#ulfran

for @starrealis and @dingoat

💋

A few commissions I got from one of my dearest friends @hornsda drawing two of her lovely ladies ❤

Electricity seared through Five’s body, endless unnatural shocks that set his heart racing and his muscles spasming, tearing a cry from his throat that was utterly unbecoming. When it passed, lights still flashed in his field of view and behind his eyes, and he rocked forward in his seat, panting roughly, nothing in him able to rally enough to struggle against the bonds that held him fast.

He was given a blessed moment to catch his breath and clear his vision, but every nerve was still on edge when he lifted his battered face, puffed a bang out of his black eye, and grinned recklessly up at the Sith.

“If you don’t like what I’ve done with my hair, you could have just said so.”

A silent snarl twisted Ulfran’s lips as he drew upon the Force once more to cast a twisted arc of lightning at the former Watcher.

—

The sanctum was finally ahead of them, the end of an arduous overland journey skirting every civilised convenience after a dangerous flight in and an illegal landing with a stolen, unregistered ship. 

Ulfran had become a particularly dangerous, volatile Sith, but his unique skills with bending people’s memories left him woefully short at actually making connections through the Force, at seeking out, sensing, recognising Life in all its forms throughout the galaxy. And so, to protect what was his, he had something of an over-reliance on technology, on tracking and surveillance the regular way, compared to any of his peers. He loathed this shortcoming, but was paranoid enough that he would not do without it.

So while keeping them shrouded from any Force probing Ulfran might have been attempting was child’s play to Ahuska, Five had warned her that getting in close unnoticed might still pose a challenge.

Wow are you a little bit OBSESSED or something?? Unwholesome asks for the MOST UNWHOLESOME duo possible????

How funny that the only art I have of them together is this horror show hahahaha. How horribly appropriate.

Ok, time to buckle in, I can't believe Ulfran's lived long enough to become the villain hahahaha. This is all going to be set very specifically during swtor's deep endgame content, after the Voss Interpreter's Retreat content. Ulfran has toppled well and truly into the dark side and he'd better get some serious comeuppance one of these days.

1. Do they actually love love each other? Has it changed over time?

Ulfran does not harbour anything resembling genuine love any more. Instead there's selfishness, possessiveness, a desire to own and use people... though he's more than happy to make people believe he loves them to get what he wants. Thirteen please stop falling for it.

2. Is their relationship toxic or unhealthy in any way?

It's horribly unhealthy in every possible way. Ulfran is quite literally rewriting Thirteen's memories in order to turn his heart and mind against everyone who genuinely cares for him

3. In what ways are they good and bad for each other?

Ulfran is slowly and steadily undoing everything that makes Thirteen himself, there is nothing good going on there. Thirteen believes he's wanted, protected, and finding the support he felt lacking on Odessen, and he has been utterly hoodwinked. Ulfran calms and soothes Thirteen, which would be great for him if it wasn't all a lie. Thirteen used to keep Ulfran grounded, but now is catalyst for bringing out the worst in him. But hey, at least the, uh, physical aspects of the relationship suit them both?????

4. Is there someone else who would be a better partner for either of them?

Literally anyone else ever. Koth is Ulfran's in-game romance and features in the RP story, and if Ulfran wasn't going full evil then maybe they'd be genuinely good for each other? But Koth just doesn't have the influence to steer Ulfran right any more, I'm not sure anyone is truly capable of dragging him out of the dark.

Thirteen, you can do so much better. With any of the people who actually love you!!

5. Is the relationship living up to their initial expectations?

I mean, I think Ulfran's currently getting everything he wants out of it? He knows that the Force moves very powerfully around Thirteen, despite Thirteen's own lack of sensitivity, and longs to find a way to make use of that for his own benefit. Hopefully someone gets in there and cracks them apart before Ulfran actually has those expectations met.

6. What made them become a couple? What keeps them together?

Ulfran has long been cast out of the Alliance after one too many clashes with Ahuska, but following the prophecy given to Thirteen by The Three on Voss, and the dismissive attitude Five had regarding prophecies in general, Thirteen decided to seek out Ulfran for possible answers, since they'd had a positive relationship once upon a time. Ulfran is trying to forcibly keep Thirteen with him, and his lies, manipulation, and dastardly Force abilities are making very good headway with that.

7. Is there anything that could have kept them from ending up together?

Probably if Five and Thirteen weren't struggling so much to communicate effectively with each other?

8. What would it take for them to break up?

At this stage, Ulfran has his claws in so deep he'd have to make a serious miscalculation to lose his hold on Thirteen.

So, it's going to take an intervention. And I absolutely can't wait to have Five face the revelation that something is being done to Thirteen, and to wind up going to Ahuska on his knees (not realising, of course, that she'd leap in to save Thirteen at a heartbeat, no questions asked) - recognising her as the only being powerful enough to confront Ulfran who he also trusts enough to do right by Thirteen.

9. How do they feel about each other’s exes and people who flirt with them? Is jealousy an issue in general?

Ulfran is too deep in his own hubris to really have jealousy factor into it, he's utterly confident in his ability to manipulate people and frankly, because his greatest talent with the Force has always involved messing with people's memories, he confidence is fairly well founded. Exes (and current relationships) are an annoyance to be dismantled, randoms who flirt are assessed for potential use.

10. Have they ever cheated on each other or considered doing so? If not, would they ever?

Because nothing Ulfran enters into is a genuine romantic commitment, and especially not an exclusive one, I don't think any side-dalliances he had would ever really count.

11. Have they ever hurt each other, be it physically or emotionally, intentionally or accidentally?

Oh, yes. Physically, I think Ulfran's done the most damage, when Thirteen was under the sway of one of Ahuska's moments of blind rage and he actually killed Thirteen with Force lightning (it's fine she revived him it's fine). Ulfran might try to argue that Thirteen hurt him, the way he protected and sided with Ahuska during the time they spent on Zeltros and Ilum while helping her find a way to control her rage, but Ulfran would conveniently fail to acknowledge the way he tried to control and use them both, even then. And that was when he was still struggling with his descent, still battling himself when he recognised his darker impulses.

He might argue that Thirteen hurt him further still, not speaking out on his behalf when Ahuska made him thoroughly unwelcome on Odessen. He might argue that they all deserve to have Thirteen whisked away from them and gradually turned against them, or made to forget them. He would certainly try to say that breaking the bond Thirteen and Ahuska shared through the Force was for Thirteen's own good, no matter how it crushed him and left him reeling.

And now that Ulfran has Thirteen back in his clutches... well, Thirteen will only be hurt if he finds out what Ulfran is doing. Right?

12. Do they argue often? About what?

Not any more :)

13. Are there any regrets or unresolved issues between them?

Ulfran definitely has some regrets about the way he handled things on Ilum; not that he wishes he hadn't taken advantage of the trust placed in him, but that he hadn't done more to secure compliance and loyalty. At this stage I have no idea if he'll survive long enough to regret the things he's doing now, or if anyone will be capable of shedding enough light on his life again to see it.

14. What’s an opinion they’ll never agree on? How do they deal with that?

Ulfran is dreadfully enamoured by the potential power Thirteen wields purely by the way he moves through the world; he stirs the Force in unique ways, offering new life paths to everyone he encounters, influencing events and opening doors without conscious choice to do so on his part. Ulfran is convinced that it is a great boon, and something that can be utilised to exception advantage if it can be understood and harnessed.

Thirteen is not in love with this fact about himself that he can neither perceive nor control; he hates being at the centre of Voss prophecies, he hates the very notion that his uttering a phrase on one side of the galaxy might somehow influence destruction on the other.

Ulfran deals with Thirteen's dislike and distrust of this movement of the Force simply by not telling Thirteen of how deep his interest goes, or the nature of his research and meditation on the phenomenon.

15. Do they have doubts about each other? Are those doubts well-founded or exaggerated?

I'm sure Thirteen has experienced doubts, in the past. There was that incident where Ulfran threatened to Force choke him, after all. The time when Ulfran was gently bending Ahuska's perception of him. But Thirteen returned to him in a fit of desperation, and this time around Ulfran is leaving no room for doubts.

Frankly, any misgiving Thirteen has had about Ulfran once upon a time was painfully well founded and not treated seriously enough.

16. How much do they actually trust each other? Was their trust ever broken? Can it be mended?

Thirteen places far more trust in Ulfran than he deserves.

And right now, Ulfran is being very careful to craft a relationship where he can trust Thirteen to behave exactly to his liking.

I... can only imagine, somewhere down the line, every bit of trust Thirteen had in Ulfran will be shattered. I struggle to see it being repaired, but the way these stories evolve I know better than to say 'never'. He shouldn't ever trust Ulfran again, whether or not he will.

17. Is there a secret that they don’t dare tell the other? Why? Will they ever say it?

Hahahaha. You mean aside from Ulfran's every dark intention and ulterior motive?

He'll only admit that out loud at knifepoint (or, more likely, held in Ahuska's wolf jaws), and even then he might try desperately to save face...

18. What was the lowest point for them as a couple?

Hahahaha I do believe they're living it. What Thirteen is seeing as a temporary getaway to clear his head, Ulfran is seeing as the beginning of a more permanent relationship, and he is unlikely to stop until he gets exactly what he wants.

19. What’s something they can’t stand about each other?

Hmmm. Ulfran is pretty savagely obsessed with Thirteen at this point, to be honest. Perhaps the fact that Thirteen sees value in the Alliance, and feels a commitment to helping Ahuska make it work...

20. What’s something they’d change about their partner?

Ohhh, just his memories. His heart, his soul, his name.

Just casually. 8)

8: Does your character have a physical trait that they’re known for?

Oooh! Once was, it would have been his eyes. Originally deep, soft brown, at some point during his career of living undercover as a Sith they changed, but not in the typical way. He had to do some fairly sketchy things and use the Force in cruel and damaging ways to maintain his cover more than once, but because he always managed to keep his purpose and intentions pure, the Force left its mark on him a little differently. Rather than winding up with yellowed Sith eyes, his became an odd, reflective silver-white; he always passed it off as a side effect of one of the more dangerous arcane artifacts he'd been investigating.

12: Has your character gone through major stylistic or physical changes?

Well this goes very nicely hand-in-hand with the first question hahaha! Ulfran has wound up having a reasonably significant role in both of Ahuska's canons, and his path has diverged enough in each to become physically distinct. In the original, he wound up finally abandoning his undercover post, and though he couldn't find it in himself to rejoin the Jedi Order proper, he has made a conscious effort to atone for the compromises he had to make in his decades posing as a Sith and reconnect with everything he was raised to believe. He's become a mentor to Nela (Crow and Ahuska's kid), and in the process discovered a new lightsaber crystal for himself (silver-white), started dressing in more humble robes, and most significantly, some of his original colour returning to his eyes.

In werewolf au, meanwhile, heeee's sort of fallen off the deep end, abandoned the Order in full and become a fully fledged Sith Lord. He's never exactly been a man of fashion but he definitely leans into the aesthetic a little more and the way he carries himself is completely different; fierce and arrogant. His eyes took on the yellow Sith glow when he slayed his Sith 'master' in a fit of passion, and recently has become even more visibly marked by the dark. He thought he could own his choices completely and never look back, but recent events have him struggling and he pretty desperately needs some help. (Unfortunately Ahuska would much rather just bite his face off at the moment.)

14: Who would your character say knows them best?

Ooof, for original mode Ulfran this would probably go to Lyrisal (written by @koboldgirl) - aka, his best friend from his youth to early adulthood, who he's finally reunited with after abandoning his post. They still almost certainly have a lot to catch up on, but he trusts her above anyone else and would confide in her with ease. For Evil Ulfran though, this is a tough one. ( @askshivanulegacy 's) Cipher Thirteen has probably been around for more of Ulfran's pivotal moments than anyone else in recent years, but between Ulfran's 'I don't have to explain myself to you' attitude, and Thirteen's combination of Sith-worship and refusal to so much as think about anything to do with the Force, there's a lot between them that gets missed. Ulfran's original Jedi Master, Antinea Zau, who's just shown up to get her arm bitten off by a werewolf make things complicated and a little extra angsty, might still be the one who knows him better than any other.

9: What is a topic your character would be excited to talk about?