#i really should use the bullets more it looks neater aknldfadsfds

[tiredassmage]

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THREE whole pens!!!! I'm starting this and I still have no idea if you'll get three whole ocs or three whole rambles about one oc, nonny, but I do have me some THOUGHTS, so off we go!

This is... once again, very long. As it always is whenever I decide to involve Tyr. So there's more under the cut, as usual, lol.

(You're absolutely correct that I'm never done talking about Tyr, next question).

I sort of toed into Tyr's thoughts on the Sith yesterday and there's so many of them I can specifically ramble about, so that's what we're doing!!! To briefly recap, Tyr was raised on Dromund Kaas - for the vast majority of his life, he believed it was born and raised, and then I had to go and say, no, your actual biological sister is a Jedi, have fun!!! But that's for another day (and a fic already exists on that reunion).

The household did contain at least two Sith - his mother and elder sister were full-fledged and Sith-in-training, respectfully. His exact relationship with them is practically non-existent insofar as that they'd maybe be listed as next of kin on his records, but any mourning from either side in the event of something unfortunate would more than likely be a socially-driven act than genuine despair. Mavis isn't the worst thing that's ever happened to him, but she was, nonetheless, a privileged menace that put a bad taste in his mouth that he kept to himself as a good soldier and citizen of the Empire does.

As a quick aside, of the small family unit, Tyr was marginally closest to his father, but really only in the capacity that the man was the least likely to go out of his way to make Tyr's life more complicated and served as the base inspiration for Tyr to adamantly accept an offer to join Imperial Intelligence.

But I think there are really only two Sith lords that have ever genuinely terrified him - Darth Jadus and Darth Malgus, particularly in his recent... reappearance, rather than the spats on Ilum. Jadus was enigma in physical form and probably the most potent manifestation of Tyr's eventual bone-deep problems with the Sith, summed simply in one line, "I believe in the democratization of fear."

That single meeting in Jadus's chambers is something he'll never forget. In silent confidence and chilling belief in those ideals, almost no other Sith can compare. Sith like Mavis are at least predictable - their generally loose canons feeding on their emotions. Jadus is... not. Jadus defies every expectation he tried to set. Darth Jadus is not a Sith Tyr ever planned to talk back to or stand against. His scramble against the Eradicators had very little to do with believing it a viable, sound plan of action unlikely to get him killed and far more with an overriding sense to stick to what he believed was right that was far more valuable.

He could probably at least thank Jadus for being so utterly terrifying that dealing with Valkorian later wasn't a matter of fear, but sheer logic. Resignation to the 'if x, then y.' Tyr shooting at Valkorian at the top of the Spire on Zakuul pre-carbonite is not at all because he thinks that's going to work. Stars, it's not because he thinks a blaster can defeat the Sith Emperor!! It's once again because he assessed his options and decided that, at the absolute godsdamned least, he could go out for what he believed in.

Malgus is odd because its not... necessarily Malgus himself that terrifies Tyr so much as it is... all the circumstances around working with Malgus. It is and isn't Malgus. It's that Tyr has a wriggling little feeling that if anybody was going to look through him and catch him in the act of working for the Republic, it was going to be Malgus. This one still works on his nerves. And, y'know, fun memories of Castellan Restraints. He's so glad the Empire has changed so much in the years of having to deal with Zakuul. /Violent sarcasm.

Anyway, they aren't the only Sith that have left impressions, of course. Lana I basically covered in yesterday's post, so I won't rehash that one, but Marr occupies a similarly interesting and odd space as her. Tyr might concede that the Dark Councilor was... more pragmatic than some of his peers, but there isn't ever really a point that Tyr trusts him. Really, after the Castellan Restraints, I don't think you could convince Tyr to trust a Dark Councilor. He maintained his respect in interactions with Marr with only mild slips on Yavin IV - by then a point where he felt his honest opinion on developments with Sith Intelligence had been, one, asked for and, two, it's... maybe a subject of slight passion, after all. Still, it's more tongue in cheek in fashion rather than blatant resistance. Marr never really gives him a reason to go that far.

And then there's folks like Zhorrid, and Lord Razer, and Acina. He fails to ever puzzle out Zhorrid. When he first meets her on Korriban, he missteps with her by sticking to the 'you sent for me?' approach. Where her father was genuinely unsettling, Zhorrid he finds merely... unpredictable and, admittedly, a touch juvenile. She's scrapping to validate her position, so he mentally tags her more with 'approach with caution' than anything particularly alarming.

Razer is... Oh, Razer. The one Sith Lord Tyr has blatantly stood up against that he can recall actively making that choice. And it's a lot about being tired of Going Through It at that point and also, like... admittedly a developed sense of what someone reasonable (like Lokin, perhaps) might have called uncharacteristic and undesirable cockiness. He read Razer as someone he could take ground from, if he was assertive enough in taking command. He had just enough pull as the successful Cipher Nine, even as they gutted Intelligence, that he felt he had some weight to push back. There was no mourning for that one. So unfortunate, truly. (He had it coming.)

And then Acina. Ohhh, Acina. She's so interesting!!!! In her relationship with him because!!! It varies. You can't make me do large group heroics to save my life, but I did start the Dread Seed mission chain and he just... Once again, you couldn't pay him enough to trust a Dark Councilor. He mistrusts her scheming. And then, as Empress meeting her as the Commander of the Alliance, there's a little... little moment in all that goes down on Dromund Kaas that he might, might have just been a little inclined to believe she could be reasoned with, that maybe she was doing something with the Empire he wouldn't entirely be against. And then Iokath happened and, "Intelligence should have retired you when they had the chance!" happened and that naive little notion went right out the window and then she also kicked it, so... RIP.

Okay, ONE pen down, my goodness. Anyway, I also feel the need to share some Lensan lore(tm) because he's also my latest obsession and, unfortunately, against all my plans, he has grown on me.

One, I'd like to reiterate that the amount of blaster pistols I keep in this man's inventory for outfitter purposes is obnoxious. Lensan absolutely actually has a large blaster collection because of this happening.

I was workshopping several background ideas for this bastard before I finally settled on Imperial Military Black Ops discharged or retired and one of them, surprise surprise, involved him being an agent for Imperial Intelligence, either previously as a Main Job or picked up after he left Black Ops after the Treaty of Coruscant as a disgruntled soldier displeased with the truce. This potential plot involved him posing as a the titular Bounty Hunter PC to investigate the Empire's Mandalorian alliance and report back on whether or not it was still a sound partnership. This idea has not left me alone, so it may or may not still appear in a version where I play IA with him because I'd do that, I'm insane enough to make more agents, I can't be helped, just leave me here.

I'm trying to keep these last ones shorter because holy shit have I gone off akdsfnlsdfnsd

Let's revist Vaylress!!! My first, like, consistent Sith Warrior. I miss her. Wife. Queen.

Vayl's was initially meant to retain loyalty to the Empire. While her journey as the SW makes her realize not everything the Empire is doing is great, she still identifies predominantly as a Sith of the Empire first and foremost. Especially with Quinn at her side, the pair of them were ultimately loyal to what was best for the Empire (even if he was absolutely correct that she would risk it all if it protected him. That's her kryptonite.)

This sort of potentially changed when I realized the pair wanted kids. Particularly in the way things go with Zakuul, I think her potential withdraw from full support of the Empire would largely be to focus on her own family - her husband and their young daughter. In ousting Baras and becoming the Emperor's Wrath, Vayl saw a lot of what she valued - the people she valued in her crew - threatened by the path she was walking. Power plays are a massive part of Sith life and, she realizes, unstable long-term. This decision would largely be about deciding to prioritize herself and her wants first for a change than any real swapped loyalties between galactic powers.

She got the scars on her face from the cave-in attempted murder on Quesh and went through a period where she covered these with a mask (Arcann's, fun fact, bc I think its a cool asf mask and she's one of the few characters I have that would potentially wear face-coverings consistently) partially to conceal her identity from any potential spies reporting her movements to Baras and revealing her and the Hand's movements too early, and partially to let them (and herself) heal from both the physical wounds and the blow to her pride for not expecting something. Vayl was always conscious that it was a possibility - and even a likelihood - that Baras would one day cut her loose, but it didn't lessen the sting of betrayal. She was still incredibly offended, ultimately. But what really sealed his fate, tbh, was using Quinn against her. Sure, she was already plotting his downfall for the Hand, but that made it personal.

Like I said, she has priorities. Those priorities tend to take the form of Malavai Quinn. Oops. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯