#arcmaiden bts

[naberiie]

final chapter of FWS is titled “half agony, half hope”; the epilogue is titled “lionhearts”

:)

[naberiie]

i’ve started writing the epilogue, the final final chapter, of From Which Stars.

...doesn’t quite feel real, man

[naberiie]

I found this on Kellar’s Instagram and it reminded me of the winter wear the handmaidens have in FWS. Love your story and I thought you might find this cool!

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OH MAN i am SO sorry i had no idea this was just sitting in my inbox!! tumblr has been refusing to show me notifications lately ;-; thank u so much!! i DO and now you’ve given me an excuse to talk about nabooian clothes and worldbuilding! :D

if i’m not mistaken, this is padmé’s snow bunny (lol) outfit from the 2003 clone wars show! a winter version of her geonosis outfit. for FWS, @evaceratops​ and i were inspired by these pictures of women in yuán lǐng páo ( 圆领袍 ), a type of men’s hànfú during the ming dynasty!

though they share some similarities with the handmaidens’ battlerobes in cut, general silhouette, collar construction, and robe length, the important things to be noted for the hànfú-inspired winter wear are tighter sleeves and the single long overcoat piece that covers both the front and the back of the legs. to name a few key differences: the handmaidens’ battlerobes look to be made up of two separate pieces, some sort of bodysuit and an overcoat; the top is secured down the front instead of being crossed at the chest and secured around the waist; the skirts are open at the front and pinned to the waist instead of having slits on the sides. the closely tailored sleeves and single long overcoat would have been WAY better for keeping warm during colder missions than the open-robe look for the battle gear, and definitely a lot warmer than padmé’s skintight snow bunny outfit. we also added a thicker coat/cloak with a hood for extra warmth! can’t fight droids if ur not cute

naboo being a temperate world, cold-weather gear would have come after contact with other systems and been influenced by said systems, but would still have kept a traditional nabooian design template as its base. the richly embroidered cuffs and exposed inner linings at the collars would be a great place to keep the ornate and highly detailed aesthetic leanings of the naboo present while also being more practical for cold weather. the silhouette of these hànfú, the fabrics, and construction of these pieces all nicely slot in with the aesthetic that we see in the films. unfortunately, dressing the galaxy does not have a spread or more details for the battlerobes, so i am mostly running on what visual similarities i can glean for influences for those particular costumes. likely, the battlerobes were inspired by hànfú but nowhere near an exact match.

the snow bunny costume was still trying to keep padmé’s figure visible and wouldn’t have kept her very warm unless she was using some extremely impressive Space Fabric, though i am a fan of the puffballs!

[naberiie]

I reread FWS in 4 days (maybe less? Time is odd) instead of starting to pack to go home for the rest of fall semester (per uni Covid safety requirements for the holidays) and I'd say oops but it was totally intentional

i would apologize for distracting u from To-Do Lists and Packing and other such important tasks but i think we all know that this is literally my favorite type of message to receive - tho i’m glad ur getting off campus and going home!! i can’t imagine how stressful being a student on campus right now must be.

i offer a bonus snippet for ur troubles, stay safe!! 💙💗

Another five minutes, and they came to a heavily secured gate of more modern make. One of the RSF personnel produced a keycard and the gate opened with barely a sound. They slipped through and found themselves in a sort of wide atrium with a gently curving roof. Carved tunnels branched off in four separate directions, but Sabé strode confidently towards one of the middle paths.

“Where do the others lead?” Echo asked, breaking the focused silence as he stared off towards the others.

Eirtaé glanced over her shoulder. “Family catacombs, most likely.”

“You don’t know for sure?”

She smiled. “Maybe a prison keep? Labor for the mines, once upon a time.”

Echo shuddered and muttered, “Wouldn’t like to be imprisoned in a place like this. You’d forget what sunlight looked like.”

“Lucky we’re not staying long,” Rabé murmured, and Fives could hear the smile in her voice, and his very bones ached. “We’ll get you to the sunlight again, Echo.”

“Much appreciated.” Echo replied, pleased.

[naberiie]

an analysis of five lines.

[id: a screenshot of a dialogue between Naboo handmaiden Rabé and former King Ari Veruna, from chapter 23 of the arcmaiden fic From Which Stars Have We Fallen, to Meet Each Other Here?. It reads:

“Then your oaths are, in order, to Naboo, to the Royal House, and to Padmé Amidala.” He angled his head. “When Queen Amidala’s second term ended, your oath of loyalty to a specific monarch came to a natural close. Your oaths of loyalty to the throne and to the system, on the other hand, are still active. Queen Neeyutnee happens to sit on that throne now, but she will not sit there forever.”

“As the monarch, my loyalties are to her and her orders. Her wishes.”

“You did not swear oaths of loyalty to her person.”

“A technicality.” Rabé said, her cheeks suddenly as hot as flames.

“A critical distinction.”

She stared at him, shocked by the sheer simplicity of it. /end id]

The above interaction between Ari and Rabé is absolutely one of the most favorite sequences that I have EVER written, and it’s definitely inspired and informed by the Elemental Logic series (surprising absolutely no one). I wanted to examine it in depth as informed by the context of the rest of the fic, in particular how Fives’ and Rabé’s backgrounds informed their views of a potential relationship, the conversation in the shooting range (when she turns him down), and the roles Ari and Echo play in helping them come to terms with their emotional turmoil – because I’m proud of the subtle work being done here.

TL;DR: Fives is idealistic, Rabé is realistic, and they have been throughout the entirety of FWS. They were both wearing blinders towards different outlooks with regards to a potential relationship: Fives didn’t want to see the war, while it was the only thing Rabé could see. He is motivated by desire but allows her motivations of duty and loyalty to take the lead in how they approach their relationship. Rabé desperately needed someone to help her make sense of her emotions, her duties, and her desires, which all seemingly come into conflict with each other - and Ari Veruna does it in five lines.

At first glance, the conversation seems like an obvious statement of fact, when in actuality there are TONS of character work being dealt with underneath these few lines; characterization that has become more and more tangled throughout the entire fic. This is the moment when we first start to see it untangling itself; this conversation is the catalyst towards the endgame.

Desire vs. Duty: Background and Views

Fives desiring a romantic relationship with Rabé is explicitly an act of defiance against his situation and purpose. He has repeatedly considered how he is essentially cannon fodder, and about how he was created for a purpose without his consent. There have been times in FWS when he wonders if Rabé would want to be in a relationship with him at all, if she would even want to be with a clone trooper, a weapon. He was born to die for the Republic; his environment is brutal and unfair. And so he romanticizes his desires by saying “Hey! I’m a person and I want person things like fulfilling relationships and a purpose that I have chosen for myself.”

Rabé’s home and environment is, on the surface, very romantic. Underneath those rose-colored lenses, however, the ‘modern’ Naboo we see is the result of a history teeming with violence and bloodshed and people sacrificing themselves for a cause they believe in. Her oaths of loyalty at the Order of Sanctuary were taken with full consent and understanding of how they would define, structure, and inform all decisions for the rest of her life.

Rabé chose her path, she chose to be a handmaiden, and therefore in her mind that decision means her planet, her people, and her monarch over all else. Fives did not choose his path, he didn’t choose to become a trooper, and therefore his act of rebellion is putting HIMSELF and what HE wants above this predetermined destiny someone else ordained for him - but he respects and loves Rabé enough to defer to her wishes, even when that act breaks their hearts.

Optimism and Negativity

Both Fives and Rabé only ever took the extremes into their account of a potential relationship: Fives the most exhilarating and passionate and optimistic, Rabé only the worst and most painful. She is absolutely quagmired in negativity and terror of the pain that might come, even though a part of her desperately wants to get on Fives’ level of optimism. She does want a relationship as much as he does, but the combination of both the war and her duties in it loom so large in her mind that she isn’t emotionally ready to take those steps. The conversation between Fives and Rabé in the shooting range brought Fives back to reality, that yes, the war is going on and will probably hurt them both, and it will likely hurt them even MORE if they got together. Fives can’t bring her towards his optimism and his consideration of the potential joy they might give each other, even as much as he desperately wants to – and he realizes this. This isn’t a role he can play for her, even though they both know she not only needs a guiding hand but desperately WANTS someone to help, and so he backs off to wait for someone who can.

Fives allowing himself to even imagine a happy thing for himself, one that’s all his own, is a minor act of mental rebellion against his reality and situation. Rabé is a dream that he allowed himself to get lost in, even for just a few weeks. However, he respects her so much that when Rabé tells him she wants to wait, that she’s not comfortable yet, he puts his own dreams on hold to wait for her. Fives has always been a trooper who DEMANDS better of his situation, he wants to be seen and RESPECTED… but he isn’t about to force Rabé into something she’s not ready for. He recognizes and respects her boundaries, and pulls back to wait.

Echo and Ari both help take their blinders off for them. Echo validates both Fives’ pain and the potential joy that Fives sees and wants. Ari - someone who understands her culture, her background, and her conflicts - leads Rabé out of that swamp of negatvitiy by making that “critical distinction” (my favorite sentence of this chapter hands down) of what her duties are, where they lie, and by reminding her that her own wishes and desires are just as important as her duties to the throne and her home. Ari’s words, his clear logic, guides her out and towards the happy ending that both Fives and Rabé want.

[naberiie]

time for my Weekly Handmaiden Rabé Appreciation Post [aka FWS xxiv snippet!]:

The city was too quiet.

Rabé, chin resting in her hands, watched unblinking as the sun disappeared behind Nephrait, painting the ancient seat of House Tapalo a brilliant, eye-searing gold. She watched, unblinking, a deep coil of tension almost like nausea tensing in her guts, as lights sprang on in empty homes, abandoned shops, around still canals and broad malls and transit platforms used only by ghosts. Docks received and sent shuttles fixed on autopilot, transporting empty cargo holds. No sentient hands touched those lights; they’d all be set on timers to give the impression of a still-inhabited city, on her orders. The Separatist base would know something was wrong if the entire city had simply shut down, therefore the energy output needed to remain at normal levels.

But it was silent. She could hear the rumble of the trains as they departed on schedule, entirely empty of commuters, and it made the knot of nausea tangle ever tighter.

This was by design. This was my plan. It’s not like the invasion. The people are safe. It’s not like the invasion.

She repeated the words, still and staring out over the ghost city, mentally untangling the coiled fear in her stomach by focusing on one cargo bay close by. One bay that would receive one shuttle, one shuttle of many, one that would be transporting actual living beings. One shuttle that would be carrying…

The knot dissolved when she thought of Fives’ kind smile, his boisterous laugh. Fear replaced eagerness, fear of the emptiness replaced by a nervous sort of excitement, anticipation, hope. Rabé took a deep breath, and focused hard on that cargo bay, leaving no room for ghosts.

[naberiie]

FWS, by my most recent reckoning, has...................... .................. ............................... ..... ..............................................less than 8k left

...

bro

[naberiie]

preview of from which stars, xxiii. aphelion

On any other night, Fives ignoring the barflies to grab a drink before quietly making his way to an empty booth without a single glance around 79s would have been more than enough grounds for Echo to drag him - willing or not - to the nearest medbay.

He watched as a butter-yellow Twi’lek stood and began to move gracefully to their table, eyes as focused as a targeting computer. Before they’d managed three steps, Echo gestured for them to stop and firmly shook his head, staring at them until they moved away, flustered, to seek comfort in the arms of another. Judging by the pieces of a bad pickup line and subsequent delighted giggles he overheard a few moments later, they’d found some company more willing to appreciate their charms. Echo took a pull of his drink and silently, sincerely, wished the couple an entertaining and happy evening together.

Fives sighed into his glass and took a swig, for once in his life entirely oblivious to the attentions and intentions of the non-trooper patrons of 79s. Echo himself enjoyed chatting and dancing with them, but as soon as someone started to hopefully put down hints for other, more private ways to pass the night, he’d gently steer them towards his brothers. Usually, he’d steer them towards Fives - but tonight, Fives was more interested in Echo’s quiet company. He hadn’t noticed Echo deftly herding the Twi’lek away.

He hadn’t noticed the other three hopefuls, either.

They’d sat in companionable silence for a few drinks, watching the chaos of the club roar around them, but now it was time to talk. “How long are you expecting this pity-party to last, trooper?”

Fives glared at him for a moment and then leaned back in his chair, sighing again. “Dunno.”

“I’d just like to know so I can add ‘professional ARC hand-holder’ to my skills list,” Echo said, his voice light.

Fives snorted, which Echo proudly took as a hard-won victory. “Maybe a few more days. I’ll feel better when we’re actually on assignment somewhere. Take my mind off things.”

“We’ve got a new one tomorrow, I think.”

“Yeah.”

They were silent for another few minutes, Fives twirling his glass on the sticky tabletop and Echo quietly gesturing a truly stunning Human man away from the table with a quick glance. Of all the nights… he bemoaned to himself. You all have some truly bad timing.

The base of Fives’ glass landed on the table with a quiet thunk. “D’you think I’m an idiot, Echo?”

“Sure.”

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I.”