i have written, here are links and short descriptions of all my works, from novels to PWPs. i'm really proud to have reached this milestone (750k words! whew). thank you guys for all your support along the way <3

Novel-length stories:

Lex Talionis: COMPLETE Plotty, smutty, Sith AU. It’s my take on how Obi-Wan and Anakin could fall to the dark side, weaving in as much lore as I can. Force dyad, Sith’ari, Zygerria, etc. Obi-Wan and Anakin go through.. character development.. and it is dramatized in the changing way they have sex. I poured in all of my theories about metaphysics and the Force, all my knowledge about Augustus and how a Republic dies, all of my opinions about consent and agency. It has rough sex in it and some uncomfortable power dynamics that get resolved, so it is not for everyone, just a heads up. It is complete, and yes, there is a happy ending lol. War Drums: IN PROGRESS Darth Vader dies at the end of Return of the Jedi full of regret and wakes up in his 10-yr-old body after the events of the Phantom Menace. Young Obi-Wan struggles to acclimate to the death of Qui-Gon and the discovery that the boy he swore to train grew up into a Sith. Vader tries to use his knowledge to fix the galaxy and Obi-Wan uses his training to make sure they do it the right way. Anakin underwent his rite and is now an adult, galaxy beware. Murder Puppy: IN PROGRESS Obi-Wan’s decision to do more than flirt with the enemy ends up accidentally acquiring a clingy Sith acolyte, and he is tasked with holding his leash while they work together to end the war. This will probably end up around 40k so a bit shorter than the other two, which are chunkier

Core Oneshots: (my argument for the ship, basically)

Symposium: The story that started it all for me haha. I put Plato's Symposium in a word document and transformed it into a scene where Obi-Wan is forced to reconsider his relationship with Anakin, while dosed with an aphrodisiac, which leads to lines being crossed back in their hotel room. It suggests the erastēs/erōmenos dynamic that appears in much of my work. Unwrap, Wrap: Obi-Wan needs emotional hurt/comfort. This story has him fall apart, and Anakin help put him back together, after a traumatic battle late in the clone wars. Dramatizes the way that the war has muddied their roles and how much their lives are entangled. Obi-Wan gets a handjob in the shower, also, if that is relevant.

Longer Canon AUs: (8k+ words, AUs that take place in the GFFA)

Nostos: Technically a sequel to Symposium. It explores would happen if you took the dynamic established in Symposium and then put the characters in the canon end of Attack of the Clones. How would their behavior be impacted? How would the Jedi react to their decisions? Suckerpunch: Set during the Clovis arc, after Anakin had his jealous fight. Obi-Wan checks on him, and learns about both his marriage and the Tuskens. He doesn't want to lose his apprentice to the dark side, or a Senator. Ready Stance: Anakin is bored during a hyperspace journey during the clone wars, so he asks Obi-Wan to spar. Obi-Wan watches him warm up, they spar, and things escalate. This fic explores more core facets of their relationship, like the legacy teaching dynamic. Found, Fixed: Post-Zygerria Obi-Wan hurt/comfort. It’s similar to Unwrap, Wrap, except it’s told from Anakin’s POV and is much more explicit. It’s one of my rare bottom!Obi-Wan fic, he gets taken care of and comforted from being whumped so hard by the show. Anakin Sucks: Anakin has an oral fixation and it drives Obi-Wan to distraction over the course of the Clone Wars, 5+1 crack taken very seriously lol Make War: show!era Obi-Wan after fighting Vader on Mapuzo shares a dream with him while suspended in bacta. Warning for noncon!! Now with a second chapter set after their near miss on Jabiim. Third chapter based on the kenobi show finale hopefully will be out soon!

A/B/O Stories: (AUs that have this squicky trope, all set in GFFA)

Warm Blood: A/B/O fic that people seem to enjoy. Features omega Anakin having a suppressant failure on the battlefield and going into heat. Alpha Obi-Wan has to fight his way to him, and then tries to resist his instincts—until Anakin confesses his true feelings. Run Away With Me: A/B/O sequel to Warm Blood, tells the story of what happened after the mating, how they left the Jedi and what they’ve been doing. Anakin is preparing to go into heat, and Obi-Wan is helping him nest. Set during Revenge of the Sith, though they don’t know what’s happening in their isolation. Temporary Like Achilles: A/B/O fic. Alpha Obi-Wan is drugged by Dathomirian Nightsisters into a feral state, omega Anakin finds and rescues him. It's a fuck or die with feelings and ultimately a happy ending. Heat Haze: A/B/O fic. Alpha Obi-Wan is living alone on Tatooine, 10yrs post Mustafar. Omega Anakin is about to go into his first heat, and is searching for his mother during the Attack of the Clones. The Force shifts Anakin into the future, bringing the two together in time for Anakin’s heat to begin. Heat Shimmer: A/B/O fic. Alpha Obi-Wan is on Geonosis during Attack of the Clones, investigating. Preheat omega Darth Vader is on Geonosis 13 years later, and the Force decides to move him back in time for his heat. They fight, but it's impossible to fight some insticts. Give Up, Give In: A/B/O fic. Qui-Gon lived AU. Omega Obi-Wan is dosed with a heat inducer during a mission. Alpha Anakin who has loved the older Knight forever doesn’t handle that very well. Ends with Service Top Anakin, a favorite of mine

Longer Modern AUs: (8k+ words, developed AUs that attempt to model the canon dynamic in everyday life)

My Anankē: Classics AU is built on the premise that Obi-Wan would never break the rules re: teacher/student fraternization. He would rather endure years of mutual pining than act inappropriately. Once Anakin’s graduated though, that’s a different story. These are oneshots telling the story of their relationship. It is not told in chronological order, so each one basically opens up another window into their lives. Soulbound: Obi-Wan is a bossy lawyer who plays World of Warcraft. Anakin is an insecure veteran who is in Obi-Wan’s guild and drives him insane. They meet randomly in a bar, and Obi-Wan realizes that Anakin acts the way he does because he likes to be bossed around—so he bosses him around. Zone of Truth: Obi-Wan basically helped raise Anakin through being his Big Brother mentor through a local gaming shop, eventually teaching him to drive and getting him an internship etc. Anakin graduates college and Obi-Wan turns into a ghost, for very good reasons, it turns out. Anakin’s betrayed him, and he’s betrayed himself.

Shorter Smutty AUs: (shorter stories, canon + AUs)

Snap, Crackle, Pop: Padawan Anakin gets braid tugging and spanking after behaving very badly during the Battle of Muunilinst early in the Clone Wars. Tilted: Anakin wakes up after Mortis in a female body and hides, struggling to come to terms with the change. Obi-Wan comes to check on him and reassure him, smut ensues. Make Your Siren’s Call: show!era Obi-Wan struggles to fall asleep in the cave from the photoshoot, and dreams about his old apprentice, full of guilt, angst, and smut Stress Relief: Sith-like/Dom!Obi-Wan is rough on eager!Anakin in their Temple apartment, plays on Master/Padawan dynamic. Unperishing Glory: Homeric AU, Anakin is Achilles-type Chosen One and Obi-Wan is his Patroclus-type mentor-friend, angsty sex Murder Puppy: Playful!Obi-Wan seduces raisedSith!Anakin during a duel, bringing him back to the light during sex. People seem to really like this one, it is one of the things I get the most asks about. I have plans for a short story to expand, it’s on the WIP list I promise. Unwelcome Guest: An AU where Obi-Wan couldn't strike Anakin down on Mustafar. Suitless!Vader comes to find him on Tatooine, and wants to be punished for mistakes, there is spanking involved. Rosetta Stone: Based on the Mummy, an AU where Obi-Wan is a librarian and Anakin is a former soldier, and they defeated a mummy together. Obi-Wan is oblivious and repressed, so Anakin has to be very forward. Safe as Houses: Based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Anakin is the slayer and Obi-Wan is his Giles-like librarian watcher. Anakin seeks Obi-Wan out in crisis and Obi-Wan takes care of him. The Outlander: Obi-Wan fell to the dark on Naboo AU, so Qui-Gon is Anakin’s Master instead. Anakin sneaks out of the Temple to a club to meet possessive Obi-Wan, there is smut against a wall outside, and Anakin falls to the dark side. Please, Daddy?: Daddy kink fic. Features a bratty Anakin, sex pheromones, spanking and just general daddy!filth. A New Hope: Anakin never left Tatooine AU. He becomes a Han Solo-type pilot who helps a rebel!Obi-Wan escape the Empire. He’s a touch starved, praise starved, virgin who’s insecure about his missing hand. Obi-Wan takes good care of him. Communication, What Communication: Organized Crime AU with collegeStudent!Anakin and accidentalSugarDaddy!Obi-Wan, gratitude kink haha. This fic has been picked up and turned into the phenomenal multichapter story Recoil and Ricochet by @wernnaa.

Potidaea, 432BC: Alcibiades!Anakin and his tutor Socrates!Obi-Wan fight together in the phalanx. Armor kink and period-accurate intercrural sex ensue lol. Minikin and Tiny-Wan: Fluff and crack based on the premise that there are tiny figurines of the Jedi that are alive (kind of like the little dragons in the goblet of fire). Obi-Wan and Anakin each get one, and their Tinys enjoy each other’s company, leading to an awkward but useful conversation. #BinGate: Great British Bake Off AU, Anakin is a contestant who lost his temper and destroyed his bake, Obi-Wan is a judge who enjoys scolding Anakin. Let Me, Master: Padawan Obi-Wan, shy demisexual Master Anakin, Obi-Wan throws caution to the wind and finally seduces his clueless Master, smut ensues with bottom Obi-Wan. Anakin, Duke of Vader, Prince of Coruscant: Anakin is a bratty, troubled prince and Obi-Wan is his unimpressed knight bodyguard. Anakin cries, showing true vulnerability, and Obi-Wan realizes he has a kink for that lmao Sic Transit Gloria Mundi: Sexually frustrated after sparring with his Master, Anakin decides to visit the glory hole in the locker room. Little does he know, he’s not the only one. Boy Toy: Obi-Wan is a fashion designer and Anakin is a first time model. They’ve just finished a boytoy themed photoshoot and get trapped together in an elevator Brotherhood: Anakin is a college student in a spiral after the death of his mother, and his father Qui-Gon left for a trip, leaving his much older step-brother Obi-Wan, who he doesn't know very well, in charge. Obi-Wan picks Anakin up from jail, and the argument goes places. Hard Racing: Anakin is a Formula 1 driver and Obi-Wan is his team principal. After an accident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where he ran into his teammate, he is sore, tired, and afraid of getting demoted from his spot. Obi-Wan comes to his hotel to reassure him of his value to him and the team. Beer and Paint: Obi-Wan and Anakin are both apprentices to famous artist Qui-Gon. Anakin has tattoos/piercings/blue streak in his hair, and Obi-Wan is obsessed. Sloppy art and drunk sex ensue.

Smutty +F fic AUs: (short fics that includes Padmé or Ventress)

Très Lecherous: Padmé and Obi-Wan agree to share subby!Anakin, this fic is all three together, and includes DP if that is your jam. Blue Shadow Virus: continuation of above AU, Padmé almost died on Naboo and Anakin doesn’t take it well. Obi-Wan and Padmé dom him into relaxing Post-Revenge: Set after the episode of TCW where Ventress rescues Obi-Wan from Maul and Savage. This is only Ventress/Obi-Wan, but Anakin is extremely present in the fact that Ventress uses Obi-Wan's secret feelings for Anakin to incite him into hate sex. Plus Anakin Makes 3: Sort of a sequel to the Post-Revenge fic, Anakin discovers Obi-Wan and Ventress having a tryst, decides to participate rather than freak out, so more DP haha.

Collaborations: (stories i co-authored with friends)

Apartment Story: Post-Deception arc reconciliation fic, where Obi-Wan is drunk and Anakin is angry. Feelings are revealed, and comfort, understanding and smut ensues. Written with my friend @whohatessandas a RP and adapted into a story. Satellite Mind: What would happen if Obi-Wan could hear Anakin’s thoughts? Spoiler: it does not go well. Set during the last few days of the clone wars, and tracks how their relationship combusted over Anakin’s secrets. Written with @theseptemberist.

#thanks for stopping by <3

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blackstarregulus79 · 8 months

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What marauders era modern day favirote songs would be in my opinion.

Regulus - Cigarettes After Sex and mitski (star by mitski end of argument and starry eyes for Cigarettes After Sex. end of argument okay, i an talking wired ear buds tucked into an oversized hoodie with a sketch book as he sketches and water colors. no fucking argument.)

Pandora- AURORA (this one was hard but then i listened to queendom and then the whole Infections of a different kind (part one) album and yes. just yes. picture pandora and regulus sharing a headphone listening to this or like her with air pods in dancing to this sing alone in her room at 3 am with out a fucking care in the world.)

Barty TX2 or Manskin maybe both (hear me out i have posted about the tx2 thing before and i dont have a lot of explanation for that one but like 1/2 of manskins songs are in Italian and i fucking love Italian barty and if you think Barty would scream I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE at the top if his lung your are wrong my friend.)

Evan- arctic Monkeys (i know i have talked about goth evan and yes i do think he would be all over the scene this would be the music at his core he just feels with. example why'd you only call me when you're high is him thinking about barty)

Dorcas- paramore (the intire Riot! album is how i picture dorcas medows like i am picturing her with wired headphones with the volume too high as she dose some cool dorcas shit)

Sirius- canon grey (wolfstar just in genral but specifically in sirius pov -most times- but this is the music sirius would listen when he is sad and just wants to sit in it. and family line? come on, sirus would have it on spiker full volume when working on his motorcycle completely mixing vibes.)

James - ajr or we the kings ( i have reason okay hear me out, for ajr the music is all happy and upbeat but all the muisc is sad when you listen to the words, and that is james potter. he is all happy up front but deep down he struggles in silence never complaing or bating a smile. also sunshine state of mind album from we the kings ahhhhh so james fucking poter core.)

-also for james an honorable mention to miley cyrus-

Lilly - girl in red (i believe in lesbian lilly and fuck it dosent matter if it is for pandalilly or mary lilly or what ever even if you dont take in her relation ship for it i just think it is her whole vibe. like picture lilly in the morning cup of coffee and a scarf with this in the background.)

Peter- lewis capadi (the Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent album also his voice is exactly how i picture how peter would sound. like he would put it on and softly sing the lyrics as he works on a project or something and them sound exactly the same)

Remus- hozir ( this one took a while because ever band i picked started in the 80's and i wanted to pick bands that started post 2005 (i kept coming back to radio head and the smiths but after a while i figured out if pick any of Hozirs songs and i guarantee you can relate it to remus lupin in some way)

marline- billie eilish (therefore i am no question and ad guy fuck she would love it.)

mary- taylor swift (i dont need to argue this one.)

i feel like their re so many marauders bands out their and i missed so many bit these or the big more modern ones for me.

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littlewestern · 2 months

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if you’re still taking ship asks, thomas? and if not i understand!💙 ty either way

I sat here looking at this ask for about 45 seconds with a blank expression on my face because my knee-jerk reaction to people asking what I think about about Thomas is usually, "I don't think about him at all <3". This is both rude and not true.

I like Thomas in small doses! I like early season little shit Thomas who makes life harder on everyone around him because he's new and doesn't know anything, and I like later season CGI revisits to little shit Thomas so long as it doesn't get too obnoxious. One of my favorite things about the later seasons of Little Shit Thomas is how faithfully it hews to the source material.

There are two things that remain wholly consistent across the TVS canon Thomas iterations: 1) He hates his snowplow and 2) He has zero game. He gets absolutely no bitches. Negative rizz. Maidenless behavior. The only women who love him unconditionally are his coaches. I think this is one of the funniest things about his character.

Across the board, whenever he meets a girl engine in a serial episode, Thomas immediately starts beefing with them. Emily, Rosie, Ashima, Nia, Cleo. Granted, Thomas will beef with most new engines he meets at first because he's insecure and wasn't raised right, but with the girls it goes on without exception. And it's also funny, as I mentioned.

That said, this is the foundation for what is probably my favorite Thomas ship that NO ONE has ever heard of, of which I am the sole captain and which I will probably go to my grave defending.

GINA:

For what they are, the Italian characters in BWBA are probably some of the most overdeveloped side characters I've ever seen on this show. And for basically no reason, because no one besides DJ and I watched season 23 and paid attention.

That said, you might be surprised to hear that Gina is one of my favorite characters in the entire TVS and no I'm not even joking about this lol.

I love her design, I love how pretty she is, I love that she reads as a little bit older and more experienced without watering her down to something bland. In the episodes she shows up in, she demands all of your attention and I'm happy to give it because she's got this fantastic design and colorful personality I find eminently watchable. That on it's own is enough to make me like her.

But my favorite thing about Gina is that, like all the other female character mentioned above, she frequently gets into little arguments with Thomas. The difference here is that while Emily and Rosie and Nia and Ashima don't really let Thomas's immaturity get under their skin and move on from their arguments with him easily, Gina gets so upset when Thomas argues with her.

Like magic, this transforms the relationship from scanning as "coworkers having a disagreement" to "Gina cares what Thomas thinks about her, and the fact that she cares bothers her so much". It's hard to describe without having seen the episodes, so I do encourage you to watch All Tracks Lead To Rome to see what I mean. It;s fascinating behavior from an engine who, up until the point she starts arguing with Thomas, seems like she has her shit together. Then Thomas says some dumbass shit and she immediately lets it ruin her day.

it's like. You ever develop a crush on someone who is just... Like you can't stand them sometimes? But you still have a crush on them even when you're completely done with their shit? And you're mad at yourself for still thinking their dumb face is adorable and for letting it bother you so much because you can't stop thinking about their dumb adorable face even though you're mad? No? Just me?

Well. It's like that. And that is such a funny and refreshing way to approach a character dynamic, especially in this show where most of the side characters are One Note Nobodies.

tl;dr: Gina is morosexual. Thomas asked her what the Italian word for al dente was and now she dreams of kissing him under the moonlight. And she hates that so much.

Also go watch the Italy episodes of BWBA, they're great.

#ttte #thomas #gina #asks #anonymousboxcar

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mashounen1945 · 10 months

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The Sonic comics' ... everyone (haters, fans, the writer) disappoints the world once more

Hold on tight, people. It's Salty Mashounen Time (with an extra dose of clunky English, written by a momentarily cranky Spanish-speaker).

Here's my attempt at a TL;DR of what happened recently:

The people writing IDW's Sonic comic started doing a bit of "harmless" teasing for gay pairings widely supported by the fandom currently —namely SonicXShadow and WhisperXTangle—, both in the actual comic's pages and outside of them. In the comic itself, they drew a panel showing Whisper and Tangle together and holding hands with a background suspiciously similar to the lesbian pride flag; outside of the comic, in Ian Flynn's personal podcast BumbleKast, he and some friend of his had the idea of celebrating Pride Month by making some sort of 50% parody, 50% serious, 100% hypothetical (officially) "Sonadow Special" where they spent almost half an hour theorizing how a romantic relationship between Sonic and Shadow would probably go in an official Sonic story (they supposedly did it all as simple fans and nothing else, and neither SEGA nor Archie officially had anything to do with this).

Sadly, Sonic fans reacted with all the grace and elegance of English hooligans in the UEFA Euro 2020 final (that is, exactly as expected of them). The bigoted vocal minority (AKA the daily bread in Sonic comics discourse) started harassing Ian Flynn for this, as well as all the shippers of all the pairings that aren't either SonicXShadow or WhisperXTangle. To make matters worse, some fans who aren't bigots or even support one or both of these gay pairings also started harassing Ian Flynn, for various reasons: trying to force him to turn any of these pairings into canon; scolding him because he gave false hope to fans while knowing full well that SEGA would never allow any kind of romance between main and/or recurring minor characters (whether from the video games or from the comic's original cast) to take place in IDW-Sonic; scolding him for actually saying there was officially nothing romantic between Whisper and Tangle in the IDW comic and SonicXShadow wouldn't happen in canon; accusing him of bigotry because that friend starring as his co-host in the BumbleKast had allegedly made a few homophobic remarks at some point in the distant past...

Flynn responded to this whole mess and tried to clarify some things via the following Twitter thread:

I guess I can commend Ian Flynn for coming out and speaking to the fans like this. I'm still very critical of the story he's writing at IDW, and I still disagree at a fundamental level with his vision of the Sonic series and its cast, but he's a good person in the real world (at least as far as he lets the world know over the Internet); he's not a bigot like some Twitter users (of course) are saying, and out of everything he did as head writer of Sonic comics, considering the possibility of including queer characters and/or pairings is one of the very few aspects of his writing I don't have any problem with, and I can understand why it's so difficult for him to have a queer character/pairing materialize in the comic's story (now, if such thing is finally green-lit by both SEGA and IDW, I may have issues later with the idea's execution by Ian Flynn and co. in the story itself, since this already happened with some other good ideas Flynn came up with when he tried to actually put them on the panels of either IDW-Sonic or Archie-Sonic... but that's a different topic).

However, I can't help but feel jaded at him due to the very direct and reckless way he interacts with the fans. There are already arguments to be made for a content creator to maintain some healthy distance from their followers, but this especially applies to Ian Flynn: as someone who spent so much time dealing with the Sonic fandom while writing the comics (and even started his career as a Sonic fanfiction writer himself), he knows very well how neurotic Sonic fans (from any subset of fans) can get. There are also the added challenges that come with trying to introduce queer themes and also trying to get it right on the first try. The desperate thirst of the LGBTQ+ community for good representation in fiction is legendary (and justified since they're on the verge of genocide in the USA and the UK, which includes the very real fear of being not only physically wiped out but also wiped out from the collective memory of the peoples of their respective nations, the Alt-Right has already openly declared "culture war" on them), and on these issues, the old adage "don't make promises you can't keep" is more valid than ever: if you're not guaranteed that both your publishers and the IP owners will allow you to introduce queer themes into your story and also give you the freedom to deal with those themes as you see fit, you shouldn't even leave clues for the audience or put any hints or do any teasing, because the desperate LGBTQ+ audience is always going to take it as a sign that they finally have their representation secured, and then they'll get rightfully angry when that representation never happens or is insufficient or problematic.

All in all, engaging the fandom the way Flynn does is not only highly dangerous in multiple ways, but also some piss-poor PR on a similar level to what you'd normally expect from SEGA themselves. Now he regrets the fandom's reaction, and the fandom certainly sucks for doing crap like this, but to be fair, he should have seen it all coming.

And then there's the terrible long-term effect of this scandal. Due to this kind of reactions from bigoted vocal minorities in the Sonic fandom, the IDW comic had already become quite criticism-proof: any negative opinion is often labelled as "anti-SJW bullcrap" merely because the most vocal haters of Ian Flynn's Sonic stories used to be Alt-Right nutjobs, neck-bearded InCels living in their parents' basement and secretly (or not so secretly) lusting over female anthropomorphic animals, and reactionary conservatives absurdly nostalgic for Ken Penders. But now, IDW-Sonic will be seen more than ever as an unquestionable piece of top-class literature comparable to Sophocles's most iconic plays, thus worsening this "echo chamber" thing going on both among the fans and between them and the comic's writers.

I try not to believe in conspiracy theories, but a part of me is starting to think all of this was partially staged at least: perhaps Flynn realized the way he was writing the story for IDW-Sonic was alienating a lot of fans from multiple, pretty varied subsets, and now those fans could actually provide some reasonable arguments to back up their criticism rather than some predictable homophobic/misogynistic rant; maybe he genuinely thought IDW-Sonic is the best thing he ever wrote and even one of the best stories of its genre, so he just ignored all those readers he lost and focused on the readers he still has, or he agreed with some of that constructive criticism from disappointed fans and wanted to stop writing the comic like this (he does occasionally tone Sonic's "jerkiness" down for a few comic issues, before toning it back up for the next big crisis in the story) but SEGA had already grown fond of the "self-righteous asshole" Sonic, his hypocritical friends and the "bafflingly incompetent super-genius" Eggman created by Flynn for the IDW comic; in any case, Flynn could have amped up the "technically not official" gay innuendos in the actual comic and his podcast in order to get a reaction out of those few bigots in the fandom (and also to get a reaction out of hardcore shippers, who are another vocal minority of Sonic fans with their own issues), then let his readers' blind devotion and the Sonic fandom's paranoia do the rest, making any potential critic of IDW-Sonic be dismissed as either "pro-shipper obsession" or "just the same miserable crap as the Far-Right weirdos" or even both.

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

PS:

If you still feel like going out on the Internet and calling into question any of Ian Flynn's or his crew's artistic/writing choices (either in their role as official Sonic content creators or in any other "informal" situation such as their podcasts, social media accounts and personal forums), feel free to do so (as long as you try to do constructive criticism and aren't bigoted or too disrespectful, of course) but forget about invoking "Sonic Team's original vision", or pointing out any difference between the IDW comic and other pieces of official Sonic content, or pointing out incongruences between the IDW comics and the videogames of whose stories it's supposed to be a continuation, or anything like that. Some purist fans like to imagine SEGA and Sonic Team are the guardians of good/accurate portrayals, but that's just not true and was probably never true: either they don't give a damn about how Sonic is portrayed in the West anymore, or they do care, but they totally allow and endorse —either by action or omission— the current Western Sonic content (along with this sort of comeback of the infamous planned differentiation between Japanese source material and localized Western versions), regardless of whether they do so by action or omission; for all intents and purposes, the "bastardized" Western version of Sonic, whether or not you like it more than Japanese "original" Sonic, is currently part of Sonic Team's artistic vision as much as the videogames made in Japan are (IIRC, I've already talked about this in a previous post shortly before the release of Sonic Frontiers).

In any case, most of the fandom was always wrong in one way or another about Ian Flynn and his dynamic with SEGA: contrary to what his fans may think, any flaws of the IDW comic ain't due to Flynn and his co-writers' creativity being held down by SEGA or its mandates, and contrary to what purist fans may think, he's not irreparably ruining Sonic forever (at least, not as far as SEGA and Sonic Team are concerned).

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laurabwrites · 1 year

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Plotting out loud, because I can. Glimmerglanger/Star Wars edition.

I read a fun smut Padmé/Obi-Wan piece from @glimmerglanger (another author I will read basically anything they write) that had a an interesting author end note:

....and the galaxy is saved because when Anakin tries to flirt with Padmé she goes, "Sorry, kiddo, not interested," because she's busy trying to arrange a time and place when she, Obi-Wan, and anyone else who wants to get down can all meet up.

And being me, I decided to plot out how this AU changes the timeline/plot. Because I can. And maybe if I do, it’ll stop knocking around my head.

So, relevant ‘plot’ points to this exercise for those who don’t want to read smut:

In Attack of the Clones, Anakin took a minor injury chasing Zam Wesell and went back to the Temple for treatment.

Padmé and the handmaids had crushes on Obi-Wan in The Phantom Menace.

Most of Padmé’s sexual experience up to this point has been with her handmaids (and they with each other).

Padmé initiates; the sex is very good; Padmé’s reaction is “I should see if he’s up for an orgy with the handmaids, they deserve something this nice.”

So! How I would plot out what comes next:

1) Anakin still tries to flirt with Padmé. It’s just as embarrassing as in the movies. Padmé decides to bring one of her handmaids with her to Naboo, hoping she’ll act as a buffer with Anakin. Let’s pick Dormé.

Dormé tells R2 to hang around Padmé when Anakin is there & don’t be afraid to use his arc welder/taser if he gets too pushy

2) The sojourn on Naboo is going to include fewer picnics and more Anakin bugging Padmé while she’s working with Dormé on Senatorial work. I see this leading to at least one argument about political structures.

Dormé totally yells at Anakin that he’s proposing fascism

How can a former slave think the scaled up version of what he suffered is a good idea?!?

Well the Chancellor could get so much more done if—

Dormé slaps massive history tome down on table

3) Padmé has good memories of Shmi, so they still go to Tatooine once Anakin shares he’s having nightmares.

4) Anakin does a Mass Murder™️ out of Revenge™️

5) When Anakin has his little ranting confession to Padmé (because he’s thinks they’re closer than Padmé feels), R2 starts pretending to be shutdown in the corner and gets a recording of his confession. Because Padmé is not interested in Anakin romantically, her little “anger is human” part of the speech also includes a “and I’m going to be very careful not to trigger the anger of this person who can throw things with his mind and has a sword that can bisect people easily.” mental clause. It’s a textual medium instead of a visual one. I get to include internal thoughts.

6) MEANWHILE, Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan got a nice dose of happy brain chemicals before starting his hunt and has gotten a decent amount of sleep while bouncing around the galaxy chasing down this attempted assassin. Obi-Wan digs in a little further at Kamino compared to the movies canon. He gets a copy of the contract from the Kaminoans. He ducks meeting Jango until after talking to some of the Alpha class (who introduce him to a couple of their proteges). Jango cannot hurry luring Obi-Wan to Genosis because he cannot find Obi for a couple days.

When Obi-Wan does talk with Jango there’s a lot more “why are you building an army for the Republic” and more paying attention in the Force to his answers.

Obi-Wan has concerns™️

Obi-Wan sends his concerns to the Council and Anakin with instructions to boost his signal to the Council and make sure it gets there. Also DO NOT COME.

7) Genosis. Obi-Wan sneaks around Genosis for a little bit longer before getting caught. He gets a little more information back to the Council. When Dooku says “there’s a Sith in the Senate”, Obi-Wan says “evidence or I think you’re lying to sow discord and ignore you.”

8) Padmé and Anakin get caught on Genosis just as fast as in the movie. Dormé and R2 do not get caught. They feed technical info about the droids and on the ground tactical information to the arriving Jedi and clone rescue force. The rescue force tries a more diversionary attack expecting Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé to get themselves out of the arena. Fewer clones and Jedi die. It’s still a shitshow with terrible numbers of casualties. Just fewer than in the movie.

9) Anakin still goes after Dooku. He still looses his arm. Dooku still gets away. Padmé and Anakin do not kiss, and do not sneak off to Naboo to get married.

10) Anakin is brought back to the Temple to start healing and doing PT for his new space-future prosthetic arm (see recent writing advice re:arm amputations and why they’re portrayed unrealistically). Obi-Wan is sent off on a mission with Alpha-17. Padmé, Dormé, and R2 speak with the council about Tatooine — the council diverts a Shadow to Tatooine for more evidence to back up the decision they know they’ll have to justify to the Senate.

11) Obi-Wan’s mission goes badly. He and Alpha-17 are captured and tortured by Ventress. Word of this reaches the Council and Anakin...

12) After his mother’s death, Anakin has slotted Obi-Wan into the ‘must not die, will burn down the Galaxy’ slot that Padmé occupied in movie canon. Padmé has made herself unavailable for the role since they’re not in a romantic relationship (although Anakin would like to and plans to continue pursuing her). So Anakin subconsciously choose the other parental figure in his life, instead of the female person he cares most about.

13) Anakin freaks the fuck out, runs off to Kamino, grabs the 212th being assembled for Obi-Wan’s return from this mission (which includes Rex and Cody), says he’s the General’s Padawan/Commander, and they’re going to go rescue Obi-Wan.

14) Anakin did not have an assignment to do this. Anakin is disobeying direct orders to come the fuck back to the Temple. Anakin takes the 212th and runs silently. No one in the 212th knows that they’re not in communication with the rest of the GAR and are in danger of being declared AWOL.

15) Obi-Wan or Alpha escape long enough to send a transmission to the GAR before getting recaptured. The 212th pick up the signal and rescue Obi-Wan and Alpha. Obi-Wan contacts his superiors (the Council and GAR military) and gets informed of the situation with Anakin. Obi-Wan orders them all back to Coruscant.

16) The dressing down of Anakin is a) in the medbay before Obi-Wan is dunked in a bacta tank and b) EPIC. Phrases used include “My life is not worth all of these men!” and “Do you have any idea what happens to AWOL clones?!” Obi-Wan has to arrest Anakin for fear the boy will accidentally start a mutiny by ordering the ship NOT to go to Coruscant.

17) The Jedi Council. Anakin and Obi-Wan think they’re there for Anakin’s punishment for absconding with the 212th and disobeying order. Nope. Surprise. You done did a mass murder. Into Jedi jail you got to go Anakin. “It’s not fair! You need me in this war!” excuse me? “They’re just animals” excuse me? “The chancellor didn’t think I did anything wrong?” ex-fucking-cuse me? say that one again.

18) So yeah, Anakin goes to Jedi jail, the Jedi Council decides to hide that fact to figure out the Chancellor’s involvement in that and prevent him from ordering the Jedi to release Anakin, Shadows start investigating the Chancellor (plus keep an eye on the Coruscant guard who have to interact with him), and sad Obi-Wan goes back to war while trying to investigate his concerns™️ about the Kaminoans and the clones (which is where I want the discovery of the chips to come in, but like, later. In a different story in the series. One where Ahsoka is Obi-Wan’s Padawan.

And yes, Padmé and crew do occasionally meet up with Obi-Wan during the war for some mutually fun sex.)

#writing #am writing #fanfiction #writeblr #star wars #plotting #wip #plotting out loud #long post #good grief #how do other authors make those pithy 5 point bullet posts that are hilarious and outline an entire story #believe it or not I see the series ending with Padmé/Sabé and Codywan

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lesbianralzarek · 1 year

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Do you have any headcanons about ral zarek?

oh boy, do i!

im 100% sure that he built the thaumatic compass, but i think it would be funny if he had been approached by tez about it, assumed that tez would be the one to use it, and then made it kinda finicky and awkward on purpose so that tez would try to fix it and end up breaking it and being stuck on ixalan (and out of ral's hair) forever. he would probably be a lil sorry if he learned that vraska was the one who had to use it, but only a lil

he naturally has a more olive skin tone but he never goes outside so hes just sickly pale all the time

he goes to see hekara whenever shes performing a big role but he doesnt really care about anyone else so he does paperwork until one of his assistants points out when shes on stage so he can pay attention for a minute

didnt know that blue raspberries arent real because he consumes a lot more energy drinks than fresh produce

for a long time he only hired women so that he could put his bed and shit in the men's restroom that came with his lab. this meant that he only ever saw men at, like, gay bars and kinda became a bit of a misandrist sdfghhgfds. diversity win

in our world he would say that his favorite movie is the martian, which he does like, but its really fast and furious tokyo drift

"would you fuck your clone?" is not at all a hypothetical. the izzet league has cloning. ral has absolutely already fucked his clone

understands the threat that phyrexia poses. still really wants to know what he would look like as a phyrexian

the other planeswalkers who hadnt met him before wots think that hes really nice but hes actually just nice to them because hes a planeswalker supremacist

edited this one out because it directly contradicted canon (tho that canon makes no sense but w/e)

cannibal. not in the passive "well, im not gonna ask whats in this mystery food vendor meat" way that basically every ravnican is, but in the "actively seeks out human meat when available" way

cut off his own foot during an argument about how great izzet prosthetics are. he has built-in heelies now

hates pets but tomik has a lil thrull made from the skin of his dead parents, so ral cant convince him to get rid of him. his name is mosce and he wears a lil suit and sleeps at the foot of their bed during thunderstorms. he can understand speech but cant speak, just make weird whale noises. pets arent allowed in their apartment so tomik has him registered as his accountant

that is a kamigawa tattoo but because their magic tied to the land, it doesnt really do anything on ravnica besides look cool. while he was talking to the wanderer about planeswalking he excitedly explained all about kamigawa and the whole time she was just... staring at the tattoo that clearly telegraphs how he was part of the criminal underground there

likes theros in small doses, but doesnt like having to shit outside. the entire time he was there he batted his eyelashes real pretty at the abundance of queer men there so that he didnt have to buy anything. at one point everyone started calling him a son of keranos, so given how gods on theros only work on the basis of people believing in them, he was momentarily a demigod. his inflated ego still wasnt enough to make him stay

went full crazy ex on a guy by starting a fight because he was bored, driving his car-equivalent off a cliff, planeswalking away at the last minute leaving only an item of his clothing behind so that it becomes a "wheres the rest of the body?" cold case, and then planeswalking back a decade later wearing all white so that its unclear if hes a ghost or not and the guy never knows closure

"how does someone as kind and well-behaved as tomik end up with someone like ral?" tomik is the stand-in boss for the catholic mafia. he is also a lil fucked up

ral is, like, genuinely actually nice to the people he likes. this one is canon but i just felt like reiterating. theres no weird scheme going on with him and all of his high-ranking friends (+ husband) in other guilds. sometimes bitches just have besties

he knows that vraska is dating jace. he knows that vraska fucks. for some reason he is unable to conceive of the idea that jace fucks

one time he bit off emmara's index finger and spit it back out at her. emmara says that shes willing to overlook it (lying) but ral doesnt feel like he was in the wrong there (he was) so he just gets mad every time she suggests burying the hatchet. "oh, how noble of you to demand that i forgive you for all youve done to me!" etc etc. homophobia doesnt exist on ravnica except for emmara, who invents new slurs every time she sees that man

#mtg #ral zarek

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fountainpenguin · 5 months

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Hate That I Love You 12,5,4,3

[Current Ask game]

130 Prompts #22 - Hate That I Love You - Read on AO3

#ridspoilers

12: What do you like least about this fic?

I don't think there's anything I dislike about this 'fic. It's one of my pride & joys <3 There are several tweaks I would make to H.P.'s family tree if it weren't set in stone, but other than that, I like it.

I think it's one of my most creative character and plot ideas and contains one of my best argument scenes. I love Ambrosine. Something is so very wrong with him and you really get to see that in this piece in a way you don't for any other he appears in. My man did all of it and I care (about him).

My main "issue" with it is that it's backstory for an unpopular character, who is a toddler in this scene when he's an old man in the canon (Bigger investment and learning curve for readers), and the lore here is woven in with my longfic, which makes this piece difficult to recommend to others.

If anything else, since it's 5 years old I'm sure it could use a polish to bring it up to my current writing style. There are places that read choppier to my ear than they used to. But then, I'm literally millions of words deep in my FOP content now, so getting sucked into nitpicking it wouldn't go over well. Every now and then on a reread I stumble across a line written in a style I've outgrown and I do change it, but mostly I leave my stuff intact.

Overall, I'm happy with this piece. Like I said, I love Ambrosine. Hands down one of my best OCs. Absolutely not in a morally way, but in his twisted, anxiety-induced haze.

3: What's your favorite line of narration?

That leads well into the next question about narration I like, because I still love this unhinged exchange between two parents who just threw their crying son off a balcony:

Ambrosine sighed and reached into his pocket. Holding the forget-a-cin canister in front of his son's eyes, he pushed down the top and flashed the light. The pre-bottled magic jumped like a spark from the canister to his forehead. Fergus staggered backwards, rubbing his face with both palms, and went over the edge of the balcony again. His square wings snapped out, desperately beating to no avail. Both parents watched his tumble with lips pressed together hard. Solara nudged Ambrosine with her shoulder. "See, that wasn't so bad. How many doses do you have left?" Ambrosine checked the label on the canister. "Eight. And I sh-should be taking notes for class tomorrow."

Specifically, what makes this scene for me is the way Ambrosine checks how many doses are left on that can. It's just haunting and perfect to me. It simultaneously conveys how little concern he has and implies he's willing to keep this up until the end... even though his infant son is screaming and pleading at him to stop.

Also, the idea that this is all for a school project on central test theory is just... yeah (Central test theory is something I had to learn formulas for while getting my psych major, and the whole thing drove me nuts because, I kid you not, the basic explanation of central test theory is that if you had the ability to erase someone's memories a lot of times, you could have them perform a test over and over and whatever the average of their test scores is, that's their true score. I was not the biggest fan of that class).

Ambrosine living in a world where central test theory is real is just. awful, with the implication that he doesn't really see what he's doing as wrong, because hey... It's part of his major!

I can see a lack of polish in this scene that I'd tweak if I were writing this piece now, but the "checking the label" bit would definitely remain untouched.

Later in this piece (as well as in Origin), Ambrosine does some pretty messed up stuff. These little moments are a core part of his character to me, because the big stuff - like getting one of his grandkids literally addicted to shapeshifting on purpose - IS messed up, but that's nothing new for Ambrosine. He's always been "off." It's why he goes and does things like name his daughter after the name H.P specifically told him he might want for his own kid someday.

You can see Ambrosine's weird behavior in the way his filter breaks, even from the very first chapter of Origin of the Pixies, when he slips out of his prim and proper character long enough to tell Mr. Thimble, "Well, you're super annoying and I don't like you at all," which is far more juvenile than most of his dialogue (In itself a nod to H.P.'s bizarrely casual dialogue in FOP canon).

You also see this part of his character in the way Ambrosine disrespects Anti-Fairy culture (Everything from avoiding certain phrases around Anti-Cosmo in Frayed Knots to straight-up confronting H.P. in Origin and telling him his ancestors would be disappointed that he would dare form a friendship with Anti-Bryndin).

I like Ambrosine because I think he fits well in the FOP world, which is populated by ambiguously bad parents who aren't easy to cut ties with. He's a pleasant, chill guy who runs an honest business. He spared his teen son's life after a duel to the death. He took his adult child in when he showed up with baby Sanderson in tow.

He gave H.P. a decent childhood, even taking him to sports games. But that's the point. He's this blurry figure that H.P. has incredibly mixed feelings about and can't cut out of his life, especially when he ends up raising dozens and hundreds of pixies and needs all the help he could get.

Ambrosine's always been a nervous character, and his behavior stems from a background of abuse, tough expectations in his youth, having a kid while at the Fairy Academy, a war he was forced into, the burden of suddenly becoming his cruel father's sole surviving heir... yeah. Ambrosine, my beloved...

[Cnt'd under the cut]

5: What part was hardest to write?

Mmm... This piece contains some early character studies I did (which I tweaked and put in the italicized sections). I actually enjoy writing romantic / steamy scenes for character study purposes because I feel like it helps me strip a character down to their raw state and evaluate them better.

I have a few Ambrosine and Solara scenes that I've never posted and never intended to (because... OC parents of a character who's elderly in show canon; we don't need to put that on the fanfic website). I actually have them formatted nicely on a separate site because I've debated sharing them over the years, but it never felt right to me. They're vanilla fade to black scenes, but there are lines in there I love.

If people are interested then I might post them on AO3, but again, they're OCs and the FOP fandom is pretty quiet these days, so probably not. Maybe if I build my confidence with other pieces first.

Anyway, I genuinely like those early character studies, so taking those and trying to reformat them in a way that fit this piece was difficult. I think I'd do it differently or not include them at all if I were to redo it now, but I wanted to share those scenes because I had them and I liked them.

4: What's your favorite line of dialogue?

She swallowed. Her hand moved up to the place where he had held the canister. She took her hair between her fingers and clenched it tight. "Amby, I'm sorry. I love you - the good you - but this isn't working, and it's not fair. Please." Her voice left spiderwebbing cracks across the word. "Please let me go." "I can't do that." "Please, Amby. I think it would be for the best if we just-" "I know what will make you stay." Before she could grab his hand, Ambrosine shoved the canister against his own temple and blasted it. He heard Solara screech his name before his eyes rolled back in his head. His arm went over the railing, his knees were falling, and the only thing left to see was white. … So, why was he in the hospital?

Top contender for one of my favorite scenes I've ever written. I hope it came across well to readers, but I really like it. The cutting off your girlfriend / mother of your child with "I know what will make you stay" before you blast yourself with a memory wipe is just... awful. Ambrosine is... I really like him.

Personally, I think this scene was done really well. It's not a morally good thing to do, but I think I built things up so you can understand Ambrosine's desperation. Also, I think Ambrosine turning the canister on himself (after repeatedly using it on his child and partner) was a good move that makes logical sense in the story flow and hopefully wasn't obvious before this moment.

I wanted it to really come across as this "blast" moment where the reader gets thrown into this horrible situation alongside Solara, and I think it worked. It's my favorite. I would've been tempted to use this scene in an original work, but FOP canon just lends itself much more neatly to "people carrying memory wiping stuff around," so there's that.

Thanks for asking!

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pzfr · 5 months

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What controversies/drama would your character incite in fandom?

Are there any tropes fandom would put upon your character, for better or for worse?

META ASKS:If Your OC Was Canon.

What controversies/drama would your character incite in fandom?

I think people would claim he's actually supposed to be an 'Evil Superman' because he's not an absolute cinnamon roll of innocence and his anxiety isn't the cutesy easy to calm down variety. And because he gets furious with the power structures that harmed him and which continue to harm others.

Also he'd get 15 minutes of shame getting lumped into the worst depths of powerscaling arguments.

Are there any tropes fandom would put upon your character, for better or for worse?

I think people would make day-to-day Rex so naive it's painful. They'd overplay how foolish/silly/etc. he can be where it goes beyond a dose of slapstick and they won't engage with him or his story in any other way. Just as bad as anyone talking exclusively about the 'dark' moments.

But then. I do have a little faith some fans would actually like analyze things and discuss stuff. I wanna work in various twists and turns, tragedies and hopes that are equal parts poetic and science fiction but also the strong moments in an action anime/manga that hinge on character interaction as much as the spectacle, like Saint Seiya or Pluto are capable of. idk

#[ooc] out of orbit #[ask] letters column #saiyanandproud

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ultraericthered · 11 months

Text

Star Driver - To The Guy Who Didn’t Get It

It seems like whole decades have gone by since the early 2010s and it makes me feel so old, yet I tend to forget how somewhat different the online fandom/social media scene was compared to now, especially in regards to critiques of then-still running shows done on blogs. And I happened upon one on Blogger (Anyone remember that blogging site? Does anyone still use it?) by an anime reviewer who blogged his thoughts on different anime episodes after they’d aired. And back then in 2010-2011, Star Driver was one such anime.

To say he wasn’t a fan would be almost understating it given the scathing remarks he blogged about it on a weekly basis. While obviously his thoughts and feelings on it and mine could not differ more, I understand that people have different tastes and that’s perfectly acceptable and right even. ...But y’know the saying that goes “you’re entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts and logic?” If your argument for or against something is based in illogical fallacies and disregard for objectivity and truth, even the sort of objective truth in regards to what’s groundded in what is canonical to works of fiction, it’s not a good argument and deserves to be torn apart. It doesn’t help that this blogger was that sort of pseduo-critic anime snob who had some ideas about how good storytelling, character writing, worldbuilding, and overall execution of a made-for-TV animated series should look like that I don’t think has aged very well on today’s online world. So even though it was years ago and on a whole ‘nother site, I just HAVE to rip this hater a new one here!

On Episode 1:

...wait, what the Hell is going on in this show? It's only episode one and I already feel mired in things that I don't understand, a sense of confusion that only feels all the more jarring after the sudden change in gears from comedy school setting to giant robots and people with masks jabbering about Cybodys. I'm sure this sense of confusion is kind of the point, and that all will be explained in due course, but I can't help but feel that this plunge into "the science bit" was a little too sudden - had it come at the very start of the episode it might have worked, but in jerking us out of our previous sedate reverie it just feels wrong.

In Which Anime Blogger Complains About The Entire Effing Point. The series is meant to hook you in here because you’re sent reeling from what’s going on, because you’re confused and don’t understand what’s being talked about and what’s being done, because of the tonal whiplash and clashing between two types of shows that leads to such insane high octane action and unashamed campiness. There is no “kind of” about it, it is absolutely the point. I swear that this came up elsewhere on the blog but this blogger was not familiar with the creators other works, mainly Revolutionary Girl Utena, and it constantly shows. If Star Driver, right out the gate, is How Not To Make An Anime, then Utena should’ve tanked and never recieved all the glowing critical praise it’s gotten over the years because it did all the exact same stuff with its storytelling and presentation. And he thinks the show needed to lead with the Cybodies and the Crux in order to let the viewer know that this wasn’t just some high school romcom anime and that we’d be in for some weird and exciting mecha stuff? Not only is that unimaginative and belittling of the audience’s intelligence, patience, and attention spans, but it misses that one of the earliest spoken lines was Wako saying “I smell a boy I don’t know”. The guarantee of silly weirdness was already given to us right there, we didn’t need to see the costumes and robots yet.

On Episode 2:

we finally come to what I'm guessing might well be our weekly dose of action, as Takuto and his Cybody Tauburn find themselves under attack by opponents looking for revenge, and of course the opportunity to get their more accomplished foe well and truly out of the way. While it looks for a moment as though they might succeed, in typical giant robot anime fashion Takuto steps things up a gear when he needs it most and wins the day once again. Hurrah! Again he shows he’s not watched Utena or any of the Sailor Moon shows, where this sort of usual “weekly dose of action” formula was common. And yes, that’s exactly how it goes. You figured it out!

On Episode 3:

On the other hand, it still feels like we're quite some way from understanding exactly what's going on, and I can't decided whether this is a good thing or not - it's certainly leaving me hungry to know more, but by the same token I feel like I need more information to actually settle into enjoying this show or otherwise.

“Can’t decided?” And no, it’s totally a good thing. If you’re spoonfed way too much information too soon, you coming to see the grand design of the series as it unfolds before your eyes and understanding it better wouldn’t be nearly so rewarding. The best stories give you only the most basic, general and digestible information right at the start, then more pieces of information come at you in gradual doses, big and small, so that the huge perspective-altering bomb drops of later on can come in naturally and feel earned. And once you have all the information and context behind everything, going back and looking over those earlier parts of the story that you’d first viewed through a lens of not knowing all information and context will make you see so much of what you’d seen and heard before in a new light.

Well, we're now three episodes in, and Star Driver remains little more than a pile of nonsense that doesn't know what it wants to be in terms of its plot. One minute it's a high school comedy, the next its some kind of harem show, then it's a drama of sorts before we move to the week's admittedly impressive action scenes where we get to watch some big robots fighting... now with added swords! I keep telling myself that there's something big, clever and more intricate in terms of the show's story just around the corner but I'm beginning to wonder - Star Driver is increasingly looking like some kind of "robot fight of the week" anime with little else to say for itself to the point of being wilfully obtuse.

Star Driver knew exactly what it wanted to be in terms of plot, what conclusions it wanted to reach, and how it wanted to reach them - this dude is the one who didn’t know. The high school comedy, harem and fanservice antics, and human drama aspects of the show are all core parts of the show’s identity when on the island outside of Zero Time and are pieces moving in tandem with one another to service not only the mecha anime action-adventure spectacle but the larger narrative, character arcs, and fundamental core themes. The “big, clever and more intricate something” was always right there, thinly veiled behind the campy, stupid, ridiculous “robot fights of the week” show, as that’s the sort of thing Igarashi likes to do.

A commenter on this blog also had this to say:

Seriously, at this point we can dispense with the rest of the show and just fast forward to the part where that caged girl starts singing. :)

Uh, no we can’t, because if we skipped the island stuff and only took in the Star Driver/Cybody shenanigans in Zero Time, everything the story culminates in by the grand finale, and the two arc finales before that, would have no meaning to us, as such meaning was only found in the parts of the show set within Southern Cross Island daily life.

On Episode 5:

I thought that perhaps the previous episode of Star Driver was paving the way for a slight shift in the show's formula and way of doing things... but no, I was wrong, as episode five proves to be another rinse and repeat affair which introduces a character, ties them in to the Glittering Crux brigade and then finishes with a Zero Time battle between said character against Takuto.

I can actually see his point here, at least. It’s rather strange that “Meaning Of The Mandrake” was placed after “Wako’s Song” rather than before it, ‘cause if it had been the other way around, the latter four episodes of the first arc would feel like they had more momentum of importance compared to the first four. The third arc had a similar issue in terms of where they placed the backstory episode - the middle arc (”Innocent Blue Chapter”) is the only one where they nailed the contents and the pacing pretty much perfectly.

Even though we're five episodes in now, I still can't figure out just what Star Driver wants to be (if it even knows itself) - last week's episode seemed set to shake things up a little before this instalment brought us back to the same old episode layout while playing its plot mostly for comic value, right up to our school nurse being defeated while she's checking Takuto out. Okay, that moment was pretty funny (and there were a few other giggles to be had from this episode), but I have to admit that it wasn't what I signed up to Star Driver for and it needs to do a whole lot more if it isn't going to join the rather considerable pile of forgettable mecha series that decorates the world of anime like some elephant's graveyard.

Yes, Star Driver knows what it is and what it wanted to be, this is a “you” problem here, Mr. Blogger. The fact that it does offer such big shakeups every three episodes or sometimes every other episode shows that Ikuhara and co. were well aware of what they were doing and how they wanted to play their cards. And oh, the sheer dumb of those later statements. If you “didn’t sign up to Star Driver” for all the goofy stuff that define it as Star Driver, maybe you should’ve thought twice about signing up for Star Driver! And if by even that point your impression of Star Driver was that it could wind up “forgettable” if it didn’t push for being more than what it was at the start, I just don’t know what to tell you. Youv’e got such a terrible attention span.

On Episode 6:

At last, this feels like a real step forward for Star Driver, away from its sometimes frivolous characters and plot progression towards what feels like a more solid footing.

Yes. That was the whole point. That was the whole PLAN. NIMROD!

On Episode 8:

Herein lies the major problem with Star Driver as it continues on its merry way - no matter what happens to the major characters within the show and no matter what developments emerge, it seems like the series is Hell-bent on keeping its episode format intact. This makes for a tiring and predictable viewing experience where we know exactly what's coming, but we still have to sit and wait for most of the episode for it to happen. This wouldn't be so bad if the build-up to the giant robot scraps were packed to the rafters with fascinating drama and character development, but this is rarely the case, instead leaving us with some rather overblown stuff that doesn't have any real impact. Sugata's plight should have made for a huge amount of potential, yet here we are with that part of the story seemingly resolved and yet virtually nothing was made of it. No matter how much I want to like Star Driver (and those fight sequences really are increasingly impressive), it just seems to disappoint me every time I try to give it another chance.

Once again, see Utena, which did the exact same thing of “Episode Format Status Quo Is God, But Not Necessarily An All-Mighty God”. That show had an entire midsection story arc where the conclusion was that its main villain and events were wiped from having ever existed and from the minds of other characters, as though the whole arc that spanned several episodes straight never happened - that’s something that should be decried as a giant time waster and a Filler Arc, but the effects of what happened in it and where it left our characters mattered greatly to the events to follow. A series doesn’t have to break its status quo and throw game-changing, character-effecting, crucially timed, urgently paced, high stakes developments at us every other episode in order to have narrative depth, character development, and plot progression. Sometimes, this way is good enough, where you have the gist of what the show’s all about and know what to expect and what you might predict, but may still be surprised, enthralled, and delighted by the execution and might even find you weren’t as ready for what you end up seeing as you thought you were going into the episode, meaning it’s NOT always a “tiring and predictable” experience, as you won’t always know EXACTLY what you’re in for in terms of the whens, hows, and whys of what gets played out in the story being told. During my rewatch, I noticed a lot of the good, juicy bits of drama and character development that were seeded into those breather periods on the island away from the Crux’s lair and out of Zero Time, and Sugata’s plight was far from resolved by Episode 8 - it simply was transitioned from one point to the next, as oftentimes when things reach an “end”, it’s actually just a phasing out of something that comes with a phasing in of something else semi-connected. The Adventure Of Life Goes On and all that.

If Star Driver was disappointing him, it’s because he set himself up for such disappointment first rather than go with the anime’s flow.

On Episode 10:

Star Driver has become dull and predictable, and there certainly wasn't anything on show this episode to change that. We're now even at the point where those previously spectacular mecha battles feel run of the mill, leaving us with little to look forward to each week. Something needs to break Star Driver out of its over-used mould, but at the moment I simply can't see anything capable of doing that.

Predictable, yeah. Dull? Hell no, hardly! And “I can’t see anything capable of doing that.” The You twins were RIGHT F**KING THERE!

On Episode 11:

So, another episode of Star Driver has passed, and I'm still utterly bored with its predictable layout and the knowledge that Takuto will always win his battle at the end of the episode one way or another. Even outside of the action, the whole story surrounding "Simone" felt horribly forced whilst proving to be equally dull in its own right. I'm seriously starting to think that this series is entirely beyond redemption now, but can I really drop a show after sinking almost six hours into it?

If he was so “utterly bored” of this show, what was he doing still writing these posts on it? Takuto having to win all of his battles at the end one way or another is a feature rather than a bug, and does not necessarily break immersion or enjoyment - a lot of the oldest comic books and action-adventure TV serials, the sort of stuff that inspired Star Wars, were like this, where the hero is allowed to be put in peril and leave the audience going “Oh no! How will they get out of this one?” without there being any hint of a doubt that they will indeed “get out of this one” in the end so that they can go on to their next thrilling adventure, rinse and repeat. It’s not super dramatic because it’s not made to be - it’s made to be FUN. It’s good old fashioned escapism and entertainment. If that’s not one’s cup of tea, then they ought to stop drinking it for no reason but to prove that they can.

On Episode 12:

While the comedy for this episode of Star Driver was far sharper than anything we've seen from the show of late, that's really all it has going for it as per usual - it got a few laughs, but was otherwise as dull and lifeless as ever. There are brief hints of movement courtesy of Kanako meeting and conversing with Mizuno, but considering we're effectively at the half-way point of this series it would be nice to see something other than the odd glacial snippet of plot progression. I too like to throw around words like “dull” and “lifeless” and “boring” and “tepid” and “predictable” and “frivolous” and “forgttable” and even “utterly” without really thinking about whether or not I’m applying them to anything that actually truly matches the meanings of those words but if they make me sound like a real critic who knows what the fuck he’s talking about then I use them, I R super smart! Again, the Black Rose arc from Utena’s midsection deserves mention here.

On Episode 13:

I really have nothing new to say about Star Driver now - it's utterly dull and lifeless, and the plot of this particular episode was plain to see within the first five minutes of the episode, making Takuto's eventual victory even more of a foregone conclusion then it was already. With no peril, danger or intense action to this show's name, what is the point exactly?

There it is again - “Dull and lifeless!” And in this episode’s case, it’s a Breather Episode and an actually well-placed one at that. I also described already what the point of the show is - to entertain and be fun, sincere and wholesome and even compelling to any who actually engage with it. It’s not a bad show, you’re just mean and joyless.

On Episode 14:

That said, I do have to point out that pretty much everything that was good about the second half of this episode was blatantly stolen from Evangelion (and more specifically its recent movies), but if pinching cool visual concepts and ideas from that series makes Star Driver better than I say go for it.

A mecha anime gets mind screwy and throws in some psychological and existential angst coupled with visual horrors? “Blatantly stolen” from Evangelion rather than just influenced by it! Overall, this episode hasn't left me with renewed confidence that this series has a clue what it's doing or what its end-game is, but it's at least managed to find a little more potential and promise to keep me watching for the time being. If only it hadn't taken so long to do so...

You’d had to have completely missed the underlining purpose of this episode to come to that conclusion. Everything about the Ayingott project and what Marino was doing as Vanishing Age’s substitute leader was thoroughly schemed out by Head and Ivrogne in order to move things to the next phase, which itself ties back around to earlier set-up with Sugata and Samekh, and what’s truly motivating Ivrogne in her actions. The series’ end-game is a clear picture that comes together like a great big picture puzzle whose pieces you weren’t even looking at ‘cause you were too busy whining about the series!

On Episode 15:

What's this? An episode of Star Driver that doesn't follow the exact same pattern of nearly every other episode that came before it almost to the second Stop the presses! After moaning about it for so many weeks, simply breaking out of Star Driver's cycle of drama -> Zero Time -> Takuto wins feels like a breath of fresh air which left me watching the clock and thinking "however are they going to fit a pointless Cybody battle into this episode?". Well, thankfully they didn't, instead giving the rest of the plot some much-needed room to breathe - something it did reasonably proficiently with plenty of angst and drama to lean on whilst also shifting the positions of a few key pieces on the show's chess board, most notably Sugata and our "mysterious" (or not so mysterious) painter aside from Mizuno herself.

Yeah, even this asshat couldn’t not give these episodes their due.

only to enter some kind of Endless Eight-esque state where every time she leaves she simply wakes up and has to start all over again - a situation which leaves her a nervous and bawling wreck in a ferry terminal car park after numerous iterations (again, much like most viewers of Endless Eight after a few episodes).

Including this here because it’s actually pretty damn funny. This alone wasn't enough to make Star Driver suddenly seem like a far more compelling series, but following on from last week's more focused offering the signs of improvement are certainly there to be seen. It has a way to go, but at last there's light at the end of the tunnel of mediocrity from which this show desperately needs to escape over the coming weeks.

If it wasn’t, then maybe it honestly didn’t even need to be? What it did for me was make these episodes themselves, and retroactively every episode that featured and slowly advanced the arc of the You twins, far more compelling in and of themselves. The remainder of the show could’ve tanked and it wouldn’t change how great this section was.

On Episode 16:

This leaves me with an episode that I'm rather torn about - the revelations and story built around Mizuno turned out to be quite a nice twist in the tale (although they arguably weren't used to their fullest extent) and the Zero Time section this week was absolutely stunning even by this show's standards, while the Glittering Crux finally reaching their so-called Third Phase after blathering on about it for several months is as much of a relief as it is a sign of some tougher competition for Takuto. Set against that, the whole flashback element into Takuto's past for this episode felt clumsy and bolted on, leading in to a sudden upgrade to Tauburn's powers that was boringly predictable but unavoidably so.

Fair point. I can see why the action grinding to a halt just to give us some backstory that ties directly in with Takuto’s big finisher of that day might feel off for some viewers and take them out of the whole moment, but I personally liked it and will have stuff to say on it later.

Thus, I don't know what to make of it all - certain elements of the series have moved in some decidedly interesting new directions while others look to be stuck in a rut. Overall I suppose that's an improvement, but it still isn't enough to turn Star Driver into a good series at this juncture, let alone a great one.

See what I said before about these Mizuno arc episodes. And to me, Star Driver was always a good series, and these episodes, plus Episode 20 and the final two, just solified it into a great one.

On Episode 17:

Just as it seemed as it Star Driver had broken free of its repetitive episode conventions, it looks like the announcement of third phase combat last time around has seen a return to the tried and far from trusted episode layout of weeks gone by - high school hijinks, Glittering Crux meeting, big battle where Takuto wins via some previously unknown/unexpected deus ex machina.

“This show...is still Star Driver! WHY IS IT STILL STAR DRIVER?!?”

On Episode 18:

I remain both bored and unimpressed with Star Driver again at present - every time is looks set to do something to come out of its coma of predictability, it somehow manages to ruin the whole thing. For what is supposedly an anime about Cybodies which could change the entire world as we know it if the Glittering Crux Brigade succeeds, there's still no tension or drama in anything we see - battles are finished with the equivalent of a flick of the wrist, and more time is spent on school life shenanigans than any form of character building or plot development. Perhaps someone should get the Madoka Magica team onto a mecha series when they're done with that show? By all accounts they could do a far better job than this effort which seems to borrow from numerous other similar series whilst completely missing the point of what makes those shows great.

Oh my God, this dude.... The anime is not “about” the Cybodies and the stakes of what should happen if Zero Time was broken and they were all active outside of it again. It literally ends with Zero Time broken yet doesn’t make anything more of it than what’s needed for the immediate focus of the final action. This is called “missing the forest for the trees.” There are some shows, even shows with giant robot fights, that are not made to ride and die on the sort of “tension and drama” that this blogger pines for. And in fact, a lot of the character building and slow-burn plot development to set up the next big advancements are in those smaller, so-called “school life shananigans” that he thinks shouldn’t be allowed in a mecha anime. The reference to Madoka here is important because it’s such an apples-to-oranges comparison; Madoka is a anime with plot and character drama that’s very tightly written, and drama and stakes that escalate by the episode, because it was a 12 episode one cours anime where continous serialized storytelling was necessary and breathing room a no-go. Star Driver, meanwhile...is not that. And how ironic that he said that last part when he himself was missing what made this show great because he was too hung up on his own preferences and expectations, likely influenced by other shows!

On Episode 19:

That aside, I felt that the whole "body snatching" aspect of this episode was rather a wasted opportunity - not much was done with a scenario that was ripe with potential, and Kou and Madoka were both so useless in their body switching roles that they frittered away the chance to cause some genuine chaos far outside simply messing with Wako's head.

Another valid, legitimate criticism. Those are more relieving to come by on this blog than outlier episodes are to come by on Star Driver!

On Episode 20:

After frittering away so many (read: almost all) of its episodes, it's nice to see things finally building in an interesting direction at this late stage - although I can't quite get my head around Takuto's parentage at this juncture (is Tokio really that old?), we did learn some significant information about the man at the helm of the Glittering Crux Brigade, finally see a fire (or at least a slightly damp match) lit under Takuto's feelings for Wako, and perhaps most important we got a Zero Time battle that was interesting for almost thirty whole seconds, which is a new record on my watch. With next week's episode also promising to continue in the right direction, can Star Driver pull out a decent ending to this tepid series? It won't be enough to save it from the halls of anime mediocrity, but regardless of that I sure hope it does so that my hours of watching this series don't prove to be in vain.

Tokio’s First Phase slowed his physical aging, which is why he still appears to be college aged at most. Oh, and more throwing in big sounding critic words/ “Tepid”? “Mediocrity”? By whose measure?

On Episode 21:

Not for the first time with this series, Star Driver hits upon something interesting only to render it utterly dull and useless with its staunch refusal to add any kind of peril to proceedings. In this case, we were finally faced with a conflict where someone absolutely had to die, no questions ask or no chance to sidestep this brutal truth... until the episode pulls out a deus ex machina so it can all end without anyone getting hurt. What. The. Fuck. Star. Driver. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why everyone is raving about Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the world it's woven where everything has serious and realistic consequences; this is also why nobody gives two flying monkeys about Star Driver any more. The sooner this show finishes and puts us all out of its abjectly mediocre misery the better.

I cannot with this doofus and his vocabulary. Here’s where the Madoka thing comes back (ironic since that’s the name of the character in question who didn’t get offed), and for one thing, it aged poorly given how Mami and Kyoko, two characters who we saw absolutely definitely die on-screen just come back to life at the end which sort of negates the weight of their deaths (though Sayaka doesn’t for some reason?), the serious consequences at the very end of the series were so mired in the fantastical that you can’t really call it “realistic”, and then after that initial series, everyone came back and a whole freaking Madoka multiverse was established, so it’s not exactly a super grounded, gritty, true-to-life anime experience. And second of all, it exposes how limited this person’s scope of what can pass for a solid, enjoyable, satisfying series with good storytelling even is. If a series isn’t like a steadily building, super tense, dark, bleak, violent and suspenseful “Anyone Can Die At Any Point” affair like Game Of Thrones, or even a one cours quickie filled with darkness and edge, thrills, chills, kills, shocking plot developments, mindblowing and/or soul-crushing reveals, and constant bordering-on-torture-porn misery and despair at every turn every week like Madoka, then it’s just garbage to someone like this. It’s so sad to me.

On Episode 22:

Mark, who is played by Takuto and really doesn't do anything interesting at all aside from getting to kiss Wako at the end of the entire ordeal. Which is, to be fair, a pretty awesome thing to do.

Another moment where even a first class fool can see reason.

Above all though, much of this episode is really just about hammering home the current state of Wako's heart when it comes to choosing between Sugata and Takuto, as though the end of last week's episode didn't make that entirely clear and we needed to sit through all of this to explain things. The state of Wako’s heart at the moment wasn’t about “choosing between Sugata and Takuto”, as she was starting to realize more and more after her birthday that she felt equal love for them both. The real drama that was being shaped here was the idea that Sugata could possibly renounce what his heart was feeling for Wako in favor of finally embracing and using Samekh’s power, which is the future that Keito was offering him and hoping that he would take.

I probably wouldn't be so harsh on this episode if it were ensconced within the first half of Star Driver, but with only three episodes to go the series still seems intent on pissing away what little time it has left on incredibly dull and forced plot devices in the hope of somehow seeming "deep" that really add very little to either the show or its characters. I know that Star Driver is a lost cause now, but there's still so much I want to like about it that even at this juncture I get frustrated by its inability to do anything worthy of note with its setting and the individuals within them. Goodness knows it has enough intriguing, likeable or downright cool characters to play with, so how we ended up with this tepid and clumsy cluster-fuck of a series is becoming increasingly mind-boggling.

You know why that entire paragraph got bolded. Take it away, Luke!

EXCEPT for “Goodness knows it has enough intriguing, likeable or downright cool characters to play with” - those words were right.

On Episode 23:

But what's this? A major plot twist involving Sugata? Wow, I never saw that one coming at all.

A good plot twist is one that makes logical internal sense within the narrative and character-based framework and advances the story in an interesting direction, not just one that you don’t see coming. I mean, he even goes on to say this and thus sound contradictory:

Okay, so Sugata's defection does make things a bit more interesting for the final couple of episodes, and it does also fit in better with the evolving relationship dynamic between the remaining maidens, Sugata, and Takuto.

However, that doesn't make this anything less than another clumsy implemented slice of utter mediocrity where Zero Time also means Zero Excitement and Zero Peril. Nothing has grabbed or surprised me even at this late stage of the game, meaning that the only real excitement I have left is the thought that in a couple of weeks I'll finally be done with this tepid series - fingers crossed it doesn't get licensed in the UK so that I have to watch it all over again though.

“UTTER mediOCRITY!” “Where’s teh EXCITEMENT and PERIL?” “This is most tepid series! TEPID, I SAY!” And of course he’s British!

On Episode 24:

Even a show as largely dull and tepid as Star Driver can't screw up its penultimate episode on account of being too dull... although episode twenty-four certainly tries its best at doing just that before the sheer weight of interesting stuff available to the series finally forces its way through.

And I don’t know what else I expected from YOUR penultimate effort!

Okay, I have to confess, the end of this week's episode of Star Driver was pretty damn cool - once I'd suppressed my laughter at the sheer stupidity of nobody recognising any Glittering Crux member until they remove their mask and go "hey, guess who?!", there were some awesome visuals on show and everything seems set up right to deliver a finale free from all the fluff and nonsense that the series has drowned in up to this point. The fact that it took half the episode to get to this "good bit" remains a blatant reminder of everything that's wrong with Star Driver, but at least for once it seems set to actually deliver on its potential - if only it hadn't left it so late to do so.

I’m starting to suspect this dude might actually end up liking Star Driver: The Movie better than Star Driver: The Show, as it gives him basically what he’s asking for in terms of cutting down on the “fluff and nonsense” and hitting off all the “good bits” of lore and drama and fighting action with marked high stakes and twists and turns and all that PLOT PLOT PLOT!, even when said “good bits” would feel hollow and stripped of all deeper meaning due to what was missed out on with the “building block bits” of the high school and island community content that are there to give you an actual connection to the characters, the setting, and the going ons. Again, reading this feels alien in an age where shows “cut too short” and having a lack of breathers and “filler episodes” is more bemoaned than celebrated.

On Episode 25:

It's taken half a year, but we finally we get the episode of Star Driver everyone had been crying out for from the very start.

................................. This fucking guy just went and said that “the episode of Star Driver everyone (read: he) had been crying out for from the very start”....was at the very end, as in the final episode, the episode that by its very nature had to be built towards and earned by a whole series worth of episodes leading up to it.

Crowning Achievement Of Dumb right there. Who thinks like this? That an action-based and character-driven serialized TV series has to lead with a series finale-worth of material from the offset in order to be deemed good? What is even the point of such a show if it can play not just its full hand but its full deck of cards right from the off-set? This is ludicrous and exposes what an impatient child this guy was. He had zero deep understanding of shit he was talking about!

Okay, it still has an utterly stupid plot (Head's motivations and actions come straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon, and Takuto's decision-making isn't much better), but it had lots of awesome action and visual spectacle to make up for that lack of coherency.

That was the whole idea. That was his character, that he was like a damaged piece of art where underneath the deep, detailed, beautiful and enticing surface, at his core were some very simplistic ideas and desires. A seflish, petty, ultimately hollow and lacking man pretending to be a boy pretending to be a man and wanted to be a boy again.

Having seen this example of what Star Driver could have been all about somehow only serves to make the rest of the series all the more disappointing - if only the series had this level of tension and peril written into it from the very start, then we might have been able to forgive the ridiculous dei ex machina that turned up on a regular basis and the distracting slice of life shenanigans that would have served better as a spin-off series in its own right.

Again, ASS. BACKWARDS. It is only because Star Driver was about so much more than the surface level space tech lore and mecha action, because it did not carry itself with this level of tension and peril written into most of its regular proceedings, that this grand finale ends up feeling as grand as it does and carrying such a staggering amount of high quality to it, the quality it feels was built, reached, and earned rather than taken for granted. And if there was anything you found to be “distracting” in the slice of life shenanigans segments, it came from you rather than from the show, which was laying its heart and soul bare in all of those moments, offering up all the smaller pieces that were to be joined together to show you the bigger picture whole of the story, but your mind and your gaze turned away from it.

In terms of wasted potential, this Star Driver must rank at the top of the tree for the last year, and one line in this final episode really said it all: an exclamation of "this battle meant something". At the show's own admission it took twenty-five episodes to have a meaningful battle in a series built around such action sequences - I rest my case.

Twenty-four episodes of a show built around (but not necessarily super focused on or all about) mech battle action sequences were all stocking up its energy and budget as it built up to the Big One, the one that would be so meaningful that it’d retroactively justify and give validity to all the smaller steps taken towards it, at the very end. This sounds perfectly reasonable, yet this guy puts it as though it’s a serious flaw. Absolutely obtuse, illiterate, unimaginative buffoon.

There were also some choice comments I had to pick out:

There was so much potential depth in SD's universe... the Cybodies, the Entropeople, the Seals... and none of it was really explored that much in depth.

Almost as if those things were never actually made to be the focal points of the story, and that the greater depth lied elsewhere?

Not to mention the lack of focus on the characters. A lot of times it feels like they're there just for the sake of being there (i.e. the lesbians).

The characters who needed to be focused on and earn the shits given about them got their focus, though it’s true that some in this cast got very short-changed, the Vanishing Age lackeys especially.

Star Driver isn't meant to have a complex plot or anything, it's meant to be mindless entertainment. People are raving about it anyway, so I don't quite understand that part o.o

I am with the spirit of this post but not the letter. Star Driver’s plot, unlike Utena’s overarching storyline, is not especially complex, its events easy to follow and dictated by certain patterns that make it pretty predictable and its primary purpose is to entertain - to please, to thrill, to amuse and even to arouse. But to call all that “mindless?” Nah, that is giving it way too little credit. I’ve seen it in its entirety more than enough times to say with certainty that there’s a great deal of cleverness, brilliance and meaning behind this camptastic joyride.

Now here’s the blogger again with some imput on his own:

although it's also interesting that both of those posts are suggesting that "people don't get it" without really explaining what we're missing beyond having not seen Utena.

I’d not seen Utena in full by the time I watched Star Driver and I was able to get it just fine, so he’s right, it really is no excuse.

I comprehend the reason for the repetitive way each episode is framed, but to be frank that framing wouldn't be a problem if the show actually had worthwhile content within that frame - witness the reaction to Madoka's early episodes which were similarly repetitive in terms of their layout compared to Star Driver. I'm also pretty sure I "get" all of the allusions the series is trying to present, but unfortunately they're all tired old concepts that aren't remedied by dressing it up in some snazzy outfits.

It’s a purely subjective matter. If the content doesn’t seem worth your while, then OK, don’t engage. It’s not going to be the same for everyone. And yet again with the Madoka reference, even when in that show’s case it only had two episodes worth of standard formulaic Magical Girl layout before someone’s head got bitten off in Episode 3, so it was never interested in playing things straight and sincere the way Star Driver was. Deeper allusions within repetitious framework are just kind of Igarashi and Enokido’s whole thing, same as Ikuhara.

What really holes Star Driver below the water is that for all of its allusion, big set pieces and attempts to build a compelling character-driven narrative, there's absolutely zero tension in Zero Time - arguably any tension disappeared the moment we were told that Takuto dying would mean "game over". We know what's going to happen every single week, and that's where Star Driver makes the jump from "too deep for people to understand" to "dull". There is shed loads of potential in Star Driver, but by this juncture it's been entirely frittered away to the point where I doubt watching a couple of other series will suddenly help it much or cause some kind of "eureka" moment.

He’s argued this ad nauseum and it’s still not holding water. Stories where the hero overcomes their obstacles and “saves the day” on the regular don’t automatically lack tension just because we’re not biting our nails with suspense or even anticipation over who might die at any given moment or itching to see the status quo upended by some destructive instance of successful evildoing that the hero fails to stop. Sometimes, Saturday Morning Cartoon flavor works and is not “dull.”

Lastly, this is who he was responding to, who has some refreshingly solid, well thought out, well understood and very agreeable things to say on the matter. As such, I’ve bolded the ones that hit the best.

I generally enjoy reading your blog posts, and you have interesting thoughts on different shows but really it seems there are things you don't comprehend about Star Driver.

What I mean by saying that you don’t ‘comprehend’ aspects of Star Driver is not that it’s ‘too deep’ but more from a narrative perspective. You’re right in saying that the posts don’t explicitly explain what people are missing. But the emphasis is that ‘plot isn’t the point’ in Star Driver, it’s more about the allusions / symbolism / themes / characters. So if people focus on the former opposed to the latter, they’re ‘missing the point’. And it’s the case that most people relate/understand to traditional narrative. In Star Driver, the audience makes out the story for themselves using the allusions / symbolism / themes / characters rather than an unfolding plot and this is where people get lost, ie don’t understand therefore don’t like it. That’s cool. This way of storytelling isn’t for everybody.

I suppose it bothers me when criticisms like yours are based on a traditional narrative as opposed to the jigsaw puzzle way of Star Driver.

I’ll elaborate. Themes / symbolism / allusions / characters are the devices used for the audience to create their own overall understanding as opposed to an unfolding plot granting them this understanding. Generally speaking, this is how it was done in Utena, hence the comparison in the links.

In a conventional narrative we have conflict/tension/resolution (simplified form). Star Driver doesn’t utilise this as stated above. From your posts I gather that the lack of tension is your major dislike, and what I’m saying (and what the links are basically pointing out) is that Star Driver isn’t designed to have conventional narrative/plot (ie tension). This is why it doesn’t resonate with many people. This is what is meant by ‘not getting’ Star Driver.

Basically in Star Driver, there isn’t a straightforward pan of events that involve conflict/resolution or build tension to ‘tell’ us the story. But rather it’s the allusions/symbolism/themes AND how the characters work within these that ‘build’ the story.

I will use your example above of the lack of content within the repetition. Within the repetition we are given clues to characters’ motives. No, they’re not big world changing reveals. But using these clues (such as reactions, dialogue) and combining them with whatever symbolism is floating around, the audience is able to build the story. Star Driver requires the audience to be cluey and build, rather being given the story. Specific example this episode: Kanako notes that Wako was angry at Madoka for flirting with Takuto in Zero Time. This is a hint that Wako is leaning towards Takuto. Combine this with a frame last ep which shows Wako carrying Takuto’s watch (opposed to Sugata’s knife) reinforces this. The ‘story’ point here is that Wako has chosen Takuto, so the audience wonders how Sugata will react to this. Yes the audience will need to use various clues to work this out.

That is how ‘story’ is told in Star Driver. Putting together the puzzle. It requires the audience to be active and build it. Which is not for everyone. Which is perfectly fine.

It’s not that Star Driver is ‘too deep to understand’. It’s that the storytelling method of Star Driver doesn’t resonate with a mainstream audience. I just wanted to enlighten you to other ways of thinking about it because for me, criticising Star Driver using traditional narrative as your frame of reference (as you are doing), doesn’t hold water.

All of that. Beautifully put. This is the link they put out there too :https://revolemina.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/notes-on-star-driver/

Related: a more recent blogging of Star Driver from “Wrong Every Time”, who ironically seems to get it much more right than this guy. https://wrongeverytime.com/tag/star-driver/

And another great one!: https://randomc.net/category/star-driver/

Bottom line of this post: this person had no love for Star Driver to begin with; that’s why he couldn’t see its actual greatness.

#Star Driver #anime #opinion #criticism #defense #hatedumb #elitism #stupidity #misaimed fandom #completely missing the point

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