#kotor sith au

[whyamiheredude3]

Darth Revan sketch

[hnnny]

I'm slightly late, but here's a piece of art for Stephen (@oodlesofd00dles) and their wonderful exile and Revan! We were talking about an au where the exile stays alongside Revan during the war and it would not leave my head, so I knew I had to draw it for their birthday! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do, and please go check out Stephen's page, they are a wonderful artist with a very endearing, fun, and honestly always giving the feels art style.

[hiddenbeks]

anyway back to kotorposting. one thing to know abt liah is that if she wasn't a jedi she would be a famous swoop racer

[kirnet]

my modern kotor au no one asked for:

set in and around las vegas, split between rival spice running mobs the revanchists and the mandalorians, the law of the republic, and encroaching group the sith

on top of leading the revanchists revan is also a undefeated street racer (motorcycle helmet = revan mask). they still cut malak's jaw off bc thats very sexy of them

canderous starts out as a mando thug but after having to survive on the run with revan for a bit he and the revanchists establish a working relationship once he takes over

atton is a cardshark / gas station employee trying to avoid detection after defecting from the revanchists

the ebon hawk is a fucked up volkswagon van. license plate EBNHAWK. it is ugly as shit.

T3 is a shih tzu and HK is revan's beloved doberman pinscher

mira is still a bounty hunter. she wears a lot of camo cargo pants

mission is just some kid that revan took a liking to and took under their wing. can't decide if zalbaar is a newfoundland or a full lumberjack human man

juhani is a member of revan's new crew after leaving the city goverment

carth is like. a cop or something. he would be. bastila might also start as one and then get pulled into the life. or she's some psychologist/social worker who is consulting after being entrusted with an amnesiac revan's care

disciple is a history grad student who recently moved into the area and started going to the casinos. actually an undercover republic agent trying to catch them in a sting operation. brianna is a spy sent in by atris, who's part of the city government

visas is a sith assassin thats causing problems for the revanchists and destabilizing them

bao dur. beloved mechanic. used to be part of the revanchist crew but he's since left and mostly spends his time living in the desert and defending the land from developers

goto is also there ig but everyone's too busy for that

kreia is completely unchanged and she still has the force. no one questions that she is the only one operating under star wars rules. she still wants the death of the force and no one understands what that means except for the exile who had a really bad spice trip and now has a harry du bois understanding that theyre in a fictional reality

[sith-shenanigans]

Introduction and Masterpost

Hello! I’m Io (with an i, not an L), they/them, enthusiast of evil space wizards and other assorted terrible people everywhere. This is primarily a SWTOR blog, but I post about other fandoms occasionally, and have recently fallen down a terrible hyperfixation hole about Fallen London. I write longfic, on a somewhat inconsistent schedule; chronic illness makes it difficult to put out chapters consistently.

I don’t have a DNI, but I block bigots and anyone whose posts I’d prefer not to see. I don’t do shipping discourse, and I don’t necessarily care what you ship, but see the previous sentence; if it makes me uncomfortable, and there are definitely things that make me profoundly uncomfortable out there, I’ll probably block you. (This has much more to do with tone than content—I have triggers, I’m all for people experiencing unpleasant things in safe ways, but the moment it feels like they’re being written as good and sweet and normal I’m going to nope on out of there as fast as I can. For my own mental health, and because the alternative is me biting someone’s head off.)

For my own part, I often write about dark subjects (especially in regards to my SWTOR OCs), and this blog may contain untagged discussion of fictional slavery, speciesism, systemic child abuse, state violence, toxic and abusive relationships, and similar topics. Mentions of sexual assault are generally tagged as “sexual assault cw.” I try to tag discussion of parental or school-based child abuse as “child abuse cw,” as well as in-depth descriptions of it in general, but I can’t 100% guarantee it. I try to remember to tag what friends ask me to tag, but if we don’t know each other well, I may not be able to manage it.

For neurodivergence reasons, I find it extremely difficult to describe images most of the time, but I’m trying to include alt text on screenshots of tags more consistently, and I’m attempting to tag my own posts with undescribed images as “undescribed.” (This includes most of my Fallen London posting, because there’s just enough formatting to poke me in the “cannot easily transcribe visuals to text” issue.)

Liminality/Discontent (SWTOR):

Liminality Main Cast:

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Discontent Main Cast:

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Sunlight (SWTOR):

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Other/Miscellaneous (SWTOR):

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Fallen London:

Amias Arling, the Calescent Inquisitive. Heart’s Desire. A former freelance detective with a few unfortunate soft spots, who came to the Neath for a case and ended up framed for something their target did. Extremely clever and extremely driven, but embodies the maxim that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Practically allergic to the direct route, unless it seems like no one would ever expect it. And even then, they’d rather take a convoluted way around.

SWTOR:

Liminality/Discontent, a sometimes-AU SWTOR novelization in multiple parts. Has a heavy focus on the implications that the game didn’t go into, the politics of the galaxy, and the pressure the protagonists go through.

like a moth to you, sunlight, a collaboration with my sibling @azems-familiar. Not very much is written on it, because collaboration is hard even when both people involved aren’t chronically ill (and our hyperfixations are largely elsewhere right now), but we love our terrible children anyway.

Liminality/Discontent:

The Dead Star; The Ruin, a prologue of a sort. As yet unpublished. Also works as a standalone work.

Anamnesis, a KOTOR novelization with a certain amount of playing with the format. A tragedy, if a bittersweet one, and a case study in why villains with good motivations are still villains. On hiatus.

Liminality, my pride and joy and occasional mortal enemy. The first and primary of two SWTOR base game novelizations, covering the Sith Inquisitor, Smuggler, Sith Warrior, and Jedi Consular storylines. It deals heavily with loss and family—the latter both by blood and by choice, and sometimes unexpectedly uncovered. It’s also about history, about the boundaries between past and future and life and death—and the things that survive when someone is gone. The galaxy is full of dangerous secrets, and cycles that seem inexorable; in the end, though, what matters most are the choices you make and why.

Discontent, the fic I will someday definitely write. Covers the Jedi Knight, Imperial Agent, Bounty Hunter, and Republic Trooper. It’s about war, mostly, and cleaning up other people’s messes. Nobody gets to step off a battlefield as the same person who walked onto it, if they make it off at all, but there are reasons to keep trying—even if only some of them are good ones. And somebody has to be the one to chase down the conspiracies in the dark.

Sacrifice, as yet not even started, which will cover the portion of the game running from the end of the class stories to Ziost. There’s a fourth fic for the Alliance era, tentatively titled Conviction, but there’s less in my head about how that one’s going to go.

Sunlight:

still my heart is heavy (with the hate of some other man’s beliefs), about spies and loyalty and people making slightly better decisions than they could have. Written primarily by @azems-familiar, who Illami belongs to. (I helped write Ardun.)

Other/Miscellaneous (SWTOR):

your last serving daughter, a collaboration with @reconstructionlegacy. Our silly little AU about Empire and the people who wish they didn’t live in it. Also infrequently updated due to the trials of life and coauthorship.

Fallen London:

None, yet, but it will happen. I can feel it.

The organizational banners used can be found here.

[andiinaraethtash]

*slides into your mailbox with lightsabers and blue cookies* I have this idea of Paul getting Percy a lightsaber as a wedding present because not only is he marrying Sally, he’s also stepping up as a father and for the family moon, they go to Montauk and have a lightsaber duel while Sally roasts marshmallows watching her two boys get along and is happy because Percy gets to be a kid

I love the idea of Paul stepping up, he is the best, I love him so much.

Also I'm taking this as permission to rant about @itsybitsybatsyspider and my au, which just. Buckle in, it's a long one.

So it's very much a "Percy Jackson in the star wars universe," type thing, but like. Non-specific in terms of when in the timeline it takes place? I've kinda got it in my head that it's after KOTOR/SWTOR, but before the high republic.

So the idea is that the twelve Olympian gods are the twelve Counselors, with Zeus being the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. All the rest of the gods have their different rolls related to their areas of power. Eg, Demeter is the Gardenmaster, Hestia is like. Jocasta Nu in terms of her role? She maintains things, though she's not on the Counsel. Similarly, Hades is the Head of the Jedi Shadows, and he sat in on a lot of the meetings when he was on planet.

Percy is a young (ie, like. 14) Force-sensitive who gets brought to the temple. He eventually gets apprenticed to the Nautoluan Jedi Master Po'Seiden (I should mention that in this au, Percy is half-Nautolaun. For absolutely no reason. Totally has nothing to do with the fact that Master Po'Seiden visited his home planet 15 years ago AND met Sally, no sir, not at all).

Anyway, he meets and immediately irritates young initiate Annabeth Chase, who's been trying to get Master Athena's attention so she'll be her Master. Percy's impertinence is getting in her way of being chosen as Master Athena's Padawan.

So naturally they get pulled into an adventure, and end up becoming fast friends, and share a friend in the (possibly part-Deveronian? Tdb) Grover Underwood, who's Master is a Seeker, finding young Force-sensitives and bringing them to the Temple.

I'm not sure how the Lightning Theif works exactly? But the basics stay the same: Zeus's weapon--a beautiful golden-white duel-bladed lightsaber--has been stolen, Zeus suspects Percy (reasons unknown) who then has to try to track down Jedi Master Hades, who's suspected to have had a hand in it. Only they find out that HIS weapon has been stolen as well, and both end up in the hands of Master Ares, a Zabrak who held the dubious honor of being the most aggressive practitioner of Djem So in the Order. He gets put on probation, especially once it's learned that he has been influenced through his dreams by the long-thought-dead Sith Lord Kronos.

As has the recently-knighted Luke Castellan, though by the time they realize that, it's too late. He's completely Fallen. It had been a long time coming; one of his crechemates and longest-time friends had been critically injured during a mission, and had been left behind on Zeus's (her own Master!) orders. Thalia had been rescued by Grover and his Master, but it was too little, too late. Thalia was so close to dead no one really had any hope.

We haven't quite decided whether Annabeth does get apprenticed to Athena, or to Chiron (who might be a Wookie, might be one of Yoda's species. Again, tbd). But she does get a Master by the end of it!

So Percy is half-Nautolan, and has a sea-green lightsaber. Itsy has art of him, but I don't wanna share it without their consent. (Also i want to let them share their thoughts.) But like. He has gills, which aren't readily visible, so Annabeth freaks out the first time she sees them in action, because they look like his throat has been slit in multiple places. Percy mostly uses the Force to manipulate his environment, eventually learning to make earthquakes.

Annabeth, meanwhile, is at least mostly human, who uses a shorter, bronze lightsaber, made mostly from components Luke had gifted her. The crystal, I think, is hers, just by nature of how kyber crystals work. She's very agile, using the Force to leap around and move quickly enough to get close enough to end her enemies before they can react.

We have a whole thing planned for SoM, sorta a plan for BotL, and some idea of how TTC would go. But if I keep going I'm gonna make myself so worked up I'm gonna be awake all night. Lemme know if you have questions! Also bug Itsy if you wanna.

[swaps55]

If you were to create a Mass Effect x Star Wars AU, which has most elements and lore from ME and the SW stuff is implemented in that format, how would you do it? I’m asking because I’ve been on a SW phase recently (again), and the idea of mass effect fields being something to do with the force and biotics having magic like abilities seem so much fun, so I wanted to ask one of my favorite fanfic writers how would they merge these universes! Oh, let me also share the mental image of Kaidan in a black tacticool Alliance armor, armed with a pistol, an Omni-tool and a lightsaber absolutely destroying his enemies!

Aww, thank you!!! And that is indeed a hell of an image. :D

I think Mass Effect lends itself to Star Wars pretty effortlessly. It doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to get from "force magic" to "biotics" from the developer that made KOTOR, and a lot of the ME2/3 powers like reave and dominate skew much closer to force powers than they do manipulation of mass. Even the paragon/renegade system read like light side/dark side, so you make a biotic Shepard and boom, there's your Jedi Knight.

I love trying to use a hard science lens wherever possible when I write about Mass Effect because that's what I enjoy the most, but the soft sci fi/fantasy approach more in line with Star Wards is an easy leap. And while I struggle to write powers like reave and dominate through a hard science lens, they are so fun to use in the game, that it's absolutely worth creating a world in which you can take powers like that and go hog wild.

Make some kind of eezo crystal your kyber crystal. Make the Spectres some kind of parallel to the Jedi. Maybe Benezia is your Sith lord, and Samara is your Yoda. XD

There's a world of possibilities to work with!

[thatwitchrevan]

Okay i was just musing about the sw prequels and kotor and was abruptly reminded of aus I forgot I had conceived to play around with, including:

- transplanting Revan into the prequels/clone wars time period wherein she is close with Obi-Wan and therefore helps train Anakin and as expected utterly derails the entire plotline with their help.

- Revan utterly selling out, not going to fight in the Mandolorian Wara, moving to Coruscant, and working her way up to the High Council at an unprecedented young age, and Alek and Meetra absolutely despise her for it.

- Atton (and Meetra but that's a spoiler) getting time-flung into Rebela to throw shade on how bad everyone is at not getting captured and killed by the Sith Empire.

None of which I've written. Anything substantial for or figured out anything about how they work or the characterization thereof. They're the absolute definition of random plot bunnies.

[supersaiyanjedi14]

More of my own Star Wars AU. Here are the Grand Masters of the Jedi Order throughout its history.

-Awdrysta Pina: aka the Green Blade, Grand Master during the First Great Schism.

-Beil Ductivis: Grand Master during the Pius Dea Crusades, later Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

-Odan Urr: Founder of the Great Jedi Library of Ossus.

-Nomi Sunrider: Hero of the Great Sith War.

-Vrook Lamar*: Leading figure during the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War.

-Meetra Surik: Rebuilder of the Jedi Order following the First Jedi Purge and the Dark War.

-Satele Shan: Hero of the Great Galactic War, Grand Master during the Cold and Eternal Wars.

-Genarra: Gand master and Supreme Chancellor during the early New Sith Wars.

-Fae Coven: First Grand Master following the Ruusan Reformation, principal author of The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force.

-Yoda: Final Grand Master of the Old Jedi Order, from the High Republic to the Clone Wars.

-Ahsoka Tano*: Unoffical Grand Master in the early years of the New Jedi Order, representative to the New Republic Senate.

-Luke Skywalker: First official Grand Master of the New Jedi Order.

-Rey Strom*: Hero of the Sith'ari War, former Padawan of Grand Master Skywalker.

-Kol Skywalker: Leader of the Ossus Project.

-K'Kruhk: Member of the Galactic Federation Triumvirate.

*NOTES UNDER THE CUT:

Vrook, Ahsoka and Rey are all exclusively fanon for the purposes of my AU.

The GM of the KOTOR era is unconfirmed, though Vrook is arguably the most outspoken and influential member of the body.

Ahsoka is the most senior Jedi in the Rebellion with the strongest connections to the NR leadership per her Fulcrum days, though she does make a point of her only being a placeholder until Luke gets the NJO built up enough to formally take over.

My plans for adapting the Sequel Trilogy and its characters are kept to myself at the moment, but Rey does grow into a very powerful and prominent Jedi regardless.

All the others are from official continuity. Xo Lahru, Pra-Te Veter, and Ry Ki-Sakka of the High Republic are also in my AU, I just haven't made micros for them yet. Grand Master Zym does not exist in this AU since...well, he sucks. That's all I'm gonna say.

Also, while Odan, Nomi, Meetra, Genarra, Kol and K'Kruhk were never officially called Grand Master in their respective stories, Odan presided over all the Jedi assemblies in TotJ, Nomi was the one spearheading the Order's operations during the Redemtion arc, Meetra was the one who rebuilt the Order following the Sith Triumvirate's purge (and the Revan novel does not happen here), Genarra was specifically stated to be the Order's leader as well as Chancellor in the Knight Errant Gazzetter, Kol is all but stated to be the leader of the Jedi Council before the Ossus Massacre, K'Kruhk was the Jedi's elected rep to the Triumvirate, and frankly all of them are clearly leading the Order at their respective times, so I'm including them.

credit for my pixels here.

[serenofroses]

Nevrakis Legacy Characters List.

Here is a full list of the characters apart of the Nevrakis Legacy and those you may find on the Star Forge server. Wanted to create a separate post to fill my characters up with images and links.

placeholder here for toyhouse character detailed profiles coming soon bc i'm not great with words and detailed information like most of my followers do ahaha. [goes to shame corner]

Reminder this legacy is strictly heavy canon divergent. So please don't come at me and bitch to me about how I'm not following canon to appease you, thank you.

The Characters (so far):

Kritanta (Sevket Nevrakis)

class story arc: Sith Warrior, main oc. // spec: Juggarnaut, offensive tank.

species: Sith Pureblood // age: unknown (rumoured to be 150+ years old) // pronouns: he/him

love interest: Darth Vowrawn

kotor bloodlines: Darth Revan

tags: #oc: kritanta, #otp kritanta x darth vowrawn

ingame name: Krîtanta

note: Kritanta is one of my three oldest ocs and is the father to Ania and Jazz.

Anastasia "Ania" Nevrakis, aka Cipher Nine.

class story arc: Imperial Agent, main oc. // spec: Sniper with a mesh of operative's vibroknives abilities into it.

species: Miraluka-Sith Pureblood hybrid. // age: 24 at the start of class story. // pronouns: she/her.

love interest(s): Darth Marr and Darth Jadus.

kotor bloodlines: Darth Revan and Visas Marr.

tags: #oc: ania nevrakis, #otp ania x darth marr, #otp ania x darth jadus, #poly otp ania x marr x jadus

ingame name: Ania Nevrakis (impside), Anya Nevrakis (repside)

note: Ania is the daughter to Kritanta and Vowrawn.

Jazmyn "Jazz" Nevrakis.

class story arc: Jedi Knight, main oc. // spec: Assassin.

species: Miraluka-Sith Pureblood hybrid // age: 24 at the start of class story. // pronouns: she/her.

love interest: Tau Idreius

kotor bloodlines: Darth Revan and Visas Marr.

tags: #oc: jazmyn nevrakis, #otp jazz x tau

ingame name: Jazmyn Nevrakis (my other Jazz who already finished Old Wounds needs a rename or I can just catch up instead to save ccs)

note: Jazz is the daughter to Kritanta and Vowrawn.

Darth Vowrawn (Kavi Biswas)

class story arc: Sith Inquisitor, secondary protag // spec: Sorcerer

species: Miraluka-Sith Pureblood // age: around the age of 60. // pronouns: he/him.

love interest: Kritanta.

kotor bloodlines: Visas Marr

tags: #ch: darth vowrawn, #otp kritanta x darth vowrawn

ingame name: Vöwrawn

note: Vowrawn is transman and is biological father to Ania and Jazz.

Darth Marr (Eivor Darach)

class story arc: Imperial Agent, secondary protag. // spec: Juggarnaut, defensive tank.

species: Zabrak. // age: in their early 40s. // pronouns: she/her, they/them.

love interest: Ania Nevrakis (main) and Darth Jadus (polytriad au).

kotor bloodlines: [REDACTED]

tags: #ch: darth marr, #otp ania x darth marr

ingame name: Marrvellous

Taurai "Tau" Idreius

class story arc: Jedi Knight, secondary protag. // spec: Guardian, defensive tank.

species: Mirialan // age: 28 at the start of class story. // pronouns: she/her.

love interest: Jazmyn Nevrakis.

kotor bloodlines: Bastila Shan and Disciple (Mical).

tags: #oc: taurai idreius, #otp jazz x tau

ingame name: Taurai Idreius

(originally intend to be Tau Idair but I wanted to do mirialan au and give me creative freedom for ideas)

Darth Jadus (Sanja Vitali)

class story arc: Imperial Agent, tertiary protag. // spec: mesh of Assassin and Sorcerer

species: Zeltron-Sith Pureblood. // age: in their late 30s or early 40s. // pronouns: she/her, they/them.

love interest(s): Ania Nevrakis (romantically) and Darth Marr (fuck buddy).

kotor bloodlines: Tenebrae

tag: #ch: darth jadus, #otp ania x darth jadus, #poly otp ania x marr x jadus

ingame name: Jadus Vitali

Darth Lachesis (Marta Vitali)

class story arc: ome of the villains // spec: Sorcerer

species: Echani-Sith Pureblood. // age: in their late 30s. // pronouns: she/her.

love interest(s): None so far.

kotor bloodlines: Tenebrae

tag: #oc: darth lachesis

ingame name: Lachesis Vitali

(originally intend to be Darth Lachris but I went and retconned her to be my own oc with designs for personal reason)

Seleni Daru (formerly Lord Venera)

class story arc: Jedi Consular, supporting oc. // spec: Shadow

species: Twi'lek-Sith Pureblood. // age: unknown (rumoured to be 150+ years old) // pronouns: she/her.

love interest(s): TBA. (romancing Felix Iresso ingame)

kotor bloodlines: Darth Revan and Yuthura Ban Daru

tag: #oc: seleni daru

ingame name: Seleni Daru

note: Seleni is the half sister to Kritanta as they share same trans mom.

Zeki Rivas

class story arc: Smuggler, supporting oc. // spec: Gunslinger

species: Human. // age: in his late 30s. // pronouns: he/him.

love interest(s): TBA

kotor bloodlines: Carth Onasi.

tag: #oc: zeki rivas

ingame name: Zeki Rivas

Jinan Secura

class story arc: Republic Trooper, supporting oc. // spec: Mercenary

species: Twi'lek. // age: in his early 30s. // pronouns: he/him.

love interest(s): Elara Dorne.

kotor bloodlines: Zaerdra Secura.

tag: #oc: jinan secura

ingame name: Jinan Secura

Lexine Sivron

class story arc: Bounty Hunter. // spec: Mercenary

species: Twi'lek. // age: unknown. // pronouns: she/her.

love interest(s): TBA. (is Mako even avaliable for female Hunter? edited: sadly not, oh well)

kotor bloodlines: Teer'aa.

tag: #oc: lexine sivron

ingame name: Lexine Sivron

[iamtaran]

WIP Title Game! oh good lord

rules: in a new post, post the names of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how nondescriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet and tell us about it!

thanks @allyunabridged for the tag! Lmao I stared down the barrel of not one, but two google drives to gather these and all I can say is

😬

IN AN ORDER ONLY THE GODS UNDERSTAND:

The Twilit Gate (BG3, when in want of more fey bullshit in your BG3, do it yourself!!! TavxAstarionxGalexliterally everyone i'm gay alright???)

Island (The Guest/손 AU, horror and survivalism; Hwa Pyung, Choi Yoon, and Gil Young follow Park Hong Joo's and Park Il Do's machinations out to open sea, to an island with long forgotten history where the real struggle for survival begins.)

But For Grace (SW:Preq's, modern-character in GFFA aka "what to do when you accidentally change things and the Chosen One dies?", started as a silly question but now I'm committed; Qui-Gon Jinn lives; what would happen in a galaxy without Anakin Skywalker?)

The Mage's War (DA2 + DA:I, what if Bethany Hawke was the Herald, Modern/Avvar OC, playing Fade chicken with the Dread Wolf nbd, put on my tinfoil hat for this one re: the Fade, the Abyss/Void, Forgotten Ones, etc.)

In God's Eye (Vampyr, human!Jonathan, ekon!McCullum, Mary lives, I'm a hobby WWI & Spanish Flu researcher so hold your britches I have FEELINGS)

For Want Of Two (Vampyr, wanted more mythological beings & nemrod lore so I'll do it myself gdi, put-that-thing-back-where-you-found-it-or-so-help-me-god.gif ; JxMcCxOC)

Lights All Hung On Nothing (Star Wars Preq's to Clone Wars era, modern-character-in-SW with a big twist, Force + time fuckery, Ani + Obi focus, the butterfly effect changes everything)

The 72nd Cycle (SW: Mandalorian, AU - Grogu is not the only Force sensitive prisoner Gideon had captured. Without room in his ship for multiple students, Luke tags along, not expecting the sad Mando's ride Boba Fett (w h a t) to show up and offer the poor guy use of his bacta tank; well, soon-to-be-his. He just has to kill its current owner, Bib Fortuna, first. You know. On Tatooine(WHAT!!). Meanwhile, on Tattooine: Cobb Vanth gets the nagging feeling his life is about to become much more stressful.)

A Heavy Thing (KOTOR, amnesiac Revan works a shitty food service job on Taris and definitely isn't a Jedi/Sith/Soldier, I mean, clearly. Slice of life becomes tragedy becomes adventure becomes mystery becomes ??? RevanxCanderousxCarth DON'T LOOK AT ME)

Life, Happening (The Shining/Doctor Sleep introspective piece on Danny Torrance, life & death, what it means to be gone, and not gone.)

Led To Water (Mandalorian, Din takes off the armor having broken his Creed and, unsure what to do next, returns to Kuiil's homestead to brood and sweat manfully through his existential crisis; his friends help him through it.)

Mando'ad'ika (Mandalorian/Original SW movies, The Mandalorian is taken into custody and now Leia has to deal with a sweet but stressed frog lady, a green gremlin with too much Force power, and this intimidating tin can who won't budge. Since Han laughed at her, she decides to make it his problem, too.)

Time Travel, & Other Ways To Die (Mandalorian/SW:Bounty Hunter video game, Din & Jango centric, whilst trying to get to Grogu on his magical big rock, Din & Grogu end up chucked through time onto an outlaw space station. Jango Fett's no good very bad day begins. Coincidentally, it coincides with Din Djarin's SUPER no good very bad day. They most assuredly do not bond over this.)

I am, or was. (Dragon Age: Inquisition, a spirit takes an interest in Solas after he helps it in the Fallow Mire and begins following him around like a lost puppy. Which would be cute, if it weren't possessing more and more alarming vessels to do so. The Andrastians are starting to get a bit twitchy.)

Rookie, Shiny, Soldier, Spy (Mandalorian/Clone Wars, Din Djarin accidental time travel into the Clone Wars AU. Caught without his 'gam on a battle field and forced once again to wear trooper armor, he is Not Impressed--and why do all these guys look like Boba?)

This Prodigal Son (Hades/Dragon Age: Inq, Zagreus goes through the wrong Chaos portal. Magister Alexius finds a powerful spirit in the Fade and, as is his way, decides fuck it, we ball. Also his way, it doesn't go very well for him.)

Send me a title via ask and I'll post my favorite bit I've currently written!

Lmao this was wild to throw together given how many WIPs of age past are staring me down; these are just all the recents. Go ahead and chuck some WIPs out there if you're interested @singoallala @narwhalninja @mauverawrites @in-a-trans-like-state @terresdebrume and @jackironsides ! And if you don't/aren't currently writing, everyone loves to see the pet tax paid C:

[invincibleinck]

fofr the fanfic ask!!! 14, 30, 28, 19, 11, 8, 4

Wow thank you so much!!

14. where do you get your inspiration?

Music mostly!

30. share a fic you’re especially proud of

Umm I don't know if I'm proud of it, but my Tron fic Stronger is fun even though it's not yet finished. Limerence (KOTOR) is the better fic in terms of prose, because I'm updating it right now. But it's very much:

I have a thing for Sith Lords 😔😔😔

28. your least favorite part of the writing process

I hate when I have a draft/outline of a scene finished, but can't find the words to make it make sense. I'll get stuck on that forever.

19. the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic

Lots of Cold War era stuff for my Scarecrow and Mrs. King fic. Favourite topic was "how did pregnancy tests in the 80s work". It involved test tubes.

Also just. So much wookieepedia stuff for Star Wars/KOTOR augh.

11. a WIP you’d like to finish someday

Most of them. Top of my list is Limerence, Stronger, and Ichor/Icarus in that order. 😔

8. if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for…

Gah I'd have to finish what I have going first 💀. Ichor already has a prequel and I haven't finished either of them.

I'm hoping to do a few oneshots in the Limerence AU if I finish it.

4. a story idea you haven’t written yet

A couple Percy Jackson book fics that I've started but never published. One of them involves Percy being a horse (bear with me it makes sense I promise).

Thanks again for the ask!

[sovonight]

undone, part 2 | atton/exile, sith exile au, kotor 2

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

✧ — ✧ 

The smoke may have died down, but the danger of the wreck itself remains. The ship's hull emits a long, eerie creak, and several panels begin to separate from it, bolts bursting free of their joins in staccato accompaniment. Just as Cela begins to form the thought that they should move, Jaq pulls her away, and the last of her cloak is swept free of the wreck as the base of the ship crumples under its own weight, creaking forward and crunching down onto the earth where they'd both just stood.

“Well, there's no repairing that," Jaq says. "Come on, let's get out of here—we're lucky the embers haven't found the fuel line."

There's only one path down from the ridge, and Jaq sets off towards it. Cela follows, but glances back—perhaps they should try to scavenge something from the wreckage, like her bag of supplies, or a medpack—and then the wreckage pops.

"There goes the fuel line," Jaq comments, not even bothering to look back. Flames rage anew, and Cela backs away quickly, taking long strides to catch up to Jaq on the path. As they leave the wreckage behind them, her eyes are drawn to the blood that had spilled down the side of his face; the sight that had given her a sense of vindictive satisfaction earlier now leaves her sick.

"Jaq," Cela says, "Your temple..."

"Oh, right," Jaq says, prodding lightly for the wound, and finding it when he winces; his fingertips come away stained with blood, and one rub of his fingers smears it. "You wouldn't happen to have a medpack, would you?"

The only medpacks they had were lost with the ship, but thanks to the feast Jaq had gifted her weeks before, she has enough energy to heal him.

"Stop here for a moment," Cela says. "I'll heal it myself."

Jaq, who had stopped immediately when she'd asked him to, backs up the moment she makes her intent clear in her lifted hands.

"Whoa, hold on," Jaq says, his open palms held up again, though she isn't even threatening him anymore. "I don't think we need to go that far. I mean, a tiny little cut like this? It'd just be a waste of your time."

"If it's nothing, it will cost nothing to heal," Cela says.

"Yeah, but—you know, I just..." Jaq says, looking anywhere but at her.

As he fumbles for words, Cela wonders why he's making this exchange so much longer than it needs to be. Jaq has never refused her healing before, and has always been glad for her attention. But… things aren't the same now, are they. He knows now how little she's trusted him these last several months. She should be grateful that he's even still standing by her side—and she should take his cues when she sees them.

"Never mind," Cela says, turning away from him quickly, returning to their descent down the path. "On second thought, I should save my energy. There may be trials ahead."

She doesn't need to search his emotions; his relief is obvious. She tries not to think too deeply about what this must mean, and continues onward.

As they round a bend in the path, the view before them opens wide to reveal the land below, and Cela sees that what she had assumed to be a chasm up on the ridge is more of a canyon. Geometrical shapes are carved into their side of the rock walls that frame the narrow valley, and the path ahead passes through the structures, back and forth, as it descends ever downwards towards the valley floor. As Cela looks closer, she recognizes the structures for what they are.

"A village," Jaq says, then glances to her. "You're going to have to lose the cloak."

"What for?" Cela asks.

"It makes you look too much like a Jedi," Jaq says. "These people are close enough to Korriban that they've probably gotten caught in the crossfire—and those scorch marks in the canyon suggest they've seen a dogfight or two. They won't care what side we're on, only that people like us have hurt them."

Cela considers this, then pulls her cloak off her shoulders. Jaq takes it from her and begins to roll it up, disguising its form.

"Hold on," Cela says, unclipping the lightsaber from her belt, "Wrap this within."

Her double-bladed lightsaber is unmistakable outside the volume of her cloak, and the glint off its metal would be spotted upon approach. Jaq, however, doesn't take it from her hands, looking upon it with apprehension.

"Are you sure?" Jaq says. Already in a delicate state, Cela's patience withers; she can understand his new caution towards her, but towards all things Jedi? Have they gone back in time?

"How else am I going to conceal it?" Cela asks. "Tied up in my hair?"

"Well—okay, but, there's no safety on these things, right?" Jaq says. "One accidental press of a button and it could take someone's arm off."

"You forget that it hangs from my belt without stabbing me in the foot," Cela says. She could take her cloak back and wrap the weapon up herself, but she wants him to understand. Cela pulls Jaq's hand to her, placing the lightsaber deliberately into his grasp. The resulting look on his face would suggest that her lightsaber was simultaneously a priceless artifact, and a live charge; belatedly, it occurs to her that she's never actually let him hold it.

"Try activating it," Cela says.

"What?" Jaq says, incredulous, somehow managing to recoil in a way where his burdened hand never moves. Amused, and committed now, Cela wraps his open fingers around the grip.

"Go on," Cela says. "I want you to see."

The emotions that cross his face in the wake of her words range from caution, to anticipation, and finally to business-like determination, the kind that she sees in him when pain and death are to follow. But for all the weight that Jaq places upon the action, when he presses the button, nothing happens.

Jaq's expression falls into a curious mixture of relief and disappointment.

"I... thought I'd heard anyone could activate these," Jaq says, after a heartbeat's delay, as though he'd discarded a set of words before the ones he'd spoken. "Heard this story about a guy who tried to use a lightsaber he looted off a Jedi. Sliced his leg clean off."

"That doesn't surprise me; attempting to use a lightsaber without training is foolish. But, activating the kyber requires an element of intent," Cela says. "There are no "accidental" presses. For my lightsaber, even less so. It's keyed to my Force signature, making it harmless in anyone else's hands."

Cela takes her lightsaber back, activating it herself, and its bright red blades emerge immediately from the hilt with their familiar, low, electrical buzz. Another press, and they're gone again—and she returns the weapon to Jaq's hand. Jaq stares at it with a new element of fascination.

"I didn't know lightsabers worked like that," Jaq says.

"They don't. This was one of Revan's experiments," Cela says. "The kyber was synthesized for me, specifically."

"Huh," Jaq says, and begins to wrap the weapon into her cloak at last. "So that's why you traded out your old lightsaber?"

"My old lightsaber...?" Cela echoes, confused.

"You know, the one you had before Korriban. The one with the leather grip, that open kyber chamber."

A burst of memory alights at this reminder; she knows what lightsaber he means. Cela remembers breaking her kyber into shards herself, letting Revan pluck what facets she wished from its remains as she stood aside and looked upon the dead pieces with a heavy weight in her chest, thinking they could never glow again. Cela remembers the sickly feeling that had taken her to see Revan's accomplishment made real, unable to bear the red that had shone out from the chamber that had once glowed her familiar, viridian green.

Once alone, Cela had broken the lightsaber open again. She'd pulled the kyber from its chamber, and looked upon it for a long time, wondering if it would have been more of a mercy to have let it lay dead than to have let Revan resurrect it. She never arrived at her answer. But when she reassembled the lightsaber at last, she made it into a stranger's: the open chamber traded out, the debossing sanded down, the unraveled leather strip of the grip discarded. She had no longer seen the point in dulling the chill that the bare metal left against her palm.

If Cela looks back on it objectively, it was no different from swapping the sight out on a blaster. She had modified her weapon; nothing more. And yet….

"All done," Jaq says. He presents the finished cloak-bundle to her; its ends have been tied to form a makeshift strap for her to sling over her shoulder. Cela moves to do so, but Jaq stops her.

"Hold on," Jaq says. "You still look... Jedi-like."

Cela looks down at her wrap-front tunic, her boots, and the belt at her waist that was clearly designed to hold a lightsaber in balance. He's not wrong, but the lingering mixture of nostalgia and regret in her heart tip her easily towards irritation; what does he expect her to do about that?

"What more could I possibly remove?" Cela asks, only to be surprised when Jaq is the one to remove something instead, shrugging out of his jacket.

"Here," Jaq says, holding it out to her. Cela only stares at it, and Jaq nods towards it. "Put it on."

"But—I can't," Cela finds herself saying, stupidly. "It's yours."

Revan's Jedi hunters have no uniform. Disguised assassins as they are, they're free to wear whatever they like as long as it doesn't hinder their work. Even now, though Jaq is officially only a pilot on Korriban, no one had seen fit to force him into standard dress—or dared to. Jaq has worn this jacket in all the time Cela has known him, and unlike other elements of his life he'll swap out as they suit him, she's seen him mend it.

"It's not going to hurt you," Jaq says, and Cela realizes he's talking about the small vials of poison, the mines, and the array of daggers that line the inside of his jacket. "My tools require intent, too."

Suddenly embarrassed at the thought that he'd assumed she bore the same apprehension he had, Cela takes the jacket from him quickly.

"Fine," Cela says, pulling it on. "Do I look acceptable now?"

His jacket is almost as heavy as her cloak, but feels far from familiar. Where her cloak had draped in thick folds, Jaq's jacket holds its structure, attempting to drag its sleek lines across her body the way it does for him.

It's not meant for her, but Jaq looks her up and down, and smiles.

"Perfect," Jaq says. "You know, it kind of suits you."

Distracted as she is by what he could mean by that, Jaq gets a head start on her, already setting off down the path once more. Cela slings her disguised lightsaber across her back and follows.

—

Despite their precautions, the inhabitants of the village are not happy to see them. The first door Jaq knocks on remains closed, the space behind it rustling quickly into silence, and as their backs are turned, all the doors in the buildings nearby shut themselves with faint clicks as well. The windows around them stand open, dark, and eerie, shadowed by the overhangs above, and Cela thinks she catches a glimpse of the whites of someone's eyes. Without form, without words, the villagers' gazes bore into their backs as they walk past the scars upon the walls, the fallen pillars, and the broken buildings that spill onto the path like eggshells, cracked open by the telltale marks of a blast. They have no choice but to pass through the village without pause.

Only on the outskirts, mere meters from the surface of the valley floor, can they stop to assess their surroundings. Cela can't help but glance back at the buildings above, but besides having grown hazier with the distance she's traveled from them, their dark windows and alcoves remain unchanged. Jaq, however, looks ahead, squinting into the distance.

"Hey," Jaq says, pulling her attention. "Do you see what I'm seeing?"

Cela looks out onto the rocky landscape of sparse brush and pale dirt ahead, attempting to follow Jaq's line of sight, and spots an odd dip in the opposite valley wall, where the face seems to have been carved out, dipping in and down into the earth. And sitting within it…

"A ship," Cela says. "What is it doing out there?"

She glances back at the village, which had housed its speeders in fenced-off hollows along the path. Somehow, she can't imagine them choosing to keep a ship all the way out there.

"I don't know, but we're taking it," Jaq says.

Cela looks at the ship, again. It sits at a considerable distance away, and now that her adrenaline from the shipwreck has faded, the soreness in her eyes has returned to the forefront of her attention, along with a headache. Jaq glances at her, and though Cela fights her need to yawn, he beckons her to the rocky wall that frames the right side of the path.

"Let's rest first," Jaq says. He sits, leaning back against the wall, and pats the earth next to him for her to join him. Displeased that he'd seen through her, but touched by his concern, Cela goes to sit quietly beside him. She moves her bundled-up lightsaber to her lap, and leans her head back against the wall, trying to ignore the discomfort of its uneven surface against her skull. After a moment of this, Jaq speaks.

"You can lean on me, if you want," Jaq offers. "My shoulder's free."

The speed at which she accepts is embarrassing, but after being rejected from healing him, she's far too relieved by his gesture to care.

—

"You won't eat?" Cela asks, gesturing to the fowl-like creature on the fire. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jaq notes that she'd been careful enough to place it close to him so that he doesn't need to shift his injured leg to reach it, but Jaq doesn't make any move to take it, his hard gaze still on her.

"Why are you helping me?" Jaq asks.

"What do you mean? We're partners."

"Don't give me that," Jaq sneers. "We might be fighting for the same cause, but you're on a different path from the rest of us. An upcoming Sith Master, aren't you? So what do you want from helping me?"

"I want you alive," Cela says simply, and Jaq's annoyance grows.

"Why—because all life is precious? Because it's the right thing to do? Don't try that on me," Jaq says. "You've gone through plenty of other hunters before me. You choose the easy way out—tossing us into the fire the moment it threatens to singe your robes."

Cela looks unaffected, still picking steadily through the sparse meat on her skewer.

"If that's what you want to believe, you can," Cela says. "But I do want you alive. You're sharp, quick on your feet, and always where you need to be. One step to the side, and you would have been crushed."

"By the boulders you brought down," Jaq says.

"My command of the Force has never been very elegant," Cela says. "But you made the right choice. Had you not moved through, our Jedi would not have fallen for my feint. But I hope next time, you'll help me retrieve them alive."

"Why? They'd have only ended up being more work later," Jaq says.

"Oh—no," Cela says, "They would still lay dead now. I mean only that I need to kill them myself."

His mind catches on her particular choice of words—needed, instead of wanted?—but is soon distracted by Cela picking up the skewer of meat meant for him.

"Hey—hey!" Jaq says, as she begins to tear the skin open, revealing the cooked flesh underneath. "What happened to "this ones yours"?"

"Does this mean that you feel like eating now?" Cela says. In lieu of an answer, Jaq merely snatches it from her—but when a small amused smile crosses her face, he realizes he's fallen for her trap.

"Alright, what have you done to it," Jaq demands. "Clever—eating your own first so I can't demand that we swap skewers."

"You're overthinking it," says Cela. "I'd gladly eat it for you to prove it isn't poisoned, but you're the one who needs the strength."

"Ha! Poisoned—I never said poisoned," Jaq says, then wonders what that even implies. "So you've—so this, then…."

"Jaq," Cela says, her voice softer now. "Vigilance doesn't mix well with recovery. Will you please believe that I value you highly enough not to kill you, for at least long enough to finish a meal?"

Jaq looks over at her. Her eyes are not quite gentle, but they're tired. She'd helped him limp all the way down to base camp, and will again to reach the ship, where the last of their medpacks are.

He takes a bite from his meal, at last. In a near imperceptible drop of her shoulders, Cela relaxes.

"I made some tea as well," Cela says. "Here… the warmth will help."

She pours out a cup of the herbal stew he'd watched her make, and moves to hand it to him—then pauses.

"And it's not poisoned, either," Cela says. Jaq flushes, hot on the back of his neck.

"I didn't even say anything that time!" Jaq says, defensive. "Just hand it over."

—

Jaq wakes to a roughness against his cheek, a throbbing pain at his temple, and a hand gripping his shoulder.

"Jaq. Wake up," a voice says. He's drawn towards it, swaying forward before he even opens his eyes and registers its owner.

"Cela?" Jaq says, his own voice still rough with sleep. Something crawls down his cheek, and he swipes a hand across it, only for his fingers to come away red with blood.

"You've reopened your wound," Cela says. "I should heal it—please."

Her hand is still on his shoulder; it would be easy for her to raise it and bid his flesh to knit back together, but Cela waits for his answer.

Jaq knows that her healing is harmless. Whenever she had passed the Force through him, most of what he'd felt was her steady touch upon his skin. The actual mending of his wounds had slipped past his senses, insignificant unless he chose to concentrate upon it. If she heals him now, though, he's not sure what he'll feel—and it's that uncertainty that deters him.

But as he stays silent, the concern in Cela's eyes only deepens, growing pained. It occurs to him that she must be feeling what he feels—his wound, mirrored, as if it were her own.

"Go ahead," Jaq says, at last; he'd be a poor companion if he couldn't even bear the Force for the moment it takes for her to heal him. His reluctance must show, however, because Cela's expression softens.

"It will be quick," Cela promises, needlessly. "Painless."

It's not pain he fears. Cela places her fingertips along his temple, closing her eyes, and he braces himself for another glimpse at the vastness that had overwhelmed him, but he feels nothing like that: he feels her.

Her worry, her pain, and then, her calm. These three pass through him, like a whisper past his awareness, and on the other side of her emotion, he falls through: to the relief he'd felt in their embrace; to the assurance he feels at the helm of a ship; to the simplicity of a blue sky on a sunny day, where the glare of the sun winks upon the bright and silver buildings as he stares up at them, knowing nothing yet of the hidden stars beyond. Cela shows him this... and he wonders how she could show him this... and all the tension in his held breath is released in a sigh, as he relaxes.

Jaq opens his eyes, wondering when he'd closed them, to find Cela's attentive gaze on him. Taken by all that she'd shown him, a question spills from his lips before he can stop it.

"How do you do that?" Jaq asks. "I mean—heal?"

"How do I heal?" Cela echoes, surprised at his question; Jaq reflects that he's never actually asked her before. "Well, it… it requires two parts: knowledge of the body, and the wielder's state of mind."

"Do you use memories?" Jaq asks, unable to stop himself again, and amends, "…For the state of mind, I mean."

"Sometimes," Cela says, slowly, looking at him carefully. "It helps invoke emotions I associate with healing. Are you… feeling alright?"

Jaq's not sure what he feels—there's a weightlessness in his chest, and he wonders if she feels it, if she carries it with her, how she pulls what she needs from the Force without drowning in it—but with another breath, and long-enforced self discipline, he shakes his strange mood off.

"Never better," Jaq says, putting on a quick grin. He stands and offers a hand to her. "Are we heading out, or what?"

—

They set off towards the ship. As they walk, all Cela can think about is the work that's surely waiting for her upon her return, and she trudges forward determinedly. Jaq, however, appears relaxed beside her, a levity to his every step.

"You know," Jaq says, out of nowhere, "This is the perfect chance to fake our deaths."

"Hm," Cela says, uninterested in hypotheticals, but Jaq goes on.

"I mean, Whinu already thinks you're dead. So since you hate it there, and I hate it there—"

"I hate it there?" Cela asks, interrupting him. Jaq laughs as if she's just told a joke, but his mirth fades when he meets her eye.

"Wait, you're serious?" Jaq says, surprised. "Come on, Cela, tell me one thing you like about the place."

She opens her mouth, ready to retort; she holds a place of authority and respect not just in the academy, but in Revan's Sith hierarchy, by extension. But it's never brought her anything but dissent, stress, and sleepless nights—and Jaq knows this. If she had to pick something she liked….

One thought comes to mind, but she swaps it quickly out for another.

"The fresh food," Cela says, before she can think her answer over any further. Jaq gives a puzzled laugh.

"Uh, yeah, right," Jaq says. "You and I both know they're just fancy re-hydrated rations. Plus the rare native fruit, which—"

"Is disgustingly bitter," Cela admits.

"Shouldn't be considered edible," Jaq says. "Yeah, exactly. Now try that again."

As the ground passes underfoot, each step reminds her of the soreness in her back and shoulders from sleeping upright, and she seizes her next answer.

"My quarters, then," Cela says. "They're more spacious than any rooms I've had before."

"Really? Is that why you only use a fourth of it?" Jaq says. "I mean, you basically just move between your bed, your desk, and your door. And you've got all those shelves and stands for artifacts—but you just shove them in a corner."

"I don't need to use the space to enjoy it," Cela says, her tone growing defensive despite herself. "It's… it's a Jedi habit. To live simply and frugally."

But even as a Jedi, she'd had her trinkets. Colorful stones; an array of clips for her hair; charcoal drawings from a dear friend; a silver statuette from a merchant she'd escorted through a dangerous trade route, once. After she joined the war against the Mandalorians, her belongings grew bloated with tokens of those they'd lost, so many that they would have spilled from her cupped hands, unending. She had guarded them, thought it her duty to send them forward to their loved ones, but after Malachor she passed the burden onto someone, anyone else.

On Korriban, Cela had kept nothing. Her old things no longer held their shine, and everything that came to her was dull—save for the very pilot who's looking at her now, wordlessly communicating to her through his unconvinced eyes that he knows her last words were full of bantha droppings.

"I have everything there I need to survive," Cela amends neutrally, subdued by honesty. The look in Jaq's eyes softens.

"Yeah, but we could survive anywhere else," Jaq says, and it warms her to hear him say "we." "Things have been bad, but they're changing. I hear about places taking in refugees all the time, like Nar Shaddaa—"

"Ah," Cela says with understanding, "For your pazaak habit."

Jaq makes an offended noise.

"Come on, I only play for pocket change," Jaq says, "And it's a good way to get intel!"

"Two thousand credits was pocket change?" Cela says, amused. "I hope the information was worth it."

"That was different," Jaq says, "I was trying to impress you."

The words are said lightly, but the way he seems uncertain of his decision to speak them lends them truth, and Cela can only watch as the tips of his ears turn pink, her own voice made silent by her surprise.

There was always too much wrapped up in their time together before Korriban. The echoes of Malachor V; Jaq's distrust of her; and the way they had grown close but had never spoken plainly to each other about it at all. Cela had never quite known where she stood with Jaq—and Jaq had always shied away from addressing it, preferring to keep his cards close to his chest.

But Cela hadn't known where to look for his affection, then. Now that she knows where it lies, she can see the truth woven through his actions, both before his arrival on Korriban, and after.

"Well, we're here," Jaq says, stopping ahead of her. "The ship."

Cela looks up from her thoughts to find that they are, indeed, here at the ship. Nestled beneath a mess of pale vines, the ship sits crookedly in the hollow, its nose buried in the dirt. Its landing ramp is partially extended, forming a small ledge beneath its open entrance.

"Looks like she had a rough landing," Jaq comments, looking over the scrapes along the outside of the ship. "The hull looks intact; let's hope the inside's the same."

The ledge of the landing ramp is at shoulder height, and Jaq grips it, pulling himself up. He steadies himself against the frame of the entrance, peering into the darkness of the ship's interior.

"How does it look?" Cela asks.

"Not bad," Jaq says. "A bunch of dead leaves and animal droppings, but I'll be happy if this thing flies. Want a hand up?"

He extends a hand to her, and Cela steps forward to take it, but pauses as something pulls at the edge of her awareness—a sense of unease.

"In a moment, " Cela says. "I want to examine our surroundings first. Try powering it on in the meantime."

"Got it," Jaq says, and disappears inside.

Cela walks slowly along the ship's perimeter. The hull is unremarkable—it's mildly damaged, but as Jaq said, it's perfectly intact—and the vines that whisper across her cloak as she passes through them seem innocent enough. But if this ship was abandoned by its owner… why is it here? Why hasn't it been scavenged for parts?

The sloped ceiling of the hollow is bumpy and irregular, catching upon her shoulder as her steps bring her around to the nose of the ship. She turns her gaze to her shoulder, but then finds her gaze pulled down, to where the sloped ceiling meets the ground—at least, where it would meet the ground. Instead of a seam, she finds a gap, where the vines and the ivy upon the floor tumble into the darkness of what must be a cave below.

Without warning, the ground rumbles with a pulse of energy, and Cela stumbles back away from the gap, fearing for a split second that she might have fallen in. "Hey, it works!" Jaq's triumphant voice echoes to her from inside the ship, muffled but audible. "And all it took was a little rewiring."

As though summoned by the disturbance, something silver flashes in the cave below. Though her instincts caution her against it, Cela stares into the inky black, and as she does, she realizes the truth: it's no longer mere shadow, but a pupil—belonging to a large eye.

"Jaq," she warns, "Get ou—"

Silver flashes in her vision once more, but this time it slams into her side in a blow that steals her breath, sending her tumbling to the side, away from the ship. A scaly paw emerges from the cave, crushing the pale ivy, and its claws drag dark streaks into the ground where she had just stood. Jaq hangs out from the ship's open entrance, calling her name, his eyes alert and on her but unable to see the threat for the vines that curtain the ship. Fallen on her side, Cela clutches her waist, palm pressing into the ache of bruising skin, but her searching fingers find no lightsaber upon her belt.

Her lightsaber. Her cloak. Cela scrabbles at her shoulders for it, but finds the bundle gone, and tosses her head up to see that it had fallen away from her, laying on the ground a few meters away. Another paw hooks into the earth, the creature seeking to drag itself up from its den, but Cela moves too, ignoring the pain to bring her legs back under her, pushing herself upright.

"Get the ship out of here!" Cela calls to Jaq. "I'll distract it!"

She keeps her gaze on him just long enough to see him nod and disappear back into the ship. Meanwhile, the creature's snout has emerged, snarling and shaking clumps of earth from the ceiling of the hollow as it bashes into the narrow opening of the cave, fighting to break through. Cela pulls her lightsaber to her hand with a tug of the Force—she'll slay the creature while it's trapped—but the full bundle of her cloak meets her palm, blocking her from her blade. With a frustrated growl, she pulls at the knots Jaq had tied—who'd asked him to make such thorough work of its disguise?

The ship scrapes across the earth in creaky, shuddering starts and stops, separating with difficulty from the mold the earth has formed beneath it. Even as the ship's hull escapes the earth at last, rising unsteadily into the air, the vines and lines of ivy wound across it pull taut, unwilling to let the ship go. But the roots of these plants cling to the walls of the hollow with the same strength, and Cela glances up in time to see the ship win the tug-of-war, only to pull apart the wall that separates the hollow from the cave, freeing the creature in a rain of soil.

Cela grits her teeth, takes hold of the fabric of her cloak with the Force, and pulls it apart, sending it flying into tattered shreds. She activates her lightsaber at last, the sound and vivid red light sudden enough to pull the creature's attention away from the escaping ship. The creature sets its eyes upon her, and snarls.

Cela's muscles burn as she drives herself to dodge the creature's swipes, her heart thudding loud in her chest in a combination of apprehension and adrenaline. She's slow, out of practice, and though her lightsaber is ready in her hand, she can barely find the opportunity to use it—until at last, the creature rears back, giving an unnecessary roar that deafens in this reverberating hollow, and Cela sends her lightsaber spinning forth, slashing across the tender scales of its underbelly. The creature falls heavily onto its front paws, shaking the ground and sending her stumbling back. Cela glances up to the hollow's exit, and sees the ship breaking free of its last vine—her task is done.

Cela begins to back away, mapping out her escape. But the creature no longer seems interested in her—it shakes its tangled mane as though to clear its head of pain, and turns away, deeming her more trouble than she's worth. Relief almost takes her, until the creature pauses and stares for a moment, its neck drawing a line pointing straight at the escaping ship.

No. No, no. The creature lunges for its new, flying prey, its sharp claws drawn, and its tail sweeps behind it, almost knocking Cela over again. She ducks, and sprints for clear ground, her hand outstretched—there is a Force ability she had heard of once that can influence a beast's mind, and if there were ever a moment for her to miraculously understand it, it would be now—but no such ability comes to her fingertips.

Instead, urgency overwhelms her, crowding into her chest as fear crawls up her throat. That ship may be their only hope of getting off this planet, but more importantly, Jaq is still inside. With that thought, all the remaining shreds of the Force within her are bent to her will as she reaches forth and crushes the creature from the inside, squeezing until its bones splinter—its organs burst—

—And she and the creature's mangled corpse collapse to the earth, as the world falls to black.

—

The wound has burned his shirt to his flesh, carving a line that slashes across his chest. Cela applies a medpack to it, but it feels futile—the kolto gel seems unwilling to seep into his charred skin.

"Give me another," Cela says, holding out her hand, but no cold plastic meets it.

"We're out," Jaq says. He holds up their last one, its kolto chamber broken and empty, all its healing gel escaped through the cracks. "It's fine—the fight's over. I'll tough it out until we finish our mission."

But as Cela peels another panel of his armor away from the line of the wound, she finds that at its deepest, the searing blade that had struck him had dug in even further than she'd thought. Jaq seems to know, the quiet, resigned expression on his face held only by pure will, the corners of his mouth tensing against the pain. This is the kind of wound that demands a kolto tank, or threatens to leave lasting damage.

The Force itches at her fingertips, and Cela stills, uncertain. It's been a long time; she can no longer imagine the Force in her hands being used for anything other than suffering, but for the first time since Malachor, she wants to try.

"Hold on," Cela says, as Jaq begins to pull away. Looking back, he settles slowly back onto the seat beside her, meeting her with a questioning gaze. She lifts her hand to his wound again, holding her palm just above it.

"This may feel… strange," Cela cautions, "But it will help. Can I…?"

"I let you use that shielding ability on me, didn't I?" Jaq says, averting his gaze. "Go ahead."

Cela closes her eyes, sweeping her thoughts aside, and reaches out to the damaged flesh beneath her palm. She can feel him tense, sensitive to the light touch of the Force she uses to assess the wound. There was a time when she was practiced enough that such an assessment felt like nothing, but rather than disappointment, all she can register is relief that this still feels familiar. Sinking into her work, the outside world loses its significance, until she hears Jaq's intake of breath in astonishment.

Light, trapped between her palm and his skin, shines out from the cage of her fingers. As it fades, and she moves her palm away, the wound is still there, but it is shallow—faint.

"I'm… sorry," Cela begins, seeing that she hadn't been able to heal it fully. "I…."

"Wow," Jaq breathes, touching the trace of the wound with his fingertips. "Cela… you can do that? I thought Sith could only take, not heal."

"Many choose to forget their training in the ways of the Light side rather than take advantage of it," Cela says. "It requires more effort, but I can still heal… as long as I have the energy to."

"So can I take this as a sign that you like me?" Jaq says, with an easy grin. "I mean, I've never heard of you healing anyone else you work with. I must be the exception."

"You are," Cela says, "Exceptionally foolish for stepping in to shield me in the first place. What was going through your head?"

—

Cela's body weighs on her as she comes to consciousness. Her limbs are heavy, and that trace of a headache is back behind her eyes. She shifts with a groan, lifting a hand into her line of sight, displeased to find her fingers trembling once more. She stills them by force, wrapping them into an empty fist, and shifts, sitting up. Her surroundings come into view: the ship, which has been swept free of debris, and the valley floor visible through the open door, where the sky above has grown dark.

As her senses return to her in full capacity, Cela becomes aware of a slight rattling in the hull, a mild clanging sound outside, and a few swears. Jaq.

Before she can even rise from floor, though, Jaq must hear her, because the metallic sound outside stops dead in its tracks. Jaq's head and shoulders emerge in the corner of the open door, and upon seeing her awake, he clambers up the side of the landing ramp, pulling himself up into the ship.

"You could walk up the ramp," Cela points out to him, though her voice is tired and quiet. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Hours," Jaq says, kneeling by her side and looking carefully into her eyes; he brushes her loose hair aside with a gentle hand, his fingertips grazing her cheek. "I was starting to think you weren't going to wake. I tried to figure out what brought you down, but I couldn't find a single scratch on you."

A familiar chill has yawned out within her chest, its tendrils the ones sending tremors through her hands, and Jaq's warmth creates too sharp a contrast. She pulls away from his touch.

"A false alarm," Cela says. "I overexerted myself; that's all."

The worry in Jaq's eyes does not fade.

"It didn't look like that to me," Jaq says. "It looked like—"

"Jaq," Cela says firmly, "Please."

Her fingers are curled tight again, her nails digging into the skin of her palms, binding her hands together; Cela holds firm, pressing hard, to allay the trembling in her hands. Though Jaq's concern remains obvious, he does not push her further.

"Fine. Just try not to overdo it, alright? You did a number on that thing," Jaq says. "I'd call it overkill, really—that final move of yours even tugged the ship in."

"It what?" Dread rises in her throat. If she hadn't been careful—if her command of the Force had slipped free of her control—if the ship had been crushed along with the creature, with Jaq trapped inside—

"Just a little," Jaq amends quickly, seeing how she's paled. "But don't worry—it barely moved, and the engine could take it. The ship made it out fine. See?"

Jaq goes on, talking about how he'd begun tuning it up as she slept, but all Cela can focus on is him: moving, breathing, alive.

—

"So, where to?" Jaq asks, pulling up the navigation system.

"Korriban," Cela says, assuming the exchange is merely a formality. "Where else?"

"Yeah. You're right," Jaq says, gazing down at the visual on the screen. "Our fuel's low. With the short distance we came to get here, Korriban is the only place I could get us, anyway."

As Jaq brings the ship into the air, Cela belatedly remembers Nar Shaddaa. It had only been talk—Jaq's tone had been light—but perhaps, underneath, he had been serious. She has no way of knowing now; the clarity he had shown her before is gone, and his emotions are again simple, smooth in the Force.

[queen-scribbles]

For the OC asks, here's a couple!

Who was your first OC you developed? What was that process like? What did you start with?

Do you have a favorite OC? What do you like most about them?

What's most important to you when exploring a new OC, or when creating a new story or situation for them?

Do you give them, like, specific meta or in-universe meanings to background things, like birthdays, favorite flowers/foods/scents, etc? What do those generally mean to your OCs?

(I need to read up on your OCs, hence these types of asks!)

Hey, thanks for the ask! And for your patience while I try to give these very good questions equally good answers

1. My first OC I developed is fuzzy. It's either Kenna Tasman(canon Revan) or Rahna Tabris (canon Warden), bc I was a latecomer to the world of RPGs and it,uh, took me a few times through KotOR before I realized you could a) talk to your companions without the game prompting and b)romance Carth, so Kenna's game and subsequent fic happened at about the same time as Rahna's. xD Started with thinking about what traits I wanted to give them and how I wanted them to interact with the world/characters around them. They're both snarky, Kenna has a terrible sense of humor, flirts via playful insults, and is such a goody two shoes it was SERIOUS cognitive dissonance to picture her as a Lord of the Sith. Rahna is outspoken, impulsive, and determined to be kind, be good despite the harsh circumstances of her growing up. They sort of developed and picked up additional tics and foibles as I played them through their respective games and started writing them. (Iirc, neither of them can cook, and they're both very quick to form friendships)

2. Obligatory caveat I love all my children and hate picking a fave, there's several in tight competition for the title etc etc, but I think I gotta go with Trinne(Amell). Largely bc she's always the first to pop in my head when people ask me this question, even if AJ or Tragen or Vica or Tavi is only milliseconds behind. I've had her for a very long time(12-13 years) and she's gotten a lot of character/personality development. I think one of the things I love the most about her is she has obvious flaws to go with her virtues. She's compassionate and smart and wants to help and not afraid to speak up for other people, but she's also stubborn and reckless and has a temper and makes snap judgments she has to undo later. Once she's your friend she's ride or die for life, she's creative, she's impulsive, she's too zeroed in on the little picture to consider larger consequences.

basically she's the most well-rounded of my characters, and also she's how I met one of my best friends, so that definitely biases me in her favor xD

3. How they interact with other characters in the world. Companions/NPCs in the case of game characters, established cast in the case of my original writing. I love character interaction(there's a reason banter and combat are my favorite things to write), so working that out is a big focus when I'm fleshing out now OCs, and then for new situations, it's how how are they going to feel and react? How are they going to interact with the people around them in reaction to the new situation? I feel like thinking of it that way really helps me focus on/flesh out their virtues/flaws/quirks.

4. Sometimes. I'll frequently make the day I created them(or in-universe equivalent) their birthday. Favorite foods etc are frequently ones I love(Tragen loves sopapillas, AJ and Kasey are coffee fiends, pretty much any of them in a modern universe/AU would love pineapple on pizza bc I do). Same with quirks; AJ and Jaaide are fans of mismatched socks bc I do that all the time. Hobbies/talents are either ones I do/have do or wish I did(a whole bunch love to read, anyone artistic/good at singing is me wishful-thinking a talent I don't have onto one of my children xD). Sometimes though it'll just strike me that due to X about their circumstances, Z hobby or talent is a perfect fit(Vesper loves to explore so of course she learned how to draw all the flowers/plants she found).

Thank you so much for your interest in my OCs! My OC page still needs a lot of fleshing out, but there are links to the tags for all my "big ones" if you want to read up on them.🥰

[fouralignments]

Star wars cherik

I know most people let Apocalypse be the evil sith who brings Erik to the Darkseid.

But.

Shaw being sith lord and brings Erik to the Dark side. And Erik on a mission to hunt Jedi like Charles For example. Turns out Charles got turned already and meets Apocalypse.

During the fight because of course they fight. Apocalypse senses Erik inner turmoil gets Erik to turn on Shaw. And then they all rule the galaxy as a power thruple.

Poor Peter the Luke Skywalker of the group and he gets 3 evil dads.

Don't worry they all love him though.

I'm getting KOTOR vibes from this. With Peter being Revan. Which I have not played, but I have seen walkthrough and analysis of. Also Peter deserves all the dads. I know there's a shit ton of Star wars AU of X-Men.

[kitkatt0430-recommends]

My perusal of old FFnet favorites continues on. I've been pretty pleased to find so many cross posted to Ao3, though occasionally I'll find one that started to get cross posted and, sadly, was never completed. But I can still bookmark the completed external version and keep an eye on the incomplete versions in hope that, one day, they'll get the rest of the chapters added after all.

Double Crossing by JessaLRynn - Ten and Rose run into Seven and Ace at a Star Trek convention. Throw in some actual aliens, a missing prince, and disguised weapons dealers and it's just another Tuesday for these four, really.

A Ten/Rose (with some Seven/Rose too) fic now with a follow up Eight/Rose story. Double Crossing shows as much love to Star Trek as it does Doctor Who and it's a wild ride from start to finish. I was glad to find it over on Ao3 where it's rated T.

KOTOR: Revan's Second Chance by VMorticia - Revan remembers who he is after the escape from the Endar Spire; not everything, but enough. And while he no longer has the ambition to be a Dark Lord of the Sith, Revan knows two things. Admitting he remembers who he is would be a terrible idea and… what happened to Malak is his mess to clean up.

It's an unusual premise (especially for a fic following the game's light side path) and one I really enjoyed. Revan can be at times charming or an ass, but he does care a great deal about others. So it's easy to see the Jedi he used to be and the Sith he became in the person he is now. I was unable to find it on Ao3, so this one is linked to FFnet. It's rated T and the ship is eventually Bastila/Revan.

The Adventures of Ten, Rose, and Jack by SanguineInk - The series starts with Two Months, in which the Doctor and Rose show up before the ghosts start showing up and run straight into Torchwood One. Which is when Jack shows up, just in time to help fight some Torchwood One flunkies and some Cybermen too.

A four part series with Ten/Rose and Ten, Rose, and Jack friendship that starts as a Doomsday fix-it and grows from there. It's a lot of running, drama, and fun, so it really captures the feel of the show. I read the first three over on FFnet years ago, so I'm thrilled to find there's actually a fourth fic in the series now that I've rediscovered it on Ao3.

Shadows of the Future by stormqueen873 - After losing the duel on Mustafar, Obi-Wan wakes in the past right as Anakin walks into his life for the first time. And Obi-Wan is determined to ensure things won't happen the same way around this time.

While this did start to get cross-posted on Ao3 back in 2016, looks like it was never completed there. The version I've linked to is on FFnet, which is complete. While I do wonder why it didn't get finished when crossposted to Ao3, I'm glad the FFnet version is still around because this is probably my favorite time traveling Obi-Wan fic out there. It's rated K+ and is gen, with a focus on Obi-Wan's relationships with Qui-Gon and Anakin.

Fools Rush In by LoveSupreme - X-Men AU where Erik runs a coffee shop and has a bit of a crush on a handsome man who passes by every day. It wouldn't have come to anything, until one day Annoying Cappucino Lady drags her cute friend Charles into Erik's shop.

It's on Ao3 now and has a whole series!!! I don't remember this one strongly but I do remember it being cute. So having even more story now makes me pretty excited. It's not rated on Ao3, but it's probably about a T? I don't remember anything warranting an M in there, though I could be wrong. And the ship is, of course, Charles/Erik.

Charlotte Francine Xavier by Blind_Author - A rewrite of X-Men First Class, where Charles Xavier is now Charlotte. And though much stays the same… so much is changed too.

I was excited to find this one on Ao3 too. A lot of the beats here are the same as in the movie, but the fic also does a good job of distinguishing itself from the movie's plot too. Obviously its a genderswap fic and the ship is Charlotte/Erik. Rated Explicit and I do remember it earns that rating pretty hard and it has some darker elements to it than the movie did.

If I Knew You Then: Part 1 by Ruchira - When Tom and B'Elanna meet at the Academy, years before Voyager is lost in the Delta Quadrant, it completely changes their lives.

The first of four fics following Tom and B'Elanna from the Academy to their eventual arrival on Voyager; while they end up stranded in the Delta Quadrant on Voyager in the end, just like in canon, how they get there changes radically. It's Tom/B'Elanna for the ship and all the fics are rated T. I wasn't able to find them on Ao3, but they're all still up on FFnet.