Beyond - Legends Thunderbolt and Lightning (2021 Fanfic Olympics - OC Chaos Twins Decathlon - Enter!verse AU)

I loved the teasing over Dorian's enjoying heroic Jedi stories The tone between the two is so light and affectionate. You can sense the sibling bond but also the friendship.

 

@earlybird-obi-wan

I really enjoy writing their relationship in any version of reality.

Well, the happy AU versions of them never fell, but in the main timeline, they've definitely done some monstrous things. But that's one of the things I like about writing these two - their dynamic is similar no matter what reality they're in, and it makes the darker versions of them even more tragic and frightening. They seem so normal... until they're not.

Thanks so much! Glad you've enjoyed the ride.




@JediMaster_Jen

Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked that final entry. Thanks for reading!




@Mira_Jade

You know I always love getting this sort of reaction because it means I've done something right.

(Also, fair warning, Mira: I have a lot of thoughts ahead. Enjoy. )

It really is fascinating! I wish I knew how my brain works. But I'm not going to complain, because it keeps taking me in directions I couldn't anticipate, and I'm so, so pleased with how the overall story of these characters has developed and continues to develop.

Lol, yeah, maybe just a tad.

He probably doesn't get enough credit for it, but Festus can actually be pretty funny, and I loved writing his introspection here.

It's like with the pirates - I know they need to be intimidating and all, but seriously, is no one worried about getting arrested or having their organization investigated or anything like that? I guess once you've got enough power it doesn't matter, but still. I'd go the subtle route, if it were me.

I really loved bringing up that connection to the other Sith. I know I've made a few mentions in EtF of the relationships between all of these Sith Lords, but it's been even more relevant as I've been working on the Ferrus fic, and I wanted to touch on that a little here. I don't know if you remember Raze - he was the Zabrak guy that Anakin disarmed (literally) on Ossus, before killing him on Vjun. He was a hothead for sure. Festus hated most of the One Sith, but I think he particularly hated the more brutish, physical fighters like Raze. (Also, this was me poking fun at Sith naming practices and my own part in following them. )

I really do love it.

Look, is it too much to ask that his brother stop daydreaming for a minute and pay attention to the mobsters who probably want to kill them?

You've got to appreciate his forthrightness here.

I know I go on about Festus being dramatic, but really? Ferrus is right up there with him.

Aw, this made me really happy to read! It gets boring to portray the same sort of fight over and over, so I needed a way to mix things up a bit. I'm not even sure why this little gag struck me, maybe because I needed something that would trip up a Force-user for a few seconds. It ended up being perfect, and like you said, helps give the whole scene that SW feel even while being about a bunch of murderers trying to murder each other. Obviously the twins' banter helps, too. They're so normal... until they're not.

That guy was probably dead the minute his boss threatened Festus and Ferrus, but he was definitely dead once he intercepted that lightsaber.

R.I.P. Femoral Artery Guy

Yep, and like I mentioned in previous replies, we're more used to seeing that sort of nonchalance from Festus, but Ferrus is just as casual about the violence they inflict. Maybe more casual, in a way, because I would say he's less aware of how terrible it all is. He's a bit disconnected from reality in that way, which becomes even more obvious later on in the bar scenes.

I'm glad you liked this whole part! I was really trying to pack a lot of characterization and relationship dynamics into a small space here. They've each developed their own coping mechanisms over the years, and those ways of coping don't really mesh well at all. Then you throw in Festus's devotion to Allana and Ferrus's jealousy of that, plus the continuation of their dynamics from childhood, when Ferrus picked on Festus for being different... yep, they're a mess, and I love diving into that.

I didn't quite realize it at this point, but already this fic was becoming a lot more than "Ferrus takes Festus drinking for the first time and hilarity ensues". Throughout this decathlon, I've wanted to keep a balance between the two brothers, but I know Festus tends to get a bit more of the spotlight. But even though this vignette is told through Festus's POV, it's just as much about Ferrus. And it's probably more of an honest portrait of Ferrus than it would have been if I'd written it from Ferrus's POV because - as was said elsewhere - Ferrus is better at lying to himself.

Also, my feelings definitely pulled up a chair here, too, and they kept leaning further and further over my shoulder the more I wrote, getting right up in my face, and yikes, I was not prepared.

Yep, Festus is still super creepy.

(What's really horrifying is when you realize why Festus is familiar enough with human anatomy to know exactly where the major arteries are and to target them even in the middle of a fight. )

This was literally my thought process when I first got the idea for Sith Lord bar night: "OMG I love this idea! But wait, it might actually be terrible. OR IT MIGHT BE AMAZING."

Poor introverted weirdo.

I really want to see this club now, I love this sort of lighting effect.

Nope, not creepy at all.

One of the things - of the many - that I enjoyed about writing this whole scene was how the twins basically default to their natural personalities here. Ferrus is magnetic and outgoing, whereas Festus is antisocial but observant.

They can be almost normal! (And I'm definitely on the Festus side of the equation here. Shots, man. I do not miss them. )

I love it way more than I should.

I had a lot of fun at Festus's expense.

Brothers.

It always comes back to their trauma, doesn't it? It's always right there under the surface, waiting to boil over. I think for Ferrus, surrendering control is about not thinking, not having to examine himself too closely. I don't think he's completely oblivious to his own evil, but I do think he compartmentalizes and rationalizes, and alcohol and sex are the means he uses to keep the knowledge of his own terribleness at bay. Because if he's caught up in these things that give him temporary pleasure, he doesn't have room in his head to think about all the things he's done. And if he's doing normal things, that makes him sort of normal, right? And hey, if he uses his violence to help people sometimes, that means he's not really a monster either.

As for Festus, well, he goes the opposite way. Most of his time with the doctor was spent strapped to that operating table, literally unable to move or escape or fight back in any way - so it's no wonder that he seizes every inch of control that he can, as soon as he can, and is unwilling to let it go. Meanwhile, he spends way too much time in his own head, where all his self-talk is about how monstrous and sick and twisted he is. Which leads into the comment about the face he puts on for the world. I'm going to quote something Gabri said over in the HTBM thread, because it was such a beautiful and succinct explanation for why Festus's unhinged persona is its own form of control:

​

And that's really how I've seen it for the longest time. His life was a continuous downward spiral from the moment the Sith took him, and he spent years on the edge of sanity, losing himself piece by piece. His confrontation with the doctor clinched it: if he was really such a good person deep down, how did he survive these horrific things? How can he do the things he's done since? And the realization he came to in that moment was that he wasn't a good person, that maybe he never had been, and maybe he was always going to become this monster. Which just sent him spiraling even further into depression and despair. It wasn't until he accepted Krayt's offer and became his apprentice that he felt he had any actual control over his life, and like Gabri said, that control manifested as a kind of insanity, because why fight it anymore?

Maybe a little of both? Or maybe more like a sullen, snarky drunk, which... isn't really much of a change, honestly.

Oh, absolutely.

Although I'd say Festus handles himself pretty well in IDWD, not long after this. Then again, that's a totally different type of dancing.

It's really a depressing existence when you think about it.

It's so true. I loved this insight, too. Loved it. (Even though ouch, yeah, it hurts.)

That has to be a lot for him to process, too, because as the years go by, he keeps that wall up more and more. Even when it's down, it's only so that he and Ferrus can work in unison. It's never just so they can connect with one another as brothers.

Hee, that was quite an illuminating lightsaber duel, wasn't it?

This is another example of how Festus and Ferrus see themselves in such different lights - Ferrus believes that his brutality, his violence, doesn't necessarily make him a bad person because he did what he had to in order to survive, whereas Festus knows how terrible they both are and is unable to see himself as anything less than a complete monster. The truth is really more complicated than either of them are willing to admit.

It really is interesting seeing those two vastly different outlooks reflected in their love lives (or lack thereof). For better or worse, Allana knows how horrible Festus is. She's experienced it firsthand. Festus accepts that nothing can or will happen, because of what he did to her and because someone good like her shouldn't ever be with someone like him. Meanwhile, Ferrus conceals his identity from Iselle, who is also a good person who would be rightly horrified to discover who he is. He's not doing it maliciously, but it's still dishonest and wrong. (And I think I got a bit rambly there, so I don't even know if that all made sense. )

My take on this is that, had they grown up with a healthy bond and without all the endless trauma, they wouldn't have had a problem managing their connection in a way that would allow for privacy, but because their relationship is so strained and yet so co-dependent, that has twisted their twin bond into a much darker version of itself. Which brings them to where they are here, and yeah... awkward.

I feel like every time I write an argument between these two, it's Festus evading and Ferrus inching closer and closer to what he actually wants to say... and this fight really felt like a product of every fight that's come before now. It might hurt to read (and sort of hurts to write), but I'm also glad to be diving deeper into all the issues between them.

And how the tables have turned, with Festus calling Ferrus out for his delusion. But that's the thing. Time and time again, Ferrus has been critical of Festus and his feelings for Allana, but that's what he wants. And Festus hates it when Ferrus lies to himself about what he is, but isn't that what Festus deep down wishes he could do? Isn't that what he does for a few brief moments in IDWD, when he's with Allana?

Again, it says something when Festus is the one telling Ferrus to snap out of it, because that's usually Ferrus's line. And you'd think Festus would be a little sympathetic because he's had this unrequited love for years and years, but it just makes him angry to see Ferrus pretending they aren't the super evil Sith Lords that they are, and ultimately, it makes him angry to see Ferrus getting something he can never have with Allana. Omigosh they're complete disasters, Mira. This is why I need the happy AU.

I'm really happy with how this argument turned out. Well, maybe happy isn't a good word for it, because it's awful, but it just flowed really well once it got going, and I'm glad to hear it read that way to you. This is definitely that thing that's been in the back of their minds for years, and it's linked to all of that blame and guilt, too. Who they were before the Sith, and who they are now, and why they became what they are.. just, ugh. I'm glad you loved it.

And to think I almost cut this exact section out. Not because I didn't think it was good, but because it was deeper than I'd anticipated going, and I wasn't sure I was quite ready for it? At least not here, at this time. So thank Gabri for telling me to keep it, because she was absolutely right, and this is truly how the fight was meant to play out. I tend to empathize with Festus more overall, but here? I'm with Ferrus. Names are so powerful, and this is a cry for help, one that Festus refuses to acknowledge because he can't see past his own demons. (And there's the doctor's insidious whisper echoing in his head once more, toxic as ever.)

I was really hoping to evoke in the reader the same sort of disorientation that Festus and Ferrus would have felt in this moment, so I'm really happy it worked!

Lol, I'm guessing he'd be miserable no matter which option he went with.

Yeeup. (And we get a glimpse of his vindictive side here, so that's fun. )

Right? Do not screw with Festus, and definitely do not screw with his undying love for Allana. After taking him to a crowded, noisy bar. And making him drink for the first time ever. Man, Ferrus really didn't think this through.

I was really happy with how everything dovetailed here. And you know, this part sort of mirrors the scene in TLotD when Dorian spends his first night in the barracks after killing that other initiate. It's the same feeling of being smothered and overwhelmed and disoriented, and once again he's thinking about how not normal he is. You're absolutely right - his mind is not a kind place to be, not at all, and it hasn't been for a long, long time.

When all else fails, have some bad guys show up.

(He's so matter-of-fact, I love it.)

Aw, that's high praise indeed! I keep saying I find these two characters to be hilarious and terrifying and tragic, and I'm always looking for ways to portray all of those aspects in a single story.

You and me both. He usually comes across as more put-together and normal than Festus, but this was where his damage started to show in a big way. Writing this scene was like watching a train wreck, and I think that's why it hit me so hard, that inevitability. Because really, regardless of what Festus said or did to make the situation worse, as soon as Ferrus walked up to Iselle, there was only one way this was going to end.

I really need to get the Ferrus fic done now!

It really goes back to the first event in this decathlon: Veeran attaches deep and fears being left behind.

And I think in this moment, he sees himself for what he is, and it's terrible.

I'll say it again, names have power. And honestly, given everything he's become, it's sort of a miracle that Ferrus lets her go, but I think the name did it. Iselle gives him a small piece of his humanity without even realizing it. Not that it's necessarily going to last beyond this one night, but still.

You know that part in the RotS novelization, where Stover describes the duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan as being about all the damage they'd done to each other over the years? That's sort of how I see Festus and Ferrus here.

Tell me the end of IDWD doesn't read a little differently now, knowing that this story takes place a few months before it.

Ugh, yep.

Thanks! I actually really enjoyed coming up with the action for this fight scene. Shocking, I know.

THIS. 100%. I'm trying to think of more to say, but this is perfect.

I'm really glad you thought so! Was the fleeting connection between Ferrus and Iselle real or meaningful in any way? That's part of the tragedy: we don't know, and we'll never know, and neither will Ferrus.

Yep, this. All of this.

I'm still amazed at how this line wrote itself almost immediately. It's great when you can have the perfect beginning and ending for a scene before you've even written the middle.

Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I knew what the ending of TLotD was going to be almost as soon as I wrote that first line. Brains are so cool.

Yay, I'm so, so happy that you enjoyed it! I definitely wasn't expecting all of the Ferrus feels when I started this vig, but it turned out way better than I imagined. It actually helped tie in so many threads from this decathlon and from the rest of the Enter!verse, and I'm incredibly proud of it. Thank you so much for all of your lovely, insightful comments, and please, please keep pestering me for the Ferrus fic, because I'm really anxious to share that, too!




@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

I did really enjoy writing this one small scene, I'll admit. It's amazing what a lack of trauma will do for the sibling relationship. Despite their differences, Dorian and Veeran love each other deeply. Thank you for reading and for replying along the way!

 

Lil bookworm Dorian

Aw, I love the casual affection

And Veeran still loves Tionne

Well, if that isn't just a classic case of be careful what you wish for...

You go with your fairy tales, Dorian, they're the best

I love thunder

Vi, I swear you're actually going to get me to reread Traitor one of these days.

True brotherly love

 

@Mira_Jade

Shhhhh, I'm happy to read your thoughts whenever they come! (And also these replies took me forever to get to so we're definitely even. )

I'm really glad you liked them!

Lol, Dorian is a nerd like us! (This would definitely be me on a stormy day, given the option )

Ha, I knew I needed to bring the storm imagery back somehow in the AU, to tie it all together. And I do love a good thunderstorm.

He loves her so much. After End of the Line, it was an actual relief to write this version of him, not gonna lie. (And I keep saying it, but I really need to finish the Ferrus fic! Not that it's going to be especially happy... )

One of my favorite aspects of dabbling in these AUs is exploring all the ways in which these characters are still very much themselves even when their circumstances are drastically different.

Can you imagine what this Dorian’s reaction would be if he knew about Festus? Also that's a fair point about potential future threats... It would definitely be interesting to see Dorian and Veeran in action as Jedi, and what they might achieve together for good... of course, if push came to shove, would they stay true to the light? Or is the dark side part of their destiny no matter what reality they reside in?

Like you said, some things never change.

I'm glad that refrain continues to have impact. I adore it, too.

Seriously, how is Dorian so adorable in one reality and so freaking scary in the other?

Also, Veeran can say what he wants, but I'm pretty sure he still likes those stories, too; he's just not a big reader.

Typical Veeran. (Also, Dorian is totally reading the GFFA version of Traitor here... )

I'm so happy that you enjoyed this piece. The idea of writing in the happy AU was one of the things that drew me to doing a decathlon for these two in the first place, so I felt it was a good way to wrap it up.

I'd been looking for a good place to work that reference in, and this seemed as good a time as any. (So fitting and so awful. )

I like to think it does!

You know, it's funny, because as I started writing this sentence, I realized that whole idea of "winning against impossible odds" and "helping people in need"... those things still sorta happened in these vignettes, even if it was a couple Sith Lords doing those things rather than two Jedi Knights. Huh. Interesting.

Aw, thanks, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And thank you so much for reading along and giving such amazing feedback throughout! I had a blast writing this whole collection, and you know I'm definitely not done writing about these two.




@Gabri_Jade

Reading his grimdark NJO books, the angsty nerd.

Me tooooooo. The lack of physical affection between these two has been such a big part of how I write them, and it felt really good to show how things would have been different had they grown up without all the trauma.

He does.

You especially have to be careful when you have such a mean, angsty author who apparently loves no-win scenarios and psychological trauma...

They're definitely the best, and as much as Veeran might act too cool for them, I'm sure he still relates to them, too.

Aw yeah. (I could go for a good storm right about now, honestly...)

Dooooo iiiiiiiit.

I'm just saying, in some ways, Veeran and Dorian are kinda Ganner and Jacen, if you squint. Okay, maybe not really, but it's Stover, you gotta at least read through some of it again, if only so that you can fully appreciate all the things I stole from it.

I love them so much, Gabri.

I'm so mean.

Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts and listening to me ramble on endlessly about these two ridiculous characters, babe! You always have such great insight, and I love reading each and every one, whether it's here or in one of our numerous (and often late-night) texting sprees!

 

@Findswoman

You don't know how delighted I was to read these words. It's always a lovely surprise to get a new review on an older story, and even more gratifying to have you specifically seeking out more of the Chaos Twins.

Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed the mix of genres! This story was something totally unexpected for me; the initial plan was just the twins fighting the gang members at the beginning, but then it took on a life of its own with the bar night idea and everything snowballed from there. I know I say this all the time, but one of the things I love about writing these characters is how simultaneously hilarious and terrifying and heartbreaking they can be, and I think that's probably a big part of why I end up mixing genres with them. And then really, SW at its best has always balanced those genres pretty deftly, so I like to think I'm following in that tradition in my own way.

Lol, yeah, I'm with Festus here, too.

Hey, if Festus didn't have any good qualities - or at least, not entirely awful qualities - it would be hard to write him constantly pining after Allana without it being outright repulsive. I'm not saying his devotion makes up for all the murder and creepiness, and it could easily tip over into obsession (ymmv as to whether it already has ), but constancy is certainly an admirable quality. At the very least, it reflects something of the person he might have been, under better circumstances.

That was really a huge reason why I even wrote this story, to highlight not just the differences in how Festus and Ferrus react to their own dark deeds, but also the differences in how they perceive those things in the first place, and how they each cope with the knowledge of who they once were and who they are now and every awful thing they've done along the way. (And now that you've read TLotD, you know that those differences are partially born from their opposing personalities and partially from the different paths they took to Sithdom.) Like Gabri said in her comments: Festus lies better to other people, but Ferrus lies better to himself. Festus never allows himself to forget his own monstrosity, to the point where he can't see himself any other way, and he sort of feeds off of that self-flagellation. Ferrus goes the opposite way. He knows he has done and continues to do terrible things, but he justifies it in his own mind because he did what he had to in order to survive, right? And he's not exactly wrong there - what choice did he really have, at ten years old? But he's not willing to stop doing those terrible things either now that he does have a choice, so he compartmentalizes and tells himself he's not so bad, it's not like he's trying to go around murdering people, it just happens sometimes, and so what if he enjoys it, why shouldn't he enjoy hurting people who are worse than him, isn't he doing something good in killing all those gangsters... and on and on and on.

Yep, when the chips are down, they're going to have each other's backs no matter how pissed they are at each other. Their relationship tends to go in waves just like any other relationship, with highs and lows. At this point in the timeline, about eight years after EtF, I'd say their lows are lasting a little longer than in the past, and there are more of them, which definitely contributed to Ferrus hitting his breaking point and finally punching Festus in the face.

I'm so glad you enjoyed this story in particular - it was one of my favorites to write! (And there are still plenty of stories to tell about my Super Evil Chaos Twins of Evil. )

Yes! This is all exactly what I was going for with this ficlet, and I'm so pleased that you liked it! I do hope to write more of the twins in this happy AU, one of these days.

This makes me so happy to hear, because that's always been incredibly important to me in writing AUs - keeping the characters recognizable as themselves, no matter how drastically different the circumstances are. I've tried to pay particular attention to that with Dorian and Veeran, and I'm really glad that comes through in all the stories.

Aw, shucks, Finds. (I have so many AUs for these two, it's ridiculous. )

Thank you so, so much for this lovely feedback! It made my day to read it.