Regrets

What do you regret losing most?

//There's really only two things we've lost...//

\\...and one of those gave us an opportunity that we wouldn't have otherwise had, so it's not really a loss...\\

Of our losses, only two are truly difficult to bear -- one is the destruction of part of our homeworld by Captain Sheridan's attack. Many of our people were hurt or killed in that attack, and it was a grave loss for us. We are strong, though, and can bounce back from that.

The other is the loss of the Michael Garibaldi that we knew -- he gave himself to us so willingly when our ship took him away. He submitted to us, was willing to do anything to fill that emptiness in himself, and we miss that. It aided us, it aided our allies, it even aided the part of Psi Corps that wasn't allied with us. He was so willing to find anything that would fill that void in him that he gave himself over completely.

And yet, we can't really regret losing him, because what we have gained in exchange is so much greater. That other Garibaldi gave us almost no chance to seduce others, while the Garibaldi we know now, with his soul intact, could deliver us Valen, if we manage to play it right.

Truly, we have no regrets. Every change, every loss, gives us a new opportunity.

-----
Muse: Bugs & Daffy (Shadows)
Fandom: Babylon 5
Word count: 236 per Pocket Word
Crossposted to theatrical_muse

Disappointments

How do you handle disappointment?

//Who are we disappointed in? Is it someone we like, or someone we don't care about?//

\\Would it make a difference?\\

//Of course! If it's someone we like, we won't eat them when we're done punishing them!//

As one of the oldest races, the Shadows are accustomed to dealing with disappointments. So often, the younger races don't do the things they should do. So often, they side with the Vorlons, believing their messages because of their meddling, or because it's the only side they have been presented with. While we understand their ignorance, it still disappoints us, because it only proves that they are not ready to evolve.

Unfortunately, the only way to deal with these disappointments is to rid the Universe of them. If they are not willing to evolve, then they will simply stagnate and die, anyway. It is better to remove them than risk their stagnation affecting other races.

-----
Muse: Bugs & Daffy (Shadows)
Fandom: Babylon 5
Word count: 157 per Pocket Word
Crossposted to theatrical_muse

Opposite In Every Way

What would a description of your *exact opposite* be like?

The two Shadows preen, admiring their shimmering black skin and glittering spines; the long dextrous claws of their hands; the terrifying spikes of their legs. Their sectioned, glowing red eyes strike a primitive terror reaction into even the most rational creatures' minds; but to those who are most evolved, they fascinate and intrigue. And to a select few, those who are able to look beyond the terrifying appearance to the amazing minds within the frightening shells, they can be beautiful and arousing...

We assume that you think our opposite would be some soft-bodied, unevolved younger race, since we are the most ancient of the ancients, but traits like that are minor compared to the beliefs of those who are truly our opposites. Where we believe that only through Chaos can life continue, they mistakenly believe that Order is the only way for the Universe to survive. They are so wrong about this, blinding themselves to the fact that through their kind of imposed Order, nothing but stagnation and death can result. And they prove this time and time again, when they destroy those races that embrace life and change, simply because they have embraced us. They would rather eradicate our influence rather than allow one of their precious experiments to grow beyond their restrictive parameters...

Our opposites are the Vorlons...

-----
Muse: Bugs & Daffy (Shadows)
Fandom: Babylon 5
Word count: 230 per MS Word
Crossposted to theatrical_muse