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anundyingfidelity · 4 months

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INTERROGATION GONE WRONG – Cleon XIII/Brother Day

Summary: Cleon XIII interrogates his statisticians about Hari Seldon's predictions. His in-turn maid remains there hearing the conversation, unbeknownst to him, knowing the answer - at least part of.

Pairing: Cleon XIII/Brother Day x female maid reader.

Word count: 2.9k.

Warnings: extremely dub-con, smut, abuse of power, forced orgasm, choking, fingering, degradation, p in v, creampie, not the soft aftercare you're waiting for. The author is also non native English speaker.

Notes: this is based on that scene of 1x04. This is the most non-con thing I've written ever. I gave my warnings. Also please watch Foundation lol, this show reminded me of how much I loved Lee Pace since like 2014. Once I'm in, I will never get out and I needed to write something for Cleon I love him he is an idiot.

☕ if you like my writing, support me with a ko-fi !

GEN MASTERLIST!

The man fell with a thud on the floor. You should be scared, surprised, trembling with fear, but this was not new behavior for you or anyone in the palace. Since Seldon's exile and the disaster shaking the Empire gradually, the response of the new Cleon was clearly expected after being a witness of a poor reunion and inconvenience with the staticians. More than a conversation, it felt like a judgment, a death one.

"Dining, now," he ordered passing by your figure on his way to leave the throne room. With a bow, you followed in an instant and ready to serve him.

Cleary, you could tell he was not in the good mood that day, already skipping the meal for breakfast with his brothers earlier; something that was out of the itineraries. Once a change of the routine happened, it meant something was off, so you thought. Demerzel was also not around, attending other meetings, so this left you alone with Empire, opening the door of the sole dining room the Brothers used privately, with the tall figure of Cleon XIII waiting impatiently for his midday meal and looking every move you made around the place to please him as fast as your feet allowed.

The cooks served the meal arranged from the menu after your order and they left as rapid as they came in, Brother Day dispatching them with a hand gesture once they were done. You took a couple of steps back, standing close to the table but ready in case he dispatched your presence as well.

"Not you, you stay," he commanded after sipping his wine for the first time, eyes focused on the plate he would eat.

"Yes, Empire."

You had to obligue, and that is what happened. You watched him from the corner of your eye, from time to time in silence, pretending to be unconcerned and collected, though that was far from being true. The whole meal time was eternal, specially that day. With no Brother Dawn nor Brother Dusk around for Brother Day to have a bland talk with, only the sound of fine cutlery clinking against porcelain as Empire ate. Boring, your head began to spin around, thinking in non-senses and theories of what you heard and read from Seldon's predictions of the fall. Empire was cruel, but it had you working, serving food to your plate, and probably that was enough. But it didn't stop your curiosity of learning further the philosophy of Hari Seldon.

When in front of Empire, your gaze seemed lost but your mind was working. You never said a single comment about studying Seldon's theory, of course. You were just a maid. Science and university never were a good pair for a woman who served the Empire. However, you still found the math behind his calculations as something intriguing and fascinating for some reason...

"Maid," the loud voice of the Emperor interrupted your daydream. "I said, wine."

The intense look on his eyes forced you to attend his order fast, serving more of the fermented liquid on the cup standing besides his plate.

His large hand took the cup when you filled it with wine and he sipped again, his eyes scanning you slow and deep. You knew he sensed something was wrong with you. Swallowing, you noticed he already had finished with his meal, so you finally you dared to speak.

"Can I retire your plate, Empire?"

"Is there something you want to share, maid?" he responded, blatantly ignoring your question and dragging your title like it was nothing but a shameful word to spill.

"At all, Empire," your voice came as a whisper.

Brother Day stood on his feet with such grace and started a slow walk towards your figure. You wanted to step away, but you feet were glued to the ground, so his tall and intimidating form washed over you soon.

"Speak," he instructed coldly. You started to tremble, unable to take off your scared eyes from him, bitting your bottim lip as he leaned. "Or do you want to be punished?"

His hand forced around your neck all of a sudden. As an act of reflection, you tried to pull back from his grip, but he was much stronger, having you in place and cutting your breath. "I know you hide enthusiasm around Doctor Seldon's theories," he whispered darkly on your ear. "I am not giving you a choice, speak!"

As he yelled down his last words, he pushed you harshly, body falling to the grown. Air filled your lungs once again and you coughed, sitting down and watching that he was coming closer with big steps. You dragged yourself on the floor using your hands and feet trying to not tangle yourself with the fabric of your dress. Fighting the tears on your eyes, your back touched the wall and sobbed. There was nowhere to go now. So you finally confessed.

"Your staticians would not give you a number because it's true!" you cried out. Brother Day stopped on his tracks just a couple of inches before you. "It's all true, Doctor Seldon is right. And it all began with the Star Bridge, I know you were a child when it happened because I was a child too when the crisis started. There is a probability, but is not zero," you said, recalling his words.

You saw his face changed. He was exhasperated already, but rage appeared in his eyes in a very visible way; a rage that you had yet to see from Empire. Fear took over you, afraid of what would happen next. Should you keep talking? Should you continue crying? Scream for nobody to come around for your sake? As you questioned yourself, he lowered himself to be at your level on the ground. Brother Day never sat down, but he was making sure to get under your skin. His powerful gaze had a quick effect to do that.

"Go on."

Too scared to speak, you opened your lips but no sound came out. Empire waited your words for a moment, scrutinizing your face. And still, nothing came. He grabbed your arm with a rough grip, forcing you to stand up, colliding with his body until your back hit the empty part of the table he had been eating in.

"You have ten seconds to continue or I will force everything that is in your head out of you, maid," Cleon threatened. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three-"

"I said it was probability," you shuddered. "Life is a probability by all means and Seldon knows that," you breathed, aware that Brother Day was feeling your shaking body under his piercing eyes. "I studied Doctor Seldon's psychohistory and theory for the last four years, learning math and other sciences on my free time on the library. So even if I don't posses a title, I know his hypothesis was only that at the time; a hypothesis can be null, but also be provable, and thus now is not untrue."

He slowly leaned away.

"So you say there is no error on Seldon's ecuation," he concluded, jaw clenching.

"None that I could find."

Brother Day paced in front of you, back and forth, hrad processing what he just heard. You could tell he was getting what he wanted, but nothing was what he really longed for. And what you found was nothing but the truth. Maths don't miss, it was useless to lie.

"How do you simply fall into a conclusion like that? Prophecies of the Empire declining into a dark age after centuries of rising. Of our legacy!" he stopped again and went back to your figure, trapping your body between himself and the dining table. You felt his breath when he leaned close, the smell of wine and fruits mixing with his cologne was intoxicating your nostrils as the last tears flowed down your cheeks. Sooner or later, you thought he was going to end up with your life. You had nothing left to lose by now.

"It's simple history and logic. Everything that goes up has to go down, even empires."

All you felt was his big palm slapping your face, your back hitting the edge of the table. A hurted moan filled the room, and he forced you to look at him grabbing your chin with the same strenght he had used on you all this time, like you were nothing more than a doll to play with as he pleased.

"In other circumstances, I would find you amusing," he breathed gainst your lips. The touch of his thumb on your cheek, wiping away your last tears, contrasted the roughness of his words, his body between your legs and his weight pressing you to lie down on the surface.

"Psychohistory words, not mine," you whispered, your hands running to wrap around his wrist, but his aura repelled instantly your touch. It was useless to keep trying. So here you were, ready for Brother Day to end with your life in just the blink of an eye. "Maybe Brother Dusk made a mistake," you continued, giving up on leaving the room alive. "Make Hari Seldon stay instead..."

Brother Day pressed further against you, almost crushing you with his significant huge frame.

"Such a talented brain and mouth, why don't I put you to good use? I think I deserve it."

He forcefuly turned you around until you were bending over the table, a loud gasp falling from your mouth. One of his hands making its way between your legs caused your thighs to press together, trying to stop him, but it was impossible, so you had nothing to do but beg.

"Please, Empire," you felt like crying again at his touch, his fingers cupping your clothed pussy in a slow motion. "Stop, please-"

"Shut up, whore," he grunted, rubbing his crotch against your ass and slammed your face with his free hand so you had your cheek lying against the cold surface. "I had enough from you."

Heartbeat rising, you tried with no results to escape from his body cage. The sway of your hips caused Empire to grow eager. His slender fingers pushed your panties aside, coating them with your own wetness, and that was certainly something you did not expect to be down there. He hummed in response, rubbing your folds, and you exhaled once he entered one finger.

Your body responded to his ministrations, his growing erection pressing against the curve of your ass while he played with your cunt as he wanted, easing a second digit inside your walls. Probably you should just give in by now as you felt your muscles tighten, already reaching your high. Almost. The first moan of pleassure escaped your throat and you regreted the answer of lust coming from your body the following instant, your palms holding yourself on the table.

His long digits fucked you faster and your legs trembled, his thumb played with your clit so deliciously you thought you were passing out soon. He leaned down until you could feel his breath on your neck.

"Fucking take it," he groaned, feeling your warm walls pulsing around his fingers.

Almost not having control over your body, your legs further opened, like his voice just ordered you to do it.

"Please, please..."

Again, you cried and begged, not sure of the reason. For pleassure, shame, mercy... Anything was possible at that moment as whimpers and moans fell from your mouth.

The sensation grew stronger down your belly, feeling him exploring your insides too deep, touching a place no man nor your fingers reached before. It happened repeatedly, it felt so sweet and sinful. Like something you never knew but you were sure would leave you aching for more. His fingers making you so drunk and pleading for a release, and the seconds that passed by were endless until you finally blissed out with a loud moan, convulsing by the work of his hand.

Brother Day gave himself a wicked smile, watching you squirm and gasp. Such a strong orgasm he ripped out of you. He pulled his fingers away from your pulsing cunt and admired your wetness coating them before he raised the skirt of your dress and took off your panties until they were hanging between your ankles.

You grimaced at the feel of his big palms rubbing your ass cheeks, parting them to get a view of your throbbing heat, still clenching around nothing. You could listen to him undoing his pants. He hissed, taking his hard lenght to rub the sensitive skin of your ass and his thick tip teased your slit, sliding slowly inside. You gasped at the sudden intrusion as he stopped from filling you up completely, feeling your tight cunt embracing him.

"Empire, please not this-"

"This is how I prefer you," Cleon whispered on your neck, you stopped your plea. "Submissive and quiet. You are not so bold now, are you?"

And he slowly entered your pussy further. You whined, nails scratching the fine material of the table. You were so tight and warm. He had to control himself of not pounding into you right away. Being filled up by the Emperor shouldn't arouse your body like this, but your heat welcomed his cock like it was the perfect missing piece of a puzzle.

"Are you a virgin, maid?" he asked, hips giving a couple of shallow, slow thrusts. Your hips moved in sink with his own, your nipples were now hard and erect against the surface, scratching the fabric of your bra and dress, giving up into heavenly bliss. Sweet mewls left your lips as he stretched your cunt. And it was oh, so long since you felt this full.

"No, Empire."

Your response was the green light. He started to rut into you. Rough. Even if your answer was to be different, you knew Empire would not care. He used to get away with what he wanted, and right now he wanted you. His own grunts made eco along with the sound of his skin hitting your ass, your moans escaping without any shame now. The small amount of discomfort he caused was transformed into pleassure and arousal, keeping his hands firmly on your hips.

"Then you can take it, you've done this before," he mocked, increasing his rough pace.

His grip was strong on your sides, you knew his fingers would leave marks on your skin once you finished. But nothing mattered, you decided, the only on your mind was reaching sweet climax and release. You could not escape from him, not ever. So your body and mind could go through it.

Cleon's eyes found the perfect spot of view to see his cock entering and sliding out your perfect pussy, his shaft glistening with your wetness and his own precum. He stopped and pulled out for a moment, teasing with entering and pulling out, watching himself sliding inside your body.

"Oh gods," he listened to your broken moan, breath hitching.

He again cupped your neck with his palm, fingers roaming around your throat, forcing your back to meet his chest. Your moans were cut by his firm hand, air being a privilige as seconds passed by. He sucked and bit the skin of your neck, burying his cock until his balls met your ass repeteadly, finding that sweet spot of yours.

"Cum," he ordered. "Cum or you will not breath again."

You knew you were close, but you needed it faster. You needed to breath, as good as his cock felt, fucking you and splitting you open, you still needed to make it until the end. Your fingers found your clit and played with your bud as Empire bucked his hips fast and rough. Finally, your muscles tensed and forced a hard orgasm out of you, walls pulsing around his dick. He grunted, not slowing his thrusts, softening the hand around your neck allowing you oxygen again.

"Merciful am I?" he groaned and you felt his seed painting your insides, cock throbing as he also came from his high.

"You are, Empire," you breathed out.

Your back arched and you held yourself on his hands and chest. You heard the sound of one of the chairs being taken out, being dragged by him until you felt he sat down, you on his lap with his cock still burried deep inside you. His slick cum ran down your inner thighs as he parted your legs, touching your abused cunt and clit, feeling how you were still connected. He rubbed your pussy in slow, gentle moves, collecting his cum mixed with your juices. He offered his fingers to your lips, so you licked them as he wished, sucking them clean. Your walls pulsed again.

"So obedient now," Cleon purred.

His hands undid your dress to free your chest, groping your tits as he pleased. He played with your nipples, just like he had played with all of you in a few minutes.

"What will happen to me?" you asked in a murmur.

"Such a pretty cunt you are," Brother Day began, tracing kisses on your shoulder. His voice made you shiver. "You would please me a lot as a cuncubine of the Gossamer Court."

You swallowed hard, not capable of speaking or fighting back. He felt your body tensing so he continued his speech in your ear. "No worries, I can play with you some more before it happens. And you will tell me everything you know about Seldon."

#cleon xiii x reader #cleon xiii x female reader #brother day x reader #brother day x female reader #foundation apple tv #cleon xiii smut #brother day smut #foundation fanfiction #brother day #cleon xiii #foundation season 1 #lee pace #lee pace fanfiction #cleon 13th #foundation imagines #lee pace x reader #idkkkk just leaving this here #I HAD TO DO IT OKAY?#foundation 2021

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helenvader · 9 months

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Prime Radiant Appreciation Post :)

#foundation #foundation season 1 #foundation apple tv #foundationedit #myfoundationedit #prime radiant #hari seldon #gaal dornick

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somebirdortheother · 11 months

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Consider reblogging, we are doing real science here 🔬🧬🔭🥼

#foundation #brother day #foundation apple tv #demerzel #emperor cleon #cleon xiii #foundation season 1 #foundation meta #Cleon xiii’s slutty spiral walk #the spiral #the maiden #the missing piece

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thaern · 7 months

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Is sad to think about this scene in the first season, when Gaal is claiming to Hari not only of the fact that she and Raych were never meant to be but also of the fact that Hari was also leaving her behind, that she was meant to be alone in Terminus

But as the series goes on we realized that she never was meant to be alone, Hari would be with her in that planet, but she just doesn't knew, and all because he never talk to her about it.

#foundation #hari seldon #gaal dornick #foundation season 1 #vault hari

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coopsgirl · 2 years

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youtube

I just saw this and loved it! Such a well done recap of season one of Foundation and a beautiful edit with haunting music.

#lee pace #foundation apple tv #foundation season 1 #brother day #brother dawn #brother dusk #emperor cleon #Youtube

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the9mm · 11 months

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It's been about 800 years since I've done a fan vid but

Yesterday the Coheed fandom was extremely upset by the "official music video" released for the song Ladders of Supremacy. It was very low effort, used a bunch of tour visualizer graphics, and then mashed them together with AI filters. The video was boring, had poor graphics, was repetitive, and not to mention the use of AI bristled plenty of folks.

Since it's one of my favorite songs from the album, I was trying to think of ways to make a more entertaining and worthwhile vid while keeping some of the elements of the Vaxis story. I thought at first of trying to crash course in animation but that would take me ages, and drawing the actual thing would take even longer, and then I don't know the story the way Claudio has written it (I haven't gotten to even read Vaxis II yet as it only came with box sets!) so I'd be guessing.

Then I was thinking about things already made that I could clip that has similar scifi element storytelling. And I went... Foundation tho.

Funny - I dropped episode one into the song, and cut out some dialogue and the title card and it was like it was MADE for the song. But that's not what you'll see here. I decided to do some actual editing after to try to tell a little bit of the story.

Forgive me - I had intended to actually do some storytelling on Gaal, Salvor, and Brother Dawn but I got carried away with the Star Bridge instead. ;)

youtube

#foundation #fan video #music video #coheed and cambria #isaac asimov #foundation season 1 #foundation series #Youtube

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goodjohnjr · 4 months

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Foundation (Season 1) Is That The Best You've Got!

Foundation (season 1) Is that the best you’ve got! What Is It? The YouTube video Foundation (Season 1) Is That The Best You’ve Got!, by the YouTube channel Perfectblue Blue: Foundation (season 1) Is that the best you’ve got! Description: Apple Original Something seems of with the Emperor Dawn? Continue reading Untitled

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#Anger #Brother Day #Empire #Fainting #Foundation #Foundation (Season 1) Is That The Best You&039;ve Got!#Foundation Season 1 #Lee Pace #Mathematician #Perfectblue Blue #Prophecy #Scientist #Video #YouTube

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azra-idek · 1 year

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Book stuff so potential spoilers below the cut.

Keep thinking about Demerzel, Cleon, and the vision quest there, how Demerzel's note about not being able to imagine what it would be like to not have a vision at the end of the quest was a deliberate taunt. I mean we can suspect it, that she knows he didn't have a vision, but when you read the books and know that Daneel can read minds then it is less "what if she knows" and more "she definitely knows and she's teasing him."

#foundation #empire #foundation season 1 #spoilers

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columboscreens · 7 months

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#columbo #season 1 #blueprint for murder #heh. ylike what i did there sir #ysee cause the foundation is m--yes sir right away sir leaving now sir #i love his subtle lil puns. theyre rarer when he's young but theyre there

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crowtoed · 6 months

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One of the things I'm liking about Scavenger's Reign and that it does pretty well is the 'in media res' start. A lot of shows (LOOKING AT YOU, FOUNDATION) try to make the audience care for the characters without taking time to establish them and throw them into the Big Situation. Scavenger's Reign starts slow and lets the audience experience the planet (and its weirdness) and how the characters interact with it: Ursula is inquisitive, Sam is pragmatic, Azi is wary, Kamen is fearful, Levi is accepting. This is established through Little Situations/ side quests before joining the main. They aren't being thrown into the Big Adventure without showing us little bits of who they are and how they've survived this long.

#scavenger's reign #scavengers reign #meta #storytelling #Yeah sorry I didn't give a flip about most of the characters in Foundation until mostways through season 1 #And part of it was the poor character establishment through the in media res start.#WHY SHOULD I CARE SHOW?

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brotherdusk · 2 months

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rewatching some key scenes from foundation s1 and day saying "hey what if we didn't kill our son actually." and dusk immediately being like "crack? is that what you smoke? you smoke crack?" is still one of my favourite things

#obviously the slapfight is hall of fame material but dusk's gradual verbal meltdown while day slowly turns to stare at him is also high art #the season 1 xii to season 2 xvi pipeline is whatever the opposite of a character assassination is. character resurrection #foundation #txt #cleon xii #cleon xiii

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rotisseries · 10 months

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the way elmike had the possibility of a very close and real and intimate friendship stolen out from under them because of heteronormativity telling them the only way they were meant to fit in each other's lives was romantically, even though neither of them truly wanted that... pushing them further apart... tragic. literally so tragic

#what am I ON tonight someone get me help since when do I care this much about the 2 of them #no but literally. season 1 they're understanding each other so well... it warms a bitch's heart #like truly it's the foundations of something so sweet but then everyone is telling them it must be romantic #and it sours it. now they're no longer just 2 people with a budding friendship #now they're a Boy And A Girl and The Boy And The Girl and can it get any more obvious?#and then in s4... they're both gripping so tight to a dead thing because they've never allowed their relationship to be anything else #they've never BEEN allowed to BE anything else #SO THEY'RE CONVINCED THAT IF THEY WANT TO BE IN EACH OTHER'S LIVES AT *ALL* IT HAS TO BE ONLY THAT WAY #THAT'S THE FUCK OF IT ALL #sorry that's my new favorite phrase all of a sudden #BUT WHAT. SORRY LIKE BEAUTIFUL ELMIKE FRIENDSHIP KILLED DEAD IN THE WATER BECAUSE OF FUCKING HETERONORMATIVITY #stranger things #el hopper #mike wheeler #elmike

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somebirdortheother · 11 months

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I owe Lewis an apology and a bouquet of roses. He did really good, and he was incredibly selfless in the end. It's a true testament to his character. He was probably terrified.

Lee Pace's moves are extremely sensual. There, I said it. But seriously, they don't have sunscreen in the Foundation Universe? I think even the way he kneeled was outrageously slutty. Perhaps it's just something he exudes in general. Perhaps it's just Lee Pace. I don't know. I just don't understand why he started the Spiral fully covered, then progressively lost his clothes, and then ended up half naked. Was it a fashion statement? A power move? Is he just stupid? Nobody knows. Not even himself, I presume.

I felt terribly sad for him, though. He didn't see anything. It must've made him feel so lonely. Somehow, I feel like whatever feelings his encounter with the old man elicited in him, this disappointing experience balanced that in the complete opposite direction. I don't know if that makes sense.

Where I'm from we have a saying. It could be translated this way: you know what you give up, but you never know what you get in return. This is exactly how I feel about this new Brother Dusk. I said I hated his predecessor. I didn't know how good I had it. New Batch is messed up. The actor managed to chanel the creepiness exhibited by Lee Pace when he was playing this Cleon (Cleon XII I believe). The mural manipulation. I knew it before I saw but it was still a gut punch. And the music sold it.

Whenever a protagonist gives away a invaluable item in exchange for a bauble much needed to evade their enemies, I'm always convinced that, although the narrative might not show it to us, the person who accepted the exchange will be killed for it. Either because it's worth stealing, or because the people hunting the protagonist will eventually find their way to the item, and kill its current possessor.

All of this to say that protagonists get people killed. And the succession of twists melted my brain. I was extremely suspicious of Azura's game from the begining, because it was too good to be true. She had an answer to everything, and a solution to all of Dawn's problems. But this whole time, I thought that perhaps, she was Dusk's pawn, and merely a test that all Cleons had to go through at some point. It was way more messed up.

I know that Day will want Dawn dispatched and replaced by a perfect copy, there is no other option for the kind of situation they're in (or I would be extremely surprised). And obviously, nobody will ever know of this whole debacle, so the new Dawn will still be known as Cleon XIV. But I wonder how they'll call him when they're only between themselves: Cleon XIV 2.0, Cleon XIV ESR, Cleon XIV RTM, or just Cleon XIV(2)?

Salvor and Hugo were playing 5D chess when the rest of them were playing checkers. Brilliant. Also Hugo is awesome. And his beard game is incredible.

Ok Hari isn't even playing chess. He's just twenty steps ahead. And he's a complete bag of balls. I can't believe I love him. He's incredibly charismatic but also such a massive ass. I'm worried, though, that much like psychohistory, he cannot really see people as individuals. He has his big plan in mind, but he seems to forget that people don't like to be meddled with, to be controlled, and lied to. His memory is good enough that he can recall the names of everyone who boarded with him for Terminus, but it doesn't mean that he cares at all. You're right, his ego is immense.

I have to give it to him though, his Second Foundation makes complete sense. Terminus is known to the Empire, it would be stupid to only count on it, and in fact, I'm a little upset at myself for not pointing it out sooner. But he admitted himself that he considers the Termini as bait, and that it's highly unlikely that they will endure. It reminds me of Ender's Game. It's very cruel. I understand that he only considers the big picture, but these people entrusted themselves to him, and his vision.

Now regarding Demerzel and Cleon the First, I was actually quite surprised. If my understanding is correct, she was already far older than him when they programmed her, right? Initially, I felt that modifying her program so she would serve the Cleonic Dynasty denoted a lack of trust in her. But after rewatching the scene, it felt like an insurance, not for the next Cleons, but for her. So they would never question her, and so she would be safe from any sort of retribution. But either way, when she talked to Cleon XII when he was at the final stage of his life, and she said that they (the Cleons) always left her, I felt incredible longing. Perhaps it's better for her that they never seem to rise to the level of Cleon the First. It would be atrocious to lose him again, wouldn't it?

Now to episode 10.

DYING over this breakdown.

Lewis: Yes, in the end he really came through. He was never the bad guy, he was just narrow-minded in his approach for what "good" meant, but he had genuine care for his people and was willing to sacrifice himself. For the record, I found those whole scenes with people physically having to wire themselves in for the jump such classic SPACE HORROR concept that I almost puked (and I mean that affectionately).

Brother Slut: Yes... Well, my hypothesis is that he was stupid about the dangers of sun exposure. I suppose... maybe he didn't know that the burning thing in the sky can burn skin, too? Who knows! He definitely doesn't! I was tremendously sad for him to - he had a bit of one step forward-two steps back as personal growth in that episode. I thought that his experience had been profound, but he was dealt a shitty card to have to continue being a shitty dude.

Brother Dusk: I am paging @brotherdusk because collectively we HAD to know your thoughts on this "upgrade". Oh boy, have you delivered. Yes, yes, this is still that same creepy, menacing, Cleon XII baby! In all his glory, but now also older, no longer the ruler he loved being, and still endlessly spiteful. Gotta love the Galactic Evil Grandpa. The move with the mural was absolutely spectacular. What a massive cunt :D

With Azura's thing, I was on Dusk's side for how he handled the situation - I am glad he was able to foresee the levels of stupidity of Dawn walking right into that trap. For the record, I have a feeling that each Dawn is uniquely ridiculous and dumb, and somehow Demerzel manages to shape up those messes into Days.

Day wanting Dawn dispatched - OH! INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE and I guess you will have to see for yourself, and I think that may tie in with your musings on his character growth or lack thereof. Also LOL at your backup clone notation. I am sure they have release notes on each version :D

Hugo - Absolute legend. Salvor - absolute legend. No notes, they are BOSSES.

Hari Seldon - yeaaaaaa he's a cock. Yeaaaaaa I love him. I also think he's an absolute red flag for the galaxy, and I doubt that his vision is actually a better alternative to Endless Cleons.

Demerzel - I believe on the show they do not allude to her being programmed in any way prior to Cleon I. It is unclear to me what the insurance policy would entail, but I certainly speculate in my writing! All I can say - it's undeniable that she *actually* cares about all these clones no matter how insufferable she may find them individually.

#fng foundation watch #foundation reaction #s1 ep 9 reaction #foundation season 1 #foundation season 1 meta #somebirdortheother ask #lovebird collective #hari seldon #salvor hardin #cleon xiii #cleon xii #brother day #brother dusk #brother dawn #demerzel #lewis pirenne

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fractalcloning · 1 month

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As I scream into the void seeking a Narek RPer to play against, I have finally caved and must explain why I want this Romulan loungelizard to be more popular. (It won't happen, but I can dream.)

Reasons I like Narek as a character that nobody but me gives a shit about:

Let me preface this with a fact about me: I know Romulans.

I've RPed as Nero for almost two straight years in a large game. I've basically learned Rihannsu back to front for the endeavor. The person who played my Ayel and I both dumped countless hours into developing grammar and extrapolating cultural rules. We were dedicated to making them as believeable and accurate to canon as possible.

I have the whole timeline of the destruction of Hobus/Romulus down to memory. I know about all the neat little tidbits and trivia from comics and adjacent materials etc, etc.

This is to say: I have read and written quite a lot about Romulans in my time. I am very familiar with how they work and what data is available to draw from when writing them.

We do meet a few rank and file military Romulans from time to time, however. So we know how the general military operates in direct contrast to the Tal'Shiar. Caution and secrecy is sort of baked into their culture, which makes a lot of sense given that they're constantly at war with basically everyone, but they aren't (generally) unreasonable people.

In canon Trek, Romulans are often a little over the top with the sneaky-backstabbing-untrustworthy-nonsense. They're almost comical with how much scheming they do, but most of the Romulans we meet in canon are Tal'Shiar. The Tal'Shiar are known, pretty explicitly for the depth and breadth of their sneaky-backstabbing-untrustworthy-nonsense. It's kind of their whole deal, apart from mnhei'sahe (literally the ruling passion honor).

Narek, however, was a child when Hobus went supernova. He is from the very last generation that had any living memory of Romulus. (Elnor is also from this generation and they are great foils for each other, but that's another essay.) Narek is from a (presumably) respected family of--if not Tal'Shiar then Military--operatives. His aunt held high rank, his sister did as well, and both were inducted into the Zhat Vash, an organization that worked so quietly and efficiently that even the famously paranoid Tal'Shiar thought they were a myth. They orchestrated catastrophes and manipulated Galactic law to their ends, one of their members was the head of Starfleet Security and Narissa was on a personal basis with her.

Their underlying culture is present, but it isn't explored very deeply in any one canon source. Taken collectively, however, it is just as substantial as Klingon Battle-lust or Ferengi Capitalism.

Nero was a break from the norm, not because he was vengeful, but because he was the first non-military Romulan we'd ever really seen. His designs, the tattoos, the crew of his ship with their very un-Romulan loyalty, the way he talked and sought equivalent exchange of lives (mnhei'sahe), was a wealth of Romulan culture that we hadn't ever seen. He was a regular Joe, had a regular non-Military job, trusted and worked with aliens to try and save lives. His failure (not his fault) was something he absorbed and sought to rectify in the Romulan way.

Nero was super interesting both for how much detail he cast on Romulan culture, and in how he slotted into the Prime Timeline. Nero was a guy desperately clinging to hope, to the last vestiges of his civilian life, but he was cut free by the destruction of Romulus and set adrift. The only anchor he had in the AOS timeline was his honor and the driving need to balance the scales and restore it.

Narek, however privledge his family was, was a washout. He was a failure. We know he wasn't Zhat Vash, and whether he was even Tal'Shiar is up for some serious speculation. He doesn't act like military officers, and only seems to be play-acting as a Tal'Shiar, miming his sister when it suits him.

Narek may have had authority on the Artifact, but it was probably by dint of Oh granting it. We never get any clarification whatsoever about his rank or dayjob, just that he is fully devoted to helping the Zhat Vash. He is analytical, prepared, but he is not good at thinking on his feet and clearly does his planning off screen. He's meticulous but not especially skilled at hiding or regulating his emotional state. He is far less aggressive and stalwart than just about every other Romulan we've seen...except for Nero.

He was literally a placeholder sent to keep tabs on Soji. He didn't even arrive until Narissa had failed to capture Dahj. That Narek managed to get close to Soji, that he discovered her dreams and correctly surmised what they are, was more luck than skill. Before his assessments the Zhat Vash knew that Dahj (and Soji) could be activated out of their cover, but they assumed that they could capture them. They probably assumed they could torture the data out of them, if not dissect them and rip out a harddrive.

Narek found an easy way to get right to the information they needed. His attachment to Romulan culture is his puzzlebox--Before Nero we had never met a Romulan civilian and before Narek we have never met a cultural Romulan who plays with a toy, we had never seen a child's toy like that. Of course, the puzzlebox (Tan Zhekran) was a mechanism to illustrate his thought process, to make the differences between Narissa and him very apparent, but it was also something from his childhood (presumably). It's a weirdly personal affect for a Romulan and he fidgets with it almost constantly. It's a tell, something he shouldn't have, and it makes him accessible on an emotional level.

Narek is a civilian.

He's a civilian in a family of spies and operatives, raised alongside his sister on the same stories, with the same care. There's no way a Zhat Vash didn't have a family home on Romulus. While Elnor is a nice example of the new generation of Romulans, Narek is one of the last examples of what is used to mean to be a Romulan. He saw Romulus and escaped with all his surviving family when it as it was destroyed. Narek was raised on Romulan tradition (private names for family), Romulan stories about the end of the world, and he is haunted by them because he knows they're true, they're real. His sister and aunt have seen it, seen the message that drives people mad, about Ganmadan. His living relatives have dedicated their lives to preventing it and, even if he isn't actually Zhat Vash, he does the same.

Narek is a failure, by his culture's standards, by his family's standards, but he is also the only one of them who lives in the end.

He's a civilian who is trying, desperately, to avert another Romulan apocalypse. He has already lived through one and somehow this next one is even worse. Like Nero he sees the writing on the wall--but instead of doubling down on the traditional sneaky spy shit, he tries something new--unlike Nero, it works! He makes headway where nobody else could.

Unfortunately, it's kinda fucked up, but he then gives up everything in the pursuit of this goal. (Which to him, seems like a noble one.) Narek gives up who he is (by playing at being Tal Shiar), his safety (he has no idea what Soji is capable of or what might set her off, they only have records of Dahj killing a dozen agents before being blown up), and eventually resigns himself to killing the woman he's fallen in love with (the baseline requirement for giving out his real name). He does it all for the greater good, to save people and he doesn't seem to make much of a distinction between Romulan and other organic lives. He has his little plans, tracking La Sirena in a single cloaked ship, hiding his presence to tail them, firing on them despite being wholly outmatched, allying with Sutra however temporarily, trying to sway Soji again, turning to Rios, Raffi, and Elnor for help--he's willing to do anything because he's terrified that everything is about to end and it will be him who failed to prevent it.

The very last shot we see of him, after his plan to detonate the transmitter fails completely, is him on the ground being dragged away by the Coppelius androids. He doesn't posture or threaten, doesn't say ominous shit like the other Romulans we're used to--He begs. He claws at the ground, trying to stay, and he begs. He pleads with Soji, calls her his love, tries that last ditch hail mary because it's all he can do. He fails his task and she's the last person he can reach out to and, in the end, despite the very real threat to her life, Planet, and Picard, Soji smashes the transmitter. The apocalypse is averted.

Narek failed but he also succeeded. His aunt is dead, Oh has been outed as a traitor, and his sister is killed by Seven of Nine. In a cut scene, apparently, Narek was supposed to be arrested by Starfleet. So he's facing (at the very least) retribution from the androids and the ExBorg. Starfleet is very likely to arrest and interrogate him, if not imprison him indefinitely since he has ties to the Zhat Vash and, subsequently, will be on the hook to explain the Utopia Planetia disaster. Soji hates him, for good reason, and his homeworld is long gone. Narek has nothing...but the world was saved.

Narek is singular because he's all about needing and interacting with other people, he has no real authority, nobody he commands. He's a civilian (insofar as any Romulan can be) and is a soft, emotional boy who hangs on to his childhood toys. He's driven in equal parts by fear and a deep sense of failure, like everyone else in the show, and he takes the steps that seem right and necessary to him (also like everyone else on the show).

Narek was a great contrast against Elnor in every possible way--from his evasiveness to his fear of death--and he was a great foil for Soji. On Coppelius, Soji's terror clouds her judgment and she very nearly does terrible things to protect herself. Her actions, her opinions, her hesitation were all driven by fear. The ends seemed to justify the means. She reflects Narek's state for the whole show. Season 1 is about finding safety and meaning.

Narek is afraid for the whole duration of the show and his choices all reflect that same desperate need to find permanent safety, to live. Soji exists on the peripheral of that with the Ex-Borg, and as a synthetic, and then she falls headlong into it after his betrayal. Narek regrets trying to kill her and the symbolism of his losing that box, of him trying to kill her in a room that is so very culturally Romulan, right after telling her his name, makes it very clear that killing her is killing some piece of himself. But the ends justify the means. He can and will give up everything to save the world.

And his last line in the show is desperately pleading with the woman he loves as he's dragged away.

Then we never see him again or get anything resembling closure for Soji or Narek.

Which I will be big mad about forever, because they didn't even get the bare minimum acknowledgement and closure of "moving on and living life is paramount because it is finite and beautiful ". Nope. Nothing. I'm furious forever.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. I hope if Star Trek Legacy happens we get Narek as a sort of...side character creeper informant ala Garak. I also hope we get Soji on Seven's Enterprise because I love her.

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