#WHEN SHE TELLS THE CREW WHAT HER PLAN WAS AND WHY SHE MADE THE ASTRAL LEYWRIGHT……. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

paranormalfrogtivity · 2 months

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Okay I was watching a let's play of the end of the 2.0 Trailblaze mission and some things occurred to me, so I wanted to write them down before I forgot. Anyway, 2.0 trailblaze spoilers below the cut

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OKAY SO. First thing I'm wondering is... Could Black Swan be behind Firefly's death? As a memokeeper, she might have some influence over the Meme: Something Unto Death, and when she takes us to meet Aventurine, he congratulates her on pitting Acheron and Sam against each other. People have already made connections between Sam and Firefly, and I've seen theories anywhere from Sam = Firefly to Firefly being Sam's surrogate "empress"

(For this, remember that Sam is described as being a remnant of Glamoth's Iron Cavalry. From examing the Glamoth planar ornament set, it appears that the Iron Cavalry were mecha that were psychically connected to their Empress, who could puppet them. Everything they did was in service to and in order to protect their Empress. But we know that this Empress fell, so the mecha became untethered.)

If Firefly were acting as Sam's surrogate Empress, he would have acted to protect her. This might be why she got locked in that room, to keep her away from the Something Unto Death, but she found a way out that ultimately led her right to her death anyway. With his "empress" dead once again, Sam may have gone on a rampage of vengeance, resulting in all the scorched Dreamjolt Troupe members we find.

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We know Black Swan has the ability to remove obstacles in the dreamscape and to create entry points between areas there. Maybe that passageway to the lobby didn't exist when Sam presumably locked Firefly in that room. Maybe Black Swan created that hallway, knowing Firefly was likely to use it to escape, and then lured/compelled the SUD into killing her. Black Swan may have known this would send Sam into a fury, and planned it to distract Acheron. Black Swan has warned us that even she could be lying.

EXTRA EDIT: Sampo says during the Black Swan/Sparkle companion mission that only the Garden of Recollection has the ability to kill someone in their dreams. Extra evidence for Black Swan being responsible for Firefly's death? She claims right after that not even a memokeeper can breach the protections in Penacony's dreamscape that prevent visitors' deaths, but again, she could be lying.

My second theory is also related to our conversation with Aventurine at the end of the mission. He claims that Acheron is in Penacony under false pretenses and that she is responsible for the death of Duke Inferno off-screen. He also claims that she swiped Ifrit's invite to the Charmony Festival.

But there's a problem here with his explanation. Remember when the Astral Express crew tried to check in at the beginning of the Penacony plot? We ran into a MASSIVE roadblock because the Trailblazer's name wasn't on the list for the invitation. We wouldn't have even been allowed in if Aventurine hadn't vouched for us with Sunday. If we, even with the recognized members of the Nameless, weren't able to bypass that checkpoint, how the fuck did Acheron check in alone using the Annihilation Gang's invite? Her name most certainly would not have been on the hotel's approved list, and she hasn't been shown to have connections to any high-ranking individuals in the Family. I doubt they would have allowed her to check in with just a music box like Aventurine claims.

Did she sneak into Penacony then? I don't think so, as we see her check in at the front desk in a teaser at the end of the Game Awards candidacy video. (Scrub to 1:20 for the teaser clip) The fact that she's in the hotel (and the VIP corridor at that) later in the game suggests that she was able to successfully check in, so she must have been on the list or at least had an invitation.

Black Swan claims to verify what Aventurine tells us about the Annihilation Gang and Duke Inferno, but as she tells us 0.2 seconds later, anyone in Penacony could be lying, even her. So is Ifrit dead? His tarot card burning up in Black Swan's Myriad Celestia trailer (scrub to 2:10 if you don't want to watch the whole thing) seems to support that statement, but I'm not convinced that Acheron was responsible. In that same trailer, Black Swan says something along the lines of "The menacing infernal fire absorbed by the vast, profound sea." And we know that the Memory Zone has been referred to a couple times as a sea or an ocean. So would that imply that whoever or whatever did kill Ifrit is actually associated with Penacony or the Memory Zone? But who? And where did his invite go if Acheron didn't take it? If Black Swan and/or Aventurine are lying about Acheron being the killer of Ifrit, could they also be lying/mistaken about the rest of the Annihilation Gang disbanding?

#em rambles #star rail brainrot has recommenced w theorizing

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curestardust · 1 year

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Dust Watched: Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution 3: Eureka

Genres: Mecha, Sci-fi, Drama // 1 movie (2h) // Orig (x) M1 (x) M2 (x)

So, umm... this was definitely a movie.

✧ story ✧

I’m just going to cut to the chase, I’ve no fucking idea what happened in this trilogy. The first movie was to set-up this new timeline, the second one was to establish the new Anemone’s character and show us what Eureka has been doing and this one is uuuuuhhhhh...

????????

So there are 2 halves to this movie. The first one is a road trip with Eureka and Iris, who is a baby EUREKA so she can’t control her powers yet. They’re being chased by Dewey who can uhhhh astral project to anywhere in the world? I guess? And yeah, that’s pretty much it. I don’t know what to say. They are just driving, getting attacked, survive, then drive again and this goes on til the 2nd arc begins.

I also have no idea what’s going on in the 2nd arc however. Dewey reveals that his grand plan for kidnapping Iris was to make her use her power to... erase reality or something? Because they’re from one of Eureka’s alternate realities, so they are not “real”, so they want to die???

Listen, I’m not gonna lie, I don’t remember much from the original E7, nor was I the biggest fan of it. So I can’t really tell what’s just blatant bad writing and what is something that is just being referenced and I just don’t remember it. But even then, as a movie, it’s just not particularly interesting to watch.

I starts off with a cool ass mecha fight, then it goes into a slow pace character building section, then it goes into an absolute “????” with events that make no sense and then it’s over.

To me, one of the most telling factors of a show being unsure of itself, is when they have someone narrate what we could easily deduce from visual cues. And that’s the entire movie. To mention one example. after Dewey’s first astral projection, when he comes back, one of his 6 earrings turns into dust. An obvious visual cue that his earrings serve as a countdown for how many times he can do this again. But instead of leaving it at that, one of the characters is made to explain this to the viewer out loud. Infuriating.

✧ characters ✧

I don’t think the writer really understands why people love the characters of the original anime so much. It’s not just “Eureka” who they love; it’s all the hardship they went through alongside her in the original series that made people feel so much for the character. And it’s true for all of them; Renton, Anemone, Holland...

This is an alternative universe. You can push as many of the original characters into my face but I won’t feel anything for THESE characters. What I feel is simply nostalgia from the original. These are people who I don’t know, simply walking around with the faces and names of people I know from somewhere else.

There were only 2 times I felt something and one of them was heartache for Eureka in one scene where she reveals her scars. The other was absolute befuddlement turned into rage. <Spoilers> This movie brings back Holland, gives him the dream life and then fucking kills him. And for what? Why, How, Who? None of it made sense! His pals from the Gekko join him on this mission and then they let him sacrifice himself (for something that doesn’t even work!!!) at the end DESPITE knowing that his wife is pregnant! When he goes off, the rest of the crew is floating on something and just waving at him?? What are you doing?? Fight him, punch him, shoot him in the fucking arm, and do it yourselves! Are you seriously telling me that his friends just let him kill himself like that? Just like that? OOOOOHHH my god wtf.<Spoilers>

✧ art ✧

Oh my good lord, do I not like the character designs?? Like, none of them. Anemone gets offended for being called an “Oba-sama” but who can blame the kid? She looks 40! And Eureka looks like she hasn’t been to a hairdresser in 10 years and has just been cutting it for herself which... actually, that would fit her character in the movie. Still looks ugly though.

I also deeply dislike the colours. It’s so washed out. It just looks lifeless. The only thing I can commend the staff for is the background designs and the animation. The BGs and set-designs look gorgeous and are insanely detailed. The animation is fluid, although it suffers a drop in quality alongside the actual art itself in the latter half of the movie.

✧ sound ✧

Honestly, all BONES projects I’ve watched had fantastic music and this one is no exception.

✧ overview ✧

All in all, I’ve no idea what the purpose of these movies were. None of them were particularly good tbh. Maybe the Anemone one is worth watching just for how much of a fever dream it is.

My Rating: 4/10

#dusty reviews #eureka seven

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eponymous-rose · 4 years

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Return of the Revenge of the Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E108-109 (September 15, 2020)

It’s been six months since the last Speech Machine Upper Luminosity (is that right?), so let’s jump right back in like nothing ever happened!

Tonight’s guests are Laura Bailey and Matt Mercer!

Announcements: Talks will now be biweekly, discussing two episodes at a time! Unfortunately, this means fan question submissions aren’t doable yet, since they’ll often be filming Talks for episodes that haven’t aired yet; questions will come from crew, but fanart and cosplay from earlier episodes will still get awards. Dani Carr’s new official title in the company is Lorekeeper!

Episodes 108-109

Brian asks Matt about the tug-of-war with the Moonweaver’s influence: “how much of that did the Traveler and Jester’s interactions influence him not going back to the Feywild?” Matt: “Okay, well, the Moonweaver isn’t necessarily happy about taking on the images and icons and co-opting elements of her worship, but also isn’t a vindictive deity necessarily.” She has a similar fey history to Artagan, “so I knew this encounter, there would be a punishment involved, at the very least to take Artagan down a few pegs.” He wasn’t going to be actually banished; the Moonweaver just wanted to “scare the shit out of him: You think you’re a trickery god? Welcome to the original trickery god, bitch.” There was a possibility of him just vanishing for a while, if there was no sign of humility; but based on their interactions, it was just enough to show the planetar that maybe this isn’t the same “troll of an Archfey” that the Moonweaver had known. “Maybe this is enough of a lesson.”

Laura thought Artagan was going to be “gone-gone, and Jester was going to be left alone”. She thought there was going to be a Feywild rescue, and Jester would have to try to find a new deity.

Laura’s wi-fi conks out. So does mine. Ah, 2020.

Jester would probably have followed the Moonweaver in an attempt to make amends. Laura mentions that every time she sat down to prep something for Traveler-Con, she realized Jester wouldn’t sit still long enough to plan it.

Laura: “If that cult hadn’t been there and she hadn’t seen what a false god could do to people, I don’t think she would have come to the realization that what her and the Traveler were doing was detrimental: oh, we’re fucking over people’s lives, hardcore.” If Artagan hadn’t been on board with picking a different deity, Jester would have stepped down at Traveler Con and she would have exposed the lie.

Matt’s “super happy” because he was purposely making sure he didn’t know what was going to happen at Traveler Con. “Okay, everything around it’s going to be interesting and fleshed out, but as to the actual convention, I have no idea what’s going to happen.” He wanted to balance a complete train wreck with character beats and mini-arcs, and he was satisfied with how that worked out.

Brian asks if Jester ever considered walking away from the Traveler. Laura: “Yeah. It could have progressed to that point. Jester always gave him the benefit of the doubt, and loves him with her entire heart, so if he would have not seen that what they were doing was not acceptable, in his own way, then Jester would have probably walked away. I don’t know if she would have walked away from him, but it would have been a big issue for her. I have no idea what that would have meant for her... my entire character arc.”

How does Jester feel about the Traveler now? “She loves him, but at the same time, she doesn’t adore him without boundaries. She sees a little bit more of who he is, and the worshiping aspect isn’t there anymore. She sees him more like another friend. That’s a complicated relationship for a cleric to have.”

Matt talks about what a fan he is of his players. “I’ve just been enjoying the hell out of this.”

Has Artagan learned his lesson? He’s been living for a long time, and old habits are hard to break. Matt points out that Artagan “is free in a place that he doesn’t have complete domain over, and he’s been humbled a few times. I think he’s definitely learned a series of lessons to some degree. We’ll see how far it sticks and where their relationship goes.”

Brian asks Laura how it’s been to have the spotlight on Jester for a long time. Laura: “It was nerve-wracking. I feel very relieved that it’s on to something else now, but it was so much fun, too. I feel like I kept getting so emotional as her through all this. Having to come to terms with all the things she was going through was crazy. But it felt good.”

Cosplay of the Week: An amazing Yasha by @shiieldmaiden on Twitter, photo by @asheneyed.

Matt: “I took a bath for this.”

Brian notes that Jester found herself caught between her god and the M9. Who would she have chosen if Artagan hadn’t kicked her off? Laura: “Here’s the thing. If Fjord hadn’t jumped on my back, Jester would have gone. But him doing that, I mean, that’s why I froze like I did. I really didn’t know where it was going to go. Thankfully Artie made that choice for me.”

The Vilya reveal’s been waiting since Marisha made Keyleth’s backstory. Brian recalls that the question of what happened to Vilya came up in the campaign 1 recap, and Matt was cagey about it. “When I got the original backstory from Marisha, in my head, I was like, her mother’s probably still alive, just lost to the chaos for reasons that I’ll get to, but I like the idea of an eventual reunion when it made sense.” As they got later in the campaign, Keyleth’s story became about taking on this leadership and stepping into her mother’s footsteps: “I didn’t want to rob her of her journey by bringing her mother into it before it was complete. There wasn’t a beat that felt right for it in the first campaign unless the players actively wanted to go and seek it out.” He knew she was on an island somewhere, and that there was an issue with her memory, but the details were still hazy, and it never came up in the first campaign. “As soon as we got to Rumblecusp as a possible visiting location, I was like, this would probably be the island that Vilya’s at.” He knew the community would pick up on it quickly, but the players would likely be too engrossed in their own story. “Getting to send her home was wonderful, both for an idea of closure, but as a long-waiting gift to Marisha and Keyleth. It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to giving to her.”

On building Vilya’s character: “I wanted to make sure she wasn’t too similar to Keyleth. She couldn’t remember her family, but when she did, it meant everything.”

Brian asks what inspires Jester’s thought process to try and befriend every creature they come across. “Everyone is interesting. Except for Celia, she’s a bitch. If you piss her off, she might just hate you forever, but everybody else she thinks is pretty great. Jester can hold a good grudge.”

Brian asks Matt about the inspiration for Vokodo. “It is a heavily customized version of a Morkoth. I was just intrigued by how they had created this creature that creates this island around it. It has ways of affecting the minds of creatures around it. I didn’t enjoy that the creature was only Medium in size, and I wanted it to be something that was a little bit more changed by its experiences.” He also tied it in with the Astral Sea lore and suggested that it had been changed by its proximity to this volcano, similarly to how Thordak did in the first campaign.

Fan Art of the Week: An amazing Traveler Con Jester and Artagan by @callanthee on Twitter

How about the visions of the living city? Laura: “I don’t know what the fuck is going on with that thing. If it true that there’s a Molly connection, the Eyes of Nine, I don’t know. It’s just too much. We have to look into it.” Matt, blandly: “Weird mysteries.”

Who would the Disintegrate spell have hit if it had ricocheted? “Initially, I would have wanted to choose Caleb, like back at himself, because the immediate threat of that ray towards Vokodo, it would have been just right back at him.” But the runner-up would have been Jester because of the threat of the banishment back to the Astral Sea, the one place he didn’t want to go.

Laura could tell from Liam’s gameplay that he hadn’t realized someone was going to perma-die from that. “I thought it was going to be me, because I had been the one to banish him.”

Dani points out that the group would probably have gone after Artagan if Jester had died right before Traveler Con.

Matt highlights Cad’s Divine Intervention as pretty much the only way they could have learned the important information they used to prepare for the fight with Vokodo. He was torn between frustration at not being able to use this boss to its fullest potential... and pride in his players.

Laura is amused at listening to the characters talking about Jester when she’s not there. “It’s fun to hear but not be able to use that at all in your interactions with them.” Laura points out that even her sister who watches the show doesn’t trust the Traveler. Matt mentions that he’s always being very careful with the relationship between the Traveler and Jester, because it could get into rough territory. “There are unhealthy elements of their relationship, very much so. A lot of her story has been about disillusionment.” Laura: “Yeah. Eyes open.” They’ve set up bumpers to make sure they don’t veer into territory the players find uncomfortable.

“Artagan at the end of campaign one versus Artagan at campaign two are different. He came into this world a purely selfish being of id and impulse. He still has those dark tendencies and can lean down those dark paths. But he went from a purely chaotic, selfish creature to unintentionally beginning to care for people that aren’t him.” Traveler Con definitely left a mark on him. “Aw shit, I let them in.”

Sam starts Facetiming Brian. “How does he know when we’re filming this?! No. I’m not going to do it.”

Matt and Laura are "super excited” for the new landscape of the next part of the journey.

Laura notes that Jester is getting past the point of “needing to put on the mask”, including around her mom. And as that’s happened at Traveler Con, the small breakdowns have been piling up. “That’s what therapy’s like, right?”

On the new goliath shopkeeper (even with the mispronunciations as clues, I got nothing on that spelling), Matt points out that purchasing magical items is tricky because most things were pulled into the war effort. He was trying to figure out how a shopkeeper could build a business in that environment: “with a bunch of really small, shitty enchantments”. As a kid, he loved novelty shops, and took a lot of inspiration from those memories.

So glad everything’s back in business! “As always, don’t forget to love each other. And don’t worry, it’s almost Thursday.”

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long text post

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mr-deblob · 4 years

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Take Care

Description: Lucius has never quite gotten the grasp of how to deal with death. He isn't quite sure he'll ever know how. But a good talk can make things more bearable, at the very least.

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25475569

(It’s ya boi! Back at it again with actually writing fics! This one was part of Juletide 2020, a gift to @elennare who gave me some inspiration for this little (painful-esque) fic. Do hope y’all enjoy your Hurt/Comfort, cause this... this is Hurt/Comfort. Emphasis on both parts.)

As Bym’s body floated off into the Astral Void, Lucius couldn’t help but wonder: would he need to do this for one of his friends?

The thought wasn’t unfamiliar to him. After all, two of them had fallen before. It was only natural for his mind to think of what could happen if they didn’t come back.

But even then, there was a chance that they could come back. They had some way, some path given to them that could lead their soul (or Matrix, in Sentry’s case) back to their bodies to fight another day.

Out here, there was no telling what could happen.

Slowly, the gangway closed in front of them, and Bym’s small form drifted further away until the hull obscured the view. Thalia stood still for a few moments before excusing herself quietly, heading to the cockpit to continue their journey.

The party was left quiet after that, stunned by the sudden death of their new companion. Big Cat stretched himself out on an empty couch, his head rested between his paws with a somber expression. It was a couple moments before Nova finally broke the silence.

“I’ll just… double-check that everything’s alright with the engines,” she said. “Doesn’t hurt to be too safe.” With a subdued face, Nova headed down, Sentry casting a look of concern her way.

“You think she’ll be alright?”

Aila sat down with a thump. “She’ll be alright. Just needs a bit of time to herself.” Grabbing a rag, she began to clean the bloodstains off of the Howling Tempest. “For now, we should probably decompress. Reassess things a bit.”

“Of course.” Sentry nodded. “Just… I’ll make sure she isn’t missing anything down there. Might bring her a snack.” She headed to the quarters before any of them could respond.

Aila continued to polish before glancing up at the two men stood in the Lounge still, giving a questioning look at them. Evidently, that seemed to make Quill realize something.

“Ah, I should probably help Thalia with navigation, shouldn’t I? Now that Bym’s...” He swallowed, reluctant to say the next word with a look of guilt on his face. Instead, he looked towards the cockpit nervously. “Guess I’ll… go do that, then.”

With an awkward wave to Lucius and Aila, the elves watched as he retreated to the cockpit. The silence that fell afterward made the air heavy with discomfort. Only the purring of the engines and Big Cat ran underneath the quietude.

“So…” Aila said, “did you need to tell him something?”

The question startled Lucius, confusing him as she continued polishing her weapon.

“What gave you that impression?” he said.

She looked up at him, then glanced to the space in front of him where an outstretched hand was. His outstretched hand.

“A-ah. I see.” Self-conscious, he let it fall to his side, glancing back towards Aila, who simply raised an eyebrow. “It wasn’t anything important. Really.” He let out a forced chuckle. “Just a… force of habit, I suppose.”

The moment those words left his mouth, he silently cursed himself for giving such an ambiguous answer. Any person would get curious after hearing that.

But thankfully, Aila simply shrugged and turned her focus back on her weapon. She had more things to worry about than unspoken words.

With a small sigh, Lucius sat down across the room, trying to do as Aila suggested and reassess a few things. First things first: figuring out why he had reached towards Quill.

Well, that’s not exactly a big mystery, is it? It was obvious to him (and probably the rest of the party) that he and Quill cared deeply for each other, and he didn’t want to see the Aarakocra go off looking so worried, so nervous like he usually did. A smile fit him more than a furrowed brow. Or, furrowed feathers, he supposed.

Too many times he had seen Quill hopeless, shaken, vulnerable. Those moments always made Lucius anxious, his mind telling him to do anything to save Quill. He simply couldn’t lose him, not again. Not after he lost him once.

And the thought of losing him forever made him…

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a tap on his shoulder, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Sentry looking down at him with concern.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, I’m alright, Sentry. What made you think otherwise?”

She stayed silent as she reached her hand out, wiping away a tear that underneath his left eye.

“Ah… I suppose that would explain it.”

Her eyes filled with worry. “Lucius, if you need someone to talk to, we’re here for you. You know that, right?”

He nodded slowly. “I know, Sentry. I just need a bit of time by myself.” He looked down at the plate of food she held. “Besides, don’t you need to give that to Nova? I’ll be fine. Really.”

She gave a small smile, then turned around to head to engineering. But before she did, Lucius placed a hand on her forearm.

“I’ll...I’ll be ready to talk in the crew quarters once you’ve finished checking up on Nova.”

And with a silent nod of understanding, she stepped away.

Lucius sat up on the bed as he heard the sound of clanking metal outside, swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress as Sentry opened the door and stepped inside.

Closing the door, she looked at Lucius expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

He opened his mouth, but closed it again as no words came out. Of course he lost his words after spending half an hour trying to compose his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he tried to relax himself. Then, he spoke.

“How are you supposed to deal with death?”

Lucius could see Sentry get surprised at the question, but he didn’t wait for her to answer before elaborating more.

“How do you… how can you make yourself feel better after someone you care for dies? How can you push yourself forward even after losing someone he means so much to you, knowing you can never see them again?”

He watched as the Guardian took in his words, her face shifting as she tried to put together an answer for him.

“Back when I was in Solwynn, the princess I guarded and cared for… she was everything to me.” Her eyes glowed a bit brighter as she began to reminisce. “I spent every waking moment with her, keeping her safe and playing with her, becoming a part of her life just as she was a part of mine. I couldn’t imagine a life without her.”

She paused for a moment.

“Then I lost her. Lost my whole world when I was pulled away from her. Going unconscious and waking up to find out that hundreds of years have passed… It wasn’t exactly an easy thing for me to accept.”

She let out a small laugh. “I know it might be difficult to believe, but during those first few days when I was getting used to this new world, Quill was the one who helped carry me through it all.”

He looked up at her in surprise at that.

“Even though I’m this large and strong Guardian, I wasn’t exactly the most composed when Quill first found me. I was rather… blank then.” Her gaze shifted to the side as she spoke. “Everything felt muted to me, my senses dulled. I was barely able to get myself to stand each time I woke up. But he was able to pull me through all that. Every morning, he would convince me to stand up, to walk with him, to keep moving forward.”

Her voice seemed to grow warmer as she continued. “And soon, I was able to find the world a bit brighter, see a bit more color day by day, and eventually stand on my own. Even though what I loved might be gone now, I know that there are more things out there for me to protect, to cherish. Like all of you!”

Lucius looked up at Sentry in awe. He had never known that side of her. She’d always seemed tough, resilient in her emotions. To know that the cheerful woman in front of him had once gone through such emotional hardship comforted him in a strange way.

“So the answer to getting through it is just… to have the help of other people?”

She tilted her head sideways in thought for a moment. “Yes, I suppose that’s my answer.”

“But what if you don’t have anybody left to help you?”

The words left his mouth before he could think about them. When he looked at Sentry once more, he could see her looking extremely concerned at him.

“Lucius, we’ll always be there to help you.” Her voice was adamant as she said so, and she walked over to him, kneeling down to hug him tightly. “All of us care about you. More than you might ever know. Don’t you ever forget that.”

He sat there, closing his eyes and soaking in these words.

When she finally released, he smiled back at her, his eyes watering at the sudden display of affection. “Thank you, Sentry.” His voice broke a bit as he spoke. “Thank you for… for all of that.”

“Of course.” She stood back up, towering over Lucius as he sat on the bed. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

“No, I’m alright now. I just need a bit of time to rest. Really rest. That fight took a lot out of me.”

With an understanding nod, she went to the door, softly closing it as she stepped out into the hallway.

As for Lucius, he let himself fall back onto the bed, thinking about the words Sentry told him and holding it close to his heart. They care for him, and he cares for them back. They’ll always be there to help him, just as he’ll always be there to help them.

Then he thought about Quill’s face again, of the worry he saw earlier that day, and of the story Sentry had told him.

And he made a plan. A simple one, but a plan.

As the door to the room opened and Quill walked in, Lucius could see the exhaustion on his face. The high elf pushed himself off the wall and tapped him on the shoulder from behind, causing him to jump a bit before relaxing.

“Hey,” he said as he walked to the bottom bunk bed.

“How did navigating with Thalia go?”

“It went alright. At least, I think it did.” He sat down on the mattress with a thump, his frame hunching over

“You think?” He leaned on the bed frame with what he hoped was a casual pose.

“I read the maps and all that right, got us through the leg of the trip she planned for today without much incident. But she was pretty quiet during all of it. Barely said anything besides asking for a few directions here and there.” He let out a deep sigh.

“I see…” Lucius kept quiet as he listened to him speak.

“When we finally got to where we planned, she dismissed me without even looking back. I tried to say good night to her, but she just stayed silent.” The same look of worry from before came over him once more. “I think… no, nevermind.”

“Do you want to talk about it with me, Birdie?”

Quill looked up at him with tired eyes at that.

“I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but… I’m here and available. And seeing as there’s nothing else to do today…”

He looked down at him, watching the Aarakocra consider the offer. Then, he watched as Quill scooted to the side, patting for Lucius to take a seat next to him.

The blonde did so, and watched as Quill considered his words.

“Thalia… I don’t think she likes me anymore.”

The sentence seemed to shock Lucius’s mind for a moment, stunning him before the Aarakocra continued.

“She seemed really distant. Like she didn’t even want to speak to me. The few times she did look at me, it felt like there was venom in her eyes, as if she wanted me to just go away and not come back.” He laughed bitterly. “I suppose it makes sense, though. I messed up really bad, didn’t I?”

“What, no you-”

“I let Bym die, and I did nothing to stop it. I’m the reason that he got killed. If only I paid attention to him instead of just focusing on Sentry.” His voice frazzled as he continued to speak. “No wonder Thalia hates me. She saw me help Sentry and do nothing for her crewmate. I wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to Brookstone us all because of my awful decisi-”

He couldn’t finish the word as Lucius held him tightly, hugging the man’s body close and firmly.

“You’re not the reason he got killed, Quill.” Lucius tried to hold his voice firm as he spoke. “It was entirely the fault of those Astral pirates. They’re the ones to blame. And you know Thalia doesn’t hate you, or any of us. She’s just… hurt, and grieving. All of us can push people away when we lose somebody we care for.

Lucius’s hug grew tighter around him as he said those words, remembering the days without Quill.

“Thalia just needs time. Time to deal with this, and to accept it. She’s dealt with things like this before in her line of work, and she knows how to move past it. All we need to focus on right now is getting to the place where she wants us to go and helping her with what she needs.”

He hugged even tighter. “So don’t you go putting yourself in danger to try and make it up to her. Don’t pull any huge stunts or sacrifice yourself just so the rest of us can leave. We all need you.”

I need you.

Lucius could feel a tear running down his face before he felt Quill’s claw on his arm. Looking down, he could see the Aarakocra looking up at him with an expression of shock at the sudden outpouring of affection.

Quickly, he brought his arms back to his side, rubbing the tears away from his face as he tried to recollect himself. “Ah, sorry about all that. I seemed to have gone a bit overboard, didn’t I?” He chuckled with a hitched voice. “But… really, Birdie, you don’t need to keep all that inside to yourself. If you feel like you can’t handle things on your own, I’ll be there to help you. I care about you a lot, you know?”

He smiled at Quill as the Aarakocra gave a soft smile back.

“I’m… I’m glad to know that, Lucius. Glad to know that you care about me as much as you do. And thank you for saying all of that to me. I really needed something like that today.” The high elf felt warmth in his heart hearing him, but he couldn’t help but notice that his gaze seemed to drift far off as well.

Concerned, he asked, “Is there something else you need to talk about?”

Quill spoke with a start. “Oh, well it’s nothing too important really, just… it’s… quite a lot to take in, you know. That you feel that way.”

It was at that moment that Lucius realized he had said I instead of We in the last part of his reassurances.

“Y-yes! I really care about you a lot! All of us do, you know?” His voice pitched high as he began to explain away what had happened. “You know that when I say ‘I,’ the rest of the party’s included in that as well. In fact, it was Sentry who asked me to do all this, you know!” Lucius could feel his face start to redden as he spoke.

“Actually, I’m feeling a bit tired right now, so I suppose we should both go to sleep. It’s been a long day, hasn’t it, Birdie?” He let out very forced laughter as he climbed onto the top bunk, smothering his face into the pillow as he hauled his body upwards.

“Now, let’s sleep, why don’t we?” he said with a muffled voice. “G-good night! Don’t let the Astral bedbuggies bite!”

The sound of a (supposedly) sleeping Lucius filled the room soon after that, the elf’s face flushed and his heart racing as he lay on the mattress. But the Aarakocra underneath him smiled at the words he had heard moments before, a thought passing through his mind as he drifted off into restful sleep.

I care about you, too, Lucius. As much as you care about me. I know you'll never forget that.

#quillucius #high rollers #rollonsunday #qillek ad khollar #lucius virion-elluin elenasto #fanfiction #fanfic #hoo boy this was fun to write #erring on the side of angst seems to be my thing...

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cinnbar-bun · 4 years

Text

No Logic in Friendship (Magisa x Lucilius)

A/n: Quarantine has done something to me so now you get this random ship I have thought of. I love them both so the idea of them being together makes me a bit happy and the dYNAMICS?!?!? I am here for it and now you must witness my madness. As always due to not much backstory and lore to these two IM TAKING IT INTO MY OWN HANDS AND MAKING MY OWN!

He is stuck. He is trapped. Despite being given free reign to explore so long as he was being watched, he felt entirely trapped inside the large ship. He murmurs to himself as he continues scribbling messy notes onto a journal that he was given by the captain. They sure were an eccentric one, deciding to keep him hostage here while giving him access to materials he could use. He couldn’t comprehend how that lunacy destroyed him once before.

But that was then, and this is now. And now his mind is crawling for some sort of knowledge. Something he could use. Perhaps even planning his escape. His thoughts were cut off when he heard a knock on the door.

“Knock, knock, dear~!” A teasing voice called.

Of course she would appear the moment he thought of something. She didn’t wait for an answer, instead she swung open the door, book in hand as she gave him her infamous sickly sweet smile.

“Good morning, you seem sprightly.” She said sarcastically as his frown grew bigger.

“What do you want, witch?” He spat out the last word before he continued writing. She merely giggled before she pulled a chair out and plopped herself right next to him.

“Oh you know the drill, dear. My dearest captain wants me to watch you to make sure you don’t get any ideas.”

“Tell your captain they can go shove it up their-“ he sighs and rubs his eyes. He doesn’t have the energy for this.

“Aw, Lucy are you tired?” She smirked.

“Shut up.” He growled as tried his best to ignore her. She chuckles as she leans over his shoulder. He slams the book shut and glares at her. “Do you mind?!”

“No, I don’t. I’m interested in what you’re writing. I mean-what if you’re planning on killing us all? That would be awful to let it happen right under my nose.”

“Trust me, if I could’ve, I would’ve had you all burnt to a crisp.” He grumbles. “Especially you.”

“Oh? Are you saying you like me, Lucy?” Magisa teasingly smiles.

“Hardly. You’re a pain to deal with. You’re even worse than Belial.”

“Me? I haven’t even shown you all of me. Unless this is your way of saying you wish to know me more intimately~?” She innocently batted her eyelashes at him as he rolled his eyes.

“Quiet. You’re a nuisance and you’re getting in the way of my research.”

“Well, what are you researching?”

“None of your business.”

“ACTUALLY- it really is. I was told to watch you so that is a duty I will carry out.” She stated, her voice lowering. He recognized it meant she was being serious.

“I’m trying to figure out how all of you imbeciles interact with one another without killing yourselves. You all are a bunch of annoyances, and I feel myself going insane from being in this hellhole for over a week!” Lucilius snapped. Magisa nodded and shrugged.

“It’s true, we are a crew of multiple types of people. But isn’t that what makes it so unique? No two people are exactly alike.” She said as tapped her chin.

“I think you all are just insane. I have never wanted to jump of the deck until I met those two idiots who screamed about punching and kicking one another. Or that hulking moron who was crying over his lost hat despite wearing it. The only reason he found it was because that assistant of his told him!” He recounted.

“Ah, you mean Feather and Randall. The ‘hulking moron’ is Barawa and his assistant is Sarya.” Magisa explained.

“I didn’t really ask.” He sighed.

“Well I just think you need to take it slow. Here, since you’re obviously just getting started with the whole ‘being nice’ attitude, why don’t we start off small?”

“What are you referring to?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves besides our names. You only see us as your enemy.” She said.

“And you only see me as a prisoner.”

“If we’re gonna be friends, then I’ll say that you’re a handsome prisoner. See, it’s not so hard to be nice to someone!” She smiled. He felt his cheeks heat up as he shook his head furiously.

“I don’t want to be your friend. Nor do I plan on ‘being nice’. You’re holding me here, and I’ll get out one day.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it. One thing you should know about me, when I want something, I won’t stop until I get it.”

“And what is it that you want?”

“I would like to show you that you can make friends and be nice. I mean, think of it like this, if you behave, you’ll get more freedom. Doesn’t that sound lovely?”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll kill you.” She said, grinning at him. “I’m sure you don’t wish to know a true power of a witch.”

He sighed.

“Good! Since you’re being compliant-“

“I never agreed.”

“Since you are compliant, let’s get this small experiment running.” She clapped her hands together.

“And what does this experiment entail?”

“Not much. It’s just about getting to know one another more. For starters, tell me what your favorite color is. I’ll go first- mine is red, as you can see.” She said as she tipped her hat.

Lucilius pondered it.

“I don’t have one. It’s stupid to prefer one color over the other. They mean nothing.”

“That’s boring. Come on, don’t think about it too much. What color makes you happy?”

“Colors don’t make people happy! What kind of idiotic statement is that?” Lucilius yelled.

“On the contrary, they do. Some people like things because it’s pleasing. Sometimes they like it because it reminds them of happy memories. You must have SOME sort of preference.” Magisa sighed in disbelief.

“You skydwellers are ridiculous. Fine. My favorite color is black. There. Is this stupid experiment done?”

“No. Why do you like black?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care to have a reason to know.” He said quickly.

“Well, maybe you should research yourself a bit more. I think you’ve forgotten about who you truly are.”

“I know who I am! I am Lucilius, head Astral researcher and I will not be talked down to like that!” Lucilius angrily shouted.

Magisa sat there, unfazed as she giggled.

“I just noticed, your eyes are a gorgeous shade of blue.” She said. “It’s a shame they’re always used for a frown.”

“Why you-! Insolent! Stupid! Gah-!” He yelled incoherently as he clawed at his hair. “I would rather be dead than endure this nonsense!”

“It’s not nonsense. It’s just what makes a person up. Surely you should know that, Head Astral Researcher.” Magisa teased.

“A color does not make a person. Their eyes do not make a person. What makes a person is their power and their intelligence!” Lucilius retorted. “What they control is what they are!”

“But you control nothing. So are you nothing then? You have no power here, Lucilius.” Magisa asked.

He growled before he looked away from her.

“Well? By your own logic you’re practically useless. But I think you should realize you’re with humans. Humans don’t need to use that logic.”

“It’s been the way we Astrals have lived by. Your use is only by what you can create and think and control.”

“And yet you Astrals were defeated by us humans. Do you see the fault in that logic?” Magisa pointed a finger at him. “Humans are more than machines. We do not need to abandon feelings in pursuit of greatness.”

“Humans are illogical. One day they’ll suffer their downfall. Human nature brings nothing but discourse and nonsense. It’s absolutely stupid that you would keep me, someone who was this close to ending the world and keep me alive. If you all were rational you would’ve just killed me.”

“Well, I’m sure there are plenty who want you dead. But nevertheless, because we are, in your words, ‘illogical’, we get more out of it. Sandalphon was once someone who felt betrayed and wanted to end the world. And now look at him. He’s one of our closest allies.” Magisa explained.

“Does that mean you wish for me to be dead?”

“Mm... I’m thinking about it. I think I would like to know you first before I decide if I should end you or not.” She grinned. “As I said, once I have a goal, I won’t stop until I get it done.”

Lucilius mulled over her words before he sighed.

“Fine. I’ll play along. I have nothing better to do and it could give me something slightly beneficial out of this.”

“I’m glad you had a change of heart. Why don’t you ask me some things?” Magisa stared at him and he pondered it for a moment.

“Why did you join this crew.”

“Because their goals aligned with mine. Of course, after I met them, I found a family to call my own. So now I wish to help them get to their goals too.”

“So you admit you were thinking selfishly? Isn’t that hypocritical?” Lucilius frowned.

“Well, yes, I was. I was thinking of myself. Just like you’re doing now. You really don’t have any interest in me, and you’re doing this now to relieve your boredom. And that’s fine. Not everything has to start off as absolutely friendly. But later on down the line, things can change. Who knows, maybe you’ll fall for me.” She grinned.

“Absolutely not.” He gagged.

“Kidding, kidding. But yes, I was selfish before. But I had made so much wonderful friends here. I think you could take the time to make some too.” Magisa explained.

“I doubt the rest agree.”

“And that’s okay too. Not everyone has to like you, just as you don’t have to like them. But maybe if you show them a side to you that’s nice, they might like you too.”

“This is ridiculous. Human relationships make no sense. There are things I’m supposed to suddenly get? You’re a hypocrite and you just agreed to that. So why am I in the wrong for doing as you once did?”

“Don’t forget you still committed a bunch of heinous acts. You definitely have that going against you. But I say this as someone who selfishly came onto this crew, things can change. And that’s what being human is all about. Changing. Who I am now is different from who I was the day I met the captain. The person I’ll be tomorrow is also different too. The same can be said for you, no matter how much you deny it.”

“Change, huh...” he repeated quietly.

“You Astrals invaded our world because your world was unchanging. And now you get a chance to change in this world, Lucilius.” He was a bit surprised that she actually said his name, and he thought of her words again.

“Okay. I’ll attempt this. Then how will you conduct this experiment? I want it all laid out for me step by step.”

“Being friends doesn’t take steps. It’s about finding out more about each other. You can’t have steps for that.”

“Then how are we supposed to get to know each other. You don’t have plan!”

“Not everything needs a plan.”

“Then how do you get things done? You expect me to just go about this unprepared?”

“You just use your feelings, Lucy. There’s nothing you need to prepare for.” Magisa responded. Lucilius sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

The thought of not having steps made him a bit anxious. Plans were what he used always. He always had a routine, a plan for everything he did. And now she just wanted him to not prepare for it? He didn’t know the first thing about her nonsensical experiment, and he was beginning to dread this project.

Damn this witch for making such stupid ideas.

#magisa x lucilius #magisa #lucilius #gbf imagines #gbf #granblue fantasy #long post

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voltron-s7-8-rewrite · 5 years

Text

Heart of the Lions

This is part of my Voltron Season 7 & 8 re-write. If you are interested start HERE

Onboard The Atlas, the heads of the coalition come together to decide their move against Honerva. Thanks to the Altean colonists, they now know about the captive Alteans and Olkari, and have a better idea of Honerva's base on Oriande.

When Iverson asks why they can't just go straight to Oriande and attack, Allura explains about the Guardian Lion and how only those with the Mark of the Chosen can enter. Though she admits confusion to how Honerva could have brought all the Alteans into Oriande, as she feels that statistically, it's unlikely that they all bore the mark. Unfortunately Tavo, Luca, and the other Alteans knew nothing about the Guardian when she asked.

Shiro says that they need to focus on coming up with a plan to either infiltrate Oriande, or draw Honerva out. No one really knows how to proceed from here.

After a moment of deliberation, Allura stands and says she may have an idea. She explains that having undergone Oriande's trials, she has a connection to the ancient land. She has been considering that bond, and believes that if she and the Paladins connect to each other using the shared consciousness of Voltron, she could potentially reach out to the land for answers to the questions they have.

Shiro asks if she's sure that would be a good idea, as Honerva now seems to have a connection to the land, and could have done something to corrupt it. Allura says that she thought of that possibility, but even with that risk, something is telling her that she needs to try this.

Keith points out that it's the only idea they have right now, and adds that she won't be alone in this. If Honerva did do something to Oriande the Paladins will be there to help her. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge all agree.

Shiro smiles at them proudly and says that it's settled then.

________________________________________________

From the bridges of both The Atlas and The Narti, the crews watch as the Lions come fly out, centering themselves in between the ships.

Forming Voltron, Keith tells Allura to lead them on this. Allura tells them to take their Bayards and plug them in. Once that's done, she says to close their eyes and concentrate on their bond to each other.

________________________________________________

One by one the Paladins appear in an astral plane. Allura closes her eyes to feel the space around them. A light shines in the distance and Allura opens her eyes, saying that's where they need to go. Holding her hands out, Lance and Keith each take one, then they each take one of Pidge and Hunk's hands, following Allura as she leads the way.

Entering the light, they appear in an infinite star field that seems to connect them to the universe itself. Pidge theorizes that it's what the Olkari told her, that everything in the universe is made of the same cosmic dust and thus connected together. Paladins take a moment to joyfully relish the feeling of this connected presence and peace.

Allura sees the path to Oriande, but before they can head that way, the Paladins are suddenly hit by a wave of dark energy. Hunk asks what that was, and Allura says it's Honerva. Somehow she created some sort of barrier around Oriande, blocking Allura from connecting to it. Keith suggests focusing together to try to break through it, and Allura agrees.

The Paladins close their eyes and focus. They feel the presence of their Lions reaching out to them, and opening their bond, they connect to them. Spiritually forming Voltron, they break through the barrier and continue to travel towards the light.

Just as they approach the gateway to Oriande, tendrils of dark energy come at them from the abyss below. Each tendril grabs a section of Voltron and pulls.

The Paladins scream in pain as they mentally cling to each other, trying to hold Voltron together, but it's too much; the dark energy rips the Lions apart and shatters them, causing the Paladins to fall into a dark vortex.

________________________________________________

On The Atlas, Veronica's console begins blaring alarms. Shiro asks for a report and she says there's a powerful, unstable, energy source that sensors are picking up. Shiro asks where it's coming from. Shocked, she says it's Voltron.

Horrified, the crews of The Atlas, and The Narti watch as a dark aura emanates from Voltron, and surrounds it. Slowly, the Lion's lose their color, and turn a lifeless grey.

________________________________________________

Falling through the vortex, the Paladins land in a vast stormy plain. Unlike the endless star field that connected them to everything, this place feels cold and hollow, like a lifeless void.

Hunk shivers at the feeling and asks what happened. Allura admits doesn't know, saying it might be another trap Honerva placed to keep them out. The Paladins see dark creatures roaming about underneath the surface they are standing on, and Allura believes them to be spirits Honerva corrupted.

Before they can figure anything out, the dark spirits spring up from beneath the surface and latch onto Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge. The four are pulled down as Allura desperately tries to hold onto them, but one by one they each slip through her fingers and vanish.

Allura summons her Bayard's whip and strikes the surface repeatedly, trying to get through, but nothing she does even leaves a scratch.

Devastated and in shock, Allura drops to her knees.

________________________________________________

Opening her eyes, Pidge looks around and finds herself alone in another lifeless plain similar to the previous one. However, unlike the first that felt hollow, something about this plane feels threatening. On guard, she summons her Bayard and looks around, calling out for the others, but receives no response.

Behind her a dark figure forms; summoning a pole-arm weapon, it leaps to attack. Pidge notices it just in time and dodges, raising her Bayard for defense.

Each in different plains, the Hunk, Lance, and Keith are going through similar situations.

Hunk faces a single dark figure wielding a large staff, while Lance and Keith each fight two figures.

Lance's enemies both wield swords, while Keith fights one wielding a sword, and another fighting hand to hand.

The Paladins all call for one other, but their voices can't reach beyond their prisons.

________________________________________________

Having regained her composure, Allura once more tries to get to the Paladins, this time by touching the ground and using her magic.

As she does this, Honerva appears behind her. Allura senses her presence turns to attack, but the witch is gone.

Honerva reappears behind Allura, this time with two figures behind her. She says she knows what Allura is doing and what she is after. Allura turns slowly, seeing Honervia is still there, she says she knows nothing.

Honerva points out that they both passed the Trials of Oriande, they are both connected to the land, and here they are connected to each other. She knows everything Allura knows; who they are working with, how they are desperate for answers and strategy, and how hopeless and tired Allura has become.

Allura grits her teeth, knowing she speaks the truth, but says Honerva is one to talk about desperation and hopelessness; she's correct in saying that they are connected, and because of that she now knows that Hira has usurped Honerva's rule. Hira now sits on Oriande's throne, while Honerva rots in a cell, likely to receive a Hoktril and become an enslaved pawn.

Honerva sneers and says that she is only biding her time, Hira thinks she has won, but she has vastly underestimated her power. As soon as the time is right, she will show Hira, and all her followers exactly what she is capable of. She will correct all that is wrong in this universe.

Instantly Allura sees Honerva's plans through their connection. Horrified, she says that Honerva can't use the Trans-Reality comet to alter reality, that's not something they are capable of. They link realities together, they don't alter them. Honerva will only end up destroying herself, and potentially all reality if she tries.

Honerva considers her words and says maybe that would happen if she did this by herself, but if Allura joins her, then together they can take down Hira and use the comet to build the Altea they want.

Allura says the Altea Honerva wants is one built on the blood of the innocent, and that she will have no part of her madness. Honerva sneers and says no one is innocent, and if she will not join her, then she will have to destroy her.

With that the two figures raise their weapons and rush past Honerva to attack Allura.

________________________________________________

The Paladins struggle against the might of the beings they are fighting. While they put up a valiant effort, they can never seem to overcome them, and take multiple hits.

With each Paladin on their knees, the beings raise their weapons. The Paladins can't accept that this is the end, that they came so far, grew so much, just to be defeated here.

Keith says he won't abandon his team.

Lance says he won't let them down.

Hunk says that he will be strong for them.

Pidge that she'll fight for them.

With that the four are able to overpower the force blocking them from each other and they feel their bonds. Drawing on each other's strengths, they once more summon their weapons and block the being's attacks.

Continuing to draw on their bond, a light emanates from the Paladins, causing the darkness clinging to the beings to dissipate, revealing their true appearances. This whole time they had been fighting the former Paladins of their lions. Pidge fought Trigle, Hunk fought Gyrgan, Lance fought both Alfor and Keith in his red armor, and Keith fought Zarkon and Shiro in his black armor.

They are all stunned to see the Paladins and try to talk to them, but the spirit's eyes -glazed over with the same purple tint Zarkon's eyes once glowed- narrow and they attack again. The Paladins raise their weapons to defend, but will no longer fight them.

While holding them off Keith gets a sense of who it is that he's really fighting. It's not really Shiro and Zarkon, but the spirit of Black Lion appearing as them. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk soon feel their Lions as well, and together the Paladins call out to them. A bright light emanates from the spirits, and the Paladins are engulfed by it

________________________________________________

Opening their eyes, the four Paladins find themselves together once more and run to each other, making sure they are all okay. The spirits of the Lions appear, still in the appearance of their former paladins, though their eyes now glow the soft, warm, yellow color of their true forms.

Pidge asks how this is happening, and the Green Lion explains that Honerva used the connection she and Allura share with Oriande in order to get to her bond with the Paladins, and through that, the Lions.

When she shattered the spiritual Voltron, the Lions were vulnerable and she attempted to corrupt them as she did Oriande's Guardian. However, their bonds with their Paladins are stronger than her powers, as soon as the Paladins called out to them, her control broke.

Hunk asks why they look like the former Paladins, especially those who are still alive, like Keith and Shiro. The Yellow Lion explains that when they choose a Paladin that person becomes a part of their being, so even when their time as Paladin ends, the Lions will always have a part of that person with them.

Lance showing a bit of his old insecurity points out that some of them were forced to choose new Paladins, and asks if that really counts as a true bond. Red scoffs and says they weren't forced to do anything. Lance becoming their pilot was always meant to be, just as Keith becoming Black's, and Allura becoming Blue's. Just because Alfor was their first Paladin, didn't mean that they accepted Keith any less, and just because Keith's time as the Red Paladin ended, didn't mean they were forced to take Lance.

Black explains they knew from the moment they bonded with the Paladins that changes would come in the future, and even now the future will bring more changes, that's how the universe works. They were all chosen, no matter what the circumstances were, and are all worthy of their titles. The Paladins look at the spirits of the Lions, humbled and honored.

The Black Lion says that now they must come together to break free of this prison, as Allura and the Blue Lion need them.

The Paladins nod and Keith tells the others to focus on their connection to Allura and Blue, and reach out to them together. The Paladins close their eyes as spirits of the Lions turn white and reform and grow into their true lion appearances, unleashing an Earth-shattering roar.

________________________________________________

Allura struggles, severely weakened from fighting the two figures, while also fending off Honerva's attacks and mind games.

Honerva once more makes an offer to join together, saying that Allura is now aware of Lotor's situation, and that she knows Allura still cares for him. She says together they can remove the Hoktril and bring him back.

Allura says she cares for the person Lotor could have been, had Honerva and Zarkon destroyed his life.

Enraged, Honerva herself finally attacks, striking Allura to the ground. Standing over the Princess, she says Allura is nothing more than a girl who frantically clings to the precious sands of her life even though they continuously slip through her fingers. She says working together is Allura's last chance to regain all that she lost, to no longer be alone.

Allura slowly stands and gains strength as she says that she's not alone, she's never been alone, and never will be alone. She says it's true that she's lost much, but she has also gained much, and her bonds with the Paladins and everyone else in her life are too strong to be torn apart by such a weak and small woman.

With that, her Bayard takes a new form, an Altean glaive, and she strikes the two figures as they rush at her, returning them to their proper appearance of Blaytz and Lance in his blue armor.

Allura recognizes that they are the Blue Lion's spirit, and calls to it, causing it to return it to its proper state. She smiles as she feels the Paladins reaching out to her, and says she hears them as she begins to glow with her Alchemy. She looks to Honerva and says she will not allow her to hurt them any longer.

With that, she drives her glaive into the ground, shattering the surface of the plain, and setting the Paladins and their Lions free. The visions of Blaytz and Lance smile at her with pride before forming back into the Blue Lion.

The Paladins and their Lions appear and stand behind Allura, all ready to face her. Honerva backs up, terrified of Allura's power, unable to understand where it's coming from. Allura says this is what the true, uncorrupted Alchemy looks like.

With that she unleashes her power, blasting Honerva out of the Paladin's bond for good. ________________________________________________

Outside, The Atlas and The Narti desperately try to reach the Paladins, unable to go near Voltron due to the dark aura. Veronica's sensors blare again, and Shiro demands a report. Veronica says the dark energy is fluctuating.

The crews of the two ships watch as the dark energy shifts around Voltron. Then in a blinding burst of light, the energy is eradicated as Voltron stands strong, it's colors glowing brightly and its wings fully extended.

Hopeful, Shiro hails Voltron and asks the Paladins to respond. There is silence for a moment before Keith finally says they are here, and they got what they needed. The crew lets out shouts of joy and Shiro says they are clear to return.

________________________________________________

Notes:

So, the real version of this episode "Knights of Light, Part 1" had a lot of interesting elements that I thought were once again squandered, or just made no sense at all with what we had already seen in the story. In the end there were more negatives than positives.

Again, the whole idea of Allura embracing the darkness was wrong. Just watching her in the episode, the way she acts, talks, the moment where she uses the darkness on the former Paladins and shrieks like a monster, it's stomach churning. I mean look at this:

Why? Why did they do this to Allura? What was the point of corrupting and hurting her so much?

The show put her through so many hardship and heartaches, and it was inspiring to see her remain so strong in the face of all that.

Then in this season the writers just seemed to want to tear her down and hurt her in every way they could for no explainable reason. There was something so malicious about the way they wrote her story and eventually end in S8. I just can't comprehend it.

One of the things I really wanted to do with this story -other then give Allura some awesome moments, and a face off with Honerva- was give an explanation for the Paladin-Lion bond after the switch up.

The writers once again did a real disservice in the story by making such a huge deal about the Paladin/Lion bond, only to have the story later play 'Musical Lions' without ever again bringing up the importance of the bond.

So, I decided to make an explanation!

Since the Lions are magical beings made from a comet of unknown origins and properties, I wanted to play with the idea that they see the universe and time differently. Not that they can see the future, but that they have an understanding about the way things are and are to be.

Upon meeting their Paladins, whether it be the first or second set, they already knew that it was a temporary thing; the Lions are ageless magical machines, and the Paladins mortal beings, after all. The Lions knew one day the original Paladins would parish, and that things were already set in motion for their future Paladins to come into existence.

So, when they eventually met the new set, Black, Red, and Blue already knew that one day they would be changing Paladins. It does not mean that any bond they currently have is meaningless. Zarkon was important to Black, Shiro was important to Black, Keith is important to black, and whoever will be a Black Paladin in the future will be just as important to Black. Same goes for Red, Blue, Yellow, Green and their Paladins.

They all needed that particular Paladin at that time, just as that Paladin needed that Lion.

However, life goes on, the Universe moves, and things change. Sometimes positions and relationships change as well. That's what this it.

When Shiro was killed, Black knew he would return in a new way, but that he would have a new purpose to fulfill. It knew it was Keith's time to take steps to grow and mature into a leader he would need to become for the future.

With Keith moving on, Red now needed a new Paladin to temper and refine, and it knew Lance, who needed to move out of his comfort zone, grow up, and take on the responsibility of second -in-command, was that person.

And Blue knew it was time for Allura to step beyond the castle to show her strengths as a leader on the battlefield. In the previous story we saw how important that was when her actions touched the Altean's hearts and changed their minds towards the Coalition.

Shiro, Keith, Lance, and Allura are all where they need to be, not just for the the story, but for who they are growing into becoming.

So, what does that mean for the whole S1-2 story line where Zarkon kept trying and almost succeeding with re-taking Black?

How I see it, is that Black would have never actually allowed Zarkon to truly reclaim it. His time as Black Paladin had ended with betrayal, and he would never pilot it again. Even though there was still a connection because of their old bond, had Zarkon actually gotten hold of the Lion, it would have shut itself down like it did for the Shiro!Clone.

Allowing Zarkon the bit of control that it did in the story, was more about helping Shiro through his struggles and self doubts and getting him to take the steps needed to claim his rightful position.

Now, I know not everyone might like these explanations. I'm not saying it's the best, but at least it IS an explanation and not me just ignoring and disregarding everything that came before like the writers did.

My favorite kind of stories are ones where characters grow and change. It might feel sad that things don't stay one way forever, but that's a part of life.

Isn't it better to see character grow up and move on, then see them stuck in the same place at the end of the story that they were at the beginning?

If you like Black Paladin Shiro, Red Paladin Keith, Blue Paladin Lance, and Castle of Lions Allura more, then that's absolutely fine. But I personally have no issues with the change up, so long as it means the characters get to evolve, mature, and flourish. So that's what I've been trying to do.

Also, I like that Allura got a glaive in the final season, but was disappointed that she didn't have a cool unlocking moment like the other Paladins. So I gave her one here!

Super good news, with my vacation I've been able to finish writing/editing the remaining chapters! So I should have them all out and posted over the next two months. I'm really hoping you all will like where I take this!

Thanks for reading, have a great day! NEXT

#allura voltron #keith kogane #lance mcclain #voltron shiro #voltron #voltron pidge #hunk voltron #MyVoltronSeasonSummary #mywritings

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elbiotipo · 5 years

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Today’s Tale (16/10/2019):

When the war ends

-Che, Farah?

-Huh?

-What will you do after the War?

Farah put down the astrolabe, and her mind quickly returned from the universe of astronomical calculations into reality as she saw Martín besides her.

The sweet breezes of the Aether washed down the deck of the Aurora. Columns of nebulae towered in the void, the distant crystaline spheres shined like jewels. The Aether was calm today. No storms or bandits around. It was technically ‘night’, as much as night can exist in the void. As many things in a ship, time only existed at the will of the Captain: when he and his clock said it was the night shift, it was. Time had little meaning in the Aether, but by God a ship needed clocks and shifts.

‘Tonight’ in the deck there were only her and Martín, that tall man from the South of far-away Earth. And well, there was also Xia in the crow’s nest, but she always slept her shift away, so she didn’t really count.

Farah looked at Martín. Leaning on the railing of the deck, looking at the ever-changing constellations. He was unusually silent tonight.

When the War ends?

-Hmm. -She thought. -I was planning to go to the Imperial Academy to study Crystallography. Dad... the Captain was all for it, as long as I was careful with my identity, you know...

If being a revolutionary on its own was hard, being the daughter of a revolutionary leader must be harder, Martín thought.

-...But I’m not sure if there even will be an Imperial Academy when this whole thing ends. -She sighed.

-I’m sure there will be. Perhaps they’ll just rename it the People’s Academy or something like that. -Martín smiled.

She snorted.

-True, true.

-Besides, you know a lot already! You can recite the Messier Objects in your sleep! - Unfortunately, Farah thought, he was totally right... -You could even teach those professors in the Capital a thing or two. Maybe open your own university...

Coming from Martín, that was such a boost of confidence, Farah thought. But if only he knew...

-Thanks. But you know, the galaxy revolves around papers and titles. And I need one if I want to be taken seriously.

-I thought you said it revolved around a spiderweb-like structure of dense aether currents created by magical forces yet to be explained by coherent theurgy... -He recited the explanation she gave him so many times...

-...I say a lot of things, Martín...

He laughed. Farah joined in. It wasn’t even that good of a joke, but it made Martín laugh, so it was useful for something!

-But we are fighting for that, aren’t we? For education, and justice, and food, and equality...

-...and free candy.

-Don’t let my father catch you saying that. -She laughed

She sighed. It wasn’t entirely clear yet how could those things come from the barrel of a cannon.

But such were the contradictions of revolutions.

-So who knows? -She perked up. -Maybe I could end up as a professor somewhere. Could be a nice break from all this navigation...

-I can certainly see you as a professor. -Martín smiled. She smiled back.

-What about you? -She asked.

The young fisherman looked at the Aether, thinking of a far-away blue world incased in one of those shining diamonds.

-I want a home. Near the sea.

-Near the sea? Sounds nice. Though... a bit contradictory. No offense of course.

-Why?

-Well, you know, we spend all our time here on a ship. And you want to live in the sea...

-Seaships and aetherships aren’t the same. Also, I’m not sure if I want to be a aethersailor all my life, or even a regular sailor. I just want a place where I can hear the sea all the time.

-The sound of the waves?

-Yeah. You know... the cannons of the Aurora... They’re so loud. I hear them all the time. Even when I go to sleep. Don’t you?

-The cannons...

Farah’s post at the wheel was far away from the main cannons, but it wasn’t easy to ignore a full barrage from the Aurora’s batteries. Once they barely fired them; with the Civil War in full swing, however, it was time after time they were shot in anger against imperial patrols, pirates, asteroid forts... Martín wasn’t a gunner, but the cargo bay was just below the gun deck, and if even she was shook by the battles on her post, she could barely imagine the rumble inside the battle decks.

-Yeah. -He continued. -I hear the same boom, the same ringing, all the time. Well, not right now, I’m talking to you... But when I’m alone in silence... It’s the same sound all the time.

It sounded awful. Very literally.

-But when I’m near a sea I only hear the waves, the wind, sometimes the birds... Depending on the planet, you know there are those with flying lizards or giant bugs and such... But... It’s a nice sound. It would help me sleep.

-Sounds very nice... - She briefly flashed a sunset in a remote beach. Just Martín and her... - A-AND I’m sure you will find a place like that. After all, about 60% of catalogued living planets have a water cover over 70%... AND most of them are habitable by oxygen-breathing life. So, you know, it’s not impossible!.

That encouragment was a bit more... technical than what he expected. But it felt good anyways!

-Oh, guess science is in my side...

-Exactly!

-Heh, yeah.

The Aether wasn’t entirely silent. It always had some soft, calm hum. People like Farah swore that they could hear the patterns of the constellation reverberating through space. Martín only heard ringing. And Xia snoring up in the crow’s nest.

-I think... it’s a good idea. And besides, this ship isn’t a good place to raise children... -Farah sighed

-W-what? -Martín was shocked by the sudden turn of conversation.

-I mean, your apprentices. Antonio, Anita... and does Kirku count?

Over the years, the Aurora had rescued a lot of people from Imperial opression. The three kids had the supposed rank of ‘Assistant Cargo-Master’, but they were aboard mostly because there no longer had a home to go back to. The palace where Antonio and Anita worked was probably already burned down in a peasant revolt -and they REALLY didn’t miss it very much-, and the slaver-infested jungles of Venus just weren’t a safe place for a kid like Kirku.

Was it any wonder why the Revolution started?

-Kirku mostly does what she wants. -Martín sighed. -But yes. A warship is a terrible place to raise kids... even if it’s the Aurora. But they can’t simply go home. I’m not sure if they even have one anymore.

-Besides us. -Answered Farah.

Martín looked at her deep brown eyes as they looked away shyly, reflecting the lights of the crystalline spheres. He knew (knew?) she meant the crew of the Aurora as a whole, but for a moment, he thought...

-Maybe... when the War ends... -Farah tried to find the right words, somewhere between the clouds of the Astral Ocean...

Then, a voice came down from the heavens. Or rather, the mast.

-SHIP SPOTTED! -Yelled Xia, who apparently had a talent to see ships in her dreams AND ruin tiny moments.

-IS IT AN IMPERIAL SHIP? -Martín yelled back, a little dissapointed that the (fake) night took this turn. Again.

-CAN’T TELL YET!

-I’LL WARN THE CREW! YELL AT ME IF YOU SEE ANYTHING!

-THAT’S WHAT I’M HERE FOR! -She answered, proudly.

-I’ll go get Da- the Captain. -Farah said, adrenaline rushing into her body.

-I’ll wake up the guys below deck. And... Farah...

-Yes? -The adrenaline rushed faster.

-Tell the kids to hide somewhere... Far from the cannons.

-Will do.

Farah ran into the forecastle, commanding “All hands on deck! Alll hands on deck!”, while opening the metal doors.

-LOOK ALIVE GUYS! IT LOOKS LIKE AN IMPERIAL FRIGATE! -Xia yelled.

No sense to hide, then. Captain’s orders.

Before he went to wake the others, Martín pulled a pulley at the base of the main mast. It unfurled a great red cloth over the main mast of the Aurora, flying proudly on the winds of the Aether.

The flag of Revolution.

#today's tale #long post

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arcanacouncilrp · 5 years

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event two - may 15 - may 28

first.

28 August 1691 — It has been twenty-seven days since everything changed. The disappointment, the rage, the betrayal, the sense of loss; all of it has faded into a dull, thumping, pure loneliness. I’ve been travelling aimlessly for over three weeks; it’s the only thing that’s kept me sane. Carriages and ships pale in comparison to my old methods of travel, but all that’s gone now. If I’m to be one of the people now, I suppose I’m meant to suffer their wearisome normality.

I landed in Norway early this morning, after bartering a ride from a fishmonger. The crew was polite as one would expect, but it hardly made up for the smell. The locals seem used to it; I received no odd glances or upturned noses, but I also didn’t stay in town for long. The forest felt much more inviting than their taverns. Loneliness is my curse. An eternity of it. Perhaps the others were lucky.

After I settled in a clearing and built my fire, I heard a rustle in the trees. A clowder of long-haired cats emerged. They had stone cold eyes; hard-looking. Feral. Perhaps they smelled the fish I’d made a bed of on my voyage against the flames. They studied me, and I didn’t falter. Once, I’d have been able to speak with them, but those days have passed. One broke the line, overcoming its hesitation. It continued to hold my gaze as it made its way over, slowly and with a predatory gait. When it was close enough, I offered it some salted meat. It didn’t trust me, but hunger won out. No sooner had it plucked the meat from my fingers did it disappear back into the depths of the trees. The other followed with it.

I was alone again.

But an interesting idea lingered with me long past the sun setting behind the leafless branches. The Ancients left me my creation powers. Why don’t I… create? Why hadn’t I thought of it before? My companion didn’t have to be human. Witches had familiars once, right? That’s all I am now, isn’t it?

It took a lot out of me, bringing him into being. But he’s beautiful. A spitting image of my mystery friend that had visited in the afternoon. He also enjoyed the salted meat, and the warmth the fire had to offer. He told me his name was Balfour. Who was I to argue?

Perhaps I won’t be alone anymore.

before.

Two weeks have passed since the initial discovery of Feiyan’s absence, as well as the flicker in magical gifts. Not to mention the grab for power. Emotions have calmed over the short time, but the weight of it all has hardly dissipated. No one has really moved on, but some seem more intent on finding answers than others.

Death has taken to his dog form, using its keen sense of smell to search The Lair. He goes floor by floor, noticing nothing out of the ordinary until he reaches the suites. Something incredibly old and remarkably feline fills the air, emanating from beyond Feiyan’s door. Knowing Billy rarely leaves the library, Death barges in, coming upon a feral-looking grey cat with long hair and bright teal eyes. They stare intently, and Death starts barking.

The Tower and The Empress both run in, hopes high, and Justice follows not long after. “Oh, great,” Justice mutters sarcastically, a sentiment The Tower shares.

“What have you morons done with her?” the cat replies in a gravelly voice that shocks only Death. The Empress calms the room, but not before giving the cat a quick scratch behind the ears and a small smile.

“Welcome home, Balfour,” she whispers. A voice rings from the doorway as Death shifts back to his human form. The Fool, having heard the commotion, appears to ask what the hell is going on. Justice suggests they convene The Council.

Balfour sits in the middle of the Council table, everyone else in their seats, listening as intently as one can to a talking cat. He explains what he is: a creation of Feiyan’s. Who he is: her oldest living friend. How he is: pissed at the idiocy of the group in front of him. The Empress speaks up, interrupting what she knows could be a barrage of insults from the irascible cat she grew up with.

She explains that Balfour lived with them when she was young, The Tower quickly chiming in that he is far from a friendly house cat. The Empress continues: he often came and went just as Feiyan did, but one day he left and did not return. That was nearly seventeen years ago. Balfour interrupts her then, telling the group he has his own thoughts and agenda just like the rest of them, and had some things he had to figure out.

“About two weeks ago, I knew something was wrong. We’re connected, Feiyan and I. I’m a piece of her soul, and I could feel her in pain. So I ask once more: what did you imbeciles do? Where is she?”

That hushes the room, but only for a moment. Questions begin flying. Feiyan is hurt? She’s alive? Where is she? How do we get her back? Balfour hisses to silence them, his frustration - and concern - is clear. He tells them the only reason he has returned is to find out where she is and why the scent of danger lingers in the air around them, and until a clue surfaces, he has no information for them beyond this.

“And what have you all been doing in her absence?” he sneers, piercing gaze leveled around the table at all of them. No one answers immediately, forcing The Empress to speak up and explain their dispute over decision-making power.

With that he leaps off the table, making no effort to hide his irritation at the Councilors. “You are supposed to be the best of the best,” he tells them, his tone an uncanny reminder of the way Feiyan spoke, “yet you squabble like children as the world decays around you. Either put yourself to good use, or do not bother me.”

Tail held high, he’s out the door, ending the meeting without another word. The Councilors look at each other for a moment longer before breaking away. Some go looking for Balfour, desiring to aid him; some seek out friends for comfort, or to laugh off the absurdity of the whole situation.

They have no idea how outrageous the day is yet to be.

now.

Hours later the Councilors begin to notice their magic behaving strangely, though most write it off as their nerves getting the better of them.

Until they can’t.

Death finds The Fool lost in his fears over the Council’s permanence; attempting to cheer him up, Death takes the form of a kitten, barking insults and orders just as Balfour had. Quickly, though, he realizes the problem on his hands. He can’t change back - or at least, not to the form he is trying to take. The Fool might have laughed at him, but his own control over his powers wavers, sending him to new places at random as if he was a child once again.

Wheel of Fortune has never had this many unlucky things happen to him in a row before, which naturally leads him on an ill-advised adventure to test his newfound bad luck. Things are supposed to go his way always, so what could possibly be wrong? On his little adventure he gets caught in the crosshairs of The Chariot’s malfunctioning magic, and suddenly his feet leave the ground. Frustrated by her loss of control, The Chariot is already doing everything she can to regain it, but Wheel of Fortune’s attitude does nothing to improve her concentration.

The Devil is not trying to summon anything, yet things from fleeting thoughts keep appearing around her. It isn’t that big an issue - the clean-up may not be fun, but she can only do so much to help with that - until her rogue powers put The Tower right in her path. Having fought hard over the years to master his gift, he hasn’t accidentally set anything on fire… yet. Mostly. But the harder the Councilors fight their loss of control, the worse it gets.

Judgement, who had taken to the astral plane to get away from the pandemonium of magical talking animals, cannot seem to find his way back. The Magician finds him in a trance and moves to shake him awake, but the contact slams her spirit into the astral plane with his, leaving them caught between worlds with seemingly no escape, and their bodies abandoned and empty laying in The Lair.

A storm closes in on The Lair, so The Star goes out to take control and let it pass, but his powers only seem to make it worse, whipping the rain into a thundering frenzy. Strength catches a glimpse of his struggle through a window and runs out to help. Big mistake. Combined, the two of them valiantly fight against the storm they are feeding - and begin to worry they run the risk of the Potomac rising and flooding their home.

The High Priestess is not just drowning in others’ emotions - no, his predicament only gets worse. Happening upon The Emperor in the library, the two quickly discover that neither of their powers are working properly. The Emperor bursts into uncharacteristic tears, her frustration at the day’s events amplified by The High Priestess’ out of control powers. She tries to will him to turn it off, but her persuasion doesn’t work quite as planned, and her magically-induced mood swings do not get any better.

At first, The Hanged Man doesn’t notice a huge difference in his powers. He’s still moving faster than everyone else, and that’s all that matters, isn’t it? Until he struggles to control his own speed, that is. One minute he’s darting around, the next it’s as if he stepped in quicksand. He seeks out the nearest person he can find for help, but The Hermit is having troubles of her own. Her visions overlap with her present, and she’s struggling to wade through what is real and what isn’t, but she hears The Hanged Man’s voice and knows she has to help, if she can.

The Moon finds herself ejected from her sleep much too early, and in her annoyance she seeks out The Hierophant in the infirmary for something, anything, that could explain her problem and make it go away. A new issue quickly arises: The Hierophant cannot seem to keep her eyes open very long around The Moon, and every time she dozes off, her dreams start up loud and chaotic, drowning out both their worries for the moment.

Justice and Temperance are arguing when they leave the meeting, the former not trusting Balfour at his word due to past history, while the latter attempts to point out they’re being stubborn. The Sun follows close behind attempting to mediate but failing miserably. What actually works is the three stumbling upon an unconscious and seemingly unwakeable Judgement and The Magician. Worried, the three take the bodies to The Hierophant, hoping she can wake them, but as she herself struggles to stay awake, she discovers her healing powers are not responding.

The Empress had gone to her garden just after the meeting for peace and comfort, and for a while she was left unbothered. Then, her plants begin to grow. And grow. And grow. Utterly out of control, she tries to stop them, but her powers do not respond as they should. The Lovers, upon seeing the commotion, runs to help, but she actually makes matters worse. She can’t control her mimicry, let alone the chlorokinesis, so between the two of them, they become trapped in a maze of greenery.

Mayhem reigns well into the next day, until a subtle shift in the air restores everyone’s control. The storm ceases, objects stop floating, and The Lair is (mostly) untouched by flame. No one is any closer to discovering what caused the malfunction, but Balfour reappears to confirm one thing: this cannot have been a good sign for the future.

Happy plot day, councilors, and we hope you enjoy Balfour! He’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Our first event was such a lovely success, and we were so thrilled to read through everything you all came up with. Although this new event is starting, feel free to continue any threads you are still working through from the first event. For this event, the magical malfunction lasts approximately 24 hours, so your threads with event partners can occur anytime between the afternoons of May 15th and May 16th. This event will last about two weeks through May 28th, so you are also encouraged to begin reactionary threads about the power fritz and Balfour himself! We have more in store for you with this sassy cat, so stay tuned and happy plotting!

#councilevent #event 02 #event: the consequences of advanced spellcasting

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sashawiremarryme · 6 years

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Dreaming of You

The IPRE dreamt of each other a lot after they arrived in Faerun. It took them weeks to notice anything strange, how often do you remember dreams, after all? When they did notice, they assumed it was because this was their last world. In the past, it had seemed as though they would be spending eternity together. Now they knew their time together was limited, it seemed reasonable that they would be trying to hold onto each other, even in the depths of their subconscious. It wasn't until months later they found out the real reason why. In this world, if someone's thinking about you when you’re asleep, they appear in your dreams.

Of course, they started teasing each other immediately after they found out.

“Taako, I noticed you were thinking about me last night, were you talking about how much better than you I am?”

“Barry, I know my ass is great but you have to stop thinking about when I'm trying to sleep.”

“Wow Lucrecia, I didn't realise you thought about me that much. Are you secretly in love with me? I wouldn't blame you if you were.”

“Were you thinking about my sweet moves again last night, Lup?”

“Dav, I don't know what the others told you that made you think of me last night, but it's not true!”

“For the last time, Magnus, I'm not teaching you how to talk to animals. Please stop thinking about it.”

“Merle, I don't know why you were thinking of me last night. Just, please, don't.”

Naturally for this group, the teasing turned to competition. The rest of the crew would brag about how often Magnus thought about them. The twins would argue over who Barry thought about the most. Everyone would wake up in fear when Merle appeared in their dreams, too afraid to ask what he'd been thinking about last night.

When Lup disappeared, their dreams were the only thing giving them hope. She was out there, they could find her.

After Lucretia erased their memories, their dreams felt lonely, they just couldn't explain why. After all, it wasn't like people didn't appear, but something felt off, something was missing.

Magnus dreamt of Steven and Julia. He liked those dreams, they made him feel less alone. Sometimes their dogs would join him, not often though. He wondered if they invaded the dreams of the animals they liked to chased. After the rebellion against Governor Kalen, he started to appear in his dreams. That was why he always blamed himself for what happened to Raven's Roost. He should have known something was going to happen, Kalen had appeared in Magnus’s dream every night for a month.

Merle dreamt of his family. They started off pleasant, he didn't know if he would go as far as describing them as ‘loving’, but they were pleasant. Quickly though, the version of his wife that appeared grew sour, then she stopped appearing in his dreams at all. He couldn't blame her, he suspected that he hadn't appeared in her dreams for years. His kids still loved him, he could tell that much. Even after he left, they still loved him. They were angry at him, confused, but they never stopped loving him. Even after he left, his wife didn't think of him much.

At first, Taako dreamt of static. Eventually, he worked out that there were different patches of static. Sometimes there was only one, other nights there were two, even three. But he never dreamt of people. Not until ‘Sizzle it up’. After he started to perform, the people who watched his shows, learnt his recipes, thought about him. Of course they did, he was a star. Sazed appeared a lot as well. He could tell he idolised him, over time, that awe turned to something else, something darker. It was only years later Taako understood how deep that resentment ran. His dreams become even more crowded after the disaster at Glamour Springs. People were searching for him, cursing his name. As time passed, his dreams quieted down, Sazed was still there, and the static was still there.

Davenport had long ago accepted the fact he only existed in the background. Most people he worked with seemed to forget he was there. He knew Lucretia thought of him though, most nights she was there, looking over him. He liked that. He could tell she wanted to protect him, and he could tell she felt guilty about… something. He always assumed she felt guilty over the most recent fallen reclaimer, the most recent in a long line of catastrophes.

Barry hated his dreams. On one hand, they were the only time he could see Lup, on the other hand, he only knew who she was when he was in lich form. When he was a human, all he saw was static that reminded him of that mysterious coin. The one that told him who he was every time he woke up in a new body. He wondered if the static figures knew who he was too. He didn't need to sleep when he was a lich. He could, he was physically able to, but it was always a struggle. Every time he did he felt guilty, taking a break from his mission to bring his family back, just so he could see Lup. Lucretia was there some nights, he didn't know how he should feel about those nights.

Lup slept a lot to pass the time. It was the only variation she ever experienced in her accidental prison. After she disappeared, she dreamt of the others often. She could feel their worry, their concern. She knew they were looking for her. Until one day, when everyone except for Barry and Lucretia disappeared. She feared the worst, they were probably dead. Why else would she never cross their mind again?

Lucretia missed her family. Only three people appeared for her now: Barry, Lup, and Davenport. Barry was angry, he had a right to be, after everything she took from him. But she knew he was lonely, he hated what she'd done, but he still missed her, still loved her. She only felt love coming from Lup and Davenport, why wouldn't they love her? They didn't know what she'd done.

Once they joined the Bureau of Balance, the boys started dreaming of each other, and of Lucretia.

Magnus was grateful, for too long his dreams had been empty, the only figures that appeared in his dreams since the destruction of his home in Raven’s Roost were those he had left behind, wondering where the hero who had saved them once before had disappeared to. Once he starting dreaming about his new companions he felt as though loneliness that had followed him for as long as he could remember had finally eased, just a little, but enough.

Merle used his dreams as proof that the others cared about him, despite their jokes that he was a dead weight. Every time they rolled their eyes because he failed to cast a spell, he reminded them that they had appeared in his dreams the night before. Usually, they would respond by telling him it was impossible to not be thinking about him as they fell asleep because his snores were loud enough to shake the room, but he knew they really did care, and that they were just hiding how much they really felt.

Taako saw Lucretia and Barry a lot. Once, he asked Lucretia how it was possible he was seeing Barry, how could a dead man be thinking of him? She mumbled something about moon magic and changed the topic. He was pretty sure she was lying but it was a better explanation than anything he could come up with. Taako liked to tease Lucretia about her appearances in his dreams, joking that she was his secret admirer and offering her an autograph every time it happened. He stopped doing that when she kept reacting badly. When he asked her if he was secretly in love with her, she froze and didn't say anything thing for several seconds, before excusing herself and leaving the room without responding to his question. Taako couldn't help but notice that only one static figure remained.

After the Day of Story and Song, the seven bird’s dreams were a lot less lonely. Everyone in the universe knew who they were. People would go to bed thinking about them, and what they did. Even years later, their dreams would be filled with children as parents told the story of their saviours. But as decades passed, those people faded. They didn’t notice, they were too busy noticing the other absences.

First, it was Magnus. While the rest of the group were surprised he lasted as long as he did, Merle was amazed that Magnus was capable of dying at all. He had seen him lose so many hit points, taking hit after hit without being healed, he never thought something as mundane as old age would finally kill him. He knew that Kravitz had his work cut out for him. Taako wasn’t sad when Magnus died, his boyfriend had already told him about the surprise he had planned for Magnus years ago. He was annoyed at him for dying and making him and Merle the dos lonely boys again, but he knew he would be happier. He still missed the giant figure in his dreams. But he knew he could annoy Kravitz into letting him see him whenever he wanted so he wasn’t really gone. Part of Davenport was happy that he could live the rest of his life without worrying about Magnus invading his dreams to jump out from behind a bush and shout his name at him. The other part was said that he couldn’t prank him when he slept anymore. Barry didn’t know if he could say he was the last human remaining, did he even count as human anymore? That was the most upsetting part of his death, It’s difficult to mourn a person when you see them every few days at work. He seemed happier than he had in years. Lup helped Taako grieve at first, bringing her brother’s favourite foods to his house every day because he was too busy crying his eyes out for hours on end that he couldn’t cook for himself or Kravitz—then Kravitz told her he would stop pretending to cry immediately after she left and instead took the food to eat with Magnus and Julia in the Astral Plane. She stopped cooking for him after that. Lucretia hated it when he disappeared from her dreams, it reminded her of those long years she spent alone.

Next was Lucretia. The years she lost in Wonderland meant she didn’t last much longer than Magnus. At least she didn’t have to experience losing all of her friends again. Merle missed her, they had grown close during the Stolen Century, and again during their time at the Bureau of Balance. Taako missed her the most. He never forgave her for what she did when she was alive, and every night he would feel a fresh wave of guilt wash over him, originating from the space she used to occupy in his dream. He decided to forgive her when he saw her again after death. Davenport didn’t know how he felt about Lucretia. She had taken so much from him, she had taken his mind. But she was his friend, and she had spent decades trying to make it up to them. He was still happy he didn’t have to see her every night anymore. It had taken Barry a long time to forgive her, he lost a decade with his family, not knowing where they were, not knowing if they were alive or dead. Eventually, he had to admit that he had an eternity with his wife, and nearly that long with his brother. A decade without them was worth the millions of lives that been saved. He still wished that it had been their choice to make. Lup didn’t have to forgive her. As soon as she’d found out what she’d done, she’d understood. Hadn’t she made the same choice? Back in cycle 17. It didn’t matter what the cost was, they could never be the ones to pull the trigger for the end of the world.

Then it was Merle. Taako didn’t want to think about Merle’s death. He died in a greenhouse surrounded by plants. It was probably how he wanted to go, and Taako probably didn’t want to think about the circumstances of his death beyond that. Davenport missed him the most. Whenever Davenport dreamt of Merle, they were always playing games. They never spoke, but he still missed the company. Barry wished he hadn’t died. He’d been easier to avoid when he was alive. Now, he kept seeing him at work. But, he always had a new update about his kids for him, that was what Merle had hating most about dying, Barry was happy to make it a little easier. Lup wasn’t fooled by Taako’s grief this time. Just to spite him, she made sure to deliver homemade meals to Merle at least once a week. He had told her that Taako had visited a few times, and tried to take some of the food. Lup was proud when Merle told her that every time he tried it he would eat the remaining food he had in front of him.

Davenport was the next to go. That was when Taako stopped sleeping. Everyone was pleading with him, he wasn’t like the other elves, elves from their world had to sleep. It wasn’t enough. He couldn’t bear to see the sea of faces he didn’t know, and not see the only people he cared about. He could see Barry and Lup when he was awake, the extra few hours with them wasn’t worth the empty dreams. Barry tried to get him to see reason, but he couldn’t blame him—he had stopped sleeping since the day they lost Lucretia. Lup still did. After every death, she was reminded that Taako wouldn’t live forever. She wanted all the time she could get with him.

Eventually, Taako died as well. There had been a fight over who would escort Taako to the Astral Plane: his sister, his brother, or his husband. It ended up being Barry, not because he won the argument, but because Taako had tried to escape and Barry happened to be the one to find him first. The night Taako entered the Astral Plane was the night that Lup stopped dreaming.

#the adventure zone #taz #taz balance #taz bal #taako #taako taaco #lup #lup taaco #magnus burnsides #merle highchurch #barry bluejeans #lucretia #davenport #fanfic #50 #100 #150

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revoltwithlcve · 5 years

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♦ REVOLTWITHLCVE’S VERSION OF DIAMOND DAYS EVENTS ♦

So fair warning, THIS IS REALLY FRIGGIN LONG. But if you want a low down of how Diamond Days occurs in accordance with this blog, than read on through!

- Begins very similarly to canon, with Rose revealing herself to the other diamonds when she realizes its the best way of keeping all her friends and family safe. Yellow and Blue, too relieved to see Pink alive, don’t question her too thoroughly about the rebellion itself and Rose takes the opportunity to try having them use their powers to heal a corrupted gem. Upon seeing the huge progress that was made when the three of them work together, she comes to the conclusion on her own that in order to make a permanent cure, she would have to face White Diamond and this makes her nearly outright refuse to go through with it, her fear of White so rampant that it almost blots out her concern and guilt over the corrupted gems. Steven however is able reason with her and convinces Rose that she needs to at least try, and at last she guides everyone to her old ship so that they can all prepare to leave for Homeworld. Back at Beach City, Rose tells Connie and Steven that they shouldn’t come, humans in space are very vulnerable and they could very easily get hurt, but Steven is insistent that he’s a Crystal Gem too (having been trained with a specialized gem device that mimics Rose’s shield), and that he and Connie were insistent on coming whether she liked it or not. And thus, the whole crew goes off to Homeworld, Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst pushing through any animosity they feel towards Rose for the sake of the corrupted gems.

- Upon landing on Homeworld, Rose is horrified when she sees Pink Pearl cracked and being controlled by White, having been unaware of her old Pearl’s fate. While caught off guard by this, it only serves to make Rose angry when she’s brought to White and she attempts to confront White then and there, more stubbornly refusing to be interrupted but she is still sent off in an orb to her old room, White all but ignoring her. While this does surprise her (as she’d been expecting a punishment of some sort, this making her realize how strangely White was acting), Rose is still very angry and upset, and is a crying mess by the time she notices the pebbles running around. It’s through the pebbles and reconnecting with her old friends that she’s able to calm down enough to be more rational about the situation, and it is then that Pearl arrives in her room. The two have a somber conversation at how little things had changed on Homeworld, and Rose asks Pearl if she had been aware of what happened to Pink Pearl (this can be elaborated in a thread). This eventually leads onto Rose being summoned to Yellow’s sauna.

- This is the first instance of Rose trying to tell the Pearls to call her Rose instead of Pink Diamond, but this of course doesn’t end well and she instead plays a joke and tells them to call her Lasagna then. In the sauna, Rose has a conversation the centers around White and how much she’s changed, Rose realizing that she hasn’t seen or talked to anyone in person in millenia. This eventually goes into Rose saying “Maybe you should try failing.” which gets a laugh out of Yellow who’s remark earns her a very fiery glare from Rose, but Yellow doesn’t seem to notice. From here Rose is summoned to see Blue, and already back in a very foul mood, she rants to Pearl about how “Yes, literally nothing has changed. Right back to ignoring and belittling me.”

- With Blue, it’s a little less tense, if more so awkward as Blue tries to bring up fond memories of the diamonds spending time together. This leads into their conversation being around why Rose left, to which Rose is quick to grow more quiet and stoic as she solemnly states “Why should I say? You wouldn’t understand nor care anyhow...” (How things proceed from there could be in a thread). This thread of discussion is soon interrupted with Blue having to leave as well, though she does state firmly “We will talk more on this later” to Rose before she leaves. Rose returns to her old quarters with Pearl, her frustrations from having to reopen old wounds making her gradually more upset as she asks about where the others had been put, especially Connie and Steven. Pearl goes off to retrieve them, as Rose retreats into her old secret room with the pebbles and nostalgically goes through her old belongings.

- When Steven and Connie, along with the other CGs are brought by Pearl she’s quick to make sure they’re all comfortable with the help of the pebbles, though before Steven and Connie go to sleep they ask her to tell them about the other diamonds and her exact relation to them. Its here that Rose goes into her past as a diamond (her creation for example) in front of everyone, eventually reaching the point where she finishes with “And one day, I just... decided I wanted to stop being Pink Diamond. That wasn’t who I wanted to be anymore.”

- Rose does decide to attempt having a ball, as she recalled that White used to attend those and wonders if this nostalgic event would perhaps coax her back out. She is of course more familiar with how the balls are run, but it’s Steven and Connie that get B!Pearl and Y!Pearl to talk about their interests and hobbies, which becomes far more interesting to Rose than planning anything and Blue comes in at this moment of distraction. The two fall into having an argument about Rose looking the way she is (she hasn’t gone into her old uniform as Rose), and having the others accompany her, Rose vehemently insistent that the children stay near her and that her friends be allowed to come, and coming to Garnet’s defense when Blue begins to criticize the fusion. Garnet still decides not to come, and its in that moment after Blue departs that Rose and Garnet actually talk for the first since Rose revealed herself to be Pink Diamond. Rose doesn’t try to sway Garnet into coming to the ball, it’s moreso about her apologizing for Blue’s behavior, and that Garnet had to come to Homeworld at all and deal with this type of treatment (this then extends to everyone else as well). In turn Garnet says she knows this all has been very difficult for Rose too, and says that she would much rather be with them all to help instead of being back on Earth. Its here that their friendship starts to show signs of mending.

- During the ball itself, Rose plays along with her old role and regulations, Steven and Connie being seated next to her and whispering comments with her throughout the whole event. Though she does take time to make funny faces with Amethyst along with a mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ when she sees Amethyst had been forced to wear limb enhancers. She grows far more remorseful when she spots Ruby and Sapphire in the crowd, though Steven helps to comfort her and keep her focused. With Yellow and Blue however she doesn’t respond to them, instead pretending to stay focused on the ball’s events. When White doesn’t end up coming to the ball, Rose falls into a far more morose mood, quietly wondering if fate would repeat itself and if she’d be forced back into her old diamond lifestyle again. Steven and Connie now work together to try and cheer her up by making her dance, which Rose ends up going along with mainly because she’s sick of doing everything by what White wants.

( tbh I’m not sure what should happen next, I haven’t established that Rose could fuse with Steven or considered that train of thought, but who knows. Either way she does something to upset White, Blue and Yellow and gets tossed into the cell, all while holding Steven and Connie close since the others have been poofed and Rose doesn’t trust leaving them alone with the other diamonds the slightest bit. )

- After trying everything to force the doors to open in desperation to get Steven and Connie to safety (she knew how long Blue and Yellow tended to keep her in there and the fact that Steven and Connie would starve and get dehydrated if she didn’t do something), Connie and Steven fall asleep to rest leaving Rose to her own thoughts, where she decides to attempt contacting Bismuth on Earth to send help. She’s hesitant about this, knowing that Bismuth doesn’t like nor trust her, but with Steven and Connie’s lives being in danger Rose goes through with it anyhow, and astral projects herself into Lion. Through Lion she is able to communicate to Greg first, and with his help gets Bismuth’s attention as she writes in the sand that the Crystal Gems were in trouble and needed help. Once she knows for certain that Bismuth clearly understood, its then that Rose pulls away from Lion’s consciousness and returns to her gem.

- Rose does her best to keep Steven and Connie as comfortable as possible, the three of them discussing Rose’s past occasionally and other random things to pass the time. When Blue comes in Rose’s first concern is that Blue let Steven and Connie get food and water. This devolves into Blue getting upset about ‘Pink’ making up excuses again to try and earn Blue’s pity, to which Rose reacts with growing anger as the two argue and it culminates to the point of Blue saying “Why do you care about these organics so much?”, and Rose responding with “Because they actually love and care about me, Blue! Which is more than I could say for you!!” From here she begins crying, actually speaking her true emotions to Blue as she describes how whenever she did something Blue or the others didn’t like, they would all just toss her in her to be alone and in the dark, they would all just forget her when she was in pain. “I was always there for you when you cried or were hurt Blue, where were you when I needed you most?!” The rest of the conversation follows a similar line to canon, where Blue comes to the realization of what Rose was talking about, why she had changed so much and left, and eventually decides to help her and her new family return to the safety of Earth.

- In the confrontation against Yellow, it centers primarily around Blue and Yellow while Rose, Steven and Connie work to rescue the poofed CGs. When Yellow begins to shock Blue Rose finally intervenes by protecting Blue with her shield, and telling Yellow that she has to stop. The conversation following this is very similar to canon, where Yellow says they all have to work according to White’s expectations, that she has to do this for the sake of a perfect empire, which Rose then questions with “Does this look perfect to you??” Steven’s the one that brings up the porkchop and hotdogs line, which Rose elaborates on as Blue agrees with her and mentions that was how they had lost Pink in the first place. When Yellow collapses and begins to cry, both Blue and Rose go to her for an embrace, Rose feeling spurred to comfort Yellow for the first time in a very long while.

- Now with all the diamonds working together, they run to Pink’s ship where White intervenes by taking control of it with her own ship. Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot come to the rescue in Blue and Yellow’s ships, and at this moment it can be seen through their expressions that Bismuth and Rose are beginning to come to an understanding, when Rose genuinely thanks Bismuth for coming and Bismuth states “Couldn’t just abandon you guys here.” When Yellow and Blue insist that Rose takes their ships and leave, at first Rose looked ready to go through with that, but just as she turns to leave she freezes and realizes that to run after going through all this, after finally having gotten through to Yellow and Blue and connect with them after so long... she couldn’t run away. She had to see this through, abandoning Blue and Yellow to deal with White wouldn’t be right and so she sternly says no and comes to stand with the other two, saying that they all had to talk to White, at least try to make her see that the way things were right now were wrong.

- The attempt at speaking with White goes as expected, and the crew are sent tumbling down with Rose going after her friends, pleading with them to wake up until eventually she first fuses with Pearl and realizes that fusing was how she could help the others emerge from their gems. From Pearl she goes to Amethyst and fuses with her to save Ruby and Sapphire, and lastly is able to save everyone from being crushed under the ships foot by fusing with Garnet to form Sunstone (same name but different appearance and personality of course). After unfusing and Rose having a much needed moment of bonding, relief and friendship with the others, they finally form into Obsidian to climb White’s ship to directly get to her head. Steven and Connie work together with Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot to distract the hands and ultimately wind up in the grasp of Obsidian, who reaches the ship’s head before being crushed and forced to separate. Connie and Steven fall further down, but assure Rose that they’ll be safe and will follow the others soon after, so Rose and the other CGs go on into White’s ship.

- Finally confronting White, Rose attempts to talk to her and reason with her, though ultimately that ends with Amethyst, Garnet and Pearl all falling under her control as White tells her that she surrounds herself with flawed gems merely to make herself feel better, feel higher than someone. Rose combats this with saying, “No, that’s what you do! You keep saying everyone but you is flawed and imperfect, but that means you’re worse than I am! At least I know I’m flawed, and I’ve accepted that I can’t be perfect! You’re just forcing yourself into a warped delusion!” At this point Steven and Connie enter the room and briefly fight against Pearl, at which point Rose begins to try coming to their aid and but stops when she’s faced with Garnet and Amethyst and having to fight them. Eventually Steven and Connie are brought in front of White, who then suggests that it was from surrounding herself with lowly organics that ‘Pink’ had gotten these thoughts into her head, and stating that they were a bad influence is about to kill them when Rose panics and completely lashes out, throwing Garnet and Amethyst off her and diving on top of the children as a wave of a pink wall erupts from her and pushes nearly everyone back. Rose is furious, and holds the children close with a thick shield around her as White begins trying to zap her with her light, growing increasingly frustrated with ‘Pink’s’ stubbornness and using all the controlled gems in the room to attack her at once. This hardly does any damage to Rose’s shield as she protects Connie and Steven, and it is in that moment of desperation that she realizes something she could do, something that would force White to see the situation outside of her perspective, force her to feel some sort of emotion. She knows initially, this was something she never would have done in the past, but with the children in danger, with her friends and family in danger... she had no choice.

- Leaving a protective bubble around Steven and Connie as the rushes out, dodging around the blasts of white light that were aimed at her, Rose leaps up at White Diamond’s chest and forcefully fuses herself into the elder diamond’s light, combining their minds and hearts into one being that initially writhed and lashed about before collapsing to the ground, the hold White had on the other gems breaking as the fusion fell into an immovable trance. Inside the fusion, White and Rose’s conciousness’s clash with each other until Rose finally manages to break through the wall White had forced around herself, and shares her thoughts, emotions, and memories directly into White. All this, along with Rose’s desperation for White to just listen and the surprising, long buried love she’d had for White finally stun the eldest diamond, enough so that she finally stops struggling and allows Rose to say her piece. Now with the two having their minds fully conjoined, emotions being felt directly with each other as they spoke, the two are finally able to reach a moment of bonding, this being the moment where Rose sings “Change Your Mind” as the two unfuse into their separate forms once more.

- At first there is a lot of tension in the room as Rose and White return, though it seems that Rose’s attempts were successful in rousing a change of heart in White, a remnant of Pink’s aura remaining within White as she now glowed softly with a pink light. From here White shows the deep uncertainty and strain she had with having to be flawless, her identity now feeling broken with the emotions she could no longer keep at bay. While everyone else was shocked and didn’t approach her, Rose comes forward surprisingly, and the two share a tender moment of confiding and comfort. This, finally, helps White agree to come to Earth with them and assist in healing the corrupted gems.

- From here it follows canon fairly closely, where the four of them go into a pool while bringing all the corrupted gems they’d collected over the years and watching them return to their original forms. At long last Rose genuinely feels happy, hugging and embracing all of her old friends, crying with them, and especially holding Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst and Steven close when she can. When it comes time for the Diamonds to leave, Blue extends the offer for Rose to return to Homeworld, even if she knows that Rose will likely turn it down. Rose does, explaining that while she’s happy that the four of them were on better terms, her true home was Earth. She does however state that the three of them were welcome to visit anytime they liked, tenderly saying that it would mean a lot to her if they could take the time to. The Diamonds leave, and Rose spends the rest of the evening celebrating with the other CGs, Greg and Steven, Steven staying close to Rose as the two mainly spend moments quietly enjoying each other’s company and singing songs.

#love yourself because you're wonderful || mun ||#(super long read and also can be changed about for threads)#(but this is the default of what happens according to this blog's verse where Rose is alive!)#(spent all day writing and figuring this out rip-)

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idiopath-fic-smile · 6 years

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Fic: The Curious Case of L’Ami

Fandom: Les Mis/Starship Iris crossover

Pairing: Enjolras/Grantaire

Summary: Some say L’Ami is a legend, a figment of a void-addled imagination, like that former gambling boat turned ghost ship, or the giant astral squids floating in The Deep.

Notes: Commission for Brynn. (Prompt: Enjolras, Grantaire, and any other amis that strike your fancy in the Starship Iris universe.)

Fic:

Officially, Adrien Enjolras and his fellow conspirators are dead, killed in an accidental explosion during the failed student protests of 2180. No bodies were ever recovered from the site, but there are eyewitnesses, death certificates, security camera footage which places Enjolras and the others at the scene moments before the fatal detonation.

Unofficially, though--Mathieu Combeferre was always top of the class when it came to hacking video feeds, and it’s true that during his brief stint at the school’s drama department, Sebastien Courfeyrac demonstrated an almost disturbing flair for pyrotechnics.

Beyond that, well, people have a knack for seeing what they expect to see.

Enjolras hates being called a pirate, so naturally, Grantaire does it as much he can.

“What we do is not piracy,” Enjolras insists at dinner that evening. They’re down to only protein tablets again, but Bossuet insists on nightly crew meals anyway, citing some half-remembered psychology paper on the importance of group cohesion. “They were out for gold--”

“--and glory,” Bahorel cuts in.

“And other, non-gold forms of wealth,” Prouvaire offers from the corner, where he’s sharpening knives. “Jewels. Silver. Tobacco.”

“Really, this piracy thing is sounding better and better all the time,” Grantaire declares. “And we haven’t even gone into the clothes yet. Those long swoopy coats? Those hats? They don’t even make saboteur hats.”

“Not yet, they don’t,” says Joly, a needle and thread in his hands and a troubling gleam in his eyes.

Some say L’Ami is a legend, a figment of a void-addled imagination, like that former gambling boat turned ghost ship, or the giant astral squids floating in The Deep.

Others claim to have seen it firsthand. These people are, for the most part, lying.

Feuilly and Musichetta worked for many hours in Joly’s lab to create a series of light wave-neutralizing panels which, when applied to the outside of the ship, render it close to invisible in flight. Scanners are a little harder to fool, but it’s not impossible to scatter a signal, and anyway, Combeferre didn’t get his reputation for nothing.

When the Regime’s local radio fails, when a supply line breaks down, when a piece of unjammable IGR tech becomes hopelessly jammed, when satellites plummet from the sky like shooting stars, a low-level lackey will sometimes blame the crew of L’Ami. Sometimes, this person will be correct.

The thing is, sometimes they’re wrong. Sometimes, the resistance comes from much closer to home: orders not carried out, protocol ignored, a devastating weapon left to suffer a mysterious number of production setbacks. When a simple functionary of the Regime acts out of conscience, allows the gears of the machinery to grind close to breaking, even for a moment, L’Ami is there to take the blame. That’s half the reason it exists.

Grantaire calls it The Good Ship Plausible Deniability, but that’s just Grantaire.

Éponine has a job for them. This is not unusual; Éponine is the one with the most contacts on the ground. Scouring the ‘net is one thing, but she’s the one who picks up on the whispers, the thoughts nobody dares commit to keyboards or transcribers.

A prominent politician on New Jupiter has been working with the mafia since before Neuzo.

“The Estonians?” asks Bahorel; “The Sicilians?”

“More small-time than that,” Éponine tells him. “They call themselves the Jondrettes.”

Cosette turns from her pilot’s chair to frown at Éponine. The two share several seconds of complex eye contact, the kind with multiple layers of meaning, and then Cosette reaches up and squeezes Éponine’s shoulder, supportive.

“We go back a ways,” Éponine explains to the others. “But it’s fine. Won’t be an issue.”

“Are you sure,” says Enjolras.

Éponine smiles wolfishly. “I think Bossuet would say it’ll be good for my sense of closure.”

The mission is complicated. Wiretapping mob lines from the air is a no-go; criminals have the best encryption on the market. Planting a bug in-person means infiltrating either the Jondrettes’ headquarters, or the offices of a minor chancellor.

“Chancellor’ll have less security,” Bahorel points out. “Fewer armed guards--”

“But we’ll need a better cover story,” Éponine finishes. “High clearance. You know what that means.”

Enjolras does.

Grantaire shows up to the briefing wearing thick black eyeliner. “It’s my form of protest,” he explains. “I will rock this look until you at least give me a small plank to walk people off.”

Enjolras, who has consumed more piratical factoids than he’d really care to admit, says absently, “They didn’t even do that” before he’s thought better of it.

“Aha!” Grantaire shouts. “So by not allowing me a plank, you admit we’re pirates!”

“In other news,” Courfeyrac interjects brightly, “the briefing!”

To pull off this latest mission, the crew will need at least two sets of convincing ident cards, badges, and scannable contact lenses to create the illusion of a bodyguard and a mid-level aide. (Bahorel and Courfeyrac, respectively. Éponine is out due to the chance she could be recognized by one of Jondrette’s thugs. It remains to be seen if the Chancellor is brazen enough to invite known criminals directly to his office, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.)

“Simple,” says Grantaire. “Child’s play. A grievous waste of my talents. I could be counterfeiting money on a tropical planet, sipping absurdly conceptual cocktails on a hover-beach, and here I am instead--” “And why is that, exactly?” Enjolras fires back. Grantaire just shrugs one easy shoulder, eyes shockingly blue against all that black. It reminds Enjolras of the way Earth stands out in photos taken from space.

“Who’s got the attention span to stay put?” Grantaire replies. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my quarters.” He reaches the door, spins, and adds with a grin, “mateys.”

The irritating thing about Grantaire--and there are many, but the chief one among Enjolras’s concerns--is that it is almost impossible to get a straight answer out of him.

Grantaire of a dozen years ago would never so casually take orders, would certainly never then turn around and perform the tasks required. Maybe he just prefers fucking shit up over trying to rally the people. But then again, the work Grantaire does--falsifying records, forging credentials, crafting careful replicas of retinas--is not just an act of creation but an act of incredible precision.

Everyone aboard L’Ami has made sacrifices. Everyone left behind people, places, the chance for anything resembling a steady life. They are all legally dead, after all. Most did it from a place of deep conviction, the same conviction that once drove them to pledge their lives to the cause back on Corinth.

Grantaire was not one of them then. The only change between those days and the day Grantaire chose to run with them was the total failure of the student uprisings.

Why this, why now? Certainly, Enjolras has other things to think about. They’ll need more rations soon, and both Cosette and Feuilly have been after him about some new engine part that should be able to up their speed by something like fifteen percent. Combeferre is only a year’s worth of work away from being able to implant a virus inside the Regime’s intra-government mail system. Courfeyrac’s disguises get more promising every day. And if nothing else, there’s an endless expanse of stars out the window, endless thoughts to have about the scope of the universe and the promise of a brighter dawn.

Most of the time, this is more than enough to keep his mind occupied.

Most of the time.

Enjolras is waiting by the comms when word comes that the plan’s gone south. Fifteen minutes after Courfeyrac successfully managed to slip into the Chancellor’s office and plant the bug inside of his desk, Bahorel was spotted and recognized by a freelance guard.

“How,” says Cosette, calm tone belying her white knuckles on the dashboard.

“Not sure.” Courfeyrac’s voice comes in a whisper; from the sounds of it, he’s ducked behind a corner. “I know he was on the amateur boxing circuit, back in the day--”

The name on Bahorel’s ident card won’t match up with the name he went by then. It’s a matter of time until the small talk branches off into questions and they are discovered.

Enjolras has to fix this. It was his call to send Courfeyrac and Bahorel, his call that put them in danger. He paces the cockpit.

“I’m going in after them,” he announces.

“No,” says a voice from the doorway. Grantaire is standing there, shoulders tense, still wearing that ridiculous eyeliner. “We don’t have the numbers for a confrontation.” His voice is quiet, devoid of irony or sarcasm. Somehow, that’s the strangest part of the whole scene.

“I’ll keep it covert,” Enjolras says. “I’ll pretend to be Bahorel’s superior--we’ve still got that spare IGR uniform, right?”

“We do, but we’d still need a new ID for you,” Combeferre replies. “It’s the same problem.”

“The guard’s less likely to check the credentials of a superior, you know that,” Enjolras snaps. Every second they debate is a second Courfeyrac and Bahorel lose.

“Let someone else do it,” Grantaire adds, grave. “We’ve got four or five working aliases between us--”

“Nobody with the clearance to extract them,” says Enjolras. He sighs, rakes his fingers through his hair. “How fast can you make a new ID, Grantaire.”

Grantaire shakes his head. “Not fast enough.” “Then I’ll have to go without.”

“Please don’t do this, Captain.” Grantaire swallows, stares unblinking at Enjolras. “We can’t lose you.”

Later, Enjolras thinks. Later he will pause to examine this moment, the way Grantaire’s voice cracks on ‘you,’ the way his own throat aches in sympathy. Later, because there will be time, because this plan will work.

“Cosette, get ready to make a fast exit,” says Enjolras, already peeling off his captain’s vest. “Tell Feuilly to stoke the engines. Bahorel, keep stalling. Courfeyrac, make your way back to the ship as discreetly as you can. And Grantaire? Have a little faith.”

Grantaire’s choking, hysterical laughter follows him out of the cockpit.

The sun is bright and surreal in his eyes after so many days shipside. Enjolras strides forward, trying to make his speed look commanding and not desperate.

“You there!” he shouts at Bahorel and the guard. “You’re not paid to stand around chatting!”

“Sorry, sir!” Bahorel barks.

“Sorry, sir!” the guard echoes.

“Report back to your stations immediately!” says Enjolras.

“Yes, sir!” Bahorel jogs off, and Enjolras’s heart lightens.

The guard blinks back at him.

The best way to stem critical thinking and divert suspicion is to play into strong emotions. Fear works well. Enjolras launches into a lengthy, furious lecture on the importance of professionalism, of duty and obedience and manning your goddamn post.

“Sir,” says the guard slowly, “I was on break…”

An actual official of the IGR would know this. An actual official of the IGR would be able to access the roster.

“Meadows dismissed me at 09:00,” the guard continues, “Senior Officer…?” One hand is on his radio. There are people everywhere, no way to stop him without making a scene. Enjolras prays that Courfeyrac and Bahorel are already back on the ship.

“Sir!” someone is yelling from behind him. “Sir!” Enjolras spins around. Grantaire is running towards them at full speed. He’s wearing Feuilly’s mechanic coveralls with Musichetta’s leather gloves, to hide the knuckle tattoos, and a pair of goggles jammed over his dark curls to cover the eye makeup. “Sir!” Grantaire calls, “beg pardon, but you left this in the transport!”

In his outstretched hand is a pristine new ID card, emblazoned with the words Major General Hugo.

The guard looks a little pale.

“Would you like to continue to question me,” asks Enjolras, deadly calm.

“No, sir!” The guard executes a sloppy salute and turns on his heel.

Grantaire is doubled over, breathing raggedly. He must have sprinted the whole way. Feuilly has a slighter build; the mechanic suit strains at the shoulders and biceps.

“Thank you,” says Enjolras, as dispassionately as he can, mindful of the crush of people on all sides.

“No...tip...necessary,” Grantaire manages between pants. “Just...glad...to be...of service.”

Once they are safely back in space again, the mood on the ship is messy and ebullient. They may be down to protein tabs, but it turns out there’s still wine.

Bahorel is cheerfully regaling everyone with the story, including a spirited impression of Enjolras as a tyrannical senior officer. Enjolras half-expects Grantaire to be in the thick of the festivities, but he is absent from the mess hall. Nor is he in the cockpit or the engine room or the training room.

Enjolras finds him, finally, in the hydroponics lab.

“Thank you,” he says, and Grantaire jumps.

“You already said,” Grantaire replies with a crooked smile. There is a measure of truth in that smile, but something else, too. Enjolras allows himself to remember that argument in the cockpit, and it’s as though that glimpse of the slipping mask has granted him a better sense of it now.

“I mean it,” Enjolras pushes. “You risked your life, and I appreciate it.”

He’s not sure what he expects, but it’s not laughter. “God,” says Grantaire, bitter and amused, “don’t. Please don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Act like this represents magnificent sacrifice on my part. I acted with extreme selfishness.”

Enjolras frowns. “I don’t follow.”

“Do you really?” Grantaire’s voice is climbing. “Come on, Enjolras, I refuse to believe you’re this obtuse. You must know.”

It’s beyond confusing. “Know what?” Enjolras repeats. “If you’re going to talk in riddles, at least make it rhyme.”

“Well, fuck,” says Grantaire, and an edge of that hysterical laughter is back. “Fuck, what rhymes with, ‘I’ve been desperately in love with you since I very first heard you preaching fire and brimstone and freedom on the quad?’ It’s a little, it’s a little tough to make that scan, but Jesus Christ, give me a second--”

There is a long pause as every neuron in Enjolras’s brain swivels, reconfigures, sputters back into life. Several things suddenly make more sense. Several things also make less sense, but he’ll have time to sort that out.

They’re alive. They have time.

“Grantaire,” he says, hears himself say, “will you go out with me?”

There is a much longer pause. “...say again?” mumbles Grantaire.

“Grantaire, will you please take off those stupid goggles and go out with me?”

“Wow, uh.” The goggles land on the floor, and Enjolras watches those blue eyes widen.

Enjolras fits his hand to the side of Grantaire’s face because he can, because they’re both still breathing and the skin of Grantaire’s jaw is warm and rough with stubble. When Enjolras presses their mouths together, Grantaire’s lips are soft, almost hesitant until something inside him seems to snap and then they are kissing with abandon as the hydroponic system softly mists the air around them.

Presently, Grantaire pulls away. “Are you sure, I mean, are you one hundred percent sure this isn’t just gratitude at how I totally saved your ass?”

“I’m sure,” says Enjolras. “Although, I do think you deserve a reward for that.”

“Yeah?” says Grantaire.

Enjolras takes a deep breath, carefully schools his face. “Shiver me timbers,” he says, totally deadpan, before reaching out to reel Grantaire back in.

Grantaire’s grin is brighter than a supernova.

#fic #not posting this on AO3 bc how do you tag a crossover of a 19th century literary classic + your own handmade space opera #does it count as self-indulgent if someone else came up with the prompt?#idk but i had fun doing it

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beanymachine · 6 years

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Voltron Season 6 Review

Hello, welcome to my Review! I hope what I say makes you think and see a different perspective on the show. If you want to say what you think I’d love to hear it!

Anyways I’m going to list a lot of stuff I thought was well executed. The episodes did a good progression of an eerie feeling grow more and more. The first episode helps start this tone with Shiro getting headaches from Haggar, Lance dying and being revived, and Hunk learning more about the Galra’s history and culture. This and other parts of the episode help set up some important stuff throughout the season:

-What’s up with Shiro?

-Lance and Allura’s relationship and well as Allura and Lotor

-Culture

-And power (quintencess or however you spell it)

The second episode of the series then talks about Keith and his past, to start finishing the development of his character and the problems he had. Keith’s journey is also important as it leads to Lotor’s backstory and motives. Another thing the episode does is bring in a major theme of the season: Love.

Throughout the season we see how Lance deals with the fact that he IS in love with Allura and how Allura and Lotor are getting closer and closer. And we see how love can hurt when it doesn’t work out between two people, or when it isn’t reciprocated.

You know, like how Allura called out Lotor and made him flip his lid.

But we also deal with familial love. In Keith’s past we see how he was when he had a whole family and how they all loved each other (Keith was a baby so he’s really just goo goo ga ga). And how Krolia loves Keith and at one point hugged him to try to shield him from a wave of whatever.

There is also the very big and impactful scene where Keith and Shiro are battling and he tells Shiro to please stop because he’s his brother and that he loves him. It made the Possessed Clone Shiro twitch and hesitate, and then tried telling Keith to give up on him. And Keith even decides to die with him because he won’t leave him alone or give up on him, just like he did for Keith. And luckily the original Shiro and Keith are able to reunite.

Back to the tone of dread, the season does well building up to multiple climax points, like how Lotor’s dirty secret is found out, Clone Shiro being discovered as a clone and him and Keith fighting, the big battle with Voltron vs Lotor and how Lotor losing his mind, and him eventually being left to supposedly die in the quintencess realm.

The Animation was stellar (Haha get it? I’ll go now) with the fight scene of Clone Shiro vs. Keith, Lotor going mad, and the big Voltron fight.

Also it was a good choice to put Monsters and Mana for a breather episode right before things start going downhill.

Lotor’s fall into madness was excellent too along with his animation and expressions.

I’m also glad Hunk got a bit of spotlight. I know people say he doesn’t get much of a chance to rise and shine, but honestly do you really want to see him go through possibly a lot of emotional or physical pain? Plus it seemed like he was developed basically in the first season and pretty much fully developed I think. I can understand if people want more chances for him to shine. He did use his canon a lot in the last battle of this season so hopefully that will be enough for some. It’s enough for me at least.

With this being said, I’m now going to point out some things that I think could’ve been improved.

1. Keith’s abandonment issues and the two year timeskip, as well as the message sends.

Keith I’m sure is almost done developing and is almost whole like Pidge and Hunk. But the way it was done was good but left some stuff out.

First, the last season left off Keith’s relationship with his mom to be a startling new one that most would expect to be in anger and why Krolia left and the demand for answers. And we get that at the beginning of Razor’s Edge. However Keith doesn’t freak out as much as I’d suspect he would when he sees visions of his past. But what I do not like most is the two year time skip.

Keith apparently spends two years with Krolia on that space whale. That leaves many questions as to how he and Krolia talked about Keith’s issues. How did he deal with his fear that he’ll be abandoned or he’s not wanted, or that he thinks he has to prove himself useful and fast in fear of not being wanted? How did Krolia react and try to parent Keith in their strained relationship? Was their relationship even strained for long? If I found my space mom I never met before and she left me as a baby, and didn’t tell me immediately why she left, I’d be really upset and demand answers as fast as I could get it.

Also in this time Keith matured and grew. He became less hasty and when he case back to the team he immediately took the Black Lion without being scared of being a good leader or replacing Shiro. He grew that much! He went from point A to point B, but we never saw it. It’s a vital thing to see how he learned and healed from whatever he was dealing with, not just for viewers, but to perhaps reflect real life as well. I think we should’ve seen it in case anyone was dealing with the same problems as Keith and understood him as well as his thinking from the help of his mom to grow, live, and move on.

Instead we get a timeskip and miss out two years of Keith’s life. And we STILL don’t know his relationship with his mom! Are the cool now? Does he understand and forgive her? Is he at least comfortable being around her or are they at least friendly? Or are they on good terms and on the path to having a good mother and son relationship?

Also, WHAT’S THE DOG’S NAME??? Keith basically took a two year vacation with his mom and had a dog of his own. Like he got to live a little bit of the childhood that he lost without his mother. And I think that’s pretty important. It is a nice thought of how Keith got to be happy, heal, and relax with a dog he got to have and probably loves, while spending time with his mom. But we don’t know if it’s really that or he just was stuck on a whale with his unknown mom and his dog as his closest thing to a friend in a very awkward situation.

Not only that but there’s another message I don’t like as well. Maybe I interpreted wrong. It also may be a situation where one message can be sent or the other and both are equally important.

The idea that you need to know your past, who was in it, to find out who you are. Sure, the past crafts us into the person we are today, and anyone who is an orphan has the right to find out their past. But what you do in the present, and how you move on from you or others’ past mistakes to move forward is what makes you who you are. If you are trying to become a better person from mistakes you made, then you’ll slowly change into the person that you want to be.

It is good to know what runs in your blood and what race you are- Galra or Altean. But it matters to you as a living being what you do, what you want to do, how you need to get there, and if you are going to change or need to.

I thought Keith would learn about his past and see that his real family was with Shiro and the Voltron team. They were with him in a lot of life and death battles. I thought he was going to see more of how important they are to him. But it’s also the fact that no one stopped him or mentioned they missed Keith. I mean I’m sure they did but no one vocalized. Either meaning that they thought it was something they thought that wasn’t needed to be said, or that he wasn’t that important. Which is a lie since many of them hug him goodbye and some tear up when Keith is leaving for the Blade of Momora.

Hopefully they’ll tell us what he did during the two year timeskip for Keith in the next season or in the future and this is all part of their plan for the show. If not... I don’t know what to say yet.

2. The Altean Lady

The Altean Lady, or Romelle is the one that tells us of what Lotor did for the remaining Alteans and what he did with them. I would be fine if she was just introduced to bring his backstory and not be another in depth side character. But the thing is, I’m not sure if the writers were trying to chracterize her by giving her her side of the past or not.

Romelle is supposed to be a survivor and tell the crew what’s up with Lotor. She does this while telling of how her brother was caught up in it and how she reacted to it. And if this is her backstory or another one then it’s fine. But the way Keith introduced her to team Voltron made me think she was going to be a kinda important or at least a vocalized side character for the rest of the season. She takes the light for one episode, but then is just in the background later on. She reacts the same with the paladins when Shiro is on the ground in the last episode, but they way she is shown makes it seem like she is reacting strongly. Why should she? She doesn’t know these people. And yes I’d be sad or upset at seeing someone die, but it made her seem like she knew him when she didn’t.

And she’s still in the background and looks a bit plain but has enough detail on her for you to think “oh, her design makes her seem like she’ll be important this season as not just a reason for Lotor’s motivation and crimes, but as a person too) but that doesn’t happen. Maybe I’m confused on all this and maybe they’ll do something with her next season and characterize her. I hope they don’t think by giving her backstory will be enough characterization.

3. I want friendship darn it!

I wanted to see more friendship between Keith and Lance. I honestly thought these two would reunite and join together to somehow find the real Shiro. Maybe this is my own fault.

It’s just there were that red and blue star in the astral plane and I thought “oh hey, it’s foreshadowing that they are the only two that will be able to save Shiro”. I also thought that because they were both having issues about their place on the team and whether they think they are valued as not just teammates but as people and friends too. I thought the two would become closer as friends and be there to support each other and figure the puzzle pieces out as to why Shiro is acting weird and be the main characters or this season. That’s what I predicted anyway.

Also maybe I interpreted the trailer for Season 6 wrong because it made it seem like Keith and Lance’s reunion would be significant to the plot of the season. And maybe the trailer was going for that. Either way I don’t think it would’ve been the writers and animators fault but maybe the people who edited the trailer instead. But it’s not a big deal.

But now after this season, perhaps the red and blue star forshadowed the candidates closest to contacting Shiro and finding out about the Clone stuff. Or maybe it was foreshadowing Allura and Lances relationship to possible become romantic since they pilot the Red and Blue lions (I saw someone say something about this, I don’t know who said it but if you know please tell me. Just know I didn’t think that up myself or got inspired from it!)

But the stars appeared during season 2 right? So maybe it was referencing the red and blue lion switching pilots. Or the thing it’s foreshadowing still hasn’t come yet and it’s still possibly about Keith and Lance since those are their basic trademark colors.

To add to this I wish I could’ve seen more on how Pidge and Hunk reacted when they saw Keith’s return and change, as well as his family and some random Altean. It seemed only Lance really noticed which now makES ME FURTHER THINK THEIR RELATIONSHIP WILL DEVELOP MORE! ARE THEY FRIENDS OR WHAT?! SEASON 3 MADE IT SEEM LIKE THEY WERE BECOMING CLOSE FRIENDS AT LEAST AND NOT DUMB CLICHÉ RIVALRY!!!

I don’t know we’ll have to wait and see... again.

One last subject I want to note is how people are fearing Lance will be a rebound to Allura’s fast relationship and breakup with Lotor.

I know I don’t discuss ships on here, but if it’s strongly implied one character loves another one, then I’ll probably talk about it or do art on it.

Anyways, there’s no evidence Lance will be used like that from Allura of the creators yet. Allura knows Lance loves her, and knew he really, really does (or maybe did?). Not a crush but a love that can blossom into a romantic relationship. She knows this but still goes after Lotor. And I’m okay with that.

She chose Lotor because she had stronger feelings for him at that time. She didn’t feel the same way about Lance, but during Monsters and Mana, I think she saw Lance in a different light. And she didn’t really try to create feelings just because she knew Lance has some for her since those wouldn’t be true feelings and just pity, at least that’s how I saw it. After the whole thing with Lotor, perhaps she’ll think more about what to do about the two of them later.

The thing is now there are two paths. Down one, Allura deals with her breakup at a normal time and moves on, so that if she does have a romantic relationship with Lance, it will have a hopefully healthy start and actually grow to be a strong healthy one.

One another path, is the one where she tries to get over Lotor immediately and some time passes and grows to fall for Lance, but it can possibly lead to issues as to whether or not she does love Lance or had strong feelings for him, or is still confused and not completely over Lotor, or has some feelings for Lance but it hasn’t let them grown enough yet to let her possibly be in love with him and they try to date but it ends when the her feelings haven’t grown strong enough and the chances of them being together die out.

Or, there’s the third out-of-no where path where it’s nothing we guessed and we are all wrong and it’s something maybe we should’ve seen coming, or it’s an out of no where development.

Either way, we’ll probably know next season if Lance and Allura’s relationship will be endgame or stay friends, or happen but won’t work out and hopefully stay as friends.

Well, that’s my review of the season. It was my first time waiting for a new season of the show, and I guess now I’m more attached to the characters and the show. At first I really wanted to watch it just to know what’s going on and see people’s reaction to the season. It’s still that and I’m happy and laughing at some reactions because they resonate a bit with me and let me feed on their emotion (mwahahaha) but it’s also that I wanted to see if I would like the show more when getting hyped about it or people’s reactions and the payoff it would give. And I’d say it was pretty good!

So, uh... yeah! Thanks for reading! If you want to talk about stuff you can comment on this post! I’d love to hear what you have to say about the season and what you think is in store or what to expect.

Well now I hope we get the release date for the next season soon! But that’s probably wishful thinking. I just heard that they did that after the last season was realeased immediately. But that’s okay. The crew deserves a break after their hard work. And there’s so much art, comics, memes, and more we can make from this new season, so we’ll live for now. Heheh.

Thanks for reading! Bye! Have a nice day!

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alittlepronetopanic · 6 years

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You Need To Wake Up

(gif belongs to bluerangerpower)

Prompt(s): "You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you."

Pairing: Lee x Reader

Word Count: 1,554

Hope you enjoy it! And as always, feedback is appreciated. :)

When the fight broke out on the prisoner ship, you tried to help Lee calm the riot. As you fought off one of the prisoners, you threw a punch that landed on his cheek, but when you crashed back into him to try and take you down, a sharp object was rammed deep into your abdomen and pulled out as quickly as it went in.

There was initially no pain but as soon as you placed your hand on the open wound, a stinging, burning sensation began to rip through as you started to bleed profusely.

Lee was too busy fighting Zarek to see what happened, but as you stumbled towards him, Lee rushed towards you and you collapsed in his arms. “No, no, no.” he panicked as he put pressure on the wound. He called Dee over and asked her to take over applying pressure whilst he sorted out the mess and who did this to you.

He knew you needed medical attention, but he had a job to do here. Lee didn't have time trying to be nice to Zarek and if he could, he would kill him there and then, just to get this over with and he can get back to Galactica and get you help. But he couldn't do it, waiting for the Marines and Starbuck to get there – and Lee didn't even want Starbuck to see you in the state you were, knowing how close your friendship was. While they waited, Dualla tried her hardest to keep you alive, but she knew you were losing a lot of blood, and she asked Billy to keep checking your pulse; it was weakening quickly with each lot of blood that was seeping out.

Starbuck and the Marines arrived, and she saw you on the ground, Dee pressing her palms to a bloodied spot on your shirt, Billy kneeling with your head on his lap pressing his fingers to your pulse in your neck. She rushed over, kneeled down, holding your face, “[Y/N]? Wake up. Please, wake up.” she pleaded, tears stinging her eyes.

Lee spoke to Zarek, trying to come to some kind of arrangement; the prisoners needed to help mine the water in exchange for control of the Astral Queen, plus he would make plans to hold elections within the next year, and they finally agreed.

Back with you, Billy felt your pule weakening and weakening, tears still stinging her eyes. You were her best friend, the one who had stood by her through all her muck ups, defended her to anyone who went against her, and seeing you almost die in front of her, was too much for her to deal with. Kara stood up, and stormed over to find Lee, “Who did that to her?” her voice broke.

“I don't know, I haven't got around to that yet.”

“Work faster, so I can kill them.” she shouted, considering doing it herself. “She could die, Lee. If you're done here...”

“We're done.” he interrupted. Standing up and leaving Zarek to stew, Lee left his cell, followed by Kara, who felt the anger and tears continuing to build inside of her, wanting to seriously damage whoever stabbed you.

Lee could see that Kara would snap at any minute and he knew he had to get everyone out of there, most importantly you to sickbay and to Doc Cottle. Starbuck lunged forward, storming back towards the prisoners in their individual cells. But Lee grabbed her lower arm, pulling her back, “Kara, no, we'll deal with this later.”

She wasn't happy with Lee's answer, she wanted to hurt whoever hurt you but she also needed to get you medical attention. Both Lee and Kara made there way back towards you, Lee crouched down, and looked at you. He lowered his eyes with the sad look in his face and licked his lips. Seeing how pale you had become because of the loss of blood and seeing the blood on your shirt even redder and more prominent than before.

“Hey, [Y/N]?” he called, checking your pulse, it was incredibly weak. Your eyes were half lidded, losing consciousness from the loss of blood before they closed completely. “Keep those eyes open, please.” Lifting his eyes, he darted them around the rest of the people that joined him on the Astral Queen. He looked worried; he tried to hide it but Starbuck could see behind Lee's attempt at calmness. “We have to go. Now!!” he ordered.

Picking you up, everyone went back on the Raptor and Kara flew back to Galactica whilst in the back, Lee held you close press hard on the wound, even though it started to seem you were out of blood by how pale you looked and the fact the blood had stopped pouring out of your wound.

His other hand cradled your head and he buried his face into your hair, “You're gonna be okay, please, just stay alive for me. Please, [Y/N].”

Dee watched at Lee started to fall apart with you in his arms, Galactica wasn't too far away and if he could he'd get out and fly there himself with you if he knew he'd make it without dying too. You were still alive, but barely. When he Raptor landed, Lee pleaded to be let out as soon as possible and he carried you to sickbay himself, rushing past the Commander not even acknowledging him. But the Commander was concerned at you being carried, injured and looking so weak in his Son's arms.

As the Doc and his team operated – and had been for the last hour or so – having to perform a blood transfusion to replace all that you lost, and surgery on the wound. “It's my fault, dad. I should have looked out for her.” he admits, “And now she could die because of me.” Lee felt the tear roll down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away.

“It's not your fault, Lee.” his father reassured him. Before he could speak again, Doc Cottle returned with his assistant, Dr Ishay, “How is she, Doc?” Commander Adama asked.

“Whoever stabbed her used a blade long enough to hit an artery, a small one but it hit more than one, which was enough to make her bleed out as quickly as she did. We gave her a blood transfusion to replace the blood she lost, and she should be awake in a few hours.”

“Thank you, Doc.” Bill said. Lee stayed seated, his head in hands, “Go and see her.” Lee lifted his head and looked at his father, “I know how much she means to you. Go and stay with her. But keep me updated.”

Lee stood up and padded over to him, they didn't share any words, but Lee needed a comforting touch from his dad and they shared a hug. It broke off and Lee smiled lightly as he walked away. He reached you room and stopped in his tracks when he saw you. A few wires here and there, but generally, you looked better, considering how you looked a few hours ago.

Walking over to your bed, he sat down on the chair next to it and leaned forward. You were still asleep, recovering from the surgery and Lee wasn't sure how aware of your surroundings you were. He took your hand in his, bringing it up to his lips, placing a kiss to it “I'm so sorry, [Y/N]. This is all my fault. I should've looked out for you, protected you during the riot.”

Lee looked back at you, hoping any sign that you were going to wake up would show. You looked peaceful, unlike the last time he saw you. The only sign he got was a little tightening of your hand in his. His father was right, you did mean a lot to him, not just as a friend, or even a best friend, but as someone he had deep feelings for, he was just to scared to admit them to himself, let alone you.

“Please, please wake up.” he pleaded, licking away the salty tears that had rolled down his cheek on to his lips. “You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you. Any of this. I love you, which is why I need you back. We all do.” he confessed before breaking down, sobbing quietly into his hands. He knew you would wake up eventually, at least that's what he hoped; there was no reason that you wouldn't according to Doctor Cottle, but the longer you took, the more worried he was going to get.

Lee was right, the whole crew needed you back. But to him, he needed you more, and when you do wake up, he made a promise to himself that he would tell you how he felt, because life was too short and after what happened on the Astral Queen, and after life on Galactica in general, he was starting to realise that.

He took your hand in his once more and just waited, going through in his head all the things he wanted to say when you woke up, trying to find the right words. “I love you, [Y/N].” he whispered to himself. “I love you.”

#Battlestar Galactica Fanfiction #Battlestar Galactica Fanfic #Battlestar Galactica One Shot #Battlestar Galactica Reader Insert #Lee Adama x Reader #Lee “Apollo” Adama x Reader #Reader x Lee Adama #Reader x Lee “Apollo” Adama #Lee Adama #Lee “Apollo” Adama #Fanfiction

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