#long before the Crystal Empire was even built.

[blackkatdraws2]

The narrator and the ugly ahh protagonist [Blank Scripts AU/non-canonical]

#tsp blank scripts au #non canonical art #shitpost #this is fr how people be drawing narrator and stanley.... narrator being way too handsome and stanley as a background character naahh.. #honestly i just drew him like that because it was funny but then i got too attached to it like an idiot aghh #The Narrator (Black) is an entirely different made-up species originating from the ancient Arctic north #long before the Crystal Empire was even built. #The old one's tail only ever wags whenever Stanley is around. You can clearly tell who the favorite pony is #Imagine Black showing Stanley courtship behaviors like rolling on his back #showing his stomach to him #sliding his wings on his chin #trotting like a dancing mare around him #and generally just showing off to show Stanley that he's interested in him... #But because of the species difference (and because Stanley is one airheaded fella) #Stanley doesn't understand what Black is doing other than he looks beautiful while doing it. #the narrator (Black) can read Stanley's thoughts btw #so he knows what that silly guy is thinking about :) #tsp au #the stanley parable #the stanley parable ultra deluxe #mlp #my little pony #mlp oc #my little pony oc #tsp #tspud #tsp narrator #narrator tsp #stanley tsp #tsp stanley

[floweroflaurelin]

So Pixlriffs’ finale is a masterpiece and I’m experiencing a lot of emotions right now ✨🌻✨

For my own reference I made a transcript of the monologue and thought I might as well share it! It's under the cut to avoid spoilers but the whole first 8ish minutes of his video are typed out. I recommend watching at least that much, if you haven’t yet, because it’s really something worth hearing.

We are not done.

Not yet.

Our stories do not begin here, and neither do they end. But before they fade into obscurity, as so many events do, there is one more story left to be told.

[It is the Story

of

the World.]

It’s important to remind ourselves that history is an account of events remembered—and there are so few left who remember, so it mingles with myth and hearsay, folklore and fireside stories. This is the account of just one man, and others may recall the tale differently. Others still may decide to change the narrative to suit their own ends. And this, it must be said, is no bad thing. So it goes.

[Sun setting

over

our Creation.]

—

In a long-lost age before records truly began, our world was built by Titans (or so it is said). The lands they created became home to people who would seek to emulate and even to surpass that act of creation, and that would eventually bring about their destruction. But destruction is simply part of a cycle. Nothing is ever truly lost.

Those who foresaw the destruction fled before it could bring the walls of their homes down around them. And many who had been downtrodden and overlooked saw it as their chance to find a new life for themselves.

Thus began a great migration, leaving behind the old nations of the world and striking out for somewhere new, a life untethered from the follies of their former state. And though the road was long and treacherous, and many fell behind in the wake of such an awful endeavour, new bonds were forged in the fires of adversity.

As time passed, and more joined the great caravan, the host became a nation of its own, a glorious congregation sharing one purpose, singing the same resolute song. Though the road was long, they were homeward bound.

And a home they found nestled in a mountainous landscape, one that might have been carved by the very bones of the gods themselves. There they planted roots, drank deep from the water, and continued to grow. The farmers sowed new fields and raised new flocks. The work of many hands turned to building a new city. And together the architects conceived a castle upon a great plateau that would stand as a monument to their past apart and their future together. To them, the castle itself would tell the Story of the World.

Stone-whisperers from Mythland and the Grimlands, well-versed in masonry of all kinds, sculpted its walls from the abundant rock of the nearby mountains quarried for the glory of their new capital. They wrought rock and iron, carved and timbered their great halls, and raised mighty towers to stand atop the grand cliff.

The mages of the Crystal Cliffs brought knowledge of magic and the beauty of gemstones, and theirs was the sanctum at the heart of the castle, ever-seated at the Ruler’s left hand: their shield and protector.

A tribute was raised to Gilded Helianthia, whose ruler was still revered in the hearts and minds of many, and in time she became their warden against the spectres of the past, carrying the twin burdens of light and shadow on her shoulders; a burden with which the people of Rivendell were all too familiar.

And below, far below, the engineers of Pixandria sought to reproduce the jewel of their empire. A mechanism that would surpass the work of the Copper King himself.

Not all who came to found the Ancient Capital remained for long. Like dandelion seeds, the people of the Overgrown were scattered on the wind, alighting on the mountaintops and valleys. The vast majority of them came to settle in the rolling meadows of Chromia, which was renowned for the richness and beauty of its dyes for lifetimes after.

In the absence of their king, the nation of Mezelea resettled in new badlands, establishing laws and ordinances of their own. Many of them had been armour stands before the king imbued them with life, and some found this a hard habit to shake.

The people of the Cod and Ocean empires, bereft of the waters that gave them life, took to diving in the rocky pools of vast caverns and their affinity for stone grew. Over many generations they adapted, becoming the green-skinned race that folk came to know as goblins—their pointed ears the only remaining vestige of the fins they had once had.

For the gnomes of the Undergrove, this was a homecoming! They had long dwelled here before their exodus through the Nether and the fairy circles of the Evermoore welcomed them with open arms.

And the villagers of the Lost Empire, hiding in plain sight amongst the caravan of peoples, sought to find a place where they would be unburdened by this facade of humanity, standing at last on their own two feet.

But the boundaries of this land were ever-changing, and the nations soon found the cataclysm they had left behind had weakened the walls between their world and others. Waters rose and fell unpredictably; incursions from other realms were possible, bringing chaos in their wake. The tide of history churned and rippled.

None now remember how the Capital fell, only that its remains have lasted: an epitaph to all they had achieved together.

And just like before, new nations would arise. The pirates of Eversea ruled the waters from their secret cove. The inventors of Cogsmeade arrived sailing in from the air on their skyships—only to find whole buildings floating in the golden kingdom of Stratos. Rumours abounded of a Sanctuary hidden in the deepest jungle for those who knew the way.

Their tales are better told by those who knew them well. Our stories do not begin here, and neither do they end. But for this tired historian, it is perhaps best to leave these things in the past and begin to look towards the future.

For whatever comes next, we who have sown the seeds can only hope for a bountiful harvest.

#empires smp #pixlriffs #empires spoilers #empiresblr #empires s2 #empires pixlriffs #transcript #CHILLS. ACTUAL CHILLS. #this set fireworks off my brain btw. I want to make all the things right now #im busy at the moment but I will make things! I will! I must!

[rukafais]

today, i'm thinking about how jarlaxle and kimmuriel go from an implied high trust level, hinted at or stated to be pre-timeskip stuff:

Jarlaxle’s principal lieutenant in his powerful mercenary band was an accomplished psionicist, and had taught Jarlaxle much in the ways of mental trickery and defense. Jarlaxle brought every bit of that knowledge to bear. (Ghost King)

“Many have promise,” Kimmuriel reminded. “Few will see it bloom, as you yourself know well.” (Rise of the King)

Intelligence alone didn’t guarantee psionic prowess—the brilliant Jarlaxle was quite fumbling with regard to the psionic powers, after all— (Archmage) which both allude to Jarlaxle letting Kimmuriel into his mind, repeatedly, to try to teach him psionics ultimately unsuccessfully

So, Jarlaxle is leaning on Kimmuriel a bit! He's allowing him past certain boundaries!

And then this happens, talked about in the Neverwinter quartet:

There it was, spoken openly, and Jarlaxle suppressed his initial response to lash out at the dwarf. Athrogate was right, he knew. Jarlaxle had betrayed Entreri to the Netherese many years before, when the empire had come in force for the sword, Charon’s Claw. It wasn’t often in his long life that Jarlaxle had been trapped without recourse, but the Netherese had done it, and before physically surrounding the pair, the powerful lords of Netheril had appealed to greater powers in Jarlaxle’s own circle of potential allies, to Kimmuriel and Matron Mother Quenthel.

Indeed, the snares of Netheril had been complete.

And so their offer had been accepted.

[...]

But that rescue attempt had never occurred, and indeed, many years passed before Jarlaxle had ever learned of the conspiracy working against him. Kimmuriel and the Baenres, for Jarlaxle’s own sake, had worked in concert to break down Jarlaxle’s magical defenses and thus allow the psionicist to invade Jarlaxle’s mind and alter the details of the Baldur’s Gate betrayal. [...]

Thus, by the time Jarlaxle had even sorted out the truth and remembered that Entreri had been taken as a prisoner of the Netherese, it was too late for Jarlaxle to do anything about it.

By that point, Matron Mother Quenthel had made it quite clear to the outraged Jarlaxle that he needed to forget the whole ordeal. (Charon's Claw)

and then in Jarlaxle's narration in Neverwinter quartet, when he clearly knows about his memory being fucked with:

Kimmuriel had witnessed the exchange with Tiago and the others in the bowels of Gauntlgrym, and so he understood the true desire behind Jarlaxle’s gracious offer to lead Bregan D’aerthe back to the City of Sails, and so, indeed, Kimmuriel’s invoking of their agreement was entirely proper regarding the interests of Bregan D’aerthe. Jarlaxle had done well in selecting this brilliant lieutenant to serve in his stead.

Too well, perhaps. (Last Threshold)

His narration starts being suspicious about Kimmuriel's motives again.

For contrast, the last time Jarlaxle really talked about him like this was when Jarlaxle first transferred power to Kimmuriel in Sellswords, specifically Road of the Patriarch:

Kimmuriel, and not Jarlaxle, ruled Bregan D’aerthe, and would continue to until Jarlaxle returned to Menzoberranzan and formally retrieved his throne. That was as they had agreed upon after the destruction of the Crystal Shard. Neither held any illusions about that agreement, of course. Jarlaxle knew that if he stayed away from his homeland for too long, allowing Kimmuriel to make inroads into the supportive relationships Jarlaxle had built within the City of Spiders, then Kimmuriel would not relinquish control of Bregan D’aerthe without a fight.

(and then he goes on to argue with himself like but kimmuriel doesn't LIKE leading...so it's fine...right? But he's still suspicious about Kimmuriel in a way that gradually goes away...and then pops up again, in Neverwinter.)

So the first House twisted Kimmuriel's arm to modify Jarlaxle's memory so he wouldn't go haring off to save Artemis and jeopardize business deals with the Netherese and also get himself murdered, Kimmuriel did so, violated the trust that Jarlaxle placed in him in allowing him access to his mind and imo, prioritized Jarlaxle's life over what he would want (better to beg forgiveness than permission etc),

and in doing so takes a hammer to every single bit of built up trust between them that took almost a century to grow and now they have to start from the bottom again and that's a lot of what informs Kimmuriel's approach to Jarlaxle in the second half of the series. Ouch.

#legend of drizzt #kimmuriel oblodra #jarlaxle baenre #i just love the amount of like...implication you get out of this yknow? #like there wasnt enough space to show it all on screen...but the aftereffects can still be felt #they're both a bit standoffish about each other #and after that kimmuriel Always Asks #Jarlaxle explicitly invites him into his head #Kimmuriel is like 'are you sure??'

[constantlymisspelled]

Stewjon and Its Peoples

A Complete Guide to the Planet, its Peoples, and its History

[Yes, I went a little bit insane. And yes, I have more projects I should be doing. I know that full well. Here, have a 4k long extrapolation on the Stewjoni.]

The Planet;

The Planet Stewjon is an averagely sized, mostly temperate planet with two celestial moons. Its rotation cycle lasts an average of 28 hours, with just under 320 days in a standard rotation around the sun, which is named 'Itz' by the locals. The planet has three large bodies of water, each connected to the other, known as the 'Great Seas', and most of the world's population sits along the coasts of these seas. Stewjon experiences moderate seismic activity, although only along specific rings, where the cities are rarely built above three or four stories. Stewjon is located in the Core, and sits along a defunct Hyperspace Route that fell out of frequent use after the New Sith Wars ended. Stewjon has a standard gravitational pull, a breathable, arable atmosphere, and contains both lush forests, bountiful seas, and polar circles. Winter and Summer are extremes, and the planet experiences a seven-year average water cycle that creates a distinct feast and famine alternation. Winter brings snow to the areas of the Poles, and Summer brings fires to the lands that currently sit along Stewjon’s Median Line. The earth of Stewjon is rich in many semi-precious to rare metals, but less so than many Outer Rim planets. However, the true jewel of Stewjon is the planet's strange volcanically created crystals and coloured waters that were once a great tourist attraction. These crystals are believed to have been what has caused many of the unexplained phenomena of Stewjon’s long and complicated history. [Extrapolation needed]

The People;

There are multiple peoples that consider Stewjon their home world. Before occupation by the Sith, and even earlier, the interference of the Rakata Empire, it is believed that Stewjoni were once a singular race. Genetic research compiled by the Stewjoni Medical Board currently presents that Stewjoni were humanoid in shape - pre-interference - but did not have their quintessentially modern appearances of the current subclasses of Stewjoni. It is currently believed that the first few splits in the species occurred naturally, in the form of the Faedh and the Sidhe.

The Faedh – ancient ancestors to what are now called the Seraphim, or the Sephi – were similar to the so called ‘Angels of Iego’ in appearance. They were commonly tall (standing on average from six to seven feet when fully grown), with elongated features, and were thought to have glowed slightly in the dark. It is this trait that is believed to have caused them to deviate from the main Stewjoni species. It is indicated in research that not only did they have membranous wings, contrary to other Stewjoni species with furred or feathered wings, but soft antenna instead of the more common antlers. The major difference between the species has been discovered in ancient burial grounds and upon study of bones and holograph evidence. The Faedh were believed to have been what is now considered ‘Force Sensitive’ in a specifically linear way. Ancient writings from old Stewjoni archives painted a people who looked like Faedh to have been Seers, or Prophets. Much like most of Stewjon, Faedh had metallic red hair, and largely opaque, colourful eyes. They were also believed to be non-venomous, which is a possible reason for their exodus off Stewjon, and for leaving the Core worlds.

The Sidhe – who are still in existence deep within the Great Woodlands of Stewjon – were small (somewhere from two to three feet in height) and are believed to be the mostly closely related to the ancient Stewjoni genus. Much like the Faedh, they possessed wings, although typically lightly furred. There were the odd exceptions of membrane winged Sidhe, but they were often contained within a small cluster of families in the Deep Woodlands. Sidhe were often colourful, although it is believed they have begun to take the appearance of similar features to their neighbours after the attempted eradication by the Sith. Sidhe often have short little horns instead of full antlers, and usually only sets of two, to four. Sidhe are the longest naturally lived of all of Stewjon’s native species.

The Common Stewjoni (Modern) is typically human in appearance, with a couple of notable differences. Stewjoni, and those with Stewjoni blood, are often easy to medically identify, if hard to spot as a passerby. Stewjoni have two livers, to protect from Stewjon’s many toxins and hazardous wildlife. Stewjoni also have Retinal Tapetum, or reflective irises, although it is unknown why this particular trait emerged in the species. As a species, Stewjoni are often rather diasporic, with certain areas having vastly different common features than others – sea the Saphire Islands, where children will have white hair until they hit puberty, or the Nameless Lands, where many Stewjoni have blue, or even grey skin, despite no relation to Pantorans, or Chiss. One of the common attributes known by outsiders is the Stewjoni ability to, it is believed, ‘breed with anything,’ however this is not strictly true. The reproductive processes of most of the Stewjoni is typically humanoid – much like most warm-blooded species – with a few glaring exceptions. First, are the unusually specific requirements for getting a Stewjoni’s romantic attention. Then the particulars of actually successfully copulating with a Stewjoni. And then, it depends entirely on your and their subspecies whether the egg (yes, egg) is soft shelled, or hard shelled, which in turn changes both how many children will be born, how long gestation lasts for, and whether or not the child will survive infancy. The other common misconception about Stewjoni is their red hair – yes, it is now the dominant trait of Stewjon. However, this trait was specifically engineered to become exclusive by genetic tampering. Red hair was always common, except now it is almost impossible for Stewjoni to have any other hair colour thanks to this fact. It is also believed that the red of the Stewjoni never fades. This is unfortunately untrue in certain circumstances.

The Ancient Stewjoni are beyond living memory, and whilst many have theorised what they would have looked and acted like, the truth is unknown. It is believed that they were a combination of much of modern Stewjon.

Their Biology;

The physical body of most Stewjoni – even those only partially, or adjacently Stewjoni – are often similar. First, most Stewjoni are considered venomous. The venom in question is, truthfully, more of a muscle relaxant and tranquiliser than a true venom, as it very rarely kills by itself. It is believed that Stewjoni gained this ability to help them escape a predator that had pinned them, and run their own prey into exhaustion. It also assists with inter-species relations in many ways – such as being a common ground between many predator and prey species, and being largely helpful in difficult sexual relationships. It is not a true sedative, and cannot be used like the holoporns suggest, either. Stewjoni view unmitigated use as a form of harassment. A form of punishment is the surgical removal of said teeth – very rare, viewed as the worst of punishments.

Modern Stewjoni – if living off world – are required to attend a set of ceremonies during their aging. First, is their official blessing into the community at thirteen, as they believe the beginning of puberty to be a time of celebration. Second, is their seventeenth, often seen as their first forays into learning the ways of the adult warrior. And third is twenty-three, when their body is settling into its more permanent form, seen as the introduction of the person in question to the world as a true adult. Each of these ceremonies coincide with important biological events in Stewjoni life – from the age of thirteen onwards, the children will often be on watch for possible ‘threats’ and have higher than traditionally human aggression levels due to having been heavily hunted by Sith and others at this age. At seventeen, Stewjon allows children to take charge of their own affairs and begin to take steps to leave the nest of their parents, whilst still being a part of the immediate family. Most Stewjoni will become fiercely independent at this age – in their own way, which is still largely communal due to the species’ social needs. And at twenty-three, Stewjoni are often encouraged to travel their world. Once, before the Sith, the histories state that Stewjoni would travel the world and bring back stories, wisdom, and new kin. That is no longer possible under the Isolation Acts enforced by the Republic.

Stewjoni have a close biological relationship with the force. It is incredibly rare for Stewjoni to be born Null. It is also rare for Stewjoni to be particularly powerful. The average midi-chlorian count of Stewjon sits in the range of three thousand to eight thousand midi-chlorians, just under the Jedi Order’s acceptable amount. Admittance to the Jedi Order is often only allowed in the case of special abilities – such as powerful visions, or unusual talents such as disintegration. Due to this, it is often observed that Stewjoni are incredibly sociable, and empathic creatures. The community comes first to a startling degree, and it is common for entire families to spend their lives together. Children are raised communally on most levels of Stewjoni society, due to the biological prerogative of the children of the people being the highest priority. This has such an instinctual drive that most of Stewjons wars, conflicts, and laws almost always directly relate to children, their rights, and the protection of. This unfortunately means that children, left unattended around a Stewjoni out in the galaxy, have a large chance of being spirited away to Stewjon, not to return. This is rare in modern times, but still possible, and difficult to counter when up against an entire planet. (See Stewjon vs The Republic for more details.)

The red of Stewjoni hair is due to a couple of factors. It is first of all, similar to the colouration of the Twi Lek, in which certain shades and patterns travel down family and Clan lines – the blood red hair of one Clan being specifically different to the fluorescent, mildly glowing variety of their close neighbour’s being key example. It is also true that the red of a Stewjoni’s hair should be permanent for their entire life. Only stress, strife, suffering and pain should ever dull a Stewjoni’s hair. If surrounded by loved ones, it is rare for grey hair to do more than pepper a Stewjoni’s hair until the death of a partner, or a child, or other such tragedy, and it is more common for a Stewjoni to die out of grief than for them to continue living past such things. The grieving is a private affair, and many Stewjoni have refused to explain the phenomenon to outsiders, claiming that without the force, they cannot explain such things.

It is said that hair, once cut from a Stewjoni – if provided willingly – will stay as bright as the day it was given as long as the Stewjoni lives. The Jedi Temple has evidence of something suggesting this to be true in the ancient records of the Archives, describing a Master finding their padawan’s braid, coloured white after their death.

The reproductive process of the species is often instigated through external pressures – such as change in season, diet, and circumstance. Many Stewjoni will go through delayed puberty without being forced into fertility. Additionally, the idea of Stewjoni being easy lays is quite far from the truth. Many Stewjoni will take certain behaviours commonly accepted by much of the galaxy – prolonged eye contact – very differently, which causes friction between Stewjoni and their partners. Stewjoni as a species require large family groups to reduce stress and promote a sense of calm and safety. Only young Stewjoni tend to leave home alone, and even then, are often shadowed by older clan members. The adage of ‘If you see one red, there are more unseen’ is very true, and is basis for much of their interactions with the greater galaxy.

Sexual dimorphism is limited in Stewjoni, and almost invisible to outsiders. Many would claim that almost all Stewjoni seem to be the same sex, or similarly shaped, but this is often due to the necessity for their people to blend in amongst each other. Stewjoni, after much of their historical strife, are a preferred target for slavers, as they are considered exotic, and either good slaves or gladiators. Stewjoni are often confused by the question of whether they are male or female, as there is such little difference in their species between one or the other, however. There are some key things to remember. Not all Stewjoni have the appropriate organs to carry, or have children, but the vast majority – well over 80% of the populace – do, which makes the conceptualisation for the differences in gender seemingly meaningless to them. Those who are explicitly only female, or only male, make up less than 40% of the total populace, and it is believed the margin is only going to continue to decline, due to the biological interference of the Sith. It is not uncommon for only those with higher testosterone levels to have facial hair, however, this is not exclusive, or even all together common. Some sections of Stewjon only have hair on their head. Others, like the remaining Sidhe, have a light dusting of metallic fur all over their body, almost translucent. Additionally, modern Stewjoni often only show the more extreme variations of their natural colouring if they complete their coming of age on their home world. It is unknown as to why.

Their Culture;

Religion

It has been observed that Stewjon have a religious relationship with death in a way that most of the Galaxy cannot comprehend. It is often observed that Stewjoni will behave as if their loved ones aren’t dead per se, simply resting, or out of action. There is still a sense of profound grief at the loss of life, especially young, as they believe that the being in question has not yet learned all they needed to proceed to their next life. The religious worldview of the Stewjoni is very cyclical. All things are connected, running into itself like a stream, and there are festivals that celebrate the passing of time of the last rains of the year.

It has been considered a religious requirement for Stewjoni to learn to either dance or fight to appease their ancestors and their gods – to prove they are worthy of the life they have been awarded. It is also considered fair to judge another and their clan on their battle, or physical prowess. Stewjoni must have purpose within the community, even if that purpose is simply to provide company, it is treated with great respect. An example of this would be an ancient story of a warrior who broke their back, and could no longer walk, but continued to tell stories and fables to children until their dying day. They are held as a hero in folklore despite having never won a fight.

Stewjoni believe all things have soul, or life, if loved and known long enough. It has created an interesting conflict between the Stewjoni and their neighbouring planets when it comes to the introduction of droids in day-to-day life. Stewjoni don’t believe in the purchase of droids as you cannot own and purchase people in their beliefs, and due to this, despite their respectful treatment of the automatons, very few droids exist on Stewjon. Additionally, the extremes of Stewjon’s climate tends to destroy unprepared hardware. There are a multitude of religious diasporas on Stewjon, with the practices varying not just from city to city, but from clan to clan. Paint and tattoos on Stewjon have particular cultural and religious significance in certain groups.

Relationship with the force

There are many force sects on Stewjon – before their interactions with the Je’daii order, Stewjon had as many temples as there were cities, but once the fledgling republic discovered the planet and its peoples, a set of skirmishes almost wiped out the religion and force sects off the face of the planet. Fortunately, Stewjoni are first and foremost survivors, and believe in communal knowledge, and it took a Je’daii living undercover for three years to finally be allowed to enter a Stewjoni Temple.

The Modern Temples, further destroyed and tarnished by the ancient Sith battles, fall into a small select systems. The Star Temples, who predominantly teach their disciples how to interact with the great cycles of the universe. The Storm Temples, who teach their disciples to weather great pains and protect their kindred from the affect of outsider magicks. And the Summer, or Sand Temples, who teach their disciples to pull from the ebbs and flows of life and death without enforcing their will onto the world. Only the Star Temples – most specifically, the Star Temple of the Capitol of Waijoni has ever been accessed by a member of the Jedi Order.

It is believed by outsiders that Stewjoni throw away children too strong in the force. This is untrue. Stewjoni are often heavily connected in the force that binds all things, and often entire families can fall into the same nightmare or vision if an untrained Seer lives without shielding. This caused the Stewjoni obsession with Mandalorians, which will be explored in history. The inability for the children to separate from the minds of their family causes some strife, unprepared, or weaker in the force parents often place their children in care until they can come and collect them. However, stewjon is constantly in turmoil, and so children are often swapped between families by choice, by accident, or by force. There fore, to keep the more powerful seers from being poached until they can defend themselves, Stewjoni will often temporarily donate their children to Temples around the galaxy, and come to collect them when able. Other occasions, such as force related illness, can cause mass and sudden abandonment and adoptions as well. This also led to Stewjoni of ancient times racing off into the stars to chase a ‘call’ only to come back with children from around the Galaxy, often taken from unprepared parents.

This has lead to Jedi and Stewjoni being conflated together, being synonymous with ‘Child Stealers’ which is true for one, and not the other.

Whilst most on Stewjon are born with at least more than a passing Force Affinity, those without are often considered safe to send out into the galaxy under modern law, as they will often be able to resist a call from the stars. Ancient Stewjoni Force Sensitives travelled on great ships powered by something the species carefully keeps secret from outsiders, but allows the Null Stewjoni to interact with the force whilst flying said ships. The smaller ships of modern times are fast, agile, and are often spotted in patrols of no more than six, travelling around the galaxy across the ancient passages the Stewjoni People once travelled in their many Force Pilgrimages among the stars.

Language

Due to the frequency of force sensitivity and the incredible empathy of Native Stewjoni, it is believed that the Stewjoni Language only developed so that those who couldn’t sense the force, or outsiders, could communicate with them. This unfortunately means that Stewjon has all the hallmarks of being a pidgin language, and thus has very few completely rigid rules in place. One of the few common conventions is related to writing, and script, which was the basis for the words and their phrasing, however much of Stewjon’s language style was borrowed from others. Such as Ba’va meaning ‘Uncle or Auntie’ or B’ur meaning ‘Mum or Dad.’ There is even significant pidgin from the ancient Je’daii who interacted with Stewjon – such as Dai meaning ‘offworld Force practitioner,’ Je’deyir meaning ‘Outsider’ and Sythe meaning ‘enemy/monster.’

One of the most well-known names out of Stewjon is ‘Obi Wan Kenobi’ after the many historical figures from Stewjon with that name. However, it might surprise you that Obi Wan Kenobi is not a name at all, but a red herring. It was designed, after one of the worst civil wars on Stewjon’s surface, to separate unclaimed, and claimed war orphans. It was supposed to be a way for the child to know that they hadn’t been picked yet. However, outsiders construed the meaning, and took it to indicate the child was unwanted, not unable to be cared for, leaving many Stewjoni who’d been forced from the system with that name when occupied by the Republic into poverty. This of course instigated much of Stewjon’s attitude against the Republic, the Jedi, and the Galaxy. Obi Wan Kenobi means ‘no one, of no clan.’ Which is contrasted by the real meaning for exile, which is ‘Wan Bi Kitrir,’ or Undesirable Person.

It is believed the word ‘Ken,’ for clan, came from the root word for ‘kin.’ Stewjon has no name in the language of its peoples, it is simple titled True Home, or Suti’yon, which was misheard by travellers as Stewjon.

Family and society structure

The importance of family and community in Stewjoni culture has lead to some interesting dynamics not commonly seen in seemingly human species so close to the core worlds. [Unfinished]

Their History;

Early Stewjoni have been documented around the galaxy in eras that long predate the accepted comprehension of space travel. This has led to the belief that ancient Stewjoni utilised vastly different tech to the Rataka Empire long before they encroached on the galaxy. This of course means that even on planets that deny any relation to Stewjon, the quintessential metallic hair and reflective eyes can reappear thousands of generations onwards. It is believed – and perpetuated – that Ancient Stewjoni often travelled to for off worlds in some form of ancient migration or forgotten force practice.

This brings us nicely into their first specific recording. The Pantorans claim that, sometime in the era of 32 000 to 30 000 BBY, a troupe of Stewjoni were in residence to bear witness to the winter solstice festival. They were documented to have stayed a few months, danced, and sung and spoke in a strange, incomprehensible tongue, introduced their magick and technology to the people around them, shared star maps, and left for their next location.

Mandalore states that, sometime around 20 000 to 15 000 BBY, an ancient Manda’lor and another troupe of Stewjoni assisted each other in a great battle against a nameless group of mercenaries preying on the Starships used to house the population of Mandalore at that time. Historians theorise that this may be why the words for magick, force healing, and other non-jedi related variants of the skills began to appear in Mando’a at this time. It also coincides with the Dathomiri beginning to be commonly widespread around the area Mandlore will one day occupy. It is believed that sections of the magick is in some way shared between what Mandalore remembers of Ancient Stewjoni, and what Dathomir has taught them.

Recorded history of real note on Stewjon picks up a written form around the 13 000s, and sometime during this period, Stewjon begins to select a princess – a person who is actually not required by Stewjon to be female, just mistakenly titled that way by outsiders upon meeting – to be the interplanetary advisor between the rest of the Galaxy and Stewjon. Around this time, the ancient Hyper-lane between Stewjon, their nearby branch worlds that would one day be lost to the Sith Lord Nihilus, and Iego would be documented by the Republic, and fiercely defended by Stewjon in what is described as Stewjon’s first real battle on the Galactic Scale.

It is somewhere around this time that Stewjon garners the attention of the fledgling Sith Empire of the era. In 7 000 BBY, Stewjon documents a rapidly rising number of assaults on the edge of what was once ‘their space’ – which under modern laws, they no longer possess – and this caused a number of Stewjoni Warships to be scrambled to meet the assailants.

It is described by many that from 6 000 to 5 000 BBY, after centuries of subtle genetic experimentation and torture, Stewjoni began to disappear from the galaxy. The Republic still hadn’t documented them as a species – and the ancient Jedi order has lost much of the knowledge in the most recent assault on their new Coruscant Temple, and no longer had information of the Species – this meant that when Stewjoni began appearing among the Sith, often enslaved, or Fallen, the Republic simply saw them as tube made creatures from the labs of the Sith, and put them down in the same way. This caused incredible outrage from what remained of the Stewjon at the time, who started a three-way assault on the Jedi, the Republic, and the Sith. It ultimately led to the occupation of their world, and the destruction of their temples, first at the hands of the Sith Empire, and later at the hands of the unknowing Jedi order, who had no precedent for what Stewjoni should have looked like, and almost eradicated the entire species by accident.

In the centuries that followed, Stewjon became incredibly insular, and began to bar entry to outsiders due to the suffering that the Sith and the Republics attempts at eugenics had caused them, leading them to be wary of anyone not outright part of their people. Stewjon had been under Republic occupation for almost a thousand years when the Sith Empire and the Mandalorian Empire went to war with the Republic, and in this time, Stewjon broke free of control, and actively killed any and all republic citizens still in their worlds. Unfortunately, they again attracted the attention of the Sith Empire, and begun to have to fight both just to survive. In the few occasions that Mandalorians and Stewjoni met on this era of battle, it was cold, but respectful – as Mandalorians still told tales of the Stewjoni of old, and some of the more non-human Stewjoni still were prevalent in society.

Stewjon eventually offered support to the republic against the Sith on smaller, closer to coruscant battle fronts that caused the Republic to allow Stewjon to move into true isolation – left alone in the heart of the republic as a non-member world, completely self-sufficient. The Jedi were barred from entering the planet’s space after Darth Nihilis destroyed much of the nearby systems unless they were a Finder. Multiple children were given to the Jedi Order at this time, and were also brought back to Stewjon, without their Master, for their coming of age.

When the New Sith Wars began, the Stewjoni sided with the Jedi and the Republic near immediately, resulting in much of the Galaxy following suite. After them, midway through the wars, Mandalore also offered their support, which cemented the first official treaty and legally documented interaction from Stewjon and Mandalore, resulting in the suspected apprenticeship of a Force Sensitive from Mandalore in Stewjon’s modern ways. This is the era in which the Mandalorian Houses came into effect – it is believed it is mimicked off of the way Stewjoni states their Temple of Origin after their Clan name, showing their allegiance and beliefs. This is argued against by most modern Mandalorians, specifically the New Mandalorians, who believe that Houses were a step away from Mandalore and Stewjon’s shared barbaric history. Notable Clans from this time were the Asterabi, or the ‘Unflinching,’ the Kestis, or the ‘Blade/Dark Family,’ and the Yeneboro, or the ‘Many Shapes.’ It is during this war that the Republic banned all non-Jedi adjacent Force practitioners from Republic space, and with Stewjon’s new alliance, the ‘darker’ Temples on Stewjon were either hidden, emptied, or in the case of the Kestis’, who could not hide their guardianship of the Temples of the Dead, exiled. Most exiles from Stewjon for this reason were immediately given residency on many of Mandalore’s distant worlds. Unfortunately, it means modern Stewjon and modern Iego – the current location for the majority of Clan Kestis – despise the Jedi personally.

At the Ruusan Reformation, and later the Dral Haran (The Republic's assault on Mandalore in a time of peace), Stewjon, and subsequently the Stewjoni, were barred from elections and from voting. This was proven to be a wise move when the current princess of Stewjon ordered their fleet to rally against one of the supply vessels headed to attack Mandalore. Stewjon has been banned from purchasing large numbers of ships, ammunitions, and transports ever since.

Modern and Current Galactic Impact;

[Unfinished]

[Don't mind me, guys. Doing what I do best. I'll add more to this as I explore the worldbuilding in my writing, but so far, this is what I have. I'll add pictures and references eventually, and hopefully have a semi organized pidgin to explain Obi Wan's naming convention. But that is for a distant horizon.

And for non-Star Wars fans, this is not at all canon, I promise.]

[[Wow, I haven't even gotten to clothes and cuisine yet, haha.]]

#stewjoni #stewjon #planet stewjon #star wars #star wars fanon #star wars fan canon #star wars meta

[supersaiyanjedi14]

Talking with @rogueleader14 about our respective Star Wars AUs made me decide to share more characters who exist in it, as well as their stories. As I've alluded to elsewhere, this AU draws on all corners of Star Wars canon, be it Disney, Legends, LEGO, or in this case, Visions. I finally got around to watching both seasons this year, and I jumped at the chance to incorporate some of the characters in my AU. These are the micros I've made so far for these characters. Story details under the cut. All of them are in the post-Return of the Jedi setting.

-The Ronin, real name Douga Heian, was a child during the Clone Wars, his Force-sensitivity never manifesting until later in life. By the time that happened, the Empire had risen and he was picked up by the Inquisitorious rather than the Jedi. Though a promising talent and initially loyal to the Empire, he gradually became more aware of the Empire's corruption and went awol, laying low and even starting a family. After Palptaine's death at Endor, former Inquisitors and other Imperial Dark Jedi began running amok as warlords and independent raiders, prompting Douga to come out of hiding and hunt down his former contemporaries.

*I chose his name by combining Kamikaze Douga, the animation company that made The Duel, and the Heian period of Japan (794 to 1185), where the term ronin came from.

-Am and Karre's story is mostly the same, albeit toned down CONSIDERABLY. Here, their creation was overseen by Sebban Keto, a character from a roleplaying game who is descended from Aleema and Sataal Keto from the Tales of the Jedi comics. Sebban intended to revitalize the Krath cult with the twins at the head, but Karre's defection puts those plans on hold. Karre steadily grows into more of a true Jedi as he journeys on his own, while striving to save his sister from the dark path.

*Karre wields a dual-phase lightsaber with a unique gradient crystal. While obviously nowhere near as big as in the short (closer to Pong Krell's blades for reference), it still grows much longer and thicker, enabling a greatsword style of combat.

*Am initially only carried her two normal lightsabers, but installed the prosthetic arms and built the extra four after Karre went rogue.

-F, real name Ephalline Kinema (also taken from the name of the studio), is mostly intact for her story in the Village Bride. Specifically, her feet were maimed while escaping Order 66, forcing her and her master to take refuge for medical treatment. Her ridiculous high heels are actually prosthetics here. Ephalline was still recovering when Darth Vader tracked her master down, and she was forced to watch helplessly as he was cut down. Post-Village Bride, F wanders the galaxy to do good wherever she can, eventually leading her to Tao...

-Lop and Ocho's story is also unchanged. Several years later, Ocho has risen to be the Imperial magistrate of her homeworld, while Lop has fallen in with fellow Lepi smuggler Jaxxon T. Tumperakki to make ends meet. During one of their runs, they bump into F, who recognizes Lop's potential as a Jedi and offers to train her. This development, combined with Ocho's difficulties in arresting her sister (due in no small part to her conflicting loyalties), leads to the Empire sending an Inquisitor to "help out". Lop eventually completes her training, succedes in getting through to Ocho, and joins the New Jedi Order.

-Anni Kalfus and Julan Van Reeple enroll in a New Republic flight academy as teenagers before joining the fleet post graduation. Their rivalry continues into their service, even as they find themselves assigned to the same flight group. Thankfully, the demands of military service and the mentorship of General Thane Kyrell goes a long way towards improving their relationship. By the time of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, the two are genuine friends and lead their own squadron with distinction.

-Jay and T0-B1 both also exist around this time period, while the events of In the Stars, Bandits of Golak, The Spy Dancer, and The Pit happen during Imperial rule.

-The Elder takes place pre-Phantom Menace

-Daal and the Sith Mother are part of the Banite line.

-Sith and Journey to the Dark Head are during the New Sith Wars, and Aau's Song is shortly after the Battle of Ruusan.

-I'm debating on where The Ninth Jedi would go in the timeline, while Akakiri is an in-universe fable.

(microheroes based on templates and parts from my List of Sources)

#star wars #star wars au #star wars visions #the duel #star wars ronin #the twins #am #karre #the village bride #f #lop and ocho #lop #ocho #i am your mother #anni kalfus #julan van reeple #my pixels

[casieyfran]

I just remember i have my own fanfiction that needs an update or badly need a revision or rewrite. But i'll just drop it here

Whatever it Takes

Pairing: Darth Vader/Padme Amidala

Fandom: Star Wars

Summary:

"Padme, you will be mine again. If the energy of this world are not enough. There are countless others" *** On which vader had succeed on ressurecting padme. At last. This time he will make sure she will always be by his side

A/N: This take place from the event in Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series. Warning: english is not my first language and this is the first time i am  writing, especially a fanfic. So excuse my grammatical errors. Be a little patient with me. Peace ✌ ***

Its been 5 years after the birth of the empire. The same time anakin skywalker had died, and darth vader has been born in his place. 5 years living with nothing but pain, hatred, gried and suffering. 5 years since his wife had died. Taking all his light with her and then nothing else mattered. It doesn't matter how many times sidious inflected him pain, it wouldn't be match with his guilt and hatred from his failure. After everything he had done to save her, he still lose her in the end. He failed. Failed her. Broke his promise.

But that wont happen twice

He wont fail again.

He have 5 years to control his hatred. Learn the way of the darkside, everything he needs to know. Bid his time and let sidious continue his fantasy. he will kneel, bow his head, follow every order throw in his way and he will accept it like a good dog following his master. And it doesn't matter that he no longer have his dignity. He will do everything the sith lord wishes from him, let him enjoy thinking that he have a tight leash on vader. As long as sidious continue to have his uses, he can live in his fantasy as long as vader allows him to.

  Vader learn to be more patient and more powerful than every sith or jedi could ever dream of. He had built a castle on mustafar where every nightmare he had, taken place. Let him always be reminded of his failure, of how foolish anakin was. He wont be the same weak person. This time he will succeed of what anakin could had not.

After 5 years, at last vader finally have it. The bright star. It is an artifact said to be the source of living energy of the planet, Mustafar. On how it could grant vader an immortality. But he doesn't give a single care whether he will die or not. Less to be alive longer than everyone could possibly imagine. Immortality dont mean anything to him, death seems to doesn't want anything to do with him. He escaped death many times, even when he wishes for it. He is the bringer of death. Death did not scared him. No, he do not wish immortality, but he wishes one thing, and this artifact can grant him that. And no one can stop him.

When everything is complete and ready, he didn't waste any second. he held its cresent shape crystal in his hand and carefully place the bright star inside the middle of the Aeon Engine, that automatically powered it. He waited for a moment and then, he felt a vibration in the force before a bright energy burst into the top of its egg shaped, reaching the sky, and spreading across the world.

The energy around the planet, are being sucked dry and nurture inside the artifact. the planet are becoming more dead than before. He felt the toxic in the air and the temperature become hotter, the lava is unrest. It is all thanks to his accursed suit and hold to the force that he is still standing.

When everything is dying around him, a life will be born

And he will wait, will offer it anything. If its not enough he could simply look for more, there are thousands in the galaxy. It doesn't matter if a thousands of life pay for what he will do. They dont matter. Nothing else matter. But her.

Padme

He will do everything to accomplish anakin and corvax failed to do. He will bring her back. He will succeed. He will make sure of it. He will do everything. Everything!

Whatever it takes

He will

Continue reading it on AO3 or FANFICTION.NET

#star wars #vaderdala #darth vader #padme amidala #anidala #anakin skywalker #anakin x padme #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #panakin

[peakdeer]

Day 18 - Fleeing

Gem shivered as she adjusted herself on the dragon, tucking her robes in against the sudden breeze of cold air. That was odd, she thought to herself. It was so hot when we were down there, with the destruction.

She glanced behind her at Fwhip, shivering perhaps even worse than she was. With a pang of guilt she realized that he was still wearing the scorched and torn remains of his clothes that certainly wouldn’t protect him from the cold. It was too late to get him proper clothes now, so he’d have to wait until they made it to their destination. Everything would be fine then.

She watched Fwhip ramble to his pups a moment longer, assuring them that everything would be fine, that they’d be safe, and maybe don’t stand so close to the edge—so many sentiments of things Gem had assured others of, but not been sure of herself, that she’d hoped and wished and believed and prayed that it made her eyes water. She shook her head to clear it, turning back to the lands in front of her with difficulty. She leaned forward through blurred eyes to coax the dragon into flying away, telling it where to go. She wasn’t sure when her voice had gotten so coarse, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Everything was wrong. The Grimlands were gone. Debris still rained on the Crystal Cliffs, despite the magical shields, despite it being hours after the explosion. The damage was still minimal, but it would take the best wizards to clean it up. With another pang of guilt, Gem realized that she was leaving her people just when they needed her most.

It was fine. They’d understand. Or, at least, Gandalf would. The Crystal Cliffs would survive, this home that wasn’t home but might as well be, this place that she’d built up and restored and made a legacy for. The people would live on, and stories would continue to be told.

But they’d have to be told without her. She had to go.

Violet shifted in her arms, crying out in confusion. Gem leaned down, whispering assurances in her ear and drawing her closer. Little Violet—she’d lost so much, almost as much as Gem had. It gave her a sense of solidarity with the little dragon, and she promised to herself that no one would abandon this dragon like the world had abandoned her, or like she had abandoned other people.

Gem’s breath caught in her throat as she looked down on the devastation. She could see now what had happened to the other empires—not a single empire that she could see had made it out intact. Rivendell—oh, what had happened here? Had—had Xornoth returned? No, no—she’d defeated him! He couldn’t have! It must… it must have been a containment box! Yes, that’s what it was! Scott had still had a containment box and the corruption had escaped it after the explosion. Xornoth wasn’t back. It was just a silly mistake. It—it could be cleaned up! It could be fixed!

The Overgrown… oh, the Overgrown! It was—it was—it was gone. Ruined. Cracked and broken. Dead and lifeless, buried in ashes, completely hopeless… There wasn’t a speck of green in the lands, not one—well, there was a speck of pink—only one, in the entire lands—but it was so small compared to the devastation that had been wrecked. Gem buried her neck into the dragon’s spines after that. She couldn’t bear to see anymore.

How had this happened? How could they have let this happen? It wasn’t like it was easy to end the world! It wasn’t like it was easy to end legacies of centuries, the stories of empires that had begun long before their conception! They had to have failed pretty damn miserably for this to have happened. What had they done? Where did it all go wrong? It had been going so well! Surely one harmless act of friendship couldn’t have caused all this?

Or maybe it was all doomed to fail from the beginning. Maybe, no matter what they’d done, no matter what choices they made, it was always going to end this way. It was always going to end with them alone, forgotten, their lives thrown to the wind and their empires of centuries crumbled and torn down. Whether they fell to the demon or to accidents or to their own devices, the empires were always destined to fall.

And they forgot. They forgot about them. They’d be fine, of course—was there ever a world in which they wouldn’t be? They’d make it out alright, and they’d make something new. Perhaps—maybe even—of course—how could they not—they’d find her and Fwhip, in their new home, where it was safe. She’d start a new academy, teach magic to everyone, and this one would stand. It would never face the hardship her other one had faced, not under her watch.

And they’d come back. They’d come back, and she’d teach them about magic. He’d listen attentively, soaking in her every word like he rarely ever did, finding a new outlet to that magic he so desperately craved, that she should have taught him earlier. He’d be her star pupil, getting better every day and bragging to Fwhip about it. He’d cause all kinds of pranks with his magic, and she’d have to scold him for improper use of magic. But he’d see through her, with her barely disguised laugh and the smile she was trying to hide, and he’d call her out on it, and they’d laugh, just like they used to. He’d ask her when he would get a big hat, and she’d joke that he’d get one when he actually grew up—so, never. Then she’d stay up all night for weeks sewing him a hat and enchanting it, and he’d be so happy to receive it…

And she’d be there too! She wasn’t too interested in magic, of course—she preferred open brawls and tests of strength to the quiet patience and diligence of magic. She’d help teach Gem’s students about physical self-defense, giving them confidence in all their capabilities. She’d team up with Fwhip to get back at her and him when they pranked them with their magic, all in lighthearted fun. Fwhip, ever so thin and scrawny, would get stronger under her leadership, able to finally take Gem on and win. They’d celebrate when that happened—Gem would make Fwhip his own hat, and he would bake them a cake with some cheesy and mildly offensive joke on it, just to prod Fwhip. Gem would make her a hat too, just so they’d all match and look just like siblings, the way she’d always wanted it to be. The way it should be.

Of course, Gem had thought to herself as the empires faded away behind the strong beats of her dragon’s wings. Of course, she thought now, standing alone in an empty school after all the students had left, eyes glazing as she spoke to two people who weren’t there.

#empires smp #emptober #roseblings #wither rose alliance #geminitay #fwhip #mythicalsausage #pearlescentmoon

[autisticsupervillain]

It's Fictional Throwdown Friday!

This Week's Fighters...

Ruphire vs Rosemary!

Conditions:

Speed Equalized. Garnet starts the fight unfused. Pre-Rainbow Drinker Kanaya is used, but she is allowed to come back as one if killed. Rose is not Grimdark or God Tier.

Scenario:

Ruby and Sapphire happen to be going on a date at the same place Rose and Kanaya are. The two couples strike up conversation, but when Kanaya mentions how much she loves her "diamond", or moirail, Ruby takes it the wrong way and punches her, starting a brawl.

Right off the bat, I'm going to apologize for posting this before the polls finished. When I saw the "week" option on the poll creator, I was thinking school week, I intended for the results to be in by now and that just didn't happen. I'll add those results to this post when the poll actually ends.

Analysis: Garnet

To anyone in the audience who is currently in a stable relationship: how did it feel to fall in love? What was it like to look at someone and realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with them? Because today's combatants know first hand that love is strong enough to change your life, and your future, forever.

Thousands of years ago, long before nearly all of human history would come to pass, the Earth was visited by the genocidal Gem Empire, headed by the Great Diamond Authority. Mankind would've been wiped out right there, if not for the revolution of Rose Quartz. Faced with a genuinely capable opponent for the first time in its history, Blue Diamond herself was forced to go to Earth to confront the threat directly. With her, she took a seemingly insignificant Ruby and Sapphire, completely unaware as to how the events that transpire there will change their lives forever.

Blue Diamond had intended to use Sapphire's precognitive abilities to outwit Rose Quartz and indeed, Sapphire did forsee a future where exactly that happened. The problem is, that future relied on her being put in harms way, and Ruby would not have that. Just as Sapphire was about to be struck down, Ruby lunged in to save her, inadvertently fusing with Sapphire in the process.

Thus was the fusion known as Garnet born. Of course, Blue Diamond would never show mercy towards an "off-color" fusion, so Garnet had little choice but to sign up with Rose Quartz's rebellion. Since then, she's become the defacto leader of the Crystal Gems, following Rose Quartz's death, saving the world alongside her two fellow surviving rebels, Amethyst and Pearl.... and Steven.

Individually, Ruby and Sapphire are among two of the weakest gems out there. Sapphire is an aristocrate not built for direct combat, while Ruby is a disposable foot soldier. Despite that, both of them are still clearly superhuman. Sapphire herself is strong enough to hit a baseball into the atmosphere, parting the nearby clouds with a force equivalent to 485 tons of tnt. And Ruby should be easily comparable to if not superior than her, being an actual soldier.

Source:

Moreover, their abilities, while basic by gem standards, are still far above an average humans. They have all the basics (hard light bodies, can only be destroyed by breaking their gemstone, automatically adjusts to gravity, etc), as well as a few unique perks. Sapphire, for example, can freeze things on contact and even create winter storms, while Ruby's fire and heat can vaporize an entire pool in seconds. Scaling to other rubies, she should be capable of withstanding extreme heat as well, such as Navy tanking atmospheric re-entry.

Of course, they truly shine when they're fused together as Garnet, taking all of their abilities and increasing them exponentially. For example, Sapphire's future vision only saw one possible timeline, which meant that her visions aren't always accurate and can be thrown off by outside factors she can't possibly know about. Like, well, Ruby. Garnet's future vision, however, gives her a whole sea of possible futures, allowing her to steer the ship, as it were, and try and guide herself towards the best possible outcome. It's still not perfect, she's precognitive, not omniscient, and it can still be thrown off by outside factors she simply doesn't know about.

Moreover, she's easily far stronger than Ruby and Sapphire combined, capable of breaking Peridot's escape pod in half with ease. The same escape pod that survived atmospheric re-entry, generating a kinetic energy of over 142 kilotons in the process.

Source:

And that's on top of being able to no-sell lightning, fire her gauntlets like a homing rocket, and even conduct electricity through her hands.

All that said, she's not unstoppable. As a fusion, Garnet basically is the relationship between Ruby and Sapphire, and a major blow to their relationship can unfuse her. And, as a result of being fused all the time, Sapphire and Ruby can be rather codependent at times, needing to literally put their heads together to solve more seriously problems or realize when they've screwed up.

Still, Garnet's one the Crystal Gems' heaviest hitters. Even if she's not the strongest, she's easily Stronger Than You.

Analysis: Rosemary

So, who was the first crush you had when you were younger? A classmate maybe? Or maybe something more... fantastical? There is most definitely a demographic of teens who have crushes on monsters and magical creatures, so what was yours? A vampire? An alien?

Well, Rose Lalonde is not your average teenager. Why have a crush on an alien or a vampire when you can date someone whose both?

On the surface, you'd be forgiven for thinking Rose Lalonde and Kanaya Maryam would never even meet. One is an alien troll from a colonialism empire while the other is a young girl with a love for psychology and eldritch horror. But, fate finds a way. See, when Kanaya and her friends play a little game called SGRUB, they wound up creating the human universe that Rose and her friends live in. The team's leader, Karkat, was so enraged by the comfy life style that the humans led, that he commanded all his friends to harass them over the internet.

Well, I say commanded. Karkat didn't really have any of the respect or authority necessary to do that, so most of his friends just ignored him. This did, however, get Kanaya and Rose to start talking to each other and the two hit it off pretty well from there. What certainly helped was, due to the time space fuckery of Paradox Space, Kanaya had been reading about how Rose's SBURB playthrough long before she ever met Rose, so she did hold a certain amount if respect for her going in.

As Kanaya watched Rose progress on her journey, their relationship deepened and eventually blossomed into something more.

As people who were predestined to play SBURB, Rose and Kanaya excel far beyond the norm of their species. Firstly, both of them are immensely superhuman, even relative to other trolls. Not only can both fight building sized monsters with ease, but they were both able to survive being born as SBURG Players in the first place. See, when SBURB Players are born, they're actually cloned in a lab, before being sent to their home planets on the backs of meteors as infants. Rose's meteor in particular hit with enough force to complete annihilate the Crocker Corp building, roughly 567 tons of TNT.

Source:

And, as players of a video game, they both have a video game style leveling system and inventory. The Echeladder allows them to level up by fighting or even just by doing random things, ensuring that they'll always be getting faster and stronger all the time. Meanwhile, their Specibus gives them a hammerspace inventory that lets them store a wide array of fantastical items and weapons on them at all times and pull them out of absolutely nowhere.

In Rose's corner, we have two knitting needles, which she has tied to string so she can use them as a pair of makeshift whips, hooks, and chains like a 13 year old lesbian Kratos. She'd later enhance these with straight up magic to turning them into razor sharp magic wands, allowing her to caste giant death beams, fly, and curse pieces of technology to explode even when they're in a completely different universe. And in Kanaya's corner, we have a tube of lipstick that transforms into a giant chainsaw. Perfect for all your imp slaughtering and fish gutting needs.

And as SBURB Players, they both have, or rather, had access to Sprites. Summonable helpers ment to guide Players through SBURG as vaguely as possible, these glowing orbs absorb anything and anyone who touches them for too long, taking on all their attributes and combining their minds. These critters can go intangible at will and freely fly, as well as use all the powers of whatever they've absorbed. Kanaya's sprite died long before she ever met Rose, but Rose can still summon hers with the Pendant that all Players get after reaching a certain level on the Echeladder. This gives Rose access to Jaspersprite.... Jasper as in her cat, not the Steven Universe lady.

Their deadliest tool does not come from their SBURB weapons, however. It comes from Kanaya's biology. If Kanaya dies, she will come back to life as a Rainbow Drinker, an alien vampire! As a Rainbow Drinker, Kanaya is completely immune to Alternia's blistering sun, which otherwise incinerates any troll that steps in its sun light, and becomes strong enough to kick Gamzee Makara in the nuts so hard he goes flying fifty feet.

Gamzee is considerably stronger than Sollux, as he did more damage to the Black King in one attack than Sollux could do with a constant barrage. Sollux was powerful enough to redirect meteors just as big as, if not bigger than the one that crushed Jade's island, which had a kinetic energy of 3 exatons of tnt. After all, The Reckoning throws bigger meteors the longer it goes on, and this meteor was an early one in the barrage. By this scaling chain, Rainbow Drinker Kanaya should be immensely stronger than said meteor.

Source:

Of course, this power couple isn't invincible. Kanaya can be a bit of a doormat at times, someone who struggles to confront her friends on their issues or behavior. Rose, meanwhile, has a lot of pent up emotional trauma stemming from her drunken mother, which would result in her resorting to alcholism later in life.

Despite this, though, Rose and Kanaya are Homestuck's original power couple. May the Horrorterrors have mercy on your soul.

Throwdown Mashup:

Throwdown Breakdown:

This is a fairly complex matchup with a lot of moving parts to it, so let's dissect this.

I think it's pretty open shut that Rose and Kanaya beat Ruby and Sapphire. While the Gems are considerably more skilled and experienced, Rosemary is stronger and more varied, and they'll only be getting even stronger as the fight progresses. And while Gems can always just come straight back from most substantial injuries, I don't think they'll be abled to come back from inside a Sylladex. After all, Rose and Kanaya come from a video game world where enemies disappear and drop gem like loot all the time, their first instinct would probably be to pick it up.

Garnet is a different story though. Fusing into Garnet is likely to be one of the first things Ruphire would do in any serious fight scenario and she is much too strong for Rosemary to straight up hurt. One kiloton is one thousands tons, so she's literally thousands of times stronger.

Granted, Rainbowdrinker Kanaya is even stronger (that meteor calc is stronger than where most calcs put the Diamonds mind you, let alone Garnet), but that would require Kanaya to die and she won't. Garnet would just lightly tap her on the head to knock her out, it's completely against her character to kill someone and she has enough control and discipline to not do so accidentally. The problem is Rose.

Simply put, Rose can fly. Garnet can't. And while Garnet has ranges options, being in the air gives Rose infinite directions with which to dodge her rocket fists and shapeshifting, as well as the range to just stay out of her reach entirely. If she can cast curses from universes away, she can fly back however far she needs to. And while she can't directly hurt Garnet back, she does still have a win condition. Jaspersprite.

While Garnet is strong enough to knockout tao Jaspersprite too, she'd have a hell of a time doing that to something that can phase right through her fists. And if she ever does make contact, she runs the risk of unwittingly becoming GarJaspersprite. Which is something that she wouldn't know about and her future vision wouldn't predict because she doesn't know anything like Sprites exists, similar to how she got hit by Jasper's (the gem, not the cat) destabilization weapon because she didn't know what it was and her future vision didn't warn her.

So Garnet is defeated by forced fusion. The cruel irony is laid on thick. I guess this time Jasper was Stronger Than You.

This Throwdown's Winner is...

Rosemary!

#fictional throwdown fridays #homestuck #steven universe #garnet su #ruby su #sapphire su #rose lalonde #kanaya maryam #rosemary #ruphire #Youtube

[smileymoth]

The Reunion

So guys we did it, i finally finished a piece of writing. It is about Etho meeting up with Bdubs again after Bdubs returns from the Rift. Very fun 1k fic. They hug 👍

***

After the rift had opened, many of the hermits had decided to join Grian on the guest of finding out what resides on the other side — which is how half the server had become a ghost town for Etho. 

And even after a week, they still hadn’t returned. A majority of his friends were gone, at least he still had Beef to hang out with, but he too tended to be busy. Etho hadn’t seen Bdubs for a while. He wouldn’t hear from him or the rest of his friends for who knows how long. He didn’t want to worry, but the feeling of loneliness had been difficult to forget about. His heart ached in hope that nothing bad had happened to them. He had considered following them through the rift to try and find Bdubs, but decided against it, in case he too would have got stuck behind a malfunctioning portal.

Sometimes he would go back to the monolith and walk up the stairs to Bdubs' bedroom and tidy up the plants, water them, weed them — he always loved gardening, so he tended the greenery with joy. Bdubs hadn’t asked him to take care of his plants, but he had felt like it would be the most logical thing to do. Every day after work was finished, he would walk up to the tree of whimsy and sit underneath it, reading until the Sun started setting before he flew home again. He refused to admit that he missed him, it felt stupid, yet in his heart he hoped that Bdubs missed him as well. 

The moment the rift had been fixed, one by one the hermits started to return from the other dimension, dragging along some people who most certainly did not belong to the server. First thing on Bdubs’ mind had been Etho. Etho, Etho, Etho;  he wished to tell him about the Empire they had built, how he had become a god, how the rift had broken, and he wanted to introduce him to his new friends who had followed through. He was still wearing the shiny glowstone cloak from when he became a god, he shone like an actual star that had fallen down to Earth when he walked around. 

When Etho noticed a spark of light approaching him, he pulled out his sword to protect himself, only to lower it when he noticed a pair of loving sparkly eyes. It was him, he was back. He had been so busy wielding, he had forgotten to check the communicator, he excused himself for not noticing. Before any other thoughts rummaged his mind, he was roughly pulled into a hug as Bdubs launched himself at Etho. "Etho!!! My love!!! I have missed you so!" He cheered, and as he was no longer in the Sun; the light no longer reflected back from him. He always called Etho his love, as he did with everyone else he cared for, and Etho found it incredibly endearing. 

"Bdubs..." he replied silently as he cradled his face into the crook of his neck, eyes closed in relief. "You're okay." 

"Of course I'm okay! Oh it was so much fun, I wish you had joined us." his arms tightened the grip around him. 

"Can you, first, tell me what you're wearing?" Etho muttered, hands racking up the weird textured fabric. They felt like crystals, sequins, like velvet, all at the same time, he was warm in the coldest way, it confused him to no end. 

Bdubs pulled away from him, hands still on the other's sides, "Sit down. This is important, now." he declared with a mischevious grin. 

"Ok..ay" Etho chuckled hesitantly, settling down on the ground, eyes glued to his friend. 

Bdubs' giggled in excitement as he jumped ontop of a nearby anvil, holding his hands and head up, "I became the god of the Sun!" he declared, to which Etho couldn't help but laugh. "What? Do you not believe me?" he sounded offended enough for the other man to close his mouth and stare. "That's what I thought," crossing his arms, he glared back. 

"Can you.. prove it to me?" Etho smiled apologetically, shifting in his position.

"If you insist, my love." He grumbled in a calm tone, hopping down the anvil and kneeling down right infront of Etho, "Now, look into my eyes," he put his hands on his shoulders, waiting for Etho to comply, "Ok, good, now... listen closely." he said, "I am the god of the Sun, and you will. You will, believe me." 

Etho kept holding the eyecontact he usually avoided out of uncomfort, now for sure thinking it was some sort of a joke that Bdubs was pulling on him just to get him to stare into his sparkly eyes. Bdubs knew how much he struggled to not shift his view anywhere but the eyes. His demeanor didn’t seem too promising, he knew him well enough, right? Those thoughts only remained until he was dazed by a warm bright light that hit him like a tidal wave. When he opened his eyes again, everything around him was blinding with light, Bdubs was smiling at him like the happiest man alive. All that he could do was look around in awe, everything shone, the flowers gleamed in gold and the cold warm feeling was overtaking him. But slowly the light around him disappeared, the world now looking dull compared to before. His gaze stopped on the man before him. He was left absolutely speechless.

"Sooo do you believe now?"  Bdubs chirped in joy, tilting his head to the side.

"...How could… How could I not?" He tried to find the words.

"Exactly. Never have I ever lied to you. I would n e v e r."

Etho chuckled at that, nodding in sarcastic agreement, to which Bdubs tugged his hair with a frown. "Ow!" he laughed as a response, furrowing his brows.

"How dare you think I'd ever lie to you." letting go of his hair, he moved over to sit by his friend’s side, wrapping his arms around him for comfort. "Well, as nice as it was without you insulting me, I sure missed this place." he murmured.

"And I missed you." Etho whispered back, feeling weird for saying it out loud. 

Bdubs only hummed happily in response, nuzzling himself against him, "I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again." 

#ethoslab #ethubs #bdoubleo100 #hermitshipping #I GUESS i dont know not really maybe perhaps possibly ?? they just hug and say they miss each other so like idk how romantic that wouldbe #tagging just incase. and again no real people fiction i would die these are obviously rheir characters. bdubs is NOT a god irl #nomatter how much he wishes he was LOL #smileymothwrites #imagine a guy irl with the name ethoslab or bdoubleo #embarrassing for them really #im just resorting to bullying them now in my tags im sorry mr slab and mr bdub #i have proofread this multiple times but i am not a native english speaker so obviously my tense usage is fucked #esp bc i wrote this at 4am and it was in present tense first of all and then i had to fix it to past bc that made more sense and it was- #an entire fiasco because im bad at tenses. i may be c2 level but fuck if i know how the tenses work

[nanakibh]

What’s in the box? An ominous sentient rock.

Cracking the last line of Demyx’s character file solves everything. (I think.)

“In that case, aren’t I more cut out for lugging stuff around? Oh yeah, what is it that person used to say all the time? Something about a guiding key? Come to think of it, wasn’t something guiding me?”

From the FF Wiki...

In the early Final Fantasy games being made a Warrior of Light by a crystal was shown in heroic light, but in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series the equivalent fate of a l'Cie reflects a more sinister state, calling the person's free will into question.

Final Fantasy Agito XIII is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis like Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which Verum Rex is based on. In the Type-0/Agito series, the people believe that the Crystal will continue to guide them down the right path as long as they follow its divine will, so they tell each other “May the Crystal guide you.”

In KH3, Luxord says that he was told that the box contains “hope.” The Crystals are frequently referred to as “beacons of hope.” The Crystals are the embodiment of light and serve as symbols of hope to humanity.

In the Type-0/Agito series, the Crystals will choose someone with a “strong heart” to become a l’Cie in order to protect them. It communicates with the l’Cie telepathically and no one else can hear its voice, so it’s the l’Cie’s job to do as it instructs and convey the Crystal’s will to others.

The l’Cie stones offer a lot of insight into what it means to be a l’Cie. They’re all really interesting, imo.

A l'Cie Stone acquired in the Cetme District. Last Words: White Tiger l'Cie Theo For twenty years, I served my country as a soldier in the Militesi Army. At the age of 35, however, it dawned to me that I might better serve the empire by protecting our beacon of hope and thus ensuring its light may guide our nation forever more. Now cognizant of the truth about this world, though, I know our Crystal will only truly be safe from harm once all of Orience is united under the emblem of the White Tiger—and I believe I have found the one man who can accomplish such an incredible task. I have fulfilled my role, and the future of our world rests in his hands.

I like this one a lot because the “truth of the world” Theo was referring to is the fact that the war had ended the world before.

In the original concept of Agito XIII, anyone who attended Akademeia would have been able to make a “blood pact” with the Vermilion Bird Crystal to receive blessings such as weapons and powers. This is shown in the first Agito XIIi trailer when Ace enters the Crystal’s room and presses his thumb to a pedestal which lights up the gears around the room. A set of cards then appear on the pedestal for him to take.

A l’Cie’s Focus is called a “role” in Japanese. It’s the same word they use in Back Cover when the MoM assigns roles to all of his apprentices. One would assume that he had a role of his own.

Demyx's current state could be a result of him being away from the Crystal. L’Cie turn into Cie’th when they refuse or fail to follow their roles, so separating himself from the object he was supposed to protect could have had some type of degenerative effect on him. When Celestia went against the Azure Dragon Crystal in order to help Class Zero, she lost her sense of self and turned into a dragon.

Alternatively, he’s still connected to the Crystal. Even l’Cie who obey the Crystal will gradually lose their sense of self. Upon becoming a l’Cie, Machina had to constantly remind himself of his own past.

I mean, there are other explanations for how the MoM went from A to B, but these explanations came in the box, so they’re worth consideration.

The MoM’s clock tower in Daybreak Town was based on a design that comes from Akademeia in Type-0. (It was designed by Yusaku Nakaaki.) Here I’ve overlayed the concept art from the Type-0 design book with a screenshot from KHUX. Akademeia was the home of the Vermilion Bird Crystal. It was built to be its shrine. The Crystal is located underground, below Akademeia.

Demyx is nearly identical to Jack who attends Akademeia. Same face, same personality, same voice actor. Very important piece of info.

I don’t have trouble believing Demyx when he says that he’s on Riku’s side. But his theoretical Crystal overlord might have other thoughts that could later put them in conflict. With all of this in mind, it’s easy for me to understand how the MoM could end up starting a war and sacrificing a town full of children.

The Vermilion Bird Crystal told Caetuna that she should sacrifice the majority of Rubrum’s citizens to summon the Verboten Eidolon. She thought that sounded reasonable.

Khalia: You… You can’t be serious! You want to offer the lives of Dominion civilians?! Caetuna: Should half of the powerless be offered, the summon can be performed. Promptly begin the preparations. Arecia: …The Crystal is most rational, isn’t it? In a manner of speaking, to win the war, it chose the path with the least sacrifices. Arecia: No matter how many people die, it won’t subtract from the number of soldiers and cadets. It’s a strategy to massacre the Milites army while retaining the Rubrum army’s present strength.

This is an example of the relationship between a Crystal and its l’Cie at its most sinister. Caetuna is otherwise depicted as wise, graceful, and kind.

The Azure Dragon Crystal gave the queen of Concordia the power to see the future. (”If she could see the future, why didn’t she just stop the war and save the world herself?” 🤪)

Behold the extremely convenient built-in explanation for how the MoM obtained the Gazing Eye. No Crystal? No power. If the source of his power is in the box, then it just as easily explains why Demyx wouldn’t have the Gazing Eye.

During the Militesi Assault on Akademeia, the Imperial forces deployed two crystal jammers to suppress the Dominion's magic: one aboard a dreadnought, and another built into a Magitek Armor. Severed from their Crystal's blessing, Rubrum's cadets, legionaries, and l'Cie were left all but powerless.

"May your heart be your guiding key” feels like the opposite of “May the Crystal guide you.” If the MoM had no choice but to do what the Crystal instructed, then it may have benefited him to tell others to do what he couldn’t. It’s ironic. The guy who says it the most might not have been able to follow his own heart. :’)

Demyx believes that he joined the Organization because he wanted friends. What the Crystal wants can be totally separate from what a l’Cie wants, but a l’Cie can only do as the Crystal commands. The Darkness refer to themselves as the MoM’s friends, but he doesn’t seem to share their feelings. Unable to freely make friends as he pleased, they may have been the only “friends” he was able to have. I get the feeling that they thought they could use their pseudo-friendship as a bargaining chip to make him stay because they thought it was something he valued. (Oof... Rejected.)

Anyway, I maintain that if you know everything about the Agito series, it’ll probably be possible to arrange all of the information in a way that spells out exactly what’s up with the MoM. So, even if I’m not perfectly correct, I feel safe assuming that I’m at least very close.

#kingdom hearts #final fantasy #kh #kh4 #verum rex #master of masters #demyx #black box #long post

[razieltwelve]

Legacy (Final Effect)

Odin has been there when Cocoon fell and Saviour failed. He had slumbered, battered and damaged by the final battle, until he had been reawakened centuries later to an entirely different world.

Cocoon and the World Below were gone.

In their place were four great kingdoms and dozens of smaller realms.

Yet he found a new purpose.

The Line of Saviour endured. It too had slumbered, but it had awakened not long before he had, and it was to the Line of Saviour that he once again pledged his allegiance. Cocoon had made him, for the Eidolons were to be their mightiest weapons, living machines of terrible power. Yet it was to Saviour that Odin had pledged his allegiance, and it was to Lightning and then Averia and then Sigrid that he had offered his loyalty.

Time had passed.

Remnant had conquered JENOVA and then the galaxy.

There had been more wars.

More conflict.

More suffering.

But the Children of Remnant had emerged from each battle stronger, and the Line of Saviour had not failed again.

Now, Odin lived in an age of wonders that his creators could never have imagined. The Empire stood as a shining beacon of power that cast back the darkness that threatened to destroy civilisation. Odin’s systems, once incomprehensibly advanced, were now upgraded consistently by the Dia-Farron to ensure his supremacy on the battlefield.

Yet for all that had changed, some things stayed the same.

X      X     X

“This is Odin. You’ve met him before, but this time is a bit different,” Claire said. “He has served our line faithfully for centuries.”

Odin knelt so the girl next to Claire could get a better look at him.

“Odin,” Claire said. “Artemisia awakened Saviour today.”

The Eidolon sensors reached out. Data flowed through him to confirm Claire’s words. He stood and raised his sword in a salute.

“As a bearer of Saviour,” Claire explained. “Odin will obey your commands unless they contradict mine or his other important imperatives.” Her eyes narrowed. “So don’t be silly.”

Artemisia smiled. “I won’t be, mom.” She lowered her voice. “Is it true that mother once tried to order him to stab mommy?”

Odin gave a low rumble of amusement. He played a file, one of countless he had recorded. It showed a young Averia VII jabbing her finger at Jahne while ordering Odin to impale her. Odin, of course, hadn’t budged. When that failed, Averia had tried to convince Claire to give the order, but the other girl had simply laughed and shaken her head.

“Oh.” Artemisia lowered her voice. “Does mother know you have that, Odin?”

The Eidolon shook his head.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell her.” Artemisia paused. “Do you have any other funny recordings?”

X     X     X

Author’s Notes

It should be noted that Odin and the other Eidolons are technically the oldest complex AIs in existence since they predate the lawnmower. The reason they’re not usually counted is because modern AIs are built on a different computational foundation than them. It’s not that the way they’re built is worse, but it was designed with Cocoon’s technology in mind.

Cocoon made much more extensive use of crystal technology since it was the core of their technological base. Subsequent civilisations did not use that technology much since they had no way of producing the Aura-responsive crystal on a large scale. Cocoon relied on Etro and Bhunivelze to do it.

The Dia-Farron have since been able to upgrade the Eidolons and continue working on them since Creation of All Things can create the same crystal or even upgrade it.

Odin is considered a super weapon. He can only be deployed by a bearer of Saviour, and there is a seniority to that. Basically, there are usually at least three generations of Saviour active at a time. The ‘current’ bearer of Saviour is serving the ruler of the Empire, and they have top priority. After them is the previous bearer, with the new bearer having third priority.

Essentially: Claire > Claire’s parent > Artemisia

Due to how Odin’s loyalty works, Averia VII cannot give him orders directly. The reason he follows her is due to a modified prime directive that was put in there by Sigrid which states he is to follow the orders of the ruler of Arendelle unless they directly contradict the bearer of Saviour or would be deleterious to the interests of the bearer of Saviour.

Odin is typically found on the battlefield, where he serves as a spearhead for Imperial forces. Whenever a younger bearer of Saviour takes the field, he is usually there with them, just in case things get out of hand.

#final effect #fanfiction #claire fe #artemisia #odin

[ask-lir]

Time for a Lore Drop as ive become much more happier with Lirs Story. well i struggle with the normal convetions of an ask blog its still quite fun :>

So for one I have lir to be much older than he was before. rather than being an edgy story for his history hes now just a ball of magic that over time sort off collected itself and gained a conscious that even hes not sure of. he perked from a lake below the crystal empire as i like to think that with rainwater going down the mountain and the natural magic in the earth getting caught in the water is where he comes from but even then im not sure.

For a while he took on no form, before mimicking animals in the forest north of ponyville (the large one generally believed to hug Fluttershys cottage, and be below cloudsdale from when fluttershy fell) at some point he did meet some ponies being Sapphire and Lumi (Up for change) so he mimics them then before slowly changing into his own form he holds onto now. Sap and Lumi have long sense passed and Lir stays more hidden in the forest.

He cranky and admitally cold to ponies for his own reasons and often leads them out of what he veiws as his forest. finding encroaching development harmful to the animals he has grown to care for. he lives in a rundown old cottage, although lived is a debatable word but it well taken care of. he is own to growl and bare teeth like a wolf before being friendly just due to how he has experienced life although he also enjoys pranking those who return, or fouls who come in based on a dare. he doesn't actually ever attack or harm as he more wishes to scare or mess with them. he does however show signs of curiosity and an interest to learn more things but is unwilling to leave his forest due to his distrustful nature.

ive given him the nicknames "Ghost of North Woods / Winter Prince" as he will often switch between a sort of magical blob and using a water body. he has noted that no pony has both a horn and wings and hes unaware of the status associated. for a while he did sport wings but now he opts to not form them unless he wants to be annoying and freak/prank someone out.

He takes after the animals as well, well he is not bonded to one animal in partular he is a general help. letting them drink from his "hair" and being just portable drinkable water. he dosent tend to see the same animal often so he treats them all well.

He dose have sharp teeth like a dog/wolf as it seemly seems to freak out most ponies who come by.

i like to say that at one point, well the rail road though the mountains to the crystal empire was being built Lir was a bit of a pain often causing havoc and rain as he didn't like the railroad as it seems to separate the forest from the lake there. even if a train likely comes once every day or less really.

#ask lir #Lir the water horse lore #mlp

[c-rose2081]

—

—

Padmé Hembora || The Beginning of the End

A ‘Star Wars’ What if…

—

—

Bail Organa should’ve known better than to do something like this. It was against the laws of nature; and completely overshadowed basic moral code, both human and not. It was only the work of some higher fate that could truly bring life into the Galaxy properly, and that fact really should’ve been absolute. The creation of body and mind belonged to the ether and the ways of the Force, not the meddling hands of human beings. And yet the Kaminoans had done it millions of times over in the days of the Republic, and built an entire army with a single strand of human DNA. What made this little experiment of his any different?

Coming upon the vial which started it all had been a complete accident. Bail wasn’t usually one to surf the black markets of the Outer Rim. Not only was it dangerous with the Empire now in control of things, but unnecessary, as his access to resources was far better then many these days. Yet he found himself disguised and rummaging through the piles of old junk anyway, looking for things that may have belonged to people he once knew.

The trip had resulted in a single robe, one that belonged to a female and was littered with holes, and a fake Kyber crystal that a hawker insisted belonged to a Jedi. It turned out to be nothing more than a chunk of colored glass, and Bail politely declined the offer and moved on. He had been ready to leave when something else caught his eye just at the end of the market’s Main Street.

The seller wasn’t like the others, yelling his wares and prices to attract attention to himself. Rather he waited patiently in the shadows for more intuitive customers to come to him, blowing smoke rings with his old cigar. Bail approached; it’s not like he had much to lose. Either find something worth while, or walk away with nothing. The ratty old snake grinned at him, opening his coat to reveal an interior sewn with small glass vials. At first Bail didn’t understand the purpose of the display; some of the tubes looked to hold nothing more then single strands of hair, a few flakes of powder, or even some yellowed nail clippings.

“DNA, my friend,” the seller drawled, noticing his puzzlement, “collected from all across the Galaxy. One of a kind. 25,000 credits a pop.”

“DNA?” Bail mused, his skepticism rising. After all, it easily could’ve been a ruse. And he really wasn’t keen on buying this man’s nail clippings or hair.

“My collection is quite vast,” the stranger mused, exhaling a smoke ring causing Bail to cough and wave the cloud away, “maybe you have someone on your mind? Many of my samples belong to Royalty. But…no. You seem familiar to me,” the seller squinted and grinned his horrible teeth again, “you are someone interested in the Senate, aren’t you? Yes, yes I have many Senators samples here with me today.”

“The Senate is no longer,” Bail grumbled as the merchant rifled through his vials, “what good are those to sell when the Chamber no longer exists?”

“You’d be surprised what people will pay for history. Look here, this popular Senator recently died, so it’s unlikely to ever reappear in my stock again. It may be of interest to you.”

Taking the vial, Bail lifted a brow as he turned it over in his hands. The hair was a rich auburn brown, certainly not belonging to the man before him. But it easily could’ve been plucked from a stranger’s head, or even a random animal off the street. Pausing at the label plastered to the glass, Bail’s fingers stopped instantly. His heart lurched, and his eyes burned as he followed the crooked cursive with his gaze.

Amidala.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” The merchant hissed lowly by his ear, “this hair still has the root attached. Perfect for extracting DNA. And for you friend? Only 23,000 credits, eh? A bargain.”

Bail stared at the hair for a long time, turning it over in his fingertips. Most of Padmé’s things had been burned after she was buried, as to join her in the Force. Any traces of her other than what was left behind in her two children was gone.

That’s how he arrived back to Alderaan, 23,000 credits lighter, and with a horribly immoral idea on his conscious. Certainly if the scientists on Kamino could make an army from DNA, his own team of experts couldn’t do something similar? There was still so much guilt eating at him for how little he had done in the weeks before the Empire. And seeing Padmé pale as a winter moon? Decorated in silk and flowers as she was walked to her final place of rest with only a few spare moments to love her children? It broke his heart. And though Leia was sure to be his very own joy, it was also a penance which he took. Yet it still didn’t feel like enough. Some part of him wanted to do more to honor Padmé’s dedication to life and justice.

And perhaps this time, that impulsive part of him that was so guilty had overstepped its bounds.

Because Bail hadn’t thought far enough ahead. He hadn’t planned for their experiments to work. He had expected them to fail, wanted them to fail, simply to have the piece of mind that he tried. For Padmé’s sake; for Luke and Leia’s sake. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that something as morally questionable as cloning a dead human being would actually succeed.

“Your Highness?”

Glancing up from where he paced, Bail took in the Nurse now standing before him. In her arms was a bundle of crisp white blankets, the result of almost three years of intense study and scientific trial, “she’s healthy. Would you like to see?”

Nodding, Bail swallowed thickly as he extended his arms and took the baby into his grip for the first time. Like Leia had been when she first arrived, the bundle was light and fit perfectly against him. He observed her with scrutiny, running the flat of his finger across her various facial features.

When they first started their study and trials using Padmé’s DNA, Bail merely assumed that the hair sold to him had been a fake. After all, the merchant had been seedy, and wanted a fortune for his goods. It was a toss up on what he actually bought. But now, Bail was certain that the peddler had indeed been telling the truth. The baby had features many native to Naboo shared; that being a sharp and squarish jaw, narrow nose, and thick locks of rich auburn-brown hair despite being the age of a newborn. She certainly looked familiar in face, but only when her eyelids parted did Bail feel some part of him coil in pain and horror.

The irises were an intense brown, flecked in gold-hazel. And for a moment he was back in the Senate, staring into those fear stricken eyes as their Democracy crumbled into an Empire.

“Take her, please,”

Bail passed the baby back to her Nurse, hands quivering in panic, “what have I done?” He wondered to her, “what have I done?”

“There’s something else you should know,” the woman admitted faintly, frowning as she bounced Padmé up and down in her arms, “we were checking things over one more time before finishing the procedure, and we found something unexpected,”

“Unexpected?” Bail mused wearily, rubbing the place between his eyes tiredly, “I thought you said she was healthy?”

“She is, your Highness. Probably more healthy then any naturally born baby in the Galaxy. But we were running specs, and there was a huge spike in her numbers. That being her uh…midichlorian count,”

“Midi…you mean she’s-“

“Force Sensitive, Highness. Very much so.”

“But how’s that possible?” Bail wondered, “Padmé wasn’t…she couldn’t have been. We would’ve known,”

“Did she ever get tested? Simply because one has a high number of midichlorian’s in their blood doesn’t mean it’s prominent. Not without the proper training, anyway,”

“I…I never asked. She was Royalty on Naboo, it would’ve been an invasion of privacy. I just assumed she wasn’t sensitive.”

“Perhaps the Senator was far more aware to what was going on then we knew,” the Nurse mused to herself, still bouncing the baby and smiling fondly at her, “she’s very sweet, though. The most well behaved little one I’ve ever held.”

“You’ve taken a liking to her, Ms.…?”

“Hembora, your Highness. Naneste Hembora,”

“Hm. Nurse Hembora, Padmé must remain hidden. She cannot leave this laboratory or Alderaan. She will need someone to care for her,”

“You will not take her to live with you?” Hembora asked in wonder, brows rising into her hairline, “I thought you would’ve…erm, pardon me your Majesty. I just…another girl may be good in the palace. A friend for young Leia?”

“No,” Bail said quickly, “no. Leia and Padmé must never meet. It would be different if she were merely a child of a different family. But Padmé was a favorite in the Senate; the face of the Republic and a beloved Queen of Naboo. People will begin to notice as she grows into her genes. She’d be far to recognizable to pass off as a mere chance adoption.”

“I…think I understand,” Hembora nodded in agreement, “who then shall watch over her?”

“You could, if you’d like?”

“Me? Oh your Highness, I couldn’t…”

“Why not? You’ve seem to taken a fondness for the babe. Padmé will need guidance as she grows, and we’ll need to keep a close eye on her to make sure everything remains stable. I’ll compensate you handsomely for your service, of course. She will live the best life possible.”

“I…It would be an honor, your Highness,”

“Good. Padmé must remain a secret, you understand? What happens in this lab, stays in this lab. If she’s ever discovered…worse yet by the Empire…?”

“Yes, sir, I’ll keep her safe. We all will. But she’s still a human being. We can’t keep her cooped up in here for long. The lab isn’t big enough for a child; she needs space to grow and learn. I understand who she is, but it’s cruel isolating her from the outside world.”

“We’ll figure something out, don’t worry. For now, we make sure she healthy, and gets all she needs to stay that way. Yes?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, good,” running a hand over his stubble, Bail leaned over again to look down at baby Padmé. His heart clenched. He felt instantly guilty, bringing her back when she had already died in another life. Would she grow up to be the same as he remembered? Was she now a different energy in the Force? Bail didn’t know. As the baby mewed softly and reached out her hands from the blankets, grasping at Nurse Hembora’s crisp white scrubs, he sighed heavily.

One day, this decision — this guilt driven desire to prove the Force no match for human ingenuity — would come back to bite him. Bail just knew it. He never should’ve messed with the natural order of the Universe, nor should he have tested the Force in such a way. But still, the sight of Padmé’s great brown eyes as Hembora cooed over her melted the ice which had taken up residence in his heart.

Hopefully things would turn out ok. If not? Well…he had brought this disaster down upon himself, now hadn’t he?

—

—

Little bit of context to the Star Wars AU idea I’ve been working on since my Jedi Padmé art is getting some attention (and also confusing a few people :)

#disney star wars #alternate universe #star wars original trilogy #padmé amidala #bail organa #star wars prequels #fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #star wars au #Star Wars #star wars fandom #my writing #disney

[magnetarbeam]

LotF/FotJ: Miscellaneous Reactions/Outprocessing 10

The use of Nam Chorios was actually a really good decision for Vestara's character. Here she has to realize that she actually gives a shit about the random people that might die if she uses the Force.

Conviction is definitely my favorite FotJ book so far.

The idea that ships have sound systems built into the sensors and the cockpits that then mimic the auditory effects that would happen in atmosphere, in order to assist the pilot's intuitive sense of the engagement, is an explanation for why Star Wars has sound in space that goes back to the days of the original trilogy. It probably doesn't hold up to newer stuff, but it lasted at least long enough to be explicitly referenced when the bridge crew of the frigate that I assume is the Black Wave hear a shadow bomb go off before they hit Nam Chorios' atmosphere.

I wonder how the Jedi who got Force psychosis in general, and Valin and Jysella in particular, cope with that shit after it's over.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have immense respect for Jagged Fel. It's not every day someone creates a piece of technology that inspires the Jedi to invent a new Force power.

I wish the scene where Vestara kills Taalon was actually from her point of view.

I'm embarrassed that it took me until less than a week ago to realize that the times that the Jedi use mainline X-Wings in these books, instead of StealthXs, is when they're operating as part of a larger force that they need to be able to communicate with.

Visualizing the battles in FotJ is a lot more fun when I imagine the Lost Tribe all having black-core lightsaber blades. I'm still torn on how they should sound. I'm pretty sure they're supposed to sound different from a normal crystal, but I'm not sure if I want to give them The Darksaber's sounds or something in-between or what.

According to Omen, the Eternal Crusader is explicitly larger, and I think it also said more powerful, than the Omen itself, whereas the next book repeatedly identifies the Crusader as a frigate. I'm guessing one of the ChaseMasters. In Crosscurrent, after the whole relativistic-time-travel clusterkriff, Jaden Korr identifies Harbinger, which is the sister ship of and thus necessarily the same class as Omen, as being "cruiser-sized" by the standards of this era. By the interpretations I subscribe to of the way these classifications work, that would put it in a comparable range of internal volume to something like the Malevolence or the empirically observable scale of Home One (which is about 4 kilometers long), although obviously it would look nothing like those.

I don't think there's any reconciling the descriptions of the Eternal Crusader as either a heavy cruiser/battlecruiser with more than enough mass and firepower for smaller-galactic-scale stories to assume it's a one-off, or a light frigate that carries maybe a hundred humanoids across naval crew and embarked troops - in a force like this there may not even be any organizational distinction between those - and a probably single-digit number of shuttles.

#star wars legends #legacy of the force #fate of the jedi #vestara khai #valin horn #jysella horn #jagged fel #lost tribe of the sith #star wars technical shit

[rockislandadultreads]

Nonfiction Thursday: Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Biographies 

Both/And by Huma Abedin

The daughter of Indian and Pakistani intellectuals and advocates, Abedin grew up in the United States and Saudi Arabia and traveled widely. Both/And grapples with family, legacy, identity, faith, marriage, motherhood—and work—with wisdom, sophistication, grace, and clarity.

Abedin launched full steam into a college internship in the office of the First Lady in 1996, never imagining that her work at the White House would blossom into a career in public service, nor that her career would become an all-consuming way of life. She thrived in rooms with diplomats and sovereigns, entrepreneurs and artists, philanthropists and activists, and witnessed many crucial moments in 21st-century American history—Camp David for urgent efforts at Middle East peace in the waning months of the Clinton administration, Ground Zero in the days after the September 11 attacks, the inauguration of the first African American president of the United States, and the convention floor when America nominated its first female presidential candidate.

Abedin’s relationship with Hillary Clinton has seen both women through extraordinary personal and professional highs, as well as unimaginable lows. Here, for the first time, is a deeply personal account of Clinton as mentor, confidante, and role model. Abedin cuts through caricature, rumor, and misinformation to reveal a crystal-clear portrait of Clinton as a brilliant and caring leader, a steadfast friend, generous, funny, hardworking, and dedicated.

Eat a Peach by David Chang

In 2004, David Chang opened a noodle restaurant named Momofuku in Manhattan's East Village, not expecting the business to survive its first year. In 2018, he was the owner and chef of his own restaurant empire, with 15 locations from New York to Australia, the star of his own hit Netflix show and podcast, was named one of the most influential people of the 21st century and had a following of over 1.2 million. In this inspiring, honest and heartfelt memoir, Chang shares the extraordinary story of his culinary coming-of-age.

Growing up in Virginia, the son of Korean immigrant parents, Chang struggled with feelings of abandonment, isolation and loneliness throughout his childhood. After failing to find a job after graduating, he convinced his father to loan him money to open a restaurant. Momofuku's unpretentious air and great-tasting simple staples - ramen bowls and pork buns - earned it rave reviews, culinary awards and before long, Chang had a cult following.

Chang's love of food and cooking remained a constant in his life, despite the adversities he had to overcome. Over the course of his career, the chef struggled with suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety. He shied away from praise and begged not to be given awards. In Eat a Peach, Chang opens up about his feelings of paranoia, self-confidence and pulls back the curtain on his struggles, failures and learned lessons.

Stay True by Hua Hsu

In the eyes of eighteen-year-old Hua Hsu, the problem with Ken--with his passion for Dave Matthews, Abercrombie & Fitch, and his fraternity--is that he is exactly like everyone else. Ken, whose Japanese American family has been in the United States for generations, is mainstream; for Hua, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, who makes 'zines and haunts Bay Area record shops, Ken represents all that he defines himself in opposition to. The only thing Hua and Ken have in common is that, however they engage with it, American culture doesn't seem to have a place for either of them.

But despite his first impressions, Hua and Ken become friends, a friendship built on late-night conversations over cigarettes, long drives along the California coast, and the textbook successes and humiliations of everyday college life. And then violently, senselessly, Ken is gone, killed in a carjacking, not even three years after the day they first meet.

Determined to hold on to all that was left of one of his closest friends--his memories--Hua turned to writing. Stay True is the book he's been working on ever since. A coming-of-age story that details both the ordinary and extraordinary, Stay True is a bracing memoir about growing up, and about moving through the world in search of meaning and belonging.

The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines

"The only way to break free was to rewrite my story. Because something would happen every time my pen stopped: it was like my soul was coming back to my body. Like the deepest parts of me that got knocked around and drowned out by all the crap I let the world convince me about who I was came back to the surface. And what was left was only what was real and true. I was, finally, standing in the fullness of my story. I felt hopeful. I felt full. Our story may crack us open, but it also pieces us back together.

We all have a story to tell. This happens to be mine--every chapter a window into who I am, the journey I'm on, and the season I'm in right now. Because this is my story, maybe you won't always relate, or maybe it will feel like you're looking in a mirror. Whatever we have in common and whatever differences lie between us, I only hope my story can help shine a light on the beauty of yours. That my own soul work will stir something of your own. And that by the time you get to the end of my story, you're also holding the beautiful beginnings of your own.

A story only you can tell. And I hope that you will."

- Joanna Gaines

#biography #biographies #memoir #AAPI authors #AAPI #aapiheritagemonth #nonfiction #nonfiction books #Nonfiction Reading #Library Books #Book Recommendations #book recs #Reading Recs #reading recommendations #TBR pile #tbrpile #tbr #to read #Want To Read #Booklr #book tumblr #book blog #library blog

[ask-healthy-light]

*standing in the old castle* I should probably fix the old place up

Built at the heart of a dangerous, wild, and uncontrolled Forest, where Nature herself ruled over all that dwelt here, it was a strange place; a crumbling, old and ruined Castle, that none but the bravest, or the most foolish, would dare visit, especially in the darkness, when creatures of the night, the likes of which not seen by the regular Pony for many a lifetime, come out to hunt.

However, Boom, ever the adventurous, courageous and dangerous, yet hasty and foolish Pony, knew the Forest and its creatures, and feared not what took place here, for he had spent time here before his fall from grace; now, an affront to Mother Nature, no more than a shell of his former self, he found himself alone once again, in the Castle upon the fields where had first met the Princesses.

As the night grew, passing midnight shortly after Boom had sent Light back to the Crystal Empire, he found no rest, worrying about everything that he wished to say to Pinkie when meeting her again, so, after he had around wandered the outskirts of town, and in the Forest, for a while, he arrived back in the Castle of the Two Sisters, where he took a moment to remember the times he spent here.

He passed through the courtyard where he and Light had crafted the dagger for Pinkie, and his mind wandered, for he still held many memories of what once was; secrets were hidden within the Castle, and as both the Forge and the Room of Memories were untouched, he hoped that a safe and calm place, where he could rest, would be pristine too; and he sought deep within his mind for any memories.

While making his way through the ancient Palace, making sure to avoid the shards of broken glass that still littered the floor, he thought about his future; with Light's help, should his goal to cleanse himself prove successful, and he could finally spend what time he may have with those he cared for, he wanted to make sure they could remember him for better deeds than those he had done.

Every torch, every canvas past which he walked, even the sets of armour stands, lining the halls as if the Ponies who once wore them long ago, still stood valiantly, any lever that Boom found only lead to either a hidden tunnel, a dangerous fall, or a dead end, all while he kept trying to think of what to give the Princesses, a gift, that they, and future generations, could remember him by.

Through countless corridors and endless flights of stairs, from the remains of the kitchen to the secret passageways in the library, Boom looked all throughout the Castle, yet found no place where he felt he could rest easily; he made a mental note, a gift of which he had not yet thought, should be safe, yet it should be grand, yet personal; and he kept walking around until his hooves ached.

For a while now, something kept tickling at the back of his mind, for he felt he was overlooking something that sat on the tip of his tongue, as if it were standing right in front of him, but his exhaustion and constant worrying about his meeting with Pinkie the coming morning made him put aside his thoughts; and he continued on, now dealing with a constant nagging feeling in his head.

Close to giving up, and getting more frustrated by the minute, Boom decided that if he did not find a safe place to rest in the next few minutes, he would go away, teleport somewhere else if he had to, anywhere that did have a place for him to rest; stubbing his hoof against one of the suits of armour, combined with the resulting cacophony of clanging metal, did not help his levels of stress.

Cursing his luck and remembering his healing, looking for a way to let out his anger, he smashed his head into the wall, and as if the Princesses themselves listened, the wall moved to reveal a small but safe bedroom; and after Boom wrote down all the thoughts he had about the gift he wished to give, he headed to bed; but just as he was about to fall asleep, his mind connected the dots, and he spoke aloud:

"Hey, wait a minute-"

(Thanks for reading! And if you enjoyed, please reblog! Thanks in advance!)

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Featuring: Boomlord from @thedumbguywithaheart43

#story related #my little pony #writing #oc #healthy light #boomlord