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oonajaeadira · 1 year

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For the Love of Fic: January 10

This fandom is severely prolific and I am a slooooowwwww reader. I envy those of you that can read fast (even moreso those who can write fast). I throw my hands up on trying to keep up. I do what I can.

But I did love a fair few this week...

🪐 = Year of Themed Creations work!

MAXWELL LORD

I Wish You Worked by @missredherring 🪐 Rachel starts off strong on her Year of Wishes with this Max!Genie AU. Begining with one of my favorite crystals--a champagney, honeyed citrine--we get to feel the pull toward the stone, the longing for something more, and when there’s reason to yearn for the happiness and prosperity the stone is meant to deliver, our hero makes a glorious appearance. I am not a Maxwell stan, but I have the feeling that Rachel’s gonna make me see the light.

PERO TOVAR

And You Would Be There Too by @leslie-lyman Tess and Pero from Stranger at My Gate returns and I’m so frikin happy I could and did and will again scream. Leslie ruined me for life by putting him in a black cable-knit sweater in a light snowfall and I really cannot put that image out of my mind. This little check in with them deals with feelings of jealousy and claiming, and in all the right ways. It’s spicy and sweet together and that’s my favorite flavor combo. Tess isn’t the only witch who can cook it up, I see.

EZRA

Kernow - Postcards by @honestly-shite A bite-sized peek in at painter Ezra and his lady, in a bitingly-chilly morning while he’s fixing her a bite to eat. But all he wants to do is take her everywhere. It’s a simple moment, pretty and sweet and hot and I want to live in it forever.

MARCUS PIKE

The Saltwater Room (i): Saw You In The Low Light by @chaoticgeminate 🪐 So the first of her video game AUs is based on Raft, which seems like a fascinating game of sailing a flooded world in search of resources. Coming upon a strange man who is unconcious and tied up on his own raft could mean danger, but I’m glad the reader takes a chance on him. Excited to see what’s next...

Closing Time by @insomniamamma 🪐 It’s not a great new years--he’s getting dragged out by his coworkers and she’s been dumped by her boyfriend just minutes before midnight. But the way they find each other in a bar, the way they find someone to cling to and lean on, the offer of blueberry pancakes...this has my little heart melting over Mr. Perfect Boyfriend.

DIETER BRAVO

Afterpary Blues by @ghostofskywalker 🪐 Even if it started as a PR relationship, even if he can be a bit of a disaster, and even if their agents can’t agree, I 100% it’s in the reader’s best interest to take him back. I mean. I would. Especially if I knew he was jealous of me dancing with someone else....

Interlude: Bravo, Bravo, Bravo by @elegantmusicdragon A quick and precious installment in the animal trainer series (and yes, Margie the goat is present and being sweet). There is one question being asked. One question. And Dieter keeps skirting it. His answer broke me... 😂

DIN DJARIN

untitled by @unhinged-summer-fun This chef!Din x critic!reader piece made me feel so so much. I’m still sitting here shocked by it. When a make-or-break food critic comes to Din’s place of work he isn’t bothered so much about what she’s going to say as what she feels. It’s such a visceral piece, tasty and warm, and I’m just sitting here thinking... more.

JAVIER PEÑA

Naughty List: A Pedrostories Secret Santa Gift Fic! by @something-tofightfor After everything he’s been through, Javi needs time to settle into accepting his feelings...just like the reader needs to settle into being intimate with the prettiest agent to come on back to Loredo. Hence a naughty list, and his complete and sweet acceptance of everything she asks of him. And I melt.

JACK DANIELS

Lovely Weather by @the-blind-assassin-12 The way he plans this getaway for his lady, the care he takes in preparing surprises, the delight he gets in seeing her happy, the absolute perfection this man is when he loves someone. I want it. I want it all. What a perfect Christmas.

Over Ice by @haylzcyon My gods, I love the fluff here. Fake marriage is a normal Spy Thing™, but it also might just be the thing that convinces someone to see you as true potential. I mean, especially when you add in hot chocolate and ice skating and a good heaping of yearning-in-denial. I would love to get paired up with Whiskey in the field--he’d never let you fall. Nor, it seems, you him. And can Halyz write a good kiss? Mm!! *fans self*

FRANKIE MORALES

Let it Snow (ii) by @ezrasbirdie and @lowlights A lot happens in this chapter and much of it is sweet and cute and these two getting to know each other a lot better. There’s some mistletoe and some outdoor activities. Some past-sharing and some warmth-sharing. But I gotta say that Alba and Ollie Clark are my new favorite couple and I love their meddling. I would love to spend Christmas with them. It would be, as the kids say, “a hoot.” But many feels were had in this fic, including some hard ones at the end of this chapter and I’m giving the loving stink-eye to Birdie and Laura until the next chapter....

JAVI GUTIERREZ

Happy New Year by @toomanystoriessolittletime This is such an easy meet-cute, a simple evening of falling for each other, a want-to-know-you-better first date. The fact that he’s willing to meet her where she is--literally--just to take her out to dinner has my heart swooning...

GUEST STAR BLORBOS (DAVID HARBOUR EDITION)

NIKAMUND THE RED

Santa Baby by @writeforfandoms Okay, it hurts me to say that I’ve got a yearning for Santa...but it’s Violent Night Santa whose a bloody Viking and is broad and brawny and cynical and covered in tattoos and I can’t help it. And then Jen goes and writes a smut with him and I’m kind of in a tailspin....

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gggoldfinch · 4 months

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actual footage of me reading your response:

goldfinch rant supremacy🫡

hi yes ma'am now that I'm more well educated, I'd like to order the "ultimate blorbo Darth Maul's backstory" with extra hot sauce (details) and a side of "what makes you love Rogue One above all the other movies?" please and thank you 😁

also will b sure to binge all the movies and then read your fanfic after, I really love your character art for your OC btw! she's so so pretty, and that backstory you gave on her in the post makes me want to read more about her story! ily 🩷

RAAAHHHHAGHAHSJDKDK SHAKING CRYING EVEN HARDER THANK YOU YOU’RE SO WONDERFUL ❤️❤️❤️ ILY

Okay here’s the Ultimate Blorbo Darth Maul Backstory Speedrun: basically he was born to a powerful witch on the planet Dathomir where there’s a lot of segregation (yikes) and interesting tribal dynamics; he gets stolen by Darth Sidious aka Palpatine (because Palpatine is weird rivals with Maul’s mom), and is raised/groomed/ abused to be the perfect assassin & Sith Lord apprentice. Then at 22 years old (tragic, should’ve been at the club), during a battle with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (who he kills) and Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, he is cut in half at the waist by Kenobi and thrown down a garbage chute. He SURVIVES THIS on sheer willpower and Sith rage alone, and spends the next 12-ish years descending into complete madness and Kenobi-fueled desire for revenge on a far-removed landfill planet. It’s here he builds himself spider legs out of literal trash and scrap and terrorizes the local fauna. A regular old Shelob (LOTR reference ba um tss). Then he’s rescued by his biological brother, Savage Opress (who’d been tasked with this by their manipulative mom), who brings him back to Dathomir to be “healed” by their witch mother. He’s now got a swanky new pair of robo legs, his insanity is “cured”, and he runs around shirtless for the foreseeable future. This takes place during the Clone Wars so lots of Clone Wars stuff goes on in the meanwhile. Eventually Maul and Savage overtake the planet of Mandalore (where the Mandalorians are from) and Maul becomes the Mand’alore (the king basically. Oh and he’s wearing clothes now womp womp). During this time a lot of stuff happens: they create a crime syndicate, Palpatine tries to cast aside and kill Maul (seeing as he’d replaced him twice by this point), Savage is murdered, and eventually after plot conflicts Maul is chased off Mandalore. Then Order 66 happens and the rise of the Empire and, with the rest of the surviving Force-users, he fades away to avoid detection. Here’s where my knowledge gets slightly hazy because the tail end of his story makes me sad and I Don’t Perceive It + I haven’t watched Rebels in its entirety: Maul joins up with the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn and ends up ruling it from the shadows, does this for another decade-ish, then fades into obscurity some time in his late 40s/ early 50s to dodge the still-rampant anti-Force sentiments in the Empire. He resurfaces again to pester this “post-Jedi Order” Force-sensitive kid, Ezra, and seems to have mellowed out greatly since his time as a ruthless Sith Lord (probably due to LITERALLY NEVER CATCHING A BREAK EVER). He confronts his long-time rival and the man who he sees as having ruined his life, Kenobi (he screams and rants and raves about him a lot, it’s pretty entertaining, if sad) one last time on Tatooine, is bested in battle, and kinda gives up and dies. Which is a mood, but yeah. Kenobi, who has been tolerating this guy’s feral insanity and hatred for him for decades, gives him an honorable Jedi funeral and burns his body, and I cry if I think too much about that! 😁 His story is rife with tragedy and violence and I doubt he’s ever happy except in the company of his brother who he fails to save, and he’s never loved or been shown love in canon and it’s heartbreaking because his entire life is a hurricane of abuse and misery and never getting his way and never being loved except by the one person he cares about but can’t save AGHHHHHHJJH

On to why I love Rogue One before I spontaneously combust: visually, it is PHENOMENAL! The characters (though I can’t name a majority of them) are easy to love and root for, and at its core it’s a story about the everyday little people who make big sacrifices along the way. It follows several people on their mission to retrieve the information that holds the plans to destroy the Death Star, to be delivered to the Rebellion, and each and every one of them dies in the process— yes even the main characters. It is a modern tragedy and you know when you start it there’s only one way it can end, and I hate to admit it makes me cry before the opening scene even begins to play. Not even joking, last time i watched I was sobbing at a black screen. Plus Mads Mikkelsen is in it 🫣 It isn’t necessarily my favorite, but that spot is taken by The Phantom Menace, but I def think it’s the most well-done Star Wars movie

And thank you for the lovely compliments, it means so much that you’d be interested in getting into the fandom for my silly fic. That’s genuinely so special to me 🥺❤️❤️❤️

#I definitely forgot some plot points in maul’s story but those are the major events in his life (cries)#THANK YOU AGAIN AAAGUGHJJK #ask

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asexualbookbird · 5 years

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THE PERFECT ASSASSIN BY KA DOORE ★★★★☆

Divine justice is written in blood. Or so Amastan has been taught. As a new assassin in the Basbowen family, he’s already having second thoughts about taking a life. A scarcity of contracts ends up being just what he needs. Until, unexpectedly, Amastan finds the body of a very important drum chief. Until, impossibly, Basbowen’s finest start showing up dead, with their murderous jaan running wild in the dusty streets of Ghadid. Until, inevitably, Amastan is ordered to solve these murders, before the family gets blamed. Every life has its price, but when the tables are turned, Amastan must find this perfect assassin or be their next target.

Remember a few months back when I reread The Way of Shadows and was severely disappointed with how female characters were treated? Remember when people yelled at me because “that’s just how it is!” and I grumbled because I couldn’t think of many examples of assassin fantasy that treated everyone well? Here it is, friends! The Example I needed! I wouldn’t say this had everything I’m looking for in an assassin fantasy novel, but it came dang near close. Plus it was such a fun read, I don’t care too much about its shortcomings. With a wonderful cast of characters and a quick paced plot, this was just the book I needed and a great way to kick off the month.

GOODREADS

Amastan is different than most assassins, he’s not motivated by revenge, or poverty, he’s not forced into this lifestyle and can leave whenever he wants. He goes through the process because he was chosen to, and he wants to keep up tradition, but it’s not his first choice! He’s reluctant, and he would rather not take a life. He’s admirable, compared to other assassin’s I’ve read. Sure, reading about a bloodthirsty assassin who enjoys the kill is fun, but like anything else, it gets boring. And I didn’t realise how boring until I read about Amastan. When he does have to kill someone, he’s reasonable about it! He’s not quite conflicted, but he recognises the place he has in this world, the place his work has in this world. He still doesn’t enjoy killing, but he’s at peace with what he needs to do. I respect him as a character, and love how he’s written. Amastan was the main character, and the one who was most well rounded. Menna was a close second, and I would have LOVED to see more of her and see a book from her perspective. She’s so interesting to me! She has an opposite character development to Amastan and I’m here for it. She started out wanting nothing more than to be an assassin, and saw her birthright work as secondary, but as she worked more with it, she realised she preferred magic to assassination. I would have loved to see how she progressed to that in more detail, would have loved to see this book from her point of view. Not to say this didn’t work from Amastan’s point of view, it very much did, but knowing what Menna was going through when she wasn’t with Amastan would be an amazing extra to have. The story itself isn’t so much of an assassin story. It’s more of a mystery plot that features assassins. It follows a lot more mystery tropes than assassin tropes and that worked against it as much as it did for it. I wasn’t surprised at the twists, but I wasn’t disappointed for figuring it out either! It was fun to watch it unfold and piece everything together, and it felt more like I was picking up clues rather than relying on what tropes I knew. I do wish there was more assassinating going on in a book called The Perfect Assassin, especially since most deaths happened off scene. It was more Amastan and Menna stumbling on bodies and having to figure out the killer, rather than assassination plots. This wasn’t necessarily bad, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! But when you go in expecting one thing (assassins), and get another (a mystery novel), there is a feeling of disappointment. The magic and monsters in this book were probably my fave, reminds me of my own monsters in a scary I’m Going To Kill You Way, and I appreciate that! The worldbuilding could use a bit of work, I’m not sure how this city on stilts in the middle of the desert fits in to the rest of this world. They seem pretty isolated, and maybe they are! It felt muddy, in the grand scheme of things, and i hope future installments fleshes that out. The politics were pretty easy to follow, which was a relief after reading Amberlough, and I appreciate not only the casually queer characters, but that this world had NO homophobia or sexism. No one batted an eye at Amastan falling for a boy, I’m pretty sure Menna is also gay, there is an important leader in this world who is a woman with a wife and children, and no ones rude about it! No one is assaulted or raped for shock value (or at all for that matter!), people are beaten and die, but it’s not violence for the sake of violence. It can be done, and I appreciate it being done, and I want more. Unfortunately this has probably ruined all future assassin books for me, because I doubt they’ll be as pleasant as this. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book! And I would recommend it! Especially if you like the idea of assassins, but are not a fan of all the gore and misogyny that comes with Classic Assassin Fantasy. I impatiently look forward to the other books in this series, especially since book two seems to focus on a small, sarcastic, assassin child.

#books #booklr #book review #ka doore #the chronicles of ghadid #the perfect assassin #my reviews #my review #bookbird babbles #ezra reads the perfect assassin

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lowlights · 2 years

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Could you give us your Frankie and Ezra and maybe a Jack fic recs that you feel represents them well ?

Hi, anon! Sorry this took a minute, I had a broken computer charger but we are back in working order.

SO. I read a lot of fics, and couldn't possibly go through all of the stories that I love for these three boys, but I am going to link a few below that mean a lot to me personally. Everyone has their preferences so if you don't like something, that's ok. =)

This list of recs got away from me a little bit, so they're under the cut:

Frankie:

Between the Raindrops by @jazzelsaur is one of the most beautifully brilliant things I've ever read. The characterization and original storytelling are unbelievable. This story digs in to Frankie in a really meaningful way.

The Kissing It Better miniseries (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) by @letterfromvienna is absolute perfection. It explores the softer side of Frankie in a beautiful way, but one of the reasons I love it is that I can hear Frankie in the dialogue.

The Learning Curves series by @ezrasbirdie lives in my head at all times. This really showcases Frankie's protectiveness, matter-of-fact worldview, and also a bit of chaos as he tries to juggle all parts of his life. Again, I can imagine Frankie saying every bit of dialogue and Birdie just gets him right.

Ezra:

Point of No Return is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. The characterization here is BRILLIANT. No one loves Ezra like @the-blind-assassin-12 loves Ezra, and it comes through. It is Ezra laid bare, having to come to terms with who he is and what he left behind.

She Who Slept Among the Trees by @ezrasbirdie is one of my new favorite things. It is a fantasy AU, which one might assume only borrows the names of characters to fit into another world. This is simply not the case here. Ezra in this story is NOT your typical Ez, but it IS his absolute essence. He is cunning, observant, and puts great thought into his words.

A Girl Walks into a Bookshop by @oonajaeadira is one of the best Ez series out there. Period. This story has my whole entire heart. It is Ezra at his most endearing, most fantastical, most loving. He has taken what has happened to him up to this point and translated that into a life where he can observe and help others, should they need it. It is absolute perfection.

Jack:

Buried by @something-tofightfor is arguably one of the best insights into Jack that we have ever been blessed with. We get to see everything from both reader's AND Jack's perspectives, and it is really magical.

The Manhatten universe (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) shows the soft side of Jack in the best way. This is how I think he would be as a partner. He is protective and loving and full of pet names. This warms my heart and is the AU that I wish was a reality for him.

The First Time duo (Part 1, Part 2) by @absurdthirst is an excellent look at the flashy, loving, doting Jack who just wants to spoil his love. Jack is a little bit of a showboat (sometimes a lot) and I feel like he just has so much love to give.

Hopefully, you find some in there that you love! If you like any of my writing, I write for all 3 of these boys. You might like this, or this, or this <3

#fic recs #ezra #frankie #jack #thank you for your ask <3

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arbuthnotblob · 3 years

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Post-Rebels/Live Action Thrawn Theory

So I read all of the Heir to the Empire trilogy over the Christmas break and, combined with certain things going on in The Mandalorian, it gave me a sudden burst of inspiration regarding what might happen with a potential future live-action Thrawn appearance. SPOILERS for The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels and basically every Thrawn book under the cut.

New!Thrawn is going to bring back the Clone Wars just like EU!Thrawn almost did, but he’s going to use droids instead of clones! Unlike during the Clone Wars, there are a single-digit number of Jedi left so a suitably large force of droids is much less destructible, and more importantly, they can’t die in the vacuum of space like most of the 7th Fleet crew potentially did post-Rebels. This is the main motivating factor behind such a move, as Thrawn typically values the ingenuity of his officers and encourages their development - not typically a good starting stance for a droid army. Droids also shouldn’t go around bungling direct orders and messing things up for him as wilful Imperials like Pryce and Skerris did - there’s been 20/30 years of advancement since the Clone Wars ended, I think he can come up with something smarter than the basic Battle Droids - and The Mandalorian’s already been showing that with the Dark Troopers. There was also an imperial droid with Thrawn’s 7th Fleet symbol on it which appeared briefly in S2, which shows he’s definitely using droids for something in canon already! ‘Ruhk’ was the security shut-off for his assassin droids in Rebels, which also look just like the Dark Troopers (They may be a canonical precursor?) and so they are what will eventually kill Thrawn in the new timeline. The real Ruhk died in Rebels (We didn’t see a corpse but I think it’s reasonable to say he’s not coming back from that) so something else has to kill him this time around, and with the original S3 reference, that would be thematic. During Thrawn: Alliances, he also saw the Cortosis plant and plans, where Palpatine and the CIS were manufacturing blaster and lightsaber-proof Super Battle Droids and Clone armour - which would let him make near-indestructible shock troops, if he can find any more materials. (I always found it odd he didn’t steal some of the cortosis or the plans along with the shield generator he was after - surely that was also a useful piece of tech, so bringing it back now would close up that logic gap.) Most importantly, droids would presumably be immune to the Grysk’s tactics of threatening or subverting planetary cultures, making them a perfect counter to the Grysk and a major asset to Thrawn’s priorities in attempting to save the Chiss Ascendancy in the Unknown Regions, which has always been his primary motivating factor in New Canon. This does all hinge on the idea of us getting a fairly ‘dark’ Thrawn in any potential live-action appearances, one more influenced by his original EU character than Zahn’s latest books, where he’s been almost a lighter shade of grey at times. As stated above, I think that transformation can be achieved by taking a ‘bad end’ spin on Rebels where he loses the fleet almost entirely - providing motivation for him to start developing a new fleet of soldiers and officers who strictly speaking, can’t die. From there, the potential Grysk resistance, Cortosis bonuses and perfect loyalty of a driod-based army multiply the ‘benefits’, and gradually he gets darker and loses the humanity, for want of a better term, that he originally had. Out-of-universe, the story can culminate with the irony of ‘Ruhk’s’ return, such as it is, as his assassin, providing more links back to the EU classic. Personally I would much rather get the fandom’s beloved ‘Thrawn and Ezra’s Buddy Cop Unknown Regions Adventure’ - but that is almost certainly only an option if we get ‘Rebels 2′ as an animated series. With the hints The Mandalorian’s been dropping, for better or for worse, I think they’re going to bring Thrawn into the live-action canon instead. Given the enduring popularity of his EU appearance I fully expect that if this happens, they’ll bring him in as a full-bore antagonist once again. I reckon it’ll be a cold and implacable Grand Admiral Thrawn at the head of a vicious army of Dark Trooper-esque droids who ends up confronting us on our screens!

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ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes · 4 years

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Blue Eyes Part 32

Summary: After the Garrison is shot up, the youngest Shelby daughter finds a new home in London. She strips herself of her last name and tries to live a peaceful life far away from her brothers’ chaos in Birmingham. But fate leads her right back into it after she runs into Alfie Solomons.

Part 32: Alfie and Ella get wrapped up in the bliss of parenthood. But things aren’t over yet

Ella was in the bliss of motherhood. When she awoke, it was almost a miracle to her that the twins weren’t just a dream. They were there in the flesh, cooing softly from their cots.

Alfie was fast asleep in the rocking chair, snoring lightly. His wife smiled and kissed his cheek. “Good morning, love.” She murmured.

He stirred and lifted his head with a wince. “Fucking hell, my hip hurts.”

“Well, you fell asleep in a wooden chair, I can imagine it does.” Ella laughed softly and went to scoop up Sofia. “Hello, chavi.” She whispered affectionately. “Was papa keeping you company last night?”

The baby girl yawned and wrapped her fingers around one of Ella’s dark curls.

“Oh, Alfie, aren’t they so perfect?” She sighed adoringly.

Alfie smiled, watching mother and daughter bond. “They sure are. Our son’s got a set of lungs on ‘im but we finally got back to sleep, didn’t we?” He reached a hand between the bars of Ezra’s cot and rubbed the baby’s stomach.

Ella beamed. “And you were doubting yourself as a father. I knew you’d be perfect.” She touted triumphantly.

“Hang on, only been one day.” He reminded her.

“Mhm, still.” She rocked Sofia softly.

“I never told you the meaning of their names. Their middle names, at least, you know why we chose their first names. But not their middle names.” He remembered. “Did I?”

“No, you didn’t.”

Alfie beckoned her over, patting his thighs. “C’mere, I’ll tell ya.”

“Your hip.”

“S’fine.”

Ella relented and made herself comfortable in his lap, resting Sofia against her chest.

“Eliana is Hebrew, well they’re both Hebrew names. But Eliana means ‘God has answered’. And Shai means gift. They’re both quite beautiful written in Hebrew. I’ll hafta show you.” Alfie rubbed Ella’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Oh, Alfie, that’s beautiful, how perfect and-” Her eyes began to well up with tears. “Oh c’mon, I feel as if I’m crying about anything nowadays.” She laughed weakly and sniffled.

Her husband gently dabbed her tears away. “They’re tears of happiness, though, ain’t they?” He double-checked.

“Of course. I’ve never been so happy. Forget the world outside of here, I don’t care anymore. All I need is my family. This family.” She used her free hand to guide his lips to hers. Her hand rested on the left side of his face, her fingers gently resting on the scars and abrasions leftover from the wound.

Alfie jerked a bit involuntarily.

She withdrew from the kiss and pulled her hand away. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”

He swallowed and looked into her blue eyes. “No, love. I just…fuck you’re the only person who could ever still love me like this.”

“Will you still love me when I’m aged? Wrinkled and grayed?” She questioned, returning her hand to his injured cheek. The pads of her fingers just barely grazing over the marred skin. She wasn’t afraid to look into his eyes, not caring about the appearance of his clouded eye.

“Of course.” He nodded. “You’d still be beautiful to me.”

“Then why should it be any different for you? You’re still so beautiful to me, Alfie.” She whispered and lightly pressed a kiss to his cheek before kissing his lips again. “Nothing will ever change that.”

He sat with her for a moment. “Can you grab me a pen and paper?”

Ella looked confused but nodded. “Sure.” She stood up and handed Sofia to him.

“Hello, love.” He murmured softly and cradled her close.

She grabbed her diary and returned with it to the nursery. “What do you need this for?” She wondered.

“Here,” Alfie exchanged their daughter for the journal. He found a fresh page and uncapped the pen.

Ella looked over his shoulder with Sofia resting in her arms. She watched as Alfie began writing in a different script. It wasn’t unfamiliar to her, she’d seen him read it before, it was the Hebrew alphabet. And yet it was still very odd to see him writing it. Very patient and learned. It wasn’t like his normal handwriting, scrawled out without much care. His hand was steady, a practiced skill that must have been taught to him by someone he cared very much about.

“That’s Ezra.” He pointed to the characters. “Then here’s his middle name, Shai. Sorta short, reminds me of part of a menorah.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Right, Sofia’s spelled a bit differently in Hebrew. They’d spell it T-Z-O-F-I-Y-A.” He wrote the coinciding letters in Hebrew on the page. “Then Eliana. Mum didn’t spell it with a Y but some people do.” He shrugged and handed her the diary.

“You were right.” Ella murmured. “It’s beautiful.” There was something so special about celebrating Alfie’s culture. He’d been accustomed to some of the Shelby Traveler ways so Ella was glad to learn more from him. It was empowering knowing that Mosley wanted to kill Alfie simply because he was Jewish. But Alfie survived and responded by blessing his children with Hebrew names.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Weeks passed by at an unbelievable pace. Alfie was worried that if he blinked, he’d miss a big moment. Luckily, Ella was carefully keeping track of every milestone their twins took. She purchased two brand new journals, one a deep teal and the other a light lilac. Inside, she penned the twins’ first moments.

Ezra’s first smile when Anthea sniffed at his feet.

Sofia rolled over much to the delight of her father.

Ezra managed to sleep through the whole night despite his sister waking a few times.

Sofia laughed when Alfie kissed her cheek.

Ezra was the first to try sitting up on his own.

But Sofia was the first to crawl.

Once the pages started to fill up, Ella was taken aback by how much time had passed. She had become so conditioned to expect something awful to happen when things had been going so well. Times like that couldn’t last long. Inevitably they would end with something terrible blindsiding them.

But things maintained. It had been the longest Ella was genuinely happy. She had two beautiful children, two playful dogs, and a husband who loved her. It made her a little paranoid, always worried that something would come crashing down on their perfect world. But it stayed quiet for a very long time.

~~~~~~~~

“Okay, try and…yes, Alfie, stay there. Oh, Anthea.” Ella sighed as she tried to get her family in frame.

Alfie had spoiled her with a brand-new camera. Naturally, the first thing she wanted was a picture of her family all together. So, they went down to the beach to take a family portrait. Ella was setting up the shot as Alfie tried to keep both dogs still while holding Ezra and Sofia. The six-month-olds were wide awake and giggling at the dogs.

“Ah, you little fucker, get back here.” Alfie tried to get Anthea before she dashed off to swim.

“Alfie!” Ella scolded and snatched the pit bull by the collar. “You cannot swear in front of them anymore. They’ll start talking any day now and I don’t want them fucking spouting off your vocabulary.”

He grinned. “You’re just as bad as me, love.”

Ella frowned. He was right. One of her first words had been ‘shit’, after all. “We both have to work on it.” She sat Anthea down and returned to the camera to start the timer. “Ready?” She dashed back over and stood beside Alfie, wrapping an arm around his waist.

They waited for the shutter to go off before they could all take a breath.

“Bet it looks great.” Alfie set Ezra and Sofia down on the sand so they could play. He grunted as he lowered himself down beside them. “Look at that, aye?” He picked up a scallop shell and showed it to the twins. “What’s that, then?”

Ezra cooed and reached for the shell.

Ella watched from behind the camera, waiting for the perfect moment to take a candid shot. It was amazing to see how the twins had grown from little bundles to happy babies. They were healthy with pink, round cheeks. They weren’t identical, Ezra’s hair was much darker than Sofia’s. His hair reminded her more of her hair color. A very dark brown with warm chocolate highlights. Sofia’s was a beautiful lighter color with hints of honey that shone in the sun. They both had blue eyes but Ella knew from experience that the color could change. Already Ezra’s eyes were slowly melding to green. They looked like the ocean. Sofia’s eyes were starting to appear a bit browner. It thrilled Ella to think about how they would look in another month’s time. There was so much to look forward to.

After Ella took the picture, Alfie frowned and stood up. His eyes fixed above the bluff to their home.

“Alfie?” She asked. “What is it?”

“Someone’s pulled up in a car.” He answered.

“Are you expecting anyone?”

“No.” He whistled for Cyril and began walking toward the path back up to the house, his hand slipping inside his coat.

Ella felt a hint of dread as she realized this was it. This was when everything fell to shambles. She felt foolish for believing things would be okay.

Alfie muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like “Tommy Fucking Shelby.” Apparently, he saw the man get out of the car before Ella could.

Tommy noticed the two figures on the beach from the drive near the bluff. He walked over and shouted over the ledge. “Alfie!”

“The fuck does he want, aye?”

Ella shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t mention he was coming.” It had been quite some time since she heard from her brother. She naturally assumed that he was caught up in the business of trying to plan Oswald Mosley’s assassination.

“Tommy Shelby MP, OBE, thinks he can come calling whenever the fuck he wants.” Alfie scooped up Ezra and began walking back up the bluff to the house.

Ella picked up Sofia and began to follow them, making sure the dogs were right behind her.

By the time she reached the drive, Alfie and Tommy were already in a heated argument.

“You ain’t bringing your mental state here to disrupt me fucking family. That ain’t happening, mate.”

“What is going on?” Ella paused, taking in her brother’s appearance. He looked even more sleep-deprived than usual. He was twitching and couldn’t stand still. His eyes kept shifting, glancing over his shoulder, waiting for something or someone.

“Bring the kids inside.” Alfie handed Ezra over instead of answering his wife.

Ella hesitated but brought the twins and the dogs inside. She could hear the shouting match escalate through the house as she put the twins in their cots. Hoping to break them up, she hurried back outside and drew Alfie away from Tommy.

“What is going on!?” She demanded again.

“Your brother’s come here all doped up, that’s what’s going on.” Alfie jabbed a finger at the man.

Tommy looked ready to either pounce or rip his own hair out. His whole body was tensed up and practically trembling. His hands balled into fists. “This is it, Alfie. All those times you pointed a gun to my head. You fucking do it, right now!”

It was nonsensical, almost as if Ella’s hearing had gone out for a moment. His words disjointed and not making any logical sense. “Tommy, what are you talking about?” She struggled to get between the two who were in each other’s faces.

“This is it? Aye? You’ve finally lost your fucking marbles, Tommy? ‘Bout time we locked you up, right, in a fucking asylum!” Alfie shouted, his face turning red.

“Stop it!” Ella pushed her husband back knowing he wouldn’t fight her. “Stop it right now, the both of you!” She grabbed her brother by the overcoat and physically forced him back a few steps. He was so exhausted that he couldn’t resist her and stumbled backward. “What are you on about?”

But Tommy’s eyes were fixed on Alfie, almost like a rabid dog that had locked onto a victim. “It’s your lucky day, you finally get to blow me brains out!”

Ella had enough and slapped him across the face. “Take a fucking breath, for Christ's sake! You're going on like a fucking lunatic.” She snapped.

The stinging pain managed to knock Tommy back into a bit of sanity. “It all fell apart.” He gasped out; his lungs raw from screaming.

“What did?” Ella didn’t let go of his coat so he couldn’t go after Alfie again.

“The rally. Mosley, it all went to shit. Someone knew.”

“Who did?” Alfie asked.

“I don’t fucking know!” Tommy shouted. “I don’t know who!”

Ella’s stomach dropped. She had almost been certain that Mosley was dead. Maybe it was because things had been going so well for her. But that sick man was still out there. And now he knew that the Peaky Blinders were trying to kill him.

“He knew nothing.” Tommy pulled away from his sister and began to pace in a frenzy. “Mosley knew nothing. Then Barney was shot. Aberama was killed.” His breathing picked up pace again as he began to hyperventilate, his hands grasping tightly at his hair. “Mosley knew nothing!” He screamed.

Ella had seen her brother in very bad states before. But never to the extreme that he was now in.

Tommy stopped pacing and looked back at Alfie. He paused and then pointed at the man. “That’s why I’m here.”

“What are you talking about?” Ella made sure she was still in between them.

“He’s going to shoot me.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Thomas.” Alfie threw his hands up in disbelief. “Always with the fucking dramatics. You get a grip, right, and then we’ll talk about what we’ll do next.”

“There is no next! There’s nothing left!” Tommy began approaching Alfie again. Ella pushed his chest to keep him back. “There’s nothing left. You go get your gun and you end it. I’m fucking done.”

“I ain’t shooting you, mate.”

“Tommy, please, just take a breath and-”

“I’m done!” Tommy’s voice roared across the windy landscape.

“I ain’t killing you.” Alfie crossed his arms over his chest.

“Fine.” Tommy shoved Ella to the side and stormed toward Alfie.

Ella only just gathered her bearings when she turned and saw Tommy had withdrawn a gun and was pointing it to her husband’s temple. Her blood ran cold. “Tommy…put the gun down.”

“You go inside. Get your gun and you kill me.” He replied. “Or I’m fucking shooting him.”

“Jesus Christ, you’ve gone fucking insane.” Alfie had been at the end of Tommy’s gun before but never had he been so convinced that the man would actually pull the trigger.

“I’m not going to kill you, Tommy.”

“Ella, do as I say!” He shouted, his finger fidgeting on the trigger. “This is how it’s meant to be. Shelbys don’t die of old age, you fucking know that. We get killed or we kill ourselves.”

“It doesn’t have to be this way.” Ella’s voice quivered. “Alfie and I will help you. Mosley can be defeated. He can!”

“No. No, he can’t.” Tears were forming in Tommy’s eyes. All the emotions colliding together and driving him to madness. He just wanted to sleep.

“Yes, he can. With Alfie’s help, we can make alliances. We’re smarter than he is, Tom.” She held out a hand to him. “Please, just put the gun down and we’ll do this together.”

“Listen to her.” Alfie agreed steadily. “Just listen to her. We can sort this out, mate. Don’t hafta be like this.”

In a snap decision, Tommy lowered the gun and Ella swooped in to rip it out of his hands. Her heart racing, she emptied the pistol of its bullets and tossed it into the gravel. “For fuck’s sake, Tommy.” She gasped in disbelief. “Are you high?”

The once invincible man looked as if he was crumbling right before her eyes. “I can’t do this, El. Not anymore.” He whimpered in Rokka to her.

“Stop, just stop.” Ella pulled him into her arms and let him unload his weight onto her. Tommy Shelby carried the world on his shoulders. To hold him was to hold Atlas.

~~~~~~~~~~

“He said he hasn’t slept in three days.” Ella came into the kitchen where Alfie was stewing a bit.

“So, he made it our fucking problem?” He muttered in response, never particularly enjoying having a gun shoved in his face.

She sighed and put on the kettle. “I’m sorry.”

“Ain’t your fault. No one needs to apologize for him. That’s his job, not yours.”

Ella hummed in agreement and walked up to him. “What are we going to do?”

He dropped his hands to her waist, trying to let go of the tension in his shoulders. “No fucking clue.” He admitted. “I assumed-well I figured he had in under control.”

“Yeah, I did too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and let her fingers tease the hair grazing the nape of his neck.

Alfie drew her in close, letting her rest her chin on his shoulder. She glanced out the kitchen window behind him. Gazing out across the small lawn that overlooked the bluff. Something stirring in the garden made her perk up a bit. She almost expected another stray dog to come wandering onto the property like Anthea had. Instead, a dark shadow of a cat slunk out of a bush. Its tail flicked in the air as it crossed the trimmed lawn. For a moment it paused and seemed to listen to something, its ears pointing back. Then as suddenly as it had appeared, it dashed off.

“We need to find the black cat.” She whispered.

“Huh?” Alfie tilted his face towards here. “Didya say something, love?”

“No. No, I didn’t say anything.” She buried her face in his neck and began making a list of all the people who would betray her family.

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sp00kymulderr · 4 years

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I've seen there are certain characters you dont talk about and I was thinking you should do a character ranking thing I've seen others do it and it would be fun to see which characters are your most and least favourite!

AFHWTSKDHAHJ I really didn’t think anyone was paying enough attention to notice the boys i purposefully ignore this is hilarious to me.

This has been in my inbox forever cause I was scared to answer it tbh but it was fun to come up with the list so I figured I might as well publish it. Under a cut due to length:

(Obviously we all have our favourites and there is nothing wrong with whichever characters you like or don’t, and i love fic writers on here regardless of which characters they write so please don’t think I’m not enjoying reading your [insert character] stories, I definitely still read and love them I just don’t spend much time thinking about him as a character outside of reading fics! I also think the fanon versions of most of these characters are truly superior)

least favourite to favourite:

Maxwell – Just because at this point I know nothing about him and tbh I dislike his general vibe from what I’ve seen.

Whiskey - I just... I don’t like him. I hated the film and I hated the character and I get actively annoyed when I think about him and his stupid hat.

Frankie - Oof sorry please no one hate me for this one I know he’s the fandom soft bf but he’s really not for me. However I definitely like the fanon version of him more, but movie Frankie is not welcome in my mind. He does get a bonus point for piloting a helicopter though, that is hot.

Dave York - He’s middle ground at the moment but I have not seen the film. He’s a dad? And an assassin gone rouge? And that’s really all I know about him so I don’t feel much either way. Did like the way he got on his knees in that one gif though.

Din - I joined this fandom because of him, but he’s definitely gone down on my list a bit since then. Purely because I like other characters, who happily show their faces, a lot more. Sorry Din. He’s great though; lives by a code, has good morals, and chapter 6 Din can have anything he wants.

Veracruz - a great villain and such a dramatic bitch. And looks good doing it. What more do you want.

Oberyn - Bisexual prince of my heart. I gave up on GoT just before his arrival and will never be able to start watching it again, but I know from the small bits I’ve seen that he’s fucking magnificent and I wanna make out with him and Ellaria.

Tovar - He’s so grumpy, it’s brilliant. Morals are kind of a grey area but he is loyal which is a plus. Yes, he needs to wash. But he’s also very grumpy, did I mention that? Hungry bitch. Wonderful scowl. Looks good fighting. Probably plays rough. I like him.

Max - Wow this asshole managed to jump way up the list. There is one person to blame and I think she knows who she is. Max is fun and very much has a flair for the dramatic too. He’s a vampire, which I love of course. He’s a bit evil but we can forgive him that I think because he wears a waistcoat very, very well.

Javi - Moody, and bad at handling his emotions, and complex. Exquisite. Gorgeous and definitely dtf. That moustache (I am known to like a good moustache), the fashion, the crippling depression and overwhelming need to save everyone other than himself. I vibe.

Marcus - Perfect? In every way? Ok mayyyybe a bit overbearing and a little too desperate to be in love, but definitely deserves all the love he can get and more. A good, good man. He talked about pancakes and breakfast for dinner and I was smitten. I think deep down we all want Marcus to be in love with us?

Ezra - 100000/10. I think I am actually in love with this fictional character please send help. He’s a lil bit of a reprobate, probably would rob me blind, but he’s lived a life where that’s necessary so I forgive him. And as long as he seduced me first and then took off with all my possessions I’d be okay with it. He’s loquacious, and excitable, which I think is lovely and I can see how he could come across as annoying but like...I just...love how talkative and charming and adventurous he is. Also deep down he’s a wandering soul looking for others like him and this makes me feel gooey. *sigh* he’s wonderful.

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thedistantstorm · 4 years

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Project Compass 15

Read along on AO3 Here

<< Previous Chapter << >> Next Chapter >>

This time: Vah’nya and Ezra meditate. Ivant and Ar’alani discuss what it means to be a warrior.

Next time: A moment of balance between Thrawn and Eli.

“He has been in his quarters for... days. That cannot be healthy,” The Admiral said after Thrass notified them that Ivant would not be joining them for the first meal of the day. Under her breath, she added, “Human or otherwise.”

Thrass rolled his eyes. “You do know he’s an adult, right? He can take care of himself.” Then, he added sarcastically, "It isn't as though he takes much - or any - time off. I wonder which one of you he learned that from…” Feigning an innocent glance between Ar’alani and Thrawn, he mused, “Or perhaps he just loves his work that much."

Further down the table, Ezra eyed the pale pink beverage Thrass was drinking, wondering if it too contained some kind of alcohol. He didn’t doubt it, first meal or not. Belatedly, he snuck a glance at Vah'nya, displeased that she had dragged him here for the proceedings. He suspected it would have been a far quieter and more comfortable meal out on the terrace with the rest of the Navigators.

“I’ve instructed my staff to bring him meals,” Thrass relented, fixing the Admiral with a helpless look. Ezra wondered briefly if he missed something the Admiral said, but that didn't seem to be the case. She was just fixing Thrawn's brother with her deadpan gaze as he said, “You know how he is when he’s onto something.”

"He knows his limits," Thrawn interjected mildly, drawing everyone's eyes but Vah'nya's. The eldest Navigator of the Chiss sipped a sweet smelling dark tea, listening politely but not engaging. She met Ezra's eyes and smiled behind her teacup. He had learned that she was not much of a morning person, which made her desire for them to be here even more confusing.

Thrass smirked, as if he knew something his brother did not. "You might find yourself surprised."

"You are a menace, Syndic," Ar'alani gestured to the Navigator and Jedi. "Tease him on your own time."

"Tease him about what?" Ezra asked innocently.

Vah'nya bit back a snort. She hid it well though, only earning the beginnings of a glare from her Admiral.

“Oh, nothing,” Thrass said, his attempt at innocence sounding more like gloating. “I would never tease about my friendship with Eli.”

"Your friendship is hardly anything other than acquaintance and mutual concern," Ar'alani reminded the Syndic. Her words were chosen carefully, Ezra could tell. To his right, Thrawn did not seem offended or flustered. In fact, since his discussion with Captain Ivant following Ezra's… incident, Ezra had noticed that Thrawn seemed a lot more balanced. Steady. Pensive and withdrawn, for sure, but not scattered and angry like he'd been before.

"Yes, yes, nevermind the countless months he spent here after his brush with death-"

Ar'alani shook her head. Ezra knew that look from previous experience with the Admiral. If Thrass wished to inspire Thrawn's attention, on his own head be it. "Yes, and you spent all that time at his bedside, did you?"

"Hardly. But I did check in on him."

"Why bring him here?" There it was, Ezra thought. Thrawn regarded Thrass coolly, but with that single-minded intensity. It was hard not to see Thrawn's luminous red eyes as anything but furious, but he'd had time to understand some of the nuance. There was suspicion there. Wariness, too. No doubt stepping into this conversation with Thrass was akin to wandering through a field full of landmines.

"Regardless of the several alternative reasons he no doubt gave you," Thrass said, "Eli’van’to did ultimately save your life. At least, that’s the part I cared about, anyway.” He shrugged. “And if you were willing to part with him despite his career at your back, I suspected you might prefer 'alive' to 'a warrior's death.'"

"What Syndic Mitth'ras'safis means," Vah'nya finally interjected, "Was that sending him to the military hospital on Csilla would have been asking for someone ill-meaning to assassinate him." She blinked up at Thrass, demurely awaiting his response. None came. She let her eyes wander over to Thrawn, seated to his left, next to the head of the table. "Under the syndic's protection was the best place for him to recover safely."

Thrawn frowned, but didn’t comment.

Vah'nya didn't flinch. "Of course," she looked at Ar'alani, "The fleet was stationed out this way and it was far easier to smuggle in human medics, too. Though they hardly did anything," She muttered, at the end.

"I do wonder why that is," Thrass tutted at Vah'nya, intent to invite her to share in some of Thrawn's ire. He knew how much his brother loved not being in the know.

"Enough squabbling," Ar'alani pressed. "Stop holding it over his head," She instructed the syndic, as if she were superior in rank. She wasn't, though it was all somewhat ambiguous as to how it lined up between military officers and political officials within the Ascendancy. It also didn't hurt that Thass knew she could rip him to literal and metaphorical pieces without difficulty. She considered Thrawn for a brief moment, almost protective, before moving on. "And you," She chided Vah'nya, "Really need to work on your gossiping."

"That was hardly gossip, Admiral. Gossiping would include me mentioning how you frequented his bedside to achieve the necessary solitude in order to catch up on your reading."

Ezra couldn't help it. He snorted, trying to hold back his laughter and failing. It was infectious though, and Vah'nya found herself joining in, much to the Admiral's disapproval.

“Enough,” Ar’alani sounded terribly annoyed, though it was hardly Vah’nya and the alien Jedi that bore the brunt of her irritation. Syndic Mitth’ras’safis was a thorn in her side. Still, if she could alleviate some areas of origin... “Leave us,” She ordered both Ezra and Vah’nya. “Enjoy your day. Do not bother me.”

“Do you have reading to do, Admiral?” Vah’nya quipped.

“Some. If you’d like,” She said, a slippery note to her voice, “I could arrange for you to assist me with the after action reports I need to review and approve.”

The Navigator was stone-faced and on her feet in seconds, the remaining food on her plate long forgotten. She hated those damn reports. “Come, Ezra’Bridger,” She said, already making for the door.

Ezra looked mournfully at his unfinished plate, but did as he was told. In the doorway to the grand dining room, Vah’nya took his wrist and dragged him not toward the terrace and the other Navigators, but towards the gardens. He could hear Thrass laughing behind them, the sound of the Chiss elite’s voice echoing down the extravagant corridors.

Vah’nya led them to a sunny place in the easternmost gardens on the estate, a greenhouse with giant, arching glass ceilings and sun-bleached glass ceilings and large white-stone flecked pillars. In the center was a beautiful, burbling fountain that spilled into a pond with strange, exotic fish that hung to the bottom peacefully.

Releasing his wrist, she spun around to face him, then gestured at two pillows laid upon the ground in the very center of the floor’s elaborate mosaic tiling. “What do you think?”

It looked… not quite natural, but Ezra took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was far enough away from the rest of the manor, serene and calm. “I think it’s perfect.”

“Good.” The Chiss smiled.

Meditation wasn’t a key tenant of the Chiss Navigators’ training or practice. More often than not, they suffered from overstimulation that was only alleviated by sensory deprivation, allowing the body and mind to disconnect and then come back to each other naturally. Ezra likened it to a sort of hard reset, a power down and restart. He’d tried it when they’d initially tested him, a training exercise to see how he fared. Whatever they wanted from him, he likely hadn’t done it, but no one had ever said a word. Instead, they simply told him he didn’t have to attempt somnia again if he didn’t believe it was helpful, so he didn’t.

Vah’nya was interested in the way Ezra’s powers worked. Not impressed easily, like Thrass who found it interesting that Ezra could leap exceedingly high or levitate things - even people, if he wanted - in the air, manipulate things with his mind. Ezra had drawn the line at the classical ‘Jedi mind trick,’ though it was Thrawn who debunked the mystery: the Chiss were not a people who could be manipulated in this way.

He waited for Vah’nya to select which of the cushions she wished to sit on. She did so cross-legged, the backs of her hands resting open, palms up on her knees. Once she was settled, he kneeled atop the second, grateful not to bear his weight only on the marblesque tiling. Vah’nya took a deep breath in, held it, then exhaled.

“Is this all there is to it?”

“Sort of,” Ezra said. “Part of it is clearing your mind, but you’re not actually doing that. You’re supposed to be focused, but not. It’s kinda hard to explain. I usually try to feel my connection to everything around me and kind of let it guide me from there.” He rubbed the back of his head, sheepish. “My training was good, but it wasn’t… I’m not a real Jedi, like the ones from before the Empire,” Ezra admitted. “My master was trained until the Empire wiped out his master, but,” He sighed. “It wasn’t a traditional Jedi education. A lot of what I learned with Kanan, we learned together.”

“I see,” Vah’nya said. “He meant a lot to you.”

“He’s family,” Ezra answered. “I owe him everything.”

She nodded once, and they stayed silent a moment, their breathing syncing without much effort. Slowly, the Navigator asked, “Your feelings for him - for your family - do you believe it makes you strong?”

“The Jedi warned about attachment, Kanan told me. It was something he said he struggled with, and something that he thought hurt the Jedi more than it helped. But he taught me attachment and love are two different things. Attachment is selfish. It’s what you want. Real love isn’t selfish at all.”

Vah’nya considered that, shifting to get comfortable and closing her eyes. “Describe to me what your Force feels like, Ezra’Bridger.”

Eli Vanto was not a man who thought highly of himself. He was a man who, in terms of his life overall, had only recently started dictating his own destiny. Sometimes he still felt every bit of the bright-eyed cadet Thrawn had decided to uproot and reshape to his own devices. That was good, though. It was important to remember where one started from.

He looked at the data and exhaled. They needed definitive results that the data supported. Only time would tell. It was already out of his hands in a lot of ways, but he was confident he’d found compelling metrics. More than that, he believed in his Navigators.

A knock interrupted him from his thoughts. Without his approval, the door opened slowly, the hall backlighting behind his visitor so that all he could see was the outline of a woman’s silhouette and glowing red eyes.

“You have been concerning our hosts with your absence,” Admiral Ar’alani said. She would never admit to being openly worried about him herself and Vanto would never want her to. He’d seen that attention and concern pressed upon him once in his life, and that was more than enough. She was a good commanding officer. She was close to Thrawn’s level of mind-reading but without that same intensity, well rounded and seasoned in other ways that he was not. Her empathy, even towards those outside of her species, was impressive and rare for a Chiss.

Ivant beckoned her over, knowing she would feel better about his choice to devote himself to analysis once he brought her up to speed."I know what data we need to collect," He informed her.

"You do?" She stepped around the desk and stood behind him, looming just behind his right shoulder. "Show me."

"In Vah'nya, the data is spotty, since it wasn’t know beforehand what kind of data we’d be looking for." He pulled up and highlighted a line in a table, and on another holoscreen, a chart corresponding to that data appeared. "See where it jumps out of the steady decline? That's her neuro eval on Csilla, after our time in captivity."

"It hasn't dropped since," Ar'alani said. “And it has been two years.”

"I don't think it will," Ivant answered. "A medical professional could probably explain it better, but the short version is that a part of her brain has become more active." He pulled up comparisons of other Navigators. "These are ones who trial out of Project Compass."

"They dip significantly," Ar'alani commented. "And this correlates directly with their abilities?"

"Yes," Vanto confirmed. "These are Navigators in their mid teens, ages fourteen to seventeen. The numbers don't actually have to be high for them to possess and use Third Sight, but the downward trend is indicative of their abilities fading, until they eventually match those of a Sightless Chiss." He pulled up another. "These are the younger ones."

"They are rising." She motioned with a rolling wave. "And Sightless children?"

"Here are the comps."

"Sightless children are elevated more than an adult, but their numbers are not even half that of a Navigator. If what you are saying is correct, we could hypothetically test for Sight at a younger age, rather than waiting for it to manifest."

"Correct, Admiral." Ivant pulled up another screen and the chart switched to color code and match specific lines of summary data. "Now, we just need to prove these findings aren't a fluke."

"You've identified candidates?"

"Several."

"Un'hee," She presumed first, "And how many others?"

"Four." Anticipating her next question, he added, "The youngest is seven. The oldest is fifteen."

"The oldest in her decline?"

"Yes, but she's plateaued. Since being brought on board the Compass, it has not fallen-"

"Even if we can prolong it," She said. "That would be a miracle in itself." Then, she looked down at him, her cold, thin fingers squeezing his shoulder. It was a firm grip, almost painful, though she meant it as encouragement. "You have something else."

"It's a working theory," Ivant began, "Based on how Vah'nya's breakthrough manifested and the girls we've seen progress with."

She stepped back, and Ivant powered down his console, removing the data cards and locking them securely in a black box within the desk itself. "Speak your mind," She said, moving to the chaise.

"I can give you numbers to prove it, when it happens," Ivant said. "I - at least, I think I can show you what the connection is, so we can show the Admiralty it's real and not some fluke. But you or I can't make it happen."

"You believe it is individual?"

He nodded. "Maybe there's a future where that won't be the case," Ivant said, "Vah'nya is working to learn and hone skills she thinks will help. She thinks the Jedi can help her to understand, so I told her to pursue that lead."

"And what do you think the catalyst is? A brush with death? Overcoming fear?"

"No," He said. "I think it's actually a lot more simple than that."

Ar'alani inclined her head, leaning back against the plush backrest of the lounge while keeping her back entirely straight in the process. She looked regal like this, and she knew it. Also, it was far more comfortable than her command chair. "Simple how?"

"Thrawn always went on about the ways of the warrior-"

"Yes," She interrupted, "That is culturally... significant to our people.”

“Which is why I think it’s important. Vah’nya has given Un’hee old navigator texts. They spoke often and fondly of Warrior’s Fortune.”

“The account of one centuries-dead Chiss shouldn’t be enough-”

“It’s not just one. It’s listed in at least a thousand other memoirs left by different Navigators, then stops right around the time of an ancient war that I think had something to do with the Sith.”

Ar’alani frowned, the expression sharp with concern. “Explain yourself. You do not have access to their archives. It is only accessible by Navigators.”

“Vah’nya allowed me to compile data under her supervision.”

“That is a crime, Captain Eli’van’to,” She rebuked. “There are sacred articles that protect the Navigators’ texts and archives from access by those who lack the Sight, Chiss or otherwise.”

Eli took a breath and braced himself. There was no easy way to say this. “I think that the real crime is that the Chiss have been stamping out their own Navigators,” He replied, never looking away from her deep red eyes. “The articles that protect the Navigators’ works from being publically accessible went into effect after they found themselves on the losing end of an alliance. From what I could tell, the Aristocra nearly destroyed itself in the process in the midst of some political feud at about the same time. One of the end results of their squabbles was that the Navigators were forced into more combat-forward positions and likened to soldiers in training, not children.”

“I know my people’s history,” Ar’alani pressed. “To accuse our ancestors of such a thing is a very serious accusation to make. It will not be taken lightly, should it become known.”

“I know,” Ivant agreed, his shoulders rounding for only a second before he straightened again. “But I believe it’s the truth.” He regarded her for a careful moment. “Of all the Navigators you’ve ever seen, can you tell me you’ve seen another as emotionally open or expressive as Vah’nya?”

“I have not,” She answered. “She has always worn her heart on her sleeve, for better or worse. Even when society has dictated otherwise.”

“The warrior’s downfall is pride, Admiral.” He fixed her with a heavy gaze. “The Chiss are a proud people. Most are too proud to show emotion or admit fear because it’s considered weakness. And, seeing it that way, they’re-” He sighed, “For a lack of a better term, ma’am, they’re blinding the Navigators. They’re not making the connections they need to fully unlock their abilities. At least, not like they used to, millennia ago.”

“If you were to say this to the Aristocra, they would throw you out, no matter how many numbers or navigators you provided to them,” Ar’alani said. “You would be lucky to escape without being fired upon.”

Ivant smirked. “Then it sounds like I’m onto something.”

“Perhaps,” She allowed. “Do not utilize the archives without me next time,” She said. “It is not only current Navigators who may access the ancient texts and I would like to know what aspects of our past will help to secure our future.”

Message received, Ivant dipped his head in a respectful nod. “Understood, Admiral.”

Satisfied, she continued. “If what you say is true, Eli’van’to, we will face difficult odds,” Her expression was grim, but held the slightest undercurrent of hope. “The words of an outsider will not be well received, no matter how true they are.”

“I know. That’s why Vah’nya should be the one to present them, when the time comes. She is the one who started all of this.”

Tsking, Ar’alani said, “I hardly believe that. This started because she felt compelled to protect you.”

“This started,” Ivant said, “Because protecting others is a warrior’s duty. And the Chiss, above all else, are warriors at heart.”

Ar’alani smiled. “I do not believe it is only Chiss who possess the heart of a warrior.” Her gaze narrowed, but there was no malice in it, only cool understanding. “Not always.”

#thranto #eli vanto/thrawn #eli vanto #mitth'raw'nuruodo #mitth'ras'safis #ezra bridger #vah'nya #ar'alani #sw fanfiction #my writing #gratuitous overreaching re: chiss warrior culture #that's not how the force works #but this is sight so i'm going to do my thing #i did my research before i concocted this theory #feel free to ask if you want to know more #there is some science behind what i've made up

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parabellum-rpg-archive · 5 years

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Congratulations, Hyde! You’ve been accepted to play Abel Costello. Please make your page and send it in within 24 hours.

Admin note: I seriously freaked out whenever I read this. THIS WRITING IS AMAZING. Everyone, please read this perfection. - Admin V

CHARACTER DESIRED:

Abel Costello

DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER IN YOUR OWN WORDS:

Abel Costello was not born out of love or necessity, his father Gio whose life was devoted to the organization did not seek marriage and children to avoid a power struggle, but a close call with the police in ‘83 made him cross paths with a blue-eyed martyr. The tryst resulted in childbirth but neither parties wanted a union– Abel’s mother was smart enough to stay away but there was no denying a Costello bloodline. So what do you do with a boy whose mother had given him away to a father who never wanted a child in the first place? You make him useful. You turn him into a soldier.

He was, technically, the oldest in the latest generation of Costellos, but it meant jack shit when his father’s only ambition was to help his uncle stay on top– a noble cause, if not an excuse to spill blood. And spill blood they did, Gio and Abel made quite the pair, and for the lack of a proper father-son relationship, he made up for it with ensuring that the boy would be indispensable to the mob. If Abel really thought hard about it, squint his eyes and tilt his head in utmost concentration, it was through stern discipline and rigorous training that Gio showed his affection for his son. In truth, the man probably saw him as nothing more than another cog in the machine, and had he not shown prowess, Abel felt that he’d be tossed aside for someone else. It wasn’t enough that he was born a Costello, he needed to prove that he was worthy of the family name.

Growing up, he was tasked by his father to look after Marcel’s children discreetly, make sure they remained safe and not get into too much trouble, which was something that was easier said than done when Abel was just a kid too. Mandatory education allowed him some semblance of a normal life if normal meant partying with Chicago’s young elite on a school night. While his cousins had no problem throwing their weight around in their own little kingdom that was highschool, Abel remained in the background; he watched in quiet amusement as Ezra charmed his way in and out of everything while his knuckles willingly bled for Leon. Mia had always been troublesome, but in her recklessness, he had the most fun and thankfully, the twins were too young to be causing any real mischief. They were just like him, without a mother, and no, Cassandra did not count– just ask Mia –but like everyone else, Abel would eventually sing a different tune about the Costello matriarch. She was what he envied the most from his cousins, not the money, the prestige or the freedom to fuck up; Abel wanted the way she doted and took care of the children, wanted someone to be there for him because, despite the blood on his hands and the cold, deadly stare in his eyes, Abel was, and is still a child.

That was over twenty years ago.

As his cousins lived their lives, Abel delved deeper into the gritty side of the business. He was a quick study, eventually surpassing Gio while showing that he could be more than just someone who pulls the trigger. He was just as skilled, as knowledgeable and just as deserving to be the next in line, but Abel’s respect for Marcel and his loyalty to his cousins kept him in line. That never stopped him from rising through the ranks, and those who once doubted Abel for his youth now questioned him for another reason– what’s in it for him? Did he want a stake in the crown? Then Gio was incarcerated. It was only natural that he take over his father’s place, offering counsel to his uncle when needed, not that Marcel ever needed it much, Abel mostly agreed with how things are handled. Mostly. But between war and diplomacy, it’s not rocket science to figure out what Abel would choose.

Did Abel want more? Maybe, maybe not. But a life of crime, violence, of protecting the Costello family and making sure that they remain on top was all he’s ever known. It’s what his father drilled in his head that it had become an inside joke to some older associates that Gio loved his brother’s kids more than his own. A bad joke, but still. Watch Abel faintly curl his lips upwards, he’s a good sport, sure. Just don’t push your luck. He loved and loathed his father and Abel spent his entire life trying to live up to Gio Costello’s name, but when the saying ‘You’re just like your father’ teeter between awe and ridicule, what’s a man to do? There was no denying he had his father’s viciousness, he was old school, earning him his own following in the organization, hell, even Marcel couldn’t help but be filled with nostalgia, but that was where their similarities end. While his father had no problem killing entire families down to a helpless babe, Abel saw no point; children were spared, knowing full well that they would come after him later. It’s what kept the wheels turning, wipe them all out, then what are you left with? You gotta have something to look forward to, something to keep you on your toes, just like the shit storm that would be the Sinclair- Costello union.

WRITING SAMPLE:

New York, August 2006

His legs barely kept him steady as he stood in front of the urinal, head of dark, golden hair resting against the cold tile; he was nodding off and struggling to unbutton his jeans that an older man two urinals to his right couldn’t help but scoff. This older man was well-dressed, Italian leather on his feet and beer belly wrapped nicely in a tailored suit; rings adorned his thick fingers and a gold watch rested snugly around his wrist– a stark contrast to the boy’s zipped-up jacket and jeans combo. A teasing remark was thrown the young man’s way– he called him a lightweight –and he responded with a hum before closing his eyes to rest.

Another man emerged from one of the stalls, door slamming open and pulling the well-dressed man’s attention away from the drunk. The third man was in a hurry, foregoing basic hygiene but pulling a couple of paper towels from the dispenser before leaving as if that would fix things. The man scoffed again as he finished taking a piss, muttering something about cleanliness as he tossed his silk tie over his shoulder before turning on the faucet. Head still lowered, the blonde lingering by the urinal produced a pair of leather gloves from his jacket and leisurely put them on; no longer looking inebriated, the young man who could barely stay on his feet earlier stood waiting for the door to the men’s room to shut close.

Abel Costello listened to the movements behind him as his target took a few steps to his left and the unmistakable squish from the soap dispenser cut through the silence; the man pressed on the pump once, twice, then thrice before proceeding to furiously scrub his hands as the tall blonde silently made his way over, gloved fingers reaching for the faucet to turn it on. The man gasped, caught off guard by their proximity and Abel pulled on his tie and threw him off balance. Soapy hands failed to grab to the ledge of the sink as he clawed at his neck, he was dragged to one of the stalls, grown man kicking and screaming but his cries were drowned out by the rush of water.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?! Don’t you know who–” Abel gave a swift kick to the man’s throat, cutting him off, and the expensive tie that slowly choked him was stuffed inside his mouth to shut him up. The red-colored sign with the words ‘occupied’ appeared as the door was locked.

The heel of Abel’s boot connected with the man’s chest, stomping him twice before reaching over to search for a gun and dismantle it. The man was heavy-set, and the blonde groaned while he lifted him by his coat, fingers curling around bottle-dyed, jet-black hair as Abel shoved his target’s face in the toilet. He pulled the lever for the flush, following a rhythm as bejeweled fingers flailed and fought back, reaching for Abel’s arm while the man’s legs kicked whatever he could kick. But the Costello assassin was relentless, and steady hands kept the man’s mouth and nose in shallow water, drowning him until the struggling ceased.

Finally, the man’s body went limp.

Abel raised his target’s head, black hair dripping wet as he pulled out the tie that was lodged down the man’s throat to tie it around the toilet. The door was unlocked, the faucets were turned off and Abel made his way to the exit. Outside the cinema, the man who had been in a hurry to leave the men’s room earlier was smoking a cigarette.

“Is it done?” he asked without looking.

“I took care of it,” Abel answered, his voice carrying a surprising softness as he stuffed the gloves back inside his jacket. The man nodded, dropped his cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his shoe before glancing at his watch. It was eight-thirty in the evening.

“I’ll tell Gio. You fly back tomorrow morning, kid, why don’t you see the rest of the sights while you’re here,” the man instructed and he stepped off the sidewalk to hail a cab. Abel watched him leave, watched the hustle and bustle around him for a bit before making his way back inside the cinema; the 1933 version of King Kong was still playing, and if he hurried, Abel just might catch the massive beast fall from the Empire State Building.

#accepted

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asexualbookbird · 5 years

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lol at all those authors writing assassin books with shitty misogyny in it saying They Had To because how else would they get their Gritty World across to the reader when KA Doore has done an EXCELLENT job at not only treating women with respect but as EQUALS.

I'm enjoying this book for many reasons but there has been no rape scenes, no assault, the murders haven't even happened on page (which yes im a bit disappointed about but the rest is good so i dont care so much), and IT STILL WORKS

Maybe, the problem was shitty writing and not the tropes

#bookbird babbles #ezra reads the perfect assassin #the mc has stated at least twice #that all the women in his life could kick his ass #and hes right

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nova-kismet · 6 years

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just finished the first chapter of a quick little fic i’m writing (based on a couple of characters from the d&d homebrew campaign i’m putting together). figured i’d drop it here on the offchance that anyone would like to read it. more below the cut.

~1~

“It has come time to serve your family once more.”

Mother’s words still tugged at the corners of my subconscious as I hitched my horse by the Market District gates. With an exhausted sigh, I pulled my plain black cloak closer to my shoulders and made my way from the stables up the darkened flagstone streets. Even for near-midnight on a Sunday, the typically busy center of Starfeld commerce seemed strangely deserted. As nice as it was to be able to make my way up the main path without having to weave through a sea of people, I couldn’t stomach another moment of quiet. At this point I was desperate for anything to distract myself from the thoughts racing through my head.

Just a few feet ahead, a weather worn wooden sign marked my destination; The Crossroads Inn. My home away from home.

A tall, iron-framed wooden door stood before me, flanked by two thick stone columns. I could already hear the soft, lilting tune of a lyre coming from within as I approached, accompanied by clinking dinnerware and muffled voices. Sounds like I had dropped by in the middle of one of Hilda’s weekly performances.

As I stepped inside, the strong scent of heady wine and cooked meats filled my nose. The flames in the gilded lanterns lining the crimson-painted walls were low, bathing the few patrons seated underneath them in a subdued orange glow. The diminutive halfling form of the lyre-wielding bard, Hilda, stood front-and-center of the room, swaying languidly with the tempo of the music that flowed from her fingers. A large stained glass window set into the middle of the ceiling reflected shimmering, multi colored light in an intricate geometric pattern on the floor with the full moon just visible beyond its surface.

I made my way straight to the counter off to the right, which was being tended by a familiar Dragonborn man by the name of Alzax. His scaly brow raised as I approached and sat down on a stool. I could tell I was about to receive an enthusiastic welcome, as I normally did, so I raised a hand to him and smiled. Understanding my intentions, he nodded and grabbed a glass from under the counter. While I normally enjoyed his exuberance, I just wasn’t in the mood for it tonight.

“Evening, Zax.” I said as he began pouring a drink. At this point, I didn’t even have to tell him what I wanted.

“Ezra! I wasn’t expecting you here tonight. How’ve you been?” He placed the white wine in front of me and leaned on his elbows as he responded. I pulled a few gold pieces out of my coin purse and laid them down for him.

“Oh, just splendid,” I replied, almost musing to myself. “This past week has been an absolute shitshow.”

Realization dawned on the red-tinged lizardfolk’s face, and he nodded. “I just heard the news today. You’re gonna end up with some Laurelian princess, right?”

“Regrettably, yes.”

“Ah,” Alzax reached across the counter and gave me a hearty pat on the shoulder as I took a long sip of my drink. “Hang in there, big guy. Arranged marriages never last anyway. And besides, I hear Laurelians are big party people. At least there’s a chance she won’t be boring.”

It took an incredible amount of willpower to keep myself focused on the conversation, as the prospect of my future (or lack, thereof) being the topic is nothing short of exhausting. My so-called “Princely Duties” were precisely what I was trying to distract myself from in the first place.

I sighed and held my head up with the heel of my palm, my other hand focused on halfheartedly swirling the glass of pale alcohol in front of me. “As much as I enjoy the notion of living out the rest of my years in eternal party mode, I think I would prefer to do something that actually matters. I couldn’t care less about some King I’ve only ever met twice at political gatherings.”

“Such is the nature of ruling a nation, my friend. If you inherit the throne, dealing with people you don’t give a rat’s ass about is going to be part of the everyday minutiae.”

“I’d rather give that responsibility to my sister. She seems more patient than I am with these things.”

At that moment, Hilda’s final song finally tapered to an end, eliciting a wave of applause from the modest number of patrons across the room. She bowed, left her tip jar and lyre on the table beside her, and sidled up to the counter, taking purchase on a stool at the other end. Alzax regarded me briefly, then moved to attend to her.

With this newfound solitude, I turned to survey the people behind me, searching for any other familiar faces. They were all strangers this time around, but a group stationed in the corner briefly caught my eye-- there were six of them sitting around two tables they had pushed together, carrying on a lively conversation, each with large steins in their hands. As my gaze passed over them, I couldn’t help but notice one of them staring at me.

I was met with ocean-blue eyes. The emerald-skinned man making careful eye contact with me had his studded leather boots propped up on the table, his feet crossed at the ankles. Covering his shoulders was a Sea Captain’s coat, open at the chest--inky black with silver and red trim. He appeared to be Triton, which was a rare sight in Fallreven, much less so far inland. His watchful eyes made me the slightest bit unnerved, but at this point in my life I was used to people gawking. I almost had to double-take when I saw a faint, wry smirk play across his lips. Shaking it off, I turned around and went back to emptily watching my drink swirl in its glass.

About an hour passed without major incident. I was beginning to feel restless, and the alcohol sitting in my stomach didn’t help. I bid Alzax farewell and exited the inn, not sure where I was headed next. As long as it wasn’t home.

Once back out on the city streets, I walked to the nearest fenced-in platform overlooking the Twine District below and leaned on it, trying to gather my thoughts.

I knew this arrangement would happen eventually, but now its inevitability hung over my head like a dark stormcloud. I couldn’t stand the thought of having to pretend to be in love with a perfect stranger, just so we received outside help for the war with Zhilthorn. I didn’t even want to broach the subject of having kids.

But, Laurelia has what we need to turn the tides. As much as the thought irks me, I would do almost anything to put an end to this ridiculous fighting.

A few minutes passed as I stared blankly at the sprawling residential district below, the cool Autumn breeze ruffling my hair and playing at the edges of my cloak. I couldn’t help but wonder what life as a working-class commoner was like--what it would be like to wake up each morning and not have three handmaidens fussing over me, dressing me up like a doll. Perhaps a simpler life would be more fulfilling.

I was about to make my way back to my horse when a shout from a few feet away dragged me from my quiet contemplation.

“Oi! If you were trying to be sneaky, you’re not doing a very good job of it!”

I whipped around to face the source of the voice, then was immediately tackled and pinned down by a brawny, shadowed form--almost taller than myself. As I fell to the ground with it, the sound of quick, distant footsteps pounding across the flagstone towards us met my ears. I hardly had time to recover from the initial shock before the glint of a dagger poised above my throat demanded my immediate attention.

“Fuck!” I cursed as I attempted to free my pinned arms and wriggle out from under the masked man’s crushing weight. The knife came down and I threw my head to the side to dodge it, the sharp steel making hard contact with the stone beside me. Not enjoying being pinned against the cold, hard ground, I reared back and slammed my horns into the assailant’s forehead, eliciting an agonized yell. While he was still recovering from the headbutt, I leveraged my weight against his and threw him off, finally scrambling to my feet.

Before my hand could touch the hilt of the sword sheathed at my side, a lithe figure sped up behind the attacker and pierced a rapier through the back of his throat. The would-be assassin’s hands weakly reached up to the hole in his neck as blood began to trickle down, a wretched gurgle bubbling from his mouth. The blade was pulled from his skin and wiped off with a handkerchief as the man eventually quieted and slumped to the ground, a pool of blood gathering by his head.

I let out the breath I’d been holding in through the entire scuffle, and finally got a good look at my savior--it was the Triton man I had seen at the inn just a few moments ago.

“Shit...What a terrible assassin.” I breathed, mostly to myself. After affixing the thin blade back to a belt under his coat, the Triton let out a soft chuckle.

“I’m sure you had it all handled, I was just feeling generous.” He spoke with a pleasant Northern lilt. If honey was a sound, it would be his voice.

He then reached out and brushed some of the dirt off of my cloak with the same smirk he had given me the first time I saw him. “No way he could’ve taken out a battle-hardened Prince such as yourself, hm?” Before I could open my mouth to respond, he winked at me. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”

Something about his face made it difficult to focus and find the right words. I instead found myself blushing under his gaze. “Th...Thanks.” was all I managed to get out. Clearly amused by my floundering, he clicked his tongue as he looked down to the corpse at our feet. “The guards’ll take care of him, right?” he quipped, an ironically light tone to his voice.

“I should hope so.” I replied as I knelt down by the body and peeled his cape away from his chest. My suspicions were confirmed when I spotted a scroll poking out from a pocket on his hip--an illustration of a boar’s head in profile, surrounded by a wreath of thorny vines marked the heading of the parchment. The crest of one of Zhilthorn’s wealthiest families. The letter contained information for a hit and bounty on my head. Not surprising, but not really enjoyable to read with my own eyes, regardless. I sighed and pocketed the note. “I always knew the Vargharods hated me.” I muttered to myself as I straightened back up to my full height. The still unnamed man watched with a curious glint in his eye. Before he could ask any questions, I stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I know we were both just in there, but I believe I owe you a drink…Uh,” I trailed off, just then realizing I didn’t know what to call him.

“Arin. And don’t worry about that, friend. We--or you in particular, should probably stay sober if there could be another hitman on the loose.” he said. My hand dropped back to my side and I nodded, the shock finally wearing off, then the reality of the situation starting to set in.

“I suppose you’re right.”

“If you’re so insistent on repaying me, you could give me a ride up to the palace.” Arin continued. I looked at him for a brief moment, bewildered by his request.

Seeing this, he pulled a folded note from his own pocket. It bore my family’s seal and the Queen’s own handwriting. “Your ma wanted to see me.” he explained, flashing the note at me.

I suppose I did remember Mother mentioning that she planned on receiving a guest sometime this week. I just nodded and started back on the road toward the Northern Gate. “This way, then.” He followed behind me without a word.

#two's company #tc: chapter 1 #d&d ocs #d&d homebrew #miss cyanide writes things

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bbbetty · 6 years

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Tell me about your ocs. I bet they're gay

they ARE how did you KNOW!!!!! (okay technically a lot of them are bi and a bunch of the ladies are with men but that’s partly cause i haven’t gotten to know all the fallout ladies yet so i can’t ship oc’s with like curie or veronica yet)sooooo i’ve got ezra blum, a followers of the apocalypse doctor at the old mormon fort, his mom died when he was younger cause of the ncr’s “prioritization of resources” and he was like oh cool so uh fuck that and now he gives away free healthcare. his bf is @alex-dell’s boy who is ex legion and perfect. ezra is the mom friend and would probably pack everyone lunches if the squad went out for the day. he’s not great in a fight but he has amazing charisma so ;)cliff delmore is an ex-prostitute, he worked at the gomorrah since he was 17 or so, developed some Enormous drug and alcohol problems, eventually managed to leave and went to the followers to help him get clean, once he was no longer a patient he joined the followers also he has a big fat crush on arcadeamelia carter is a commonwealth traveling merchant, she started selling shit to get out of a dead end town. she steals sometimes and also likes to charge people more than things are actually worth, or sell their own shit back to them. she’s an asshole okay. she loves reading and she’s starved for human contact, when her supply gets big enough that she needs help defending it from raiders she hires one rj maccready as a guardnova is a synth!! she’s a captain in the minutemen and their best sniper, she was an errand girl of sorts for the institute doing fetch missions and the like but then she ran into the railroad, when they turned her over to the minutemen she convinced them to only erase her memories of them so she could learn from her time with the institute. she has a Complex about needing to be useful, she’s always working her butt off to impress her CO’s cause she feels like she needs to be The Best or else she’s replaceable. also eventually she meets danse. u know whybillie park is a stealth girl and assassin for the railroad, awkward af and has zero people skills but a strong sense of justice. she was in diamond city when they kicked out the ghouls and she always regretted not speaking up so now she dedicates herself to helping the downtroddenand i just made ellen reneau!! she’s an institute scientist, born and raised there, but in me and alex’s timeline the minutemen blow the institute up and she managed to evacuate in time. the institute probably feeds people a lot of crap about the world above so she was like holy shit it’s not just a terrible die instantly wasteland, there’s good people and even a pseudo-government in some places, she joined the minutemen to offer her scientific skills. she was always iffy about how the institute treated synths so once the shock wears off she’s like hey at least my friends will have a chance at a normal life now. she’s a big ol lesbean but i haven’t found her a gf quiiiite yet

tysm for the ask and i’m sorry for the wall of text 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕 i love you

#seriously ily. not just for asking about my oc's ur jus great #asks #fail-writer #oc shit #fallout ocs

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cicero-the-assassin · 7 years

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Another one of those things where I keep track of the threads.

(Read more for length)

So, my threads are all jumbled and I just like writing them out to keep them in order. Plus I know that Tumblr is picky about notifications. If I’m missing anything or if I’ve mistaken whose turn it is for our thread, please message me and let me know.

Also, I have quite a few threads that are very old and don’t seem like they’ll be answered any time soon. I will mark these threads with strike throughs. If this happens to happen to a thread of yours, it by no means that I’m not interested anymore. It merely suggests that I have heavy doubts that the thread will continue or am about to scrap it due to inactivity. If you are still interested in the thread and plan on answering it, please let me know so I don’t discount it. If you do not wish to continue the thread I have marked, then please also let me know. I really hate having my hopes up for threads that get no love for months at a time. If you’re not interested, make room for someone else yeah?

Though I will courteously wait on those who are on Hiatus. ^^

Threads that I have that it is my turn on:

FC3 Cicero and Citra (Wearing his Clothes) - @rakyatleader

FO4 Kira (M!A Sick) and Citra - @rakyatleader

Synth Cicero and Raserei (Sleeping Kitten Banter) - @chem-addled-merc

NV Cicero and Sad Cinda - @justasadnerd

A Raider Walks into a Bar - @rakyatleader

Hide and Seek - @rakyatleader

Assassin and Slave - @homeiswhereyourunfrom

Sympathy for the Devil - @ask-cerus

FO4 Kira and Laura - @lastofthepast

Synth Cicero and Raserei (Swords?) - @chem-addled-merc

Synth Cicero and Raserei’s Ghosts - @chem-addled-merc

Threads that I have that I believe to be someone else’s turn on:

FC3 Cicero and Ayako - @ayakoito

FO4 Cicero and Stoya - @beardownunder

FC3 Cicero (M!A Sick) and Ayako - @ayakoito

FO4 Cicero and Cinda - @justasadnerd

FO4 Kira (M!A Sick) and Daniel - @enclaveassh0le

Firewall? - @chem-addled-merc

The Proposal - @chem-addled-merc

Meeting - @secretkeeping-twins

Unforeseen Circumstances - @ask-cerus

NV Cicero and Cinda’s Robo Cat - @justasadnerd

NV Cicero and Liam’s Christmas Banter - @eyexgotxya

NV Cicero and Liam (Cupcakes?) - @eyexgotxya

NV Cicero and Hugsy - @ask-fallout-hugsy

Synth Cicero and Ezra - @erro-venator

FO4 Cicero and Gwen - @atomsandnothingness

Not the Exile You’re Looking For - @iinxsearchofxisolde

NV Cicero and Izzy (Before the Hit) - @izzythecyborg

NV Cicero and Izzy (After the Hit) - @izzythecyborg

NV Cicero and Vindex - @the-royal-outcasts

A Whole New World? - @the-royal-outcasts

Eating with Prissy - @ghastlythingswillfollow

FO4 Kira and Z - @psychorex

NV Cicero and Fiona - @fionainculta

A Man Made Man - @a-holographic-touch

Starters I’m supposed to write:

NV Cicero and Cheese - @easybeincheesy (So sorry for the lateness!)

FO4 Kira and Carlos - @the-perfect-scientist (So sorry for the lateness!)

I hope you all understand. That is quite the list of things I have going on. And I’ll repeat that if your thread is crossed out, it’s on the chopping block. But that DOESN’T mean I don’t want to continue the thread. I hate dropping things tbh. But if I’m never gonna get an answer, then I’m never gonna get an answer. No use letting all of them clog up my space and worrying time. Plus, it makes more room for other things.

I’ll wait to hear from you for the next week or two. If I don’t hear from you I will drop the thread. (Unless you are on full hiatus and I’m still interested in continuing the thread.)

If I have made any mistakes, please notify me.))

#OOC #Thread Tracking #Please read this if you're tagged #I know it's long but bear with me #Cause I worked really hard on this #Long post #Links have been provided for your convenience #Thanks #<3

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qwertsypage · 4 years

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2020 Scrummer Reading List+

2020 Scrummer Reading List

We all know this is a very different kind of summer (or winter for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere). One where the need to escape, learn, grow maybe even more acute. Our annual tribute to great reads (and listens) is here to help.

We asked the team what books they are currently nose-deep in, or that they highly recommend others check-out. As always, they came back with some great suggestions across genres.

JJ Sutherland, Chief Executive Officer recommends:

"Both Flesh And Not " by David Foster Wallace

This posthumous collection may not be his best, but his worst is so much better than any other modern American essayist it’s criminal and suspicious. Mozart and tennis. The captive mind.

"Poet in New York " by Federico Garcia Lorca

Lorca is the greatest of gifts, an amazing poet I had yet to discover. Fitting this book was given to me as a birthday present. And I love the fact the Spanish and English versions appear side-by-side.

Jessica Larsen, Product Owner, Scrum Inc. Trying Program recommends:

"The Fearless Organization" by Amy Edmundson

Today's workforce spends more time collaborating (team-based work) than ever before; knowledge and innovation are crucial sources of competitive advantage in nearly every industry, yet 70-85% of the world's workforce is either not engaged or actively disengaged at their jobs. In this book, Edmundson discusses the importance of psychological safety and creating an environment of respect for people (a pillar of the Toyota Way) in improving workplace engagement. For me, this book provided great empirical evidence and theoretical basis for why the Scrum Values and pillars of the Toyota Way are so important in the workplace.

Mark Rosania, Product Owner, Transformation Services recommends:

"The Bastard Brigade: The True Story of the Renegade Scientists and Spies who Sabotaged the Nazi Atomic Bomb" by Sam Kean

Scientists have always kept secrets. But rarely have the secrets been as vital as they were during WW II. In the middle of building an atomic bomb, the leaders of the Manhattan Project were alarmed to learn that Nazi Germany was far outpacing the Allies in nuclear weapons research; Hitler, with just a few pounds of uranium, would have the capability to reverse the entire D-Day operation and conquer Europe. So they assembled a rough and motley crew of geniuses - dubbed the Alsos mission - and sent them careening into Axis territory to spy on, sabotage, and even assassinate members of Nazi Germany's feared Uranium Club. No theater of the war, from battlefields to laboratories, was considered off-limits, and for good reason: the entire outcome of the war rested on Also's shoulders.

Matthew Jacobs, Chief Product Owner, Agile Transformations recommends:

“A Brave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization?” by Aaron Dignan

This is a fascinating book on the future of work and what a reinvented organization could look like. Dignan leverages a lot of Scrum principles in this work but sometimes with a twist.

“The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz” by Erik Larson

A brilliantly researched book (as all of Larsen's are) but I have to disagree with the subtitle. As you read you realize this book also shows how Churchill leveraged “Agile techniques” to prepare England's respond to Hitler’s take over of Europe and to win the Battle of Britain

Veronica Ruiz, Director, Marketing and Communications recommends:

Ghost Boys - by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that’s been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing.

This book was assigned to my fifth grader, parents were also invited to read it. I am glad that I did. The book tackles timely issues like racial bias, bullying, and class directly, honestly, and deftly. It reflects current events and explores the long history of racism. It is a short and powerful book.

Patrick Roach, Chief Product Owner, Training & Consulting recommends:

"Make Me Smart" hosted by Kai Ryssdal and Molly Wood

This is a daily news podcast focused on tech, the economy, and culture. It's ~15 minutes of well-researched content that only focuses on a few topics each day. Kai and Molly do a great job of making sense of what it all means. I learn something new every day.

Brandon Cole, Art Director recommends:

"Atomic Habits, An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones" by James Clear

Why do we struggle to change or improve our habits? James Clear writes one of my favorite reads of the last few years in Atomic Habits, discussing the importance of tiny changes and marginal gains. His balance of storytelling and statistics reminds me of a Malcolm Gladwell book where you find yourself grabbing a pencil or highlighter to document some of the information.

Find yourself questioning the norms of habit-forming in this excellent New York Times bestselling book.

"Lean Presentation Design" by Maurizio La Cava

Did you know many people spend more time designing and organizing in PowerPoint than they do creating the content? In Lean Presentation Design, Maurizio La Cava covers everything you need to know about creating successful presentations without being a designer.

Jess Jagoditsh, Scrum of Scrums Master, Transformation recommends:

"Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman

This is a story about our inherent need for human connection. Events from Eleanor's past erased her understanding of why humans need each other and of the warm feelings that come with friendship and caring. The story is particularly relevant right now as the global pandemic and shelter-in-place have caused many of us to be at home, sometimes alone, every day. Let us not forget the importance of having relationships and community.

Jack Harmening, Transformation Team Member recommends:

"The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire" by Kyle Harper

The Fate of Rome is my first foray into a new kind of historical analysis that links biology, economics, and good old-fashioned archeology. It's just an awesome book for any fan of history. Harper describes how different experts have analyzed bones, cliffsides, soil, coins, viruses, bacteria, and of course, ancient documents, to track a complete history of the health and wealth of the Roman people, as well as the climate and disease ecologies they experienced. The Rise and Fall of Rome were both more linked to external variables than I ever imagined. Read this if you want to learn from the past, so that, maybe, we aren't doomed to repeat it.

"The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty" by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson

Another historical view of economics and institutions, I paired this one with 'The Fate of Rome' because Acemoglu has always been interested in how institutional design affects the wealth of nations. The conclusion here is that personal and political liberties persist when a set of institutions walk the 'narrow corridor,' dodging authoritarianism or weak governance on either side. Perhaps if the Romans not been dominated by "extractive" hierarchies, perhaps they could have innovated enough to survive the changing climate and plagues that shook its foundations. Read this if you want to learn more about why some nations fail, and others succeed.

Tom Bullock, Product Owner, Storyteller recommends:

“Why We're Polarized" by Ezra Klein

Yes, this is a book about the causes and effects of America’s polarized political system. Dig a little deeper and it's about much more than that. Klein weaves in a significant amount of social science and data to help explain how and why polarization occurs. And it can occur anywhere. This non-partisan book about politics is a must for anyone thinking about change management.

“What's Magic Without A Little Mischief" by Charlie Bullock

Sorry, you can't get a copy of this one, not yet at least. But I still think it's worth sharing. Charlie, our 9-year-old daughter, loves to write. Summer felt like the perfect time to start her first novel. What’s Magic WIthout a Little Mischief tells the tale of the Ko children as they discover the secrets their murdered parents never told them, including the magical abilities they all possess, and the threat they face in the shadows. Charlie is 6 chapters in, and I’m loving it!

Megan Fremont-Smith, Transformation Team Member recommends:

"Dare to Lead" by Brene Brown

This book is about using courage and vulnerability to lead. If you are looking for a good read on the human-centric approach to leadership this book is for you.

Ray Robinson, Transformation Advisor recommends:

"Principles" by Ray Dalio

I was drawn to Ray Dalio’s after seeing him on a 60 Minutes segment. In his most recent book, Mr. Dalio gives a biographical narrative to his successful rise in the financial industry. Through his experiences, he came to develop a fairly lengthy set of learned principles he has leveraged to reach his success.

Two favorite things about the book:

1) The backstory of Bridgewater Associates

2) Dalio does have a deep appreciation for the importance of people and culture in a successful organization

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