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phoenixyfriend · 3 years

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I like the fact that Master Mundi got to marry for Pre-Approved Reasons because it means that there is room for characters to get married for 'saving a world' reasons which means hell yeah political marriage plots are a go.

(Not Anakin and Padme, they have no valid excuses unless the Force shows up like 'I want grandbabies.')

But the "someone marries a Mandalorian for a truce" stuff? That's Good.

"Marries a clone to secure their citizenship" could be approved.

"Marries a Mandalorian to prevent a war" could be approved.

"Marries a darksider because [flips through excuses book] Ventress is willing to defect but Mother Talzin insists on Nightsister magicks to prevent the Jedi from backstabbing her girl and for some reason this requires a marriage, but those magicks will extend to Dooku not being able to harm the Jedi anymore because he's thematically Ventress's grandfather" could be approved. Heavily questioned and side-eyed, but approved.

So discord went wild with that last one and I'm going to transcribe it below. (I've excluded some tangents that I felt didn't fit the concept I initially presented, but it's otherwise word for word.)

purreve (on tumblr as @purronronner) oh my gd I love that last one

Fix Fic Craving Personified (on tumblr as @lizasweetling) the last one is extremely funny

purreve especially if Dooku doesn’t find out until the next time he has a showdown with the Jedi

Fix Fic Craving Personified god, he'd be so lucky that the jedi probably wouldn't kill him for just talking I wonder if it would let them attack him if it came to that?

purreve they get into a fight and Dooku just keeps missing

Fix Fic Craving Personified if he's stuck because he's in the magic catagory with Ventress- it's possible they just can't the missing option has great comedy potention

Evaar'la Alii'striil (13RS) (on tumblr as @dracothulhu) okay but you know Obi-Wan would be a little shit and just stand still and smirk at him

purreve one of them stops fighting just to be a dick and deliberately lets him get his saber right up against them but he can’t push it that last inch oh yes it’s absolutely obi wan you’re right

Fix Fic Craving Personified deeply frustrating and confusing he doesn't get why he's not this hesitant is he??? He doesn't think so??

purreve and then he goes “what the fuck” and then they go “Ventress married a Jedi” and then he still goes “what the fuck” because what kind of non sequitur??? it’s not a non sequitur get fucked :)

Evaar'la Alii'striil (13RS) it's a special kind of Nightsister magick designed to enforce peace-making/feud-ending political marriages not very feud-ending if the in-laws murder each other anyway

purreve ....in that case, does this extend to everyone under dooku’s authority

Evaar'la Alii'striil (13RS) I'd say "only the family" which also doesn't include Palpatine because get fucked Sheev

purreve as some unintended consequence of like. well we don’t want them to murder each other so we can’t let them hire assassins or whateverthefuck either

𝙰𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚔 𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚐𝚜 (on tumblr as @atagotiak) Anakin is probably kinda disappointed he can’t kill Dooku I feel like you def couldn’t say, order someone to kill people under this nightsister thing.

Evaar'la Alii'striil (13RS) my reasoning is there needs to be enough of a connection to count - broadly speaking the Jedi all care for each other and Dooku and Ventress have some kind of emotional connection, but Palps is a weasel who doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself not to say that there's not potential for hilarity either way, though!

phoenixyfriend "Wait I can't kill any of the Jedi? Guess I'll just kill your soldiers, then." "NOT IF A JEDI DECIDES TO BE A LIVING SHIELD." "For pity's sake, Skywalker." Dooku: What happens if I just... disown Ventress? Mother Talzin: [worrying laughter that heavily implies awful consequences] You wouldn't be the first to try that route. Dooku: ...ah.

phoenixyfriend Who does Ventress even marry Like my first thought is usually Quin, but.

#Ventress #asajj ventress #Count Dooku #Dooku #Mother Talzin #Yan Dooku #Obi Wan Kenobi #phoenix posts #arranged marriage au #political marriage #magic #oh also I guess #Ki Adi Mundi #Anakin Skywalker

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shadowsong26fic · 4 years

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yo.

Soooooo yeah. I know I’ve been kinda least-in-sight lately and have a very overdue Precipice chapter in the wings, etc., etc. Uh, basically, my BB got behind and then a little bit away from me. Deadline is not an issue in terms of completeness, but it’s gonna be quite a bit messier than I like at this stage in an event like this. Well, I’m planning to Power Through over the weekend and hopefully I’ll get more tweaking done than I expect? We shall see.

ANYWAY. I don’t know how March will look--more on that in Monday’s Coming Attractions post, of course, but work will get SUPER BUSY, along with other ongoing challenge commitments--but I’m still hoping to start posting my regular fics again? Lol. At least finishing Arc Seven so I can move on to Promises and Preludes because I’m super excited for some of the stuff happening there.

But for now, since I know I haven’t posted much lately, and because I’ve been rereading the Valdemar series so it’s been on my mind, I’ve decided to share some more from my Jedi of Valdemar AU! Specifically, this is the Ginormous Timeline of Doom that covers everything from, like, two years before Anakin gets to Haven to Leia’s kids’ generation getting Chosen, etc. (working in a Blended Canon because that’s how I roll) Obviously, this includes many spoilers for the AU in question--and also, because I like to keep certain plot points/character beats consistent, a few things for other fics. Also, this is an admittedly niche-appeal crossover with a fair amount of self-indulgent stuff in here JSYK.

Let’s see, what else...oh! Those of you who read the Family of Spies AU will recognize some OCs from there. One of them actually technically originated in the Valdemar AU, even. Nikolai and his brothers, who get mentioned here, are OCs of mine who in the regular timeline/galaxy are Kallus’s sister’s sons.

Also, Much Much Credit to Roommate TK for serving as a sounding board/helping with brainstorming/letting me use some of her OCs in this XD

I think that’s all the disclaimers I need so...here we go! Feel free to comment, question, etc., on anything in this post or whatever else you’re curious about!

Valdemar AU Rough Timeline (covering 64 goddamn years; including ages and broken into three arcs because easier to count, etc.):

[ARC ONE]

-3 – Obi-Wan is Chosen (by Hondo) - Obi-Wan is 13; Padme is 11; Anakin is approx. 6; Bail is 15; Breha is 14; Palpatine is 40

-2 – Padme is Chosen (by Sabe) - Obi-Wan is 14; Padme is 12; Anakin is approx. 7; Bail is 16; Breha is 15; Palpatine is 41

-.5 – Padme’s parents and Mace are killed; Bail is Chosen as Queen’s Own; Palps becomes Lord Regent/Lord Protector (I haven't decided which title I like better yet) - Obi-Wan is 15/16; Padme is 13/14; Anakin is approx. 8; Bail is 18; Breha is 17; Palpatine is 42/43

0 – Anakin arrives in Haven after being Chosen by Ahsoka - Obi-Wan is 16; Padme is 14; Anakin is approx. 9; Bail is 18; Breha is 17; Palpatine is 43

2 – Obi-Wan is put into full Whites - Obi-Wan is 18; Padme is 16; Anakin is approx. 11; Bail is 20; Breha is 19; Palpatine is 45

3 – Padme is put into full Whites and Palpatine’s regency ends with a deceptively smooth transition of power - Obi-Wan is 19; Padme is 17; Anakin is approx. 12; Bail is 21; Breha is 20; Palpatine is 46

5 – Bail and Breha marry - Obi-Wan is 21; Padme is 10; Anakin is approx. 14; Bail is 23; Breha is 22; Palpatine is 48

6 or 7 – By now, the OT3 and a select few in their inner circle know that this is a Lifebond situation (not that they’re doing anything about it until Anakin, at minimum, has his Whites/finished his internship/etc., but they’re Aware and planning their futures with that in mind) - Obi-Wan is 22/23; Padme is 20/21; Anakin is approx. 15/16; Bail is 24/25; Breha is 23/24; Palps is 49/50 ((Note - I am going with an OT3 lifebond here for several reasons, including the fact that I don’t think Obi-Wan would be a very good Companion for Anakin (i.e., it would go like canon/Gala and Tylendel and No One Wants That), and this still showcases their extremely tight connection and also I like the OT3.))

8 – Anakin is put into full Whites; Dooku leaves Court and begins stirring up Trouble; discussion of when/who Padme should marry picks up/starts in real earnest. - Obi-Wan is 24; Padme is 22; Anakin is approx. 17; Bail is 26; Breha is 25; Palps is 51

9 – The civil war officially erupts - Obi-Wan is 25; Padme is 23; Anakin is approx. 18; Bail is 27; Breha is 26; Palps is 52

10 – Anakin loses his arm - Obi-Wan is 26; Padme is 24; Anakin is approx. 19; Bail is 28; Breha is 27; Palps is 53

11 – Dooku lays siege to Haven; Anakin and Ahsoka sneak out of the city and kill him - Obi-Wan is 27; Padme is 25; Anakin is approx. 20; Bail is 29; Breha is 28; Palps is 54

11 or 12 – Padme and Anakin marry (and make a similar private vow/commitment to Obi-Wan; Anakin gets the legal title because Obi-Wan emphatically does not want to be King, but doesn’t think he could refuse the responsibility if he was Padme’s legal spouse even if the Council/etc. would let him. Also Anakin becomes Weaponsmaster’s Second somewhere in here, but not 100% sure on exact timing, but almost certainly before the wedding.) - Obi-Wan is 27/28; Padme is 25/26; Anakin is approx. 20/21; Bail is 29/30; Breha is 28/29; Palps is 54/55

14 – Leia is born; her parents are not 100% sure who her biodad is but don’t particularly care. - Obi-Wan is 30; Padme is 28; Anakin is approx. 23; Bail is 32; Breha is 31; Palps is 57 ((Note: Luke is Leia’s Companion, as I’ve posted before, which is why he’s not here :D))

16 – Lavinia is born 2 years after Leia; her mother dies in an accident shortly thereafter - Obi-Wan is 32; Padme is 30; Anakin is approx. 25; Bail is 34; Breha is 33; Palps is 59

[ARC 2]

-4 – Leia is Chosen (by Luke); Lando and Amilyn arrive in Haven as Bardic students - Obi-Wan is 43; Padme is 41; Anakin is approx. 36; Bail is 45; Breha is 44; Palps is 70; Leia is 13; Lavinia is 11; Ezra is 12; Lando is 15; Amilyn is 12; Kanan and Hera are 25ish

-2 – Ezra is Chosen (by Ventress because the Kingdom clearly needed a little Pure Chaos) and joins Leia’s inner circle - Obi-Wan is 45; Padme is 43; Anakin is approx. 38; Bail is 47; Breha is 46; Palps is 72; Leia is 15; Lavinia is 13; Ezra is 14; Lando is 17; Amilyn is 14; Kanan and Hera are 27ish

0 – Kallus defects and comes to Haven with Zeb; Lando goes off on his Journeyman period - Obi-Wan is 47; Padme is 45; Anakin is approx. 40; Bail is 49; Breha is 48; Palps is 74; Leia is 17; Lavinia is 15; Ezra is 16; Lando is 19; Amilyn is 16; Kanan and Hera are 29ish; Zeb and Kallus are 35ish

1 – Pellaeon becomes Lord Marshall; Lavinia is Chosen (by Thrawn) and exposes her father’s crimes; Palpatine flees Valdemar (going West, discovering he has a latent Mage-Gift, and meeting Mother Talzin); Kanan is blinded as Palpatine has his minions try to kill the three people responsible for his downfall (Kanan, Lavinia, and Pellaeon) - Obi-Wan is 48; Padme is 46; Anakin is approx. 41; Bail is 50; Breha is 49; Palps is 75; Leia is 18; Lavinia is 16; Ezra is 17; Lando is 20; Amilyn is 17; Kanan and Hera are 30ish; Zeb and Kallus are 36ish; Pellaeon is 50

2 – Zeb and Kallus get their first kids; Ezra is put into full Whites; Amilyn goes on her Journeyman period - Obi-Wan is 49; Padme is 47; Anakin is approx. 42; Bail is 51; Breha is 50; Palps is 76; Leia is 19; Lavinia is 17; Ezra is 18; Lando is 21; Amilyn is 18; Kanan and Hera are 31ish; Zeb and Kallus are 37ish; Pellaeon is 51; Orryn and Mirah, are approx. 5

3 – Han meets Lando and is Chosen (by Chewie); I’m guessing Jacen is born around now, too? - Obi-Wan is 50; Padme is 48; Anakin is approx. 43; Bail is 52; Breha is 51; Palps is 77; Leia is 20; Lavinia is 18; Ezra is 19; Lando is 22; Amilyn is 19; Kanan and Hera are 32ish; Zeb and Kallus are 38ish; Pellaeon is 52; Han is 22

4 – Zeb and Kallus by now have all five kids probably? - Obi-Wan is 51; Padme is 49; Anakin is approx. 44; Bail is 53; Breha is 52; Palps is 78; Leia is 21; Lavinia is 19; Ezra is 20; Lando is 23; Amilyn is 20; Kanan and Hera are 33ish; Zeb and Kallus are 39ish; Pellaeon is 53; Han is 23; Nikolai is 14/15; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 9ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 7

5 – To the delight of their friends, Han and Leia finally start sleeping together and there is substantially less UST floating around - Obi-Wan is 52; Padme is 50; Anakin is approx. 45; Bail is 54; Breha is 53; Palps is 79; Leia is 22; Lavinia is 20; Ezra is 21; Lando is 24; Amilyn is 21; Kanan and Hera are 34ish; Zeb and Kallus are 40ish; Pellaeon is 54; Han is 24; Nikolai is 15/16; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 10ish; Mirah and Orryn approx. 8

6 – Lando and Lavinia start sleeping together regularly, but it’s Just Casual Let’s Not Make It Weird - Obi-Wan is 53; Padme is 51; Anakin is approx. 46; Bail is 55; Breha is 54; Palps is 80; Leia is 23; Lavinia is 21; Ezra is 22; Lando is 25; Amilyn is 22; Kanan and Hera are 35ish; Zeb and Kallus are 41ish; Pellaeon is 55; Han is 25; Nikolai is 16/17; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 11ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 9

9 – Shamie tells their dads they want to be a Sunpriest, studying with Chirrut in the Haven Temple; if he hasn’t already, Palpatine decides he no longer needs Mother Talzin and kills her; he starts building his power base/collection of client states in earnest - Obi-Wan is 56; Padme is 54; Anakin is approx. 49; Bail is 58; Breha is 57; Palps is 83 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 26; Lavinia is 24; Ezra is 25; Lando is 28; Amilyn is 25; Kanan and Hera are 38ish; Zeb and Kallus are 44ish; Pellaeon is 58; Han is 28; Nikolai is 19/20; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 14ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 12

10 – Leia and Han get married; Lavinia and Lando finally admit that Okay It’s Probably Not Casual - Obi-Wan is 57; Padme is 55; Anakin is approx. 50; Bail is 59; Breha is 58; Palps is 84 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 27; Lavinia is 25; Ezra is 26; Lando is 29; Amilyn is 26; Kanan and Hera are 39ish; Zeb and Kallus are 45ish; Pellaeon is 59; Han is 29; Nikolai is 20/21; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 15ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 13

12 – Jaina is born; Lavinia and Lando probably Officially Get Married or something - Obi-Wan is 59; Padme is 57; Anakin is approx. 52; Bail is 61; Breha is 60; Palps is 86 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 29; Lavinia is 27; Ezra is 28; Lando is 31; Amilyn is 28; Kanan and Hera are 41ish; Zeb and Kallus are 47ish; Pellaeon is 61; Han is 31; Nikolai is 22/23; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 17ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 15

[ARC 3]

-2 – Anakin dies. - Obi-Wan is 62; Padme is 60; Anakin was approx. 55; Bail is 64; Breha is 63; Palps is 89 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 32; Lavinia is 30; Ezra is 31; Lando is 34; Amilyn is 31; Kanan and Hera are 44ish; Zeb and Kallus are 50ish; Pellaeon is 64; Han is 34; Nikolai is 25/26; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 20ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 18; Jaina is 3

-1 – Obi-Wan dies, then Padme; Leia becomes Queen (Han is also technically King at this point, crowned and everything, but this is generally considered Leia’s reign rather than Leia and Han’s reign as Co-Consorts) - Obi-Wan was 63; Padme was 61; Bail is 65; Breha is 64; Palps is 90 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 33; Lavinia is 31; Ezra is 32; Lando is 35; Amilyn is 32; Kanan and Hera are 45ish; Zeb and Kallus are 51ish; Pellaeon is 65; Han is 35; Nikolai is 26/27; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 21ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 19; Jaina is 4

0 – Bail dies; Lavinia becomes Queen’s Own; Thrawn Chooses Pellaeon (who is a little bit What about the whole thing) - Bail was 66; Breha is 65; Palps is 91 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 34; Lavinia is 32; Ezra is 33; Lando is 36; Amilyn is 33; Kanan and Hera are 46ish; Zeb and Kallus are 52ish; Pellaeon is 66; Han is 36; Nikolai is 27/28; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 22ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 20; Jaina is 5

1 – Elena and Alysia are born - Breha is 66; Palps is 92 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 35; Lavinia is 33; Ezra is 34; Lando is 37; Amilyn is 34; Kanan and Hera are 47ish; Zeb and Kallus are 53ish; Pellaeon is 67; Han is 37; Nikolai is 28/29; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 23ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 21; Jaina is 6

2 – Baby Anakin is born - Breha is 67; Palps is 93 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 36; Lavinia is 34; Ezra is 35; Lando is 38; Amilyn is 35; Kanan and Hera are 48ish; Zeb and Kallus are 54ish; Pellaeon is 68; Han is 38; Nikolai is 29/30; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 24ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 22; Jaina is 7; Elena and Alysia are 1

4 – Palpatine starts his real push at the Border and so there is War; Lavinia and Rolan go to work building a network through his client-states; Kallus has probably taken Cassian on has his Second by now - Breha is 69; Palps is 95 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 38; Lavinia is 36; Ezra is 37; Lando is 40; Amilyn is 37; Kanan and Hera are 50ish; Zeb and Kallus are 56ish; Pellaeon is 70; Han is 40; Nikolai is 31/32; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 26ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 24; Jaina is 9; Elena and Alysia are 3; bb!Anakin is 2; Cassian is 35ish (maybe a bit older?)

6 – Jaina is Chosen (by Winter) - Breha is 71; Palps is 97 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 40; Lavinia is 38; Ezra is 39; Lando is 42; Amilyn is 39; Kanan and Hera are 52ish; Zeb and Kallus are 58ish; Pellaeon is 72; Han is 42; Nikolai is 33/34; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 28ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 26; Jaina is 11; Elena and Alysia are 5; bb!Anakin is 4; Cassian is 37ish

6/7 – Final battle with Palpatine; Lavinia’s diplomacy fragments his army; Ezra and Ventress and their Semi-Controlled Chaos carve a path; Leia slays him on the field - Breha is 71/72; Palps was 97/98 (but doesn’t look it because Magic); Leia is 40/41; Lavinia is 38/39; Ezra is 39/40; Lando is 42/43; Amilyn is 39/40; Kanan and Hera are 52/53ish; Zeb and Kallus are 58/59ish; Pellaeon is 72/72; Han is 42/43; Nikolai is 33-35; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 28/29ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 26/27; Jaina is 11/12; Elena and Alysia are 5/6; bb!Anakin is 4/5; Cassian is 37/38ish

8 – Poe is Chosen (by Baby/BB-8) and comes to Haven; Breha has probably passed away by now but I’m not sure exactly when - Leia is 42; Lavinia is 40; Ezra is 41; Lando is 44; Amilyn is 41; Kanan and Hera are 54ish; Zeb and Kallus are 60ish; Pellaeon is 74; Han is 44; Nikolai is 35/36; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 30ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 28; Jaina is 13; Elena and Alysia are 7; bb!Anakin is 6; Cassian is 39ish; Poe is 14

13 – Lavinia dies; Finn and Rey are Chosen (by Shaak-Ti and Rolan, respectively) and come to Haven; Rose comes to Haven and she and bb!Anakin enter Healer’s Collegium at the same time - Leia is 47; Lavinia was 45; Ezra is 46; Lando is 49; Amilyn is 46; Kanan and Hera are 59ish; Zeb and Kallus are 65ish; Pellaeon is 79 (and has Retired by now); Han is 49; Nikolai is 40/41; Julyta probably the same or a bit older(?); Shamie is 35ish; Mirah and Orryn are approx. 33; Jaina is 18; Elena and Alysia are 12; bb!Anakin is 11; Cassian is 44ish; Poe is 19; Finn and Rey are 13; Rose is 11

Not in the timeline because Space (and also too many additional characters/ages to add): - Anatole and Ziya probably get married somewhere around when Leia and Han do (year 10 of part 2); he’s 22/23 and she’s about Nikolai’s age. Pavel goes into the Guard at roughly the same time, at 18/19; serves with distinction during Palpatine’s invasion; transitions to spying/covert ops type stuff somehow, working as an agent for whoever the Herald Spymaster is at this point (maybe Cassian? Doubling as Weaponsmaster (when said position is filled by a Herald) makes a lot more sense than doubling as Monarch’s Own, and those are the two we’ve seen…plus it would make sense with Cassian’s canon backstory.)

- Sergey, Alexsi, and Sofya are probably born in reasonable intervals over the next 10 years; Sergey will eventually be Chosen. Spellings on the boys’ names are still subject to change.

- Irene is still a Healer; though she’s a few years younger than bb!Anakin and Rose, probably 4 or 5 when they enter the Collegium.

- Bodhi and Jyn are still a big ol’ question mark (though I'm leaning towards her being the Companion and him the Herald?).

- Baze and Chirrut are around Kallus and Zeb’s age, maybe 5-10 years older. Chirrut is the Priest in the Haven Temple; Baze is retired Guard and currently a blacksmith.

#miscellania #open question night #valdemar au #shadowsong complains about writing #shadowsong writes star wars #shadowsong writes crossovers #au outlines for the win

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permian-tropos · 6 years

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Interlude: the Imperialis, twenty-five years ago, again

(my first -- is it really first? -- Galli & Palpatine fic, inspired by a cool fic I’ll link at the bottom. CW abuse, brief mentions of body horror)

“Before you,” the old man rasps, gnarled fingers splayed and fluttering around the small golden goblet like an illusionist showing off an item he is about to magic out of existence, “is the most dreadful, dangerous concoction. Quite possibly the most terrifying ever created. I want you to guess its effect, dear boy. I want your imagination to run wild with possibilities.”

Those yellow eyes curdle Galli’s blood. Tightening his grip on the armrests of the chair, he does as he’s asked and imagines the worst. It should be easy. All he has to do is imagine what would happen if he fails this test.

It can’t be death, too simple, so it could be something painful. It might melt the organs slowly. Worse than that — it might be full of parasites that would grow in your gut and then start burrowing through your body, hollowing you out and keeping you alive, until you are a mass of holes and creepy-crawlies scuttling in and out of them. When he first learned of death, Galli was so little he didn’t understand that bodies felt nothing, and for years he hated the mice that he feared might start nibbling on his body if he slept too soundly.

But it isn’t imaginative enough. A child’s nightmares. He is no child. He is a man. Galli lifts his chin and forces himself to stare into the Emperor’s reptilian gaze.

He is afraid of the man — so afraid, in fact, that it brings a paralyzing fog. Calm acceptance starts to roll in. And then a strange compulsion to lunge forward and swallow the contents of the cup. Take on the worst, and prove that he is brave. Because, and this is a transcendently blasphemous thought, between Palpatine and the cup, Galli is to believe that the cup is the more dreadful. And it sits there so harmlessly. Easily fitting in his hand.

No — imagine, whatever is in the cup, is the last thing in the universe you would want to taste. It will make you hate music. It will deaden your soul to opera, it will slaughter your destiny, it will send you back to Jakku. It will make you want to go back to Jakku. It will have you kneeling in the burning sand and repeating prayers for the rest of your miserable life until your body turns to dust. Because it will make you believe you deserve that.

Galli tries to force sound out of his throat. He has the answer, so he must speak.

Palpatine laughs. “I can sense your fear. Vivid, isn’t it? How it brings clarity to the mind?”

“Yes, sir,” Galli nods.

“Then what do you think is in the goblet?”

Dry-mouthed, Galli parts his lips. “Guilt,” he whispers. “It makes you feel ashamed.”

The Emperor pauses, and begins to cackle. “Oh, you ridiculous boy. I commend your effort. But it is a trite answer. Clever for the sake of cleverness.”

Galli feels — ashamed. Terribly so. He feels angry, too, because he thinks Palpatine might be wrong. There is nothing worse than shame, nothing more nauseating.

“It is subservience,” Palpatine continues sharply. “But of the most appalling kind. You see, Galli, as you sit shivering in your chair, you are afraid of me because you know I can kill you. And that is right, for you to fear. And to feel yourself strengthened by that fear, until you have mastered control over your mind, your body, every facet of your being, all in the service of staying alive. But this draught offers a kind of subservience that robs you of dignity. You will be a slavering, slobbering servant to everyone you meet. Anything they ask, you will do. And it will please you so utterly. Their whims are your whims, their pains are your pains. You will be consumed, torn apart from all sides, quite literally dissolving into the cosmos with a blissful, idiotic grin on your face.”

Again anger blazes in the back of Galli’s mind. But that’s what I meant! He can’t possibly speak this aloud. The most condemning thing of all might be that it is true, but for him to know this, he had to have allowed himself a spare moment of weakness. A moment to despise himself for everything he has done. In a sense, he has already tasted the potion, and learned how potent it could be. The man sitting in front of him surely knows nothing of guilt. And this is why his wizardry is powerful enough to pinch Galli’s life out of existence.

Palpatine taps a fingernail against the goblet. “And like all poisons, it is a popular drug among the vulgar crowds. Metaphorically, of course. But it is so cunningly conceived in its liquid form. A masterful creation.”

“May I hold it?” Galli asks. “The cup?”

Confusion, or intrigue, flashes in the Emperor’s features. “Of course not.” He grasps the goblet by its stem. “I know what you’re thinking. I know… that it tempts you.”

Galli has not yet admitted that to himself. But it’s true. An unconscious part of his mind has been scheming. It thinks this promised idiot’s death will be better than life. And Galli recoils from the realization, revolted. He has never wished to die — except that he has, again and again, made such peace with the notion — but this is not who he is.

Or perhaps it is who Galli is. But that boy is a pathetic creature. The man he will become will be hewn with keener tools. Cutting away and discarding every scab and callus and cancerous lump on his soul that grew from festering under the Jakku sun.

Palpatine lifts the goblet to his lips and downs the draught in one gulp.

Galli is not shocked. His mind rearranges itself in a flash. He knows Palpatine would never do this. So it did not happen, or it was not what it seemed. It was a test. The test-giver cannot be wrong.

Seconds later, a low hissing sound starts up. Like a sand-snake slithering out of its den. Galli’s eyes do widen, when Palpatine bares his teeth in a grin, and black steam pours out from between them. It rises and curls around the man’s pale, wrinkled face.

“To answer your — insolent, unspoken — question. No. Of the two, I am still the more terrifying. You see how even it fears me.”

Dizzy with mortification, Galli nods.

Palaptine flicks two fingers at him, as if brushing Galli out of the room as he would a speck of dust from his cloak. “Now begone, boy. I hope you’ve learned something of value here.”

The black liquid comes from @unspeakablehorror’s highly entertaining Palpatine redemption fic Heart of Shadow. Because it has the power to force people to, well, be less villainous, and because the fic is set when Palps is still just an apprentice, I wondered about Palpatine being able to resist the effects at the height of his Sithly power, right around RotS era, when he’s absolutely basking in his own evil. And having his own interpretation of what the effect even is.

Check it out if you want to see Palp being affected by the liquid and having Shenanigans with Plagueis and baby Maul and Mother Talzin.

#gallius rax #sheev palpatine #aftermath trilogy #my fic #my post

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sl-walker · 6 years

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for the DVD commentary thing: Calling to join them the wretched and joyful is a bit over 500 words but it's so so interesting, I'd love to know Everything. or Words if you want to do that?

I get very wordy.

All right. The opening story of Witness me. XD If you (general you) haven’t guessed yet, I am a big fan of Legends continuity. Partly because I actually was in this fandom (as a reader, not a creator) back in 1999! Legitimately having lightsaber battles with my sister at night, got to watch the Sith Academy develop from almost the beginning, actually figured out I was queer because of it, in the fandom from 1999.

But anyway, being in the fandom from 1999, my knowledge of Maul-lore didn’t start with Rebels or TCW, obviously, let alone Disney wiping out all prior canon. And much like the rest of the world at the time, TPM was a bit disappointing in some ways, but holy shit that duel at the end. I still liked Qui-Gon quite a bit back then (though even then I squinted at him for how he foisted Anakin off onto Obi-Wan), so obviously I wasn’t too pleased with Maul killing him, but on the other hand, I was sorely disappointed they offed such a skilled, talented villain, too.

Wow, am I backtracking.

Anyway, I love Ray Park. I love how he took dueling up about thirty notches. And to this very day, there is no lightsaber duelist in the Star Wars saga – ALL OF IT – who touches him. His footwork just constantly blows me away. I could watch just his feet a thousand times (and have), never mind his damned skill with the saberstaff! You won’t find better. There is no better.

Ray did something pretty awesome with Maul; he was showing off, but he was also very clearly a warrior in the tradition of the samurai, too. I didn’t need anyone to write any additional material to see that this guy believed in honor. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t need to, he didn’t play around with the Force, he fought honorably, and I’ll go down to the mat against anyone who tries to say otherwise. So, out of all of the villains in this franchise – Palps, who raises the bar on melodrama, Vader, who one-lines pretty amazingly but is still definitely not a dude who believes in fair play, etc. etc – here you have this devastatingly skilled, seems pretty honorable, quiet type. Maul was unique. Thus, he was interesting. Thus, I ended up keeping up with new material even after I was long out of the fandom on the regular. I, unlike many it seems, was not actually shocked by the Episode I journal, because the best writers in the (very very small) fandom already had been on that track before it was published and it seemed pretty intuitive to me that hey, Sith training would probably be pretty fucking awful.

Heh. This might now be longer than the story.

Anyway. So, having extended canon, at the time, validate repeatedly what I’d already pretty much decided on in my mind was pretty hella. Right down to Maul, despite all fucking odds of upbringing, believing in honor. When I heard about them offing him in Rebels, it sent me on a kick back into the fandom because dude, been watching this guy off and on since ‘99. I caught up on anything I’d missed, and since I couldn’t exorcise him from my brain, I ended up writing Adding shadows. Because like I said, Sith Academy. Obi/Maul was my fandom OTP from the start. XD Even if, obviously, the Sith Academy was parody, it still got me on that shipping train and I never got off of it.

@inthepurplefog told me, after that, to go back to the beginning.

Because I’m a big fan, obviously, of Legends continuity, I wanted to bridge the gap there was between Kycina claiming him and Talzin claiming him, and so it made perfect sense to me that since it’s canon that Talzin can possess people, she possessed Kycina and thusly, Maul had two mothers who both had a legitimate claim on him, though in very different ways. I wanted to make that make sense.

I also kind of wanted to touch on the sacrifice Kycina made. Because in Darth Plagueis (the book), it’s clear she’s definitely not socialized like normal-people socialized. She seems kind of like a cult victim who got away for just long enough to save this son she bore, who she nursed, who she loved.

To get really personal? I’m a mother. I know just how incredibly fiercely you can love a child, and just how much danger you would put yourself in for them, and just how far you’d go to protect them. I channeled some of that into writing it.

There was also some element of fuck you in there, tbh. Because in a fandom that can decry Obi-Wan almost being sent to the AgriCorps at thirteen, in a fandom that can sit there and gasp in horror at how unfairly Jedi raise children sometimes, or be offended by them being ready to boot Anakin out, they seem to often take the view that Maul must have been born evil. At the least, they rarely bother to look at him and ask questions. Or, indeed, realize that he was once an infant.

So, Calling also was a bit of bird-flipping. He was a baby. He smiled. He loved his mother and knew her face, and she loved him back and tried to save him from spending his life as a slave, to be used and discarded. And the real tragedy is that in trying to save him, she condemned him to something even worse.

I also wanted to parallel Kycina and Maul, specifically in the context of Witness me. Both of them draw the same line in the sand and then they hold that line even when it hurts, even when it might be the last thing they do, and that line is drawn for both of them out of genuine, honest love, even though neither of them were taught how to do it, or had good role models or even the freedom to explore it. Even as damaged as they are, they draw that line and they dig in and hold it.

Not you.

For Kycina, her second son. For Maul, Obi-Wan first, then later others.

But in that, the son who never got to know his mother keeps part of her alive anyway.

SO! Have a whole dissertation since I didn’t sleep at all last night, as to why I wrote that story and how.

#witness me #meta #doorsclosingslowly

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doorsclosingslowly · 7 years

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If this is too many feel free to pick and choose: 3 - Savage, 6 - Finn, 17 - Maul, and 28 - Anakin

@darthbiscuits I’m so sorry for how long it’s taken me to answer this!!!

Do they exercise, and if so, what do they do? How often? (Savage)

On Dathomir, Savage is moving constantly. He trains, first with hisolder brothers and then his peers and the children he raises, so that he andthey will have a chance at surviving the trials. Quite often, he can evenforget the purpose of training and just sink into the joy of sparring withpeople he loves. Also: he spends very little of his time sitting around,anyway, because his days are taken up with hunting trips to make sure thevillage can eat, and the hut repairs he volunteers for, and the rest of histime he plays with Feral and with other children or plays games with hisfriends. If he wasn’t as fit or as good at fighting – and there are brotherswho aren’t, who aren’t just constantly moving without thinking about it – if hewasn’t as good, then he’d get reminded to exercise by the village elders,because those skills are a matter of pride for the village and also what maykeep them alive when the Sisters come and select them for the trials. ButSavage is sporty enough that he doesn’t have to think about that much, and so hedoesn’t.

After Talzin’s ritual, there are few reasons to exercise: The muscles onhis magical body don’t waste with inactivity the way normal muscles do, andhe’s stronger than most people he meets and everybody he fights. When he’soverpowered, it’s not because of physical strength or even reflexes. Which ispretty useful, because with the loss of his village Savage also loses mostopportunities for moving thoughtlessly. There are no more huts to build andbirds to hunt or people to spar with, and the spaceship’s not spacious enoughto even go for a run. He’s jittery for a long while after he leaves and itchingto do SOMETHING, his body misses constantly moving around, but Savage is waytoo depressed and lonely to think too deeply about that. Occasionally he fightssomeone and the itch goes away, but so what? Nothing’s better. He’s stillalone. Feral’s still dead by Savage’s own hand.

He only really gets back into exercising when he meets Maul, becauseMaul trains religiously. Loves it. Will do it whenever possible. And Maul nevereven asks Savage whether it’s necessary or useful (there are limits to how muchSavage can change his new magical body; the muscles can’t waste but they can’tget bulked up either). He also never asks whether Savage WANTS to join in,because he thinks, Savage’s his apprentice now, right? Of course Savage willtrain with him. This is what apprentices DO. Not that he needed to ask, sinceSavage would never decline an opportunity to spend time with his bro, and itgives him something back he never really realized he missed. Out of all theSith apprentice tasks, it’s by far the most enjoyable. Much better thanmeditation. Sitting still is HARD and BORING. (He gets closest to actuallymeditating when Maul gets him into doing weight training.) Savage’s still workingon his debate skills though, because he hasn’t yet managed to convince Maul toplay ball games.

Eating habits and sample daily menu (Finn)

So Finngrew up with VERY standardized food. Ration bars, porridge, other stuff as longas it was nutritionally sound, could be made for ten thousand people at onceand then be wolfed down in fifteen minutes, that’s what the stormtrooper cadetsgot. Basically cafeteria food cranked up by a million. Nothing fancy, ever.Finn didn’t even truly hate it, but then he had nothing to compare it to andlittle time to think about food instead of how to be the perfect stormtrooperand hide they ways he always knew he wasn’t what they were looking for and keep the people he wanted to be friends with alive

TheResistance are also feeding masses of people, obviously, but they’re much morediverse in terms of species and always strapped for cash, so the food varies bywhich ingredients are local or in season or cheap right now and which cook hasplanned it and there are always tens of options, at least. Finn usually doesn’tgo to the mess alone, he goes with his medcenter friends or with the pilots orwith a nice woman he helped with her cleaning shift or the mechanics or some ofhis other new friends, and most days with Poe and/or Rey, too. They get as manydifferent dishes as possible and swap food around (Finn learns quickly what’sedible for which species, he is the Responsible one in most of his friendgroups). When there’s something that no-one likes, they give it to Rey (whichFinn honestly still kinda feels guilty about, no matter how often Rey says,“Hey, are you eating this?”) Mealtimes are fun, and most of the time Finn doeseat in the mess hall, because there’s simply too much to do. The community and the variety of foods are the point of eating, he decides.

He doescook, though! Whenever there’s time. He cooks for Rey and Poe and Rose, mostly,but Poe’s friends also have a regular Come Dine With Me type night (which Iwrote about in this fic here). He is pretty good, although sometimes he has somuch fun with all the different foodstuffs and spices and textures that existout there that his food is a bit inedible, unless you’re Rey. (Poe makes avaliant effort too, he swears that he loves this food because Finn cooked itand he loves Finn, but sometimes you can see the disgust and tears in his eyes.) Jess Pava gets Finn intobaking shortly after that, she has massive scrapbooks of Pantoran recipes fromwhen she was little and lived with her great-grandparents, and Poe swears heput on ten kg in the year Finn was perfecting his baking skills but it’s allworth it (Finn gets awarded honorary Pantoran citizenship for his fruit cakestbh)

And when Luke Skywalker cooks the first hotpot for Finn he remembers the flavour and feels like he’scoming home.

Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding dress (Maul)

For a REALLYlong time the only clothes Maul likes are his Sith robes. They’re what he feels safe in – or closest to safe, anyway – and what he’s used to. The only thing that’s left ofthe life he’s used to, really, and for as long as he clings to his identity as ‘Sithapprentice’ he will wear nothing else. Gradually, he starts choosing clothes for ease of movement, though, and that’s basically how he ends up shirtless so often. You don’t have to worry about entangling yourself in your massive cloak if you don’t wear it. Also, the feeling of sunshine on his skin is a surprising luxury.

Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy? (Anakin)

This is one of those times where it would be useful if I didn’t chooseEU stuff to read by asking, “Is this about Vader’s miserable existence? OrFinn? Or Maul? or a cheap learning-to-read book about Savage don’t judge me”I’m pretty sure Anakin’s friendly with some Padawans somewhere in the EU butI’ve never read that, so… The people he’s closest to are: Obi-Wan (whoseapproval he constantly seeks and never really feels like he gets it. Thereisn’t really the equality you’d have with a friendship, since Obi-Wan’s histeacher, and he’s mostly slotted into father-figure in Anakin’s mind tbh),Ahsoka (also not an equal relationship, he loves her and she loves him but theyboth know he’s her teacher and there are ways you can’t confide in someone thatyou’re meant to be an example to), Padmé, R2 and Palpatine. After AOTC I thinkAnakin sees his wife as his closest friend and the one person he can talk toabout everything – even though his hang-ups mean he doesn’t really tell hereverything in ROTS especially. R2’s his buddy, the one friend he spends most ofhis time with and they mostly just ARE next to each other and it’s nice. Heonly really spends time with either of them after he’s 19, though, and beforethat, Anakin’s best (and only) trusted friend was Palps. Which is how Palpsliked it tbh and he was really angry with Padmé for spoiling Anakin’sdependence on him

His worst enemy is always the person who’s currently hurting his family, or rather: the person who’s going to hurt Anakin’s family and Anakin cando nothing to protect them. Watto threatens Shmi, but Anakin remembers the bombs inside his and his mother’s bodies and dreams of the slave rebellion. Dooku starts the Clone Wars and threatens Padmé’sRepublic and forces Obi-wan and Anakin to risk their lives in a war againsthim, but he is far from the frontlines and he beat them when they fought him. Sidious is pulling the strings behind the war, but Anakin doesn’t even know who he is, and when he does – if he kills Sidious he won’t be able to save Padmé, and so he kneels down and hates himself and hates his Master. Then, Anakin strangled his wife and killed her and the child,(he believes, anyway) and he swore himself to Sidious and killed the Jedi younglings. He destroyed everything he loved. And there is nothing he can do now because there’s nothing left, no-one to protect because he killed them, and Master will not let him die, so he dedicates himself to the Empire and hates himself until he can believe that it was necessary and that he is just an instrument, and who’d call a weapon their worst enemy.

#darthbiscuits #under the cut because long

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