#sith Solstice

[swtor-legacy-sitcom]

Sith Solstice

Sith Solstice was generally observed on Korriban, Ziost and Drommund Kaas before the arrival of Vitiate’s Empire.  Due to the decay of galactic orbit, Ziost lacked the necessary 27 days of tradition, moving to 28 and then 29 by the time of swtor, so the monthly festival Calender became an obsession, Balmorra was chosen as a likely replacement due to its astral parralels to Old Ziost.

Tombs were opened, and passages renovated. specifically, the altar shrines where ancestors were revered. flowers and offerings of Tukata hearts were common to strengthen the ancients. gifts were left by fallowers and children wandered the halls guided by sith spirits, where they read more tomb hieroglyphs and learned about their kin.

4 Day Period Sith Purge Days/ Saturnalia Ziggurats were opened to slaves to wander.  A Sith Saturnalia was observed, where Slave revolts were largely permitted and purges allowed as long as they stayed within the grounds of the Blood Ziggurats. powerful masters would bow on their own thrones, while slaves and lower classes priests, massassi etc, feasted and permitted to eat from their master’s stock freely. The Holy Day, or the three days, going from sunset, a full two days and then dawn on the next day. was largely illuminated by bright temple torches, giving the impression of daylight, ceremonial blood oil was used, it gave the impression of daylight and also had incense and other additives. Powerplays were forbidden, though if cruel Masters were killed by angry slaves, “you keep what you kill” applied.

2DaysTribute was generally given to the reigning governors and a select cadre of priests, there being a cycle of which cadre of Sith Deities was honored each year.  Ziost’s city states all observed this. Inferno, the Volcanic canal Citidel of House Akasti was the primary site for such tribute, for millenia, and their appointment there much coveted to the Eternal Duty associated with it. Old Kissai King Priests, would oversee the tribute from lords, massassi, and other persons of Power. depending on the whims of the Dark Lord, and their discissions regarding scarcity or supply, it was sometimes given to the lower classes.

Charity Wealthy Powerful lords were expected to take the time, sometimes personally, to strengthen their slaves, the weakest and longest suffering, were often given mercy killings and places inside lavish burial urns, with jewelry and mummification wraps or placed inside ‘Statues of the Ancient Slave’ their remains dipped in gold, and jewels or kyber crystals inlaid over their hearts. This process was separate from Sith Saturnalia

Hunting and Feasting Families hunted and feasted together, their wealth being given in shares to their servants and then hunted with any servants who were too great in surplus to have a share. Such decisions had strict guidelines dictated by Caste, Tradition and the Kissai

2-3 Days, At Discretion of Sith Lords The Slave Hunt Later periods evolved a sort of ‘Slave Hunting’ Tradition. where slaves if they desired would be hunted. upon their successful evasion, they would be granted freedom. betting was common. a Slave who interfered in Saturnalia was often sentenced to Death by Sith Alchemy, which often saw them turn into semi sentient Sithspawn, eternally servants to their masters, though more intelligent and morose. Slave’s that evaded their captors, and even killed them, were given by tradition rule of the hunting grounds and certain status. They were often taught one trade and given the weapon or weapons of their choosing and their pick of fellow slaves, often family.  Another tradition was if a slave hunted but spared their own master, they could Wed that master and became lawfully married

The Longest Night The longest and coldest night of the year was given to couples and newlyweds, fertility rituals, dark side sex magic, etc. long cold nights were for lovers to grow closer, oddly the force was in ebb, so it was common for spiritual bonds and force diads to be formed during the time, as without the force, couples grew naturally closer.  This period and phrase always moved, due to Ziost’s orbit, before being reset, and so the other festival periods reshuffled, bit by bit.

Day of the Sons fathers and sons spent time together, or sons visited graves, presents, offerings, family outings etc

Day of the Daughters Mothers and Daughters spent time together or honored graves and remains  presents, offerings, family outings etc

Day of the Patrons surrogates and other mentors were honored on this day, this was, always a time for rowdier gatherings for all,  presents, offerings, family outings etc

Day of the Slaves/ Concubines more passionate and pleasurable lovemaking was practiced on this day. it was softer, and more intimate. sexual related gifts were seen as taboo and in poor taste,  gold jewelry with kyber crystal stones and fur robes were the traditional gifts, lavish headresses for long time courtesans were given as a token of seniority or long standing favoritism

3 Days, Set Dates Days of the Keep These three days were given to nuclear families. a sort of ‘Free Day’ catacombs were preferred locales as they enabled Sith to ‘Show weakness’ Slaves had the period off, and visited with their own families, often with a gift from their master in the form of a beast for carving and a satchel of gold, or a valuable good for trade

Parents parents stayed together and had romantic evenings Elders, Kissai baby sitters or slaves and Servants watched the kids

Children Parents spent time with their children and enjoyed relaxing family settings

Elders and Household Grandparents and Elders visited, this was the big day with cousins and extended family. 

6 Days Keep Days Temple Festival The holy Temples were all opened and all city visitors permitted to enter, every two hours the parties would move to the next cycle of temples, a Marti Gra parade of sorts, some temples also required absolute silence within them. and the procession was more calm.

1 Day and Night Marks of the Blood Ceremonial script and writings with family powers were interred here. for a period of one day, or well into the night, dusk till dawn, from sundown to sunup a full 24 hour period.

1 Night Elders Flame: Elders and Kissai spoke freely of ancient secrets around temple torches or campfires, many were lit. processions of tents into the desert were common or in special central alcoves.  Particularly ancient Kissai who were on their death’s bed were burnt alive as they neared their most final breath, and passed on their last secrets orally. The deaths were quick and painful, and only the most revered and ancient Elders truly about to die were given this last honor of experiencing Life when they had no power or passion left.

Reverence and Bloodsoup The last few days were given to laziness and unwinding. Massassi festivals which were much the same overlapped, but due to needing guards, theirs began earlier. and ended later. Thus Massassi had “the Day of Duty” Their Reverence day was after the Lords recovered and saw to the house, Their own strength restored, fallowing that, they returned to their duties as well. they also began earlier as when the festivals proper began, they saw to the city gates and those entering for celebration.

Asking for our friendly SWTOR worldbuilder @fluffynexu what do you think?

[kaffykathy]

Sometimes I look at Lancer's core book and just think about how lacking it is in significant details for all the factions, like who is the current leaders of Union, to founders and owners of the many corporate entities.

I know that doesn't sound like exciting lore to anyone, but for Union, there's no one like the Camerons from Battletech or the Karl Franz from Warhammer Fantasy. And I can see that it was probably purposely implemented like this for the reason that these entities are bigger than the identities that lead them, and that's why when a name like Johnathan Harrison pops up along sith a small blurb of who he is, we start to realize his significance and why Harrison Armory is the way it is. He was basically a fascistic General from Seccomm that fled and made his own Union how he saw fit, and his clones still live up to his legacy to the current setting of Lancer.

At the same time, Union doesn't have any of that. There's no lore about some, or any politician of government in the Core Book at least other than the seats and chairs that they fill. The reason for this is to give the players the ability to make their own interpretations with the world, but it's really saying something when your big government super power claiming to be in a utopian golden age doesn't have a face to its actual organization.

(Side note: if anyone ever tells you that their realm is a Utopia, you should be taking that the same way that someone says that a ship is 'Unsinkable'. Sorry to burst your bubble Pilot NET, but some of you really need to read between the lines about this. Especially with how much of a bureaucratic nightmare DoJ HR is.)

I know that it's very much the case that Massif press could have done this intentionally to show in the Lancer setting that the sum is bigger and more significant than all the parts added together. The world of the setting is too big to care too much about one individual or planet without weeding in a reason why in most cases because unless you're playing a mission book like Solstice Rain, you probably wouldn't be visiting any of the planets or people brought up in the first place. But the thing is, to me, is that this really makes Lancer less lively than I think it should. When I read about the Albatross, I wanna know about their heroes and significant feats and journeys. I could just play and Albatross, but having record of the daily life at the perspective of a nomadic Lancer would have been told so much more than I think the actual descriptions give.

It's why I love the blurb of text on the Sisyphus NHP. It builds a character, tells a narrative, and humanizes this being most probably would only be used to get a better roll. It also implies how cycling actually works for an NHP and the significance to it. And from all this, we can see that Sisyphus knows that his fate is to be cycled and die over and over again. Something barely given full page and it's just text on equipment.

And yet we don't have anything like that for the bigger picture. We don't know that the leaders of Union generally feel or think about the world surrounding us. We don't have a set uniform for Union or any other of the major players. And as a person who was fascinated with historical things like what soldiers wore during the battle of waterloo, or what camo patterns did a certain tank use, I feel like it's a significant diservice to not give us official uniforms and outfits for Union.

Imagine what cultural reflections that could have impacted the clothing an officer would wear.

I don't know, Lancer really likes to skim on the actually interesting descriptions, but I still love it. It's just that it really doesn't give me enough reason to care about things like Cradle or the Solar System in its current timeline. There is a lot of telling, and not showing in the lore for me, but they don't even tell things that historical nuts like me might be interested in.

[case-of-traxits]

The Long Night Draws Near Part 1/4: Preparations

Dec 15 || Day 1 || Gift exchange, peaceful, decorate

[Shinra Holiday Party] [Master Post]

Word count: 4102 words. Content Notes: Genesis and Reeve are co-parenting Cait Sith. Just so that's clear up front. Inspire Reeve. Sentient Cait Sith. Soft domesticity. Holiday preparations. Characters: Reeve Tuesti, Lazard Deusericus, Genesis Rhapsodos, Cait Sith. Ships: Lazard Deusericus/Reeve Tuesti, mentioned Genesis Rhapsodos/Angeal Hewley. Soundtrack: "Morning Star," by Lisa Lynne. Summary: Reeve prepares to host a Solstice party in his penthouse.

The kitchen smelled of fruit and pastry, the same way it always did this time of year. Unlike prior years, however, Reeve wasn't baking alone in preparation to see his mother.  This year, he was joined by Lazard and Cait Sith.  He leaned against the counter, sipping the last of the coffee from the morning, and watched as the two of them discussed the best way to hang the two garlands for the mantle.  One garland was made of orange slices and cinnamon and bay leaves, and the other was little clay stars that Cait Sith had spent the last three days carefully cutting out with a cookie cutter and laying out to dry.

The final decision, as far as Reeve could tell from watching them, was to hang the orange slice garland first so that the heat of the fireplace would make sure the scent made it through the room, and then carefully drape the stars in front of it.  He smiled to himself as he set the coffee mug down and inspected the black bun he'd just pulled from the oven.  The pastry crust was flaky and golden, and he knew from experience that the heavy fruitcake in the middle would be just as perfect.  He was far more worried about adapting the recipe to the smaller tins he'd planned to make a few more in, if he was honest.  He wiped his hands idly on the kitchen towel draped over his shoulder before he looked at the list he'd set by the stove.

"Did we decide to make the deviled eggs?" Reeve asked, studying the list of dishes they'd gone over last night when Lazard had come over.

"Only if you had enough eggs," Lazard replied, carefully pinning the garland under Cait Sith's instruction, and Reeve made himself focus instead of watching them further.

( Posted on AO3 )

[accursedkaleeshi]

Anonymous asked:

write the firewalls fic you Horde-playing coward /lh --Solstice

Solstice asked about a fic idea I had. I don’t usually have the brain wiring to commit to full fics so I have just been informally summarizing them. I have had a couple other asks & ideas like this so I am going to call them Bullet Point Fics. Will make a post to link them later

This Bullet Point Fic ended up being fulfillment of some need I have for my fucked up blorbos to be witnessed & validated by other characters in the full glory of just how physically destroyed they are & how they are dealing. So I am calling it the:

“Damn, Bitch, You Live Like This?” BPF

Synopsis: General Grievous becomes aware of another of many Separatist security measures installed in his own systems to control him. I rewrite the Clone Wars Gungan episode & force (hah) the Jedi to realize Grievous used to be a person. Highlights include Disaster lineage shenanigans, Grievous roasting everyone at any given opportunity, body horror, Dooku Drama™, & a whole lot of unfathomable sadness. Last update 2k words

Prologue

·     In a moment of lucidity, Grievous takes stock of what technical systems he has access to & some things he does not. Knowing me, there would be like 5 pages right out the gate waxing poetic about his relationship with technology.

·     Grievous noclips through the very particular firewalls put on his tracking systems specifically to keep him out of them because he was being nosy.

·     The goths Sith are alerted. There are consequences for his actions.

·     Made to attend a Separatist HR meeting about it where they talk about him like he’s a new car & not even there. Wat Tambor is being weird. Grievous can’t tell if it is usual Wat Weird or not bc he has had some drugs forced upon him in Dooku & Poggle’s attempt to make him forget that he found the tracking signals.

o  Sorry. Just. Imagined the Separatist council bitching in a conference room & Grievous is just standing behind Dooku with dilated pupils wishing he was dead. Wat Tambor keeps making eye contact that he is not registering as weird.

·     Grievous was kind of used to being in altered states by then & he remembers much more than the Separatists even know about. Except Dooku, they said all kinds of shit around him bc they thought of him as a droid. Wat Tambor dropped the name of the new encryption tech they were going to use.

·     The general continues doing general things, playing dumb when it suits him. He is an Olympic gold medalist at playing dumb, maneuvering around xenophobes & the like that think he is far beneath them.

Our Least Favorite Clone Wars Episode

·     Later: The main characters manage to be nice enough to the gungans that they agree to help them make a Sombra Ult EMP bomb with their very limited & precious booma plasma. (I hate star wars bc I spent minutes of my life on the wiki looking for what the bombs were called just for them to be called boomas)

·     Alternative “Shadow Warrior” episode timeline things would occur wherein they have a hard time keeping Grievous locked down. He is not deterred by being in a giant bubble underwater & is generally being a huge pain in the ass. Deadpan threatens to fry Boss Nass with citrus & scallops.

·     Padmé gets a development arc. Convinces Anakin not to chase down the turn coat gungan (Rishi Loo, I think). She’s like “The general of the ENTIRE opposing galactic army is traumatizing Gunga city waiting for his ride out. We can’t let the Count come in here with an army to pick up his machine & make a mess of Naboo, right?” Anakin is like “you’re so smart, babe.”

o  Padme’s development includes trying to be diplomatic to Grievous even though he is scary to stand in front of. Grievous is a bitch about it & picked up on anidala quickly bc he’s not fucking blind. Padme chastises him for being unprofessional & he sort of concedes for the time being. Unclear if out of any actual respect or just bc he thinks its funny.

·     Anakin slaps together a big brain comms jammer that reroutes all military comms in the area to one predetermined channel & is very proud of himself until he notices there is still a signal coming from Grievous & he’s like “Hey, wtf man, turn that off”

o  Grievous is like “BOY do I look-?? I can’t. Turn it off yourself if you are so clever.”

·     They try to be lowkey about shoving General goddamn Grievous in a surface vessel & getting him to their ship. (“Gooden riddance! Bigum Bot barely fitten in de bongo!”) They can only circle space awkwardly until the signal is cut. Because Dooku was definitely coming to pick up his dog.

We’ve Got a Runner

·     Grievous debated on whether he would rather deal with Dooku or deal with, ugh, Jedi. He’s already been thoroughly disgraced today. & Dooku was definitely getting flak from Sidious about losing his war machine to gungans. Grievous has a yolo-synapse misfire & tells Anakin about the firewall encryption.

·     Anakin is a huge nerd about it. He knows what it is & has been keeping up with whatever bits of public development he could find about this same encryption.

·     Kenobi calls & is like “What is happening, why did I get a call from Jar Jar that was just wailing in terror??” in the middle of Anakin hacking the world on this old fucking monitor bc he wasn’t about to hook Grievous up directly to their ship.

·     “Master! I don’t know why this smart-refrigerator gave you such a hard time. I caught him the first time out, with the gungan’s help! They gave us the blue bombs for getting rid of him.” Kenobi dies a little inside.

·     “But uh, the Count is coming with back up & I am trying to turn off the good general’s parental lock before he gets to us. You gotta meet us somewhere. Everything is under control but holy kriff make sure you guys have something to contain this thing- GOT IT okay bye!”

·     They go to land on some nearby little system just out of the way enough to not have tourists. Anakin reasoned that every time they tried to capture Grievous in space, one or more ships were totaled. Theoretically it would be safer to do it terrestrially? Especially with Padme on board.

·     Of course, as soon as their shuttle began skimming to park Grievous was like “bye”, kicked out the landing gear, & straight dropped himself out of a moving ship like a crackhead.

·     Kenobi & some of his 212th show up to help corral Grievous who, for a giant bone white cyborg, is moving very quickly through tall alien grasses like that Jurassic park scene. Even more Republic reinforcements show up led by Yoda & Windu. Plo & the wolfpack have brought Ahsoka & the 501’st arc troopers bc they would be damned to miss actually catching General Grievous.

·     In the ensuing skirmish Grievous:

o  Surprises & injures multiple jedi, killing one

o  Surprises, injures, & kills many clones

o  Gets various bits blown off of him under sustained LAAT gunship fire

o  Takes a rocket to the head seams, blasting off the end of his face plate & cracking it up the side

·     The wolf pack is finally like “We got this” & distract Grievous while Rex & Ahsoka arm & launch one of the Gungan EMPS directly on him.

·     Grievous, who was in the middle of moving, just kind of takes a dive. There is a dramatic pause. Fives is like “Hell yeah!” Grievous gets back up. Fives is like “Hell no!”

o  Grievous is still trying to leave kill crush destroy escape. Kenobi is like “pls. can u not just stop. Just stop for five minutes, I’m begging you general”

·     Plo Koon does a drive by in his starfighter, dropping the heaviest, probably illegal, electro-net he could get his claws on.

o  Grievous thinks “this mf just drop a net on me?” but the reason it is probably illegal in the Republic is that the weights at the edges start rumbling & G is like “oh”. The weights crash together at one point & catch one of Greivous’ feet in them.

·     After all that Scooby-doo level cat & mouse they finally manage to get Grievous more or less contained in on a Republic cruiser with a lot of industrial grade cable & a lot of jedi.

o  Imagine the awkward transport LAAT ride standing next to Grievous like the galaxy’s most pissed off lobster net.

The Medical Drama

·     After the cruiser hyper jumps tf out of there the cool kids of the Jedi Council (& maybe Ki-adi Mundi just so I can roast him for no reason) make it a point to gather in the room with the pissed off cyborg. Very scared clone troopers keep having to control his limbs. (Except Cody & Wolf, who have been waiting for this moment their whole lives)

·     It’s hard for them to stay in the room bc he is just radiating anguished rage into the force like a sun. He’s feral & fucked up looking from shenanigans. Pieces of him are twisted or missing, covered in blaster carbon. Half of one of his chest plates has been cleanly cut off diagonally by Yoda’s saber. He’s pissed off like a cornered animal & his body language reads as such.

·     They’re all just kind of standing there trying to look hard when Yoda steps forward. Grievous wrenches forward with all the psi his pistons have & snatches the little bastard off the floor in both/all hands.

·     Ahsoka hit him with another EMP from hell. The entire cruiser stalled. Ahsoka was like “My bad, I panicked.” All the lights died & were replaced with half a dozen lightsabers pointed at Grievous, still clutching Yoda with a death grip, as he convulsed, froze, & then jolted again. His eyes lost some edge somewhere in that full body reset protocol

·     Yoda wrapped his little gremlin hands around the edges of the back of his faceplate & is like “Super fucked up, you are. Tired, you are.” Grievous goes down. The cruiser powers back up.

·     Kenobi, whom is very perturbed by this entire situation, is like “How did you do that? You think we haven’t tried that? He never even flinched before. We couldn’t pierce the anger with any suggestions.”

·     Yoda troll shrug. “Disrupted perhaps, a mechanism was?”

·     Anakin is helpful, “He said the tracking chip was in his head case. If we can destroy it, the Separatist’s goons can’t get the tracker back online. Honestly… shouldn’t we just put him out of his misery?”

·     Half of the jedi are like “He do be fuckt up tho”. The rest are like “He has to have a trial or we forfeit our values”. But they all agreed he must have hella information. Anakin is suddenly urgent about it, realizing that if the Sith can wirelessly back access systems in Grievous they could potentially corrupt or wipe him.

·     What if he self-destructs? Is that a thing, holy shit?? We did not think this through. As usual. We have to remove his wireless access point (das a wap omg). Anakin is the best mechanic on this cruiser so he followed the procession of jedi & clones dragging 300 lbs of deadweight to the medical bay.

·     The medical bay, which was otherwise filled with the people Grievous had just injured & killed, was not thrilled. Nevertheless they would spare a very polite, very nervous medical droid.

·     Yoda, Windu, & Kenobi remained as well as Cody & Rex. They were concerned about the logistics of containing Grievous should he wake up. All the other logistics were also proving a challenge.

·     The general being propped up with more or less a pallet jack from cargo (much to the disdain of the head nurse) Anakin just sort of went for it. He’d opened up plenty of droids & speeders. Where would one fit a satellite tag on this thing? On the motherboard. Well where is everything plugged into on this?

·     Probably several paragraphs of Anakin (& perhaps the medical droid having a droid crush) admiring the design until he tentatively turns the module at center of either side of Grievous’ head like a volume dial & the rest of his faceplate pops off & clatters to the floor. Anakin pauses like a kid caught breaking something until he looks over at Obi-Wan.

·     Kenobi had picked the faceplate off the floor & was looking at what was left of the general’s organic face with that weathered concerned look he got on his face when he didn’t have time to unpack how upsetting something was. He did rhetorically mutter, “Oh, general, what did they do to you…” (🥺)

·     Anakin doesn’t really want to look. He’d spent this whole war thinking of Grievous as a giant battle droid. He’d just spent the last several minutes trying to puzzle off pieces of him while the medical droid’s arms flitted around them measuring & attaching things.

[To be continued. with disgust, will he wake up, & more body horror]

[yubsie]

I actually had a lot of fun with the various holiday traditions in We Need a Little... so I’m going to take a moment to babble about where various things come from. A big thing I wanted to do with this one was write a Star Wars holiday fic rather than a Christmas fic.

Problem: Star Wars worldbuilding is a bit uneven and one of the things it tends to lack if cultural details. So while I dug into some DEEP lore, I also made a lot of stuff up.

Life Day: Okay, we all know about this one. It’s canon, it’s the go to holiday for winter holiday fics, but given the timeframe and the fact that it’s a Wookiee holiday, it wasn’t going to play a big role. Orga root grows on the surface of Kashyyyk, is quite perilous to harvest and is traditionally served on LIfe Day.

Solstice Tide: This was a lucky find! My husband had already suggested that the Coruscant holiday should be a commercial nightmare that Kanan hated it. Then I found out that the LIfe Day Treasury had a story set during the High Republic era where the Jedi would invite people into the Temple to share in abundance and it being a corrupted Jedi holiday? Perfect.

Sutuu pouches: Also canon! My husband patiently tromped through the book store with me looking for the LIfe Day Treasury when I realized online one of the illustrations was a Twi’lek and it might have something useful for me! The tradition they’re tied to is from Aaloth and it involves bonfires that burned longer than they should have when fighting off the Sith. So they assemble these little tinder pouches. The story in the book involved a rebel finding magnesium rich moss and throwing it at a stormtrooper at a key moment.

Sinya ek Sinya: The holiday didn’t have a name but hey I found a dictionary of Twi’leki terms! The thing about conlangs largely built from RPG supplements is they lack key grammatical features. LIke conjunctions. Though I did eventually find a word for “of”. I wanted to name the holiday Night of NIghts but there was no word for night so it translates to Dark of Dark. Eleni making sure they marked this holiday was a big part of the genesis of the entire rest of the story, and the sutuu pouches gave me a nice specific thing for her to do.

Ryshcate: This is mostly a throwaway reference because they didn’t have the ingredients, but it’s a traditional cake used to mark special occasions (birthdays, really missing Corellia, apologizing to your fellow Corellian). It is, of course, a boozy dessert. This originates from Legends but was canonized by... a cookbook, sure.

Catabar bread: Catabar is one of the few canonical cooking spices that have been established in the GFFA, and it fit the niche of sweet baking spice.

Unnamed Mandalorian Holiday: Does it actually involve fireworks, or does Sabine just want to blow something up and no one else knows enough about Mandalorian culture to argue? The galaxy may never know.

Tanaab Festival of Lights: Oh, did I ever make this one up. More specifically, I made this up for a holiday fic about Wes Janson that I wrote in high school. It is possible the fic is still findable on TF.N but I will not be doing so because I am sure I’d find it painful to read something I wrote that long ago. I did remember the candle tradition though, and thought it fit this story really well. Oddly, this is probably the most directly Christmas inspired custom in the entire story. Or rather, it was inspired by Advent with the specific coloured candles symbolizing specific things.

Night of Frozen Sand: My husband named this one. No, I have no idea what the significance of the light up bantha horns

Twenty-Eight Glimmers: This one was [Raltiir Holiday] for the first draft. I wanted to build an actual custom around ugly sweaters after reading a hilarious Twitter thread about “Your Christian students will be celebrating Yom Christmas soon” that mentioned them and I liked the idea of an ugly sweater explicitly bringing good luck. A custom about luck seemed like a good fit for Hobbie (who still managed to get injured in the fluffy holiday fic, bless him). So then I started researching Raltiir to find something I could build a holiday around. ANd it turns out that most of what we know about Raltiir involves... banking. But! It has 28 moons and while I have several questions about how big these moons are if a terrestrial planet only slightly larger than Earth has that many, it seemed obvious that the winter light based holiday had to incorporate them. You don’t just go around having TWENTY-EIGHT MOONS in your sky and not develop customs about them. (ALso the tides on Raltiir must be a freaking nightmare to predict)

Long Night: And then fairly late in the process I realized I had somehow overlooked Lothal even though that’s the most obvious holiday for the Ghost crew to mark. I’d already did a couple variations on lighting fires, so I went more sound based for driving away the night. Which had the bonus of Kanan musing about just always putting bells on the baby (a thing blind parents do in fact do!)

Tinsel: This does not tie to a specific planet, I just wanted to put tinsel on Chopper.

[dhampiravidi]

my muses' favorite things...

Jayn

Food - peach ice cream & herb-crusted fish

Drink - hot coffee mixed with chocolate OR sangria

Colour - gold & where deep blue meets violet

Season - spring/summer

Scent - lavender

Instrument - violin

Time of Day - late morning

Item - anthology of fiction from her childhood

Movie - Iron Man

Naela

Food - Moroccan-style tagine (stew w/lamb, dried fruit, spices)

Drink - pretty much any fruit juice made fancy (like mimosas)

Color - periwinkle/lavender (like her/her mom's eyes)

Season - summer

Scent - fresh flowers

Music - harp OR anything by Shakira

Time of Day - late morning

Item - her sword(s) OR a worn fantasy romance paperback

Movie - The Princess Bride

Achilles

Food - banana pancakes OR spanakopita

Drink - he just wants gin, a frappuccino, or water

Color - sea green

Season - summer

Scent - the sea

Music - pop (like Britney Spears) & rock (like Nickelback)

Time of Day - noon

Item - a pair of earrings that his mom bought him

Movie - Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

Jas

Food - Japanese food (sushi, curry rice, mochi)

Drink - peppermint tea

Color - bubblegum pink

Season - spring

Scent - citrus

Music - classical (piano)

Time of Day - noon

Item - her dad’s necklace (Wayland ring on a leather cord)

Movie - A Bug’s Life (her dad took her to see it when she was little)

Skadi

Food - beef pot pie (potatoes, peas, carrots) OR blueberry muffins

Drink - something w/cinnamon (rum/horchata) OR Bai Mu Dan tea

Color - forest green

Season - spring & autumn

Scent - cinnamon OR fresh pastry

Music - low woodwinds & chanting

Time of Day - morning

Item - a Jotnar song her parent taught her

Movie - the LOTR trilogy + Good Will Hunting

Oraia

Food - dolmades (Greek stuffed grape leaves), pizettes (Italian chocolate cookies w/almonds & cinnamon)

Drink - paloma (tequila, lime juice, grapefruit soda) or mojito (white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water & mint); peach green tea

Color - N/A, though she wears a lot of blue & white

Season - any time that isn't cold

Scent - vanilla

Music - Euopop, modern rock, anything worth dancing to

Time of Day - just after sundown

Item - the knife her mom gave her

Movie - Jumping the Broom OR Disney's Hercules

Hestia

Food - Thai coconut chicken soup OR Bûche de Noël [Yule Log]

Drink - Kahlua & Chai OR Chai Tea Latte

Color - orange

Season - winter

Scent - whatever her lover & her kid smell like

Music - 90s pop (mostly dance songs)

Time of Day - early morning

Item - picture of herself & a bunch of the X-Men outside

Movie - Love Actually

Rose

Food - garlic noodles (also she's a vegan, just sayin')

Drink - bourbon OR green tea (either w/honey)

Color - ballet pink OR white

Season - spring (no solstices & few cold breezes)

Scent - the sea

Music - punk-pop (especially acoustic covers)

Time of Day - early afternoon

Item - magic locket (allows for multidimensional comm w/father)

Movie - The Prestige

Aurelia

Food - chicken vindaloo

Drink - simple stuff. Latte. Tom Collins. CBD oil ;)

Color - jade green & gold

Season - summer

Scent - dewy grass, hot cocoa, woodsy cologne

Music - classic rock (especially The Rolling Stones)

Time of Day - early evening

Item - her wand OR a souvenir scarf from Nigeria

Movie - Die Hard OR Waiting to Exhale

Rela

Food - Jogan fruit OR a simple Chinese-style stir fry (vegetarian)

Drink - doesn’t like alcohol; Royal English Breakfast Tea (w/milk)

Color - the electric blue of a holobook

Season - autumn

Scent - trees & forests in general

Music - acoustic covers & R&B

Time of Day - middle of the night

Item - her late master, Maglos Nerot's, yellow lightsaber

Movie - historical documentaries (w/o reenactments)

Eugenia

Food - carbonara (pasta)

Drink - hates alcohol; Arnold Palmer (tea & lemonade)

Color - maroon

Season - spring

Scent - dewy grass

Music - R&B + 00s pop

Time of Day - late morning

Item - she can't pick (isn't materialistic anyway)

Movie - The Bodyguard OR Legends of the Fall

Shayera

Food - chicken mole enchiladas OR falafel

Drink - Hurricane (3x rum, grenadine, OJ, simple syrup) OR a vaguely fruity thing infused w/some caffeine

Color - hot pink

Season - autumn

Scent - cocoa butter

Music - 90s rap & modern alt (Hozier)

Time of Day - noon

Item - her mace

Movie - The Equalizer OR Rush Hour

Mu Lan

Food - nkwobi (spicy Nigerian stew w/cow foot & fish stock)

Drink - ginger beer (doesn't like drinking often)

Color - crimson

Season - spring

Scent - ginger

Music - violin OR indie folk (The Civil Wars, The Lumineers...)

Time of Day - late morning

Item - petals that she preserves in her books

Movie - Miss Congeniality

Monet

Food - steak (medium) frites

Drink - sidecar cocktail (cognac, orange liqueur, lemon juice)

Color - maroon

Season - summer

Scent - apple pie

Music - 80s pop music

Time of Day - noon

Item - her black trenchcoat (which she sometimes wears as M)

Movie - The Mummy

Fantomex

Food - pretty much anything French that's 4-star quality

Drink - White Russian (vodka, coffee liqueur & cream)

Color - white, sometimes silver

Season - winter

Scent - roses

Music - rap (in French, obviously)

Time of Day - nighttime

Item - a picture Evan (his adopted son/nephew) painted for him

Movie - Casablanca OR Atomic Blonde

Renée Michele

Food - her dad's étouffée OR her mom's lotus root pork bone soup

Drink - vodka & blue raspberry Jello shots OR caramel macchiato

Color - neon colors, typically purple

Season - summer (partly for the thunderstorms)

Scent - chocolate

Music - pop-punk & grunge

Time of Day - noon

Item - her eyes

Movie - Bullet Train

Rhea Livia

Food - cheeseburger w/onions & tomato OR pork broth ramen

Drink - Baya Energy Mango Guava (premade)

Color - electric blue

Season - summer

Scent - chamomile

Music - modern/10s pop

Time of Day - noon

Item - her skateboard

Movie - Scary Movie

[wolverina2002]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Gen

Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types

Characters: Original Mandalorian Characters (Star Wars), Annika Wren (OC), Original Animal Character(s)

Additional Tags: Mandalorian Culture & Customs (Star Wars), Mandalorians (Star Wars), Semi-Sentient Mandalorian Darksaber (Star Wars), Mandalorian Jedi (Star Wars), Planet Saleucami (Star Wars), Verd'goten, Coming of Age, Winter Solstice, Animal smuggle, Tuk'ata | Sith Hounds (Star Wars), Cherfer, Force Ghosts (Star Wars), Meddling Force Ghosts (Star Wars), Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Force Ghost Tarre Vizsla, Pirates, Tatooine Slave Culture & Customs (Star Wars)

Language: English

Totally late Winter Solstice fic

[kidouttacauses]

A quick AU rendition of my favorite Disney princess! And a Happy Birthday as well!

[sparkie96]

Sneak Peek at the Next Chapter of "Pantoran Diplomacy"

“And here is your room, your majesty.” A servant said to Obi-Wan with a bow, “Though, it is only temporary. Once you and the Chairman are married, you will be moved to his chambers.” 

They had touched down on the Pantoran Moon around dinnertime, Obi-Wan having been dressed in his snowsuit and snow booties, as well as his hat and goggles on the way here in preparation for the frigid and snowy conditions. Though it had been the equivalent of the Time of the Summer Solstice on Coruscant, it was currently the Time of the Winter Solstice on Pantora. Though, Winter here was more like that of the snow planet Hoth than like that of Coruscant’s or even Alderaan’s Winters. 

So, it was a very noticeable and nerve shocking contrast when he went from the warm, semi-crowded ship, to the frigid and bone chilling cold of the outside world, to the warm and cozy air of the palace to which he was going to be calling his home from now on. 

Obi-Wan looked around at his sleeping quarters, the room much larger than that of his rooms at the Temple. Sith’s Hell, he could probably fit his, Anakin’s and Ahsoka’s quarters in this room alone. It had a decent view of the city below as well as the vast valleys and hills beyond, seeing the mountainous terrain in the distance. 

The room itself was made of smooth white stone floors, columns, and walls. The columns had intricate whirls of gold embroidery with the blue imprints of what Obi-Wan assumed was the flower of the Pantoran Crest, a plant that looked like a mix of a Magnolia and a Primula. A large bed sat in the middle of the room, where four columns made up the corners of it. It was definitely bigger than his own bed back home, dressed with shades of blue shimmersilks and pillows. Fabrics hung from the ceiling above the bed in a sort of canopy. There was a holoscreen on the wall opposite the bed, but it didn’t seem to work at that moment, Obi-Wan testing the remote and then the button on the screen. 

There was a dresser underneath the screen and parallel to that was the vanity, a giant mirror there, in case he needed it. A chaise lounge was next to the bed, one needing to take a step down to get to the “living area” of the bedroom. In front of that was a coffee table and next to the chaise was a giant plant with fan-like green leaves and a strong, wooden trunk or body. In the center of the ceiling was a giant crystal chandelier, the lighting giving the chandelier a glittery, rainbow look. There was a plate of treats and a teapot and teacup waiting for him on the coffee table. The whirling gold patterns and flowers were all over the white and silver of the furniture.

Overall, the room was too much and too…tacky for Obi-Wan’s taste. It was much too complex and overwhelming for his liking, now yearning for his simple and plain rooms back at the temple. 

“Is it to your liking, your Majesty?” The servant asked, taking Obi-Wan’s coat, hat and goggles as the Omega began to strip out of his outfit with the exception of his undertunic, pants and socks. 

“It’s…a bit much, if I’m being completely honest.” He admitted, making a face at the decorum, “I’m not one for flashy rooms or decor.”

“Apologies, your Majesty. I will bring it up with the Chairman…though he may be insulted. He had a lot of input when it came to decorating and renovating the rooms in the palace.” 

“Right…” Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head, “Perhaps it is best to not say anything then. For your sake and mine.”   

[laciefuyu]

What sort of "holydays" do you think the Jedi would have?

I can picture them celebrating or marking the Epinox of whatever planet their on (if that planet has one.) due to it representing ballance between dark and light since day and night are of equal length on this date.

I can also imagine them marking the Solstice for mostly the same reasons, them being the longest day and the longest night respectively.

But here the thing, the Balance in the Force is not the same amount of Light and Dark, it doesn't work like that. Most people because the metaphor of Light and Dark instinctively think of it as something that cannot be separated and connect it Balance as the same amount of Light and Dark but you see The Force is, as Lucas wrote, highly tied to motivation such as Selflessness vs Selfishness.

So I'll put it this way, The Light Side stands for altruistic and selfless, and the other side is The Heavy Side (Instead Dark Side) which stand for egoism and selfish. (Selfishness weighs people down that's why use Heavy Side). Sith used it and so as they existed, it would cause unbalance. It's because their motivation is entirely selfish whether its about materialistic (such as wealth) or power, they basically a black hole of selfishness as nothing will ever truly satisfy them. The mere existence of a Sith already make the Force unbalanced.

So yeah, I don't consider them marking equinox or solstice especially not because of that reason.

Okay now we enter the headcanon territory of Jedi Culture. So Jedi Holidays, been discussing it with my friends and we come up with several things. 

1. Temple Founding Day

This is the day where the Jedi celebrated the Founding of the Temple. In this day that the Temple would be decorated with many lantern in various places. The temple would be so full of light that it would almost like they are basked with the light sides in that day. There probably a small festival along with it where the Jedi from Younglings to Elders having Arts performance. Music (This can be ensemble performance like Kumi-Daiko that I mentioned in Jedi Music HC post for example), Dance (We sees the early part of Younglings arc that they have some form of Jedi Dance, or doing Lightsaber forms but in more exaggerated and artistic purpose instead), Theatre Performance (About How the Temple Founded!), Poem Reading (Poem that is written by Jedi Artists and performance by Knights or Masters) and some more.

2. Honoring the Dead Day

You see, Jedi as they are, wouldn't focus on their pain and dwelling it instead this would be the time they celebrated the life of people that had returned to the Force. From their ancestors, remembering the accomplishment they have, the legacy they left behind and what kind of person they are remembered for and so on. Then, for people who just recently passed their lineage, friends etc gathered doing small meditation session and talking about them in fond memory instead. 

In Legends, there are Memory Moths, so drawn from it, in this Day the Memory Moth released from the Jedi Monument and letting loose around the Temple. The fun fact is in Chinese Culture, Moth is seen as soul of the deceased person visiting. The Memory Moths served as reference to it, especially how it able to mimic the name of the person that being whispered to it. It was almost like the deceased truly come to visit, bearing the named of the death.

3. Yoda's Birthday

Being Grandmaster and one of the oldest Jedi make him a beloved figures and at first it wasn't a temple-wide celebration but then as time pass, everyone have decide to make it official holiday at some point in his life.

Younglings and Initiates tend to compete to give Master Yoda the best presents while the Padawan usually giving performance of their lightsaber forms in ensemble manner (the Padawans so spending nights after nights perfecting it.) Knights and Masters often instead just congratulate him giving him best wishes.

The highlight of this day for Master Yoda thought, when in this Day they end up spending time in the Hall for feast, how Jedi of all ages able to mingling, comfortable and sharing laughter. That's the best present for Master Yoda because there is nothing he wishes more than peace and happiness for Jedi.

5. New Year Day

Here the little tricky one because the easiest one they will celebrate New Year based on Coruscant and it will be temple-wide celebration and it would be a quite festive day.

Jedi are diverse and respect the birth culture of their people, so if their member wanted to celebrate it, they would support it. The casual happy new year despite the other Jedi is not part of the celebration would be heard around temple.

6. Celebration of the Teaching Day

Since teaching is essentially their calling, Jedi would have a day where they could appreciate their teachers and not limited to Jedi but people who come to visit and being guest teacher or just generally taught them something.

Younglings/Initiates/Padawans tend to either make cards (which usually why they likes the teaching and how they appreciates the teacher) or making hand-made stuffs (it can be something like Origami (folded paper)) or both or little performance.

Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters who also wants to appreciate their Masters tend give practical things like food or drink and thank them for the teaching.

The guest teachers or people have teach them things on this day would get cards or package where they would says start 'It's Celebration of Teaching Day in the Temple, I want to say how thankful I am :)' and continue with how much they appreciate what the teachers teach them.

Teaching is, after all, Jedi's love language. So the idea of this day is because of it.

This is what my friends and I have so far regarding Jedi's Holiday.

[swtor-legacy-sitcom]

Lifeday/ Sithmas

La’Wrathe usually gets Mako a houseplant. idk, she hasn’t really taken up gardening, but its a fun silly little thing to get her. He also generally gets her a new datapad/ top of the line parts so she can build her own hardrive.

Couples gifts also include mutual cyborg upgrades.

La’kariz has a collection of Mandalorian action figures and collectables.

Tutenkamun and Vette: Mando armor, matching sets.

Wrathe also started sending Marr/ ruling Dark council members ugly sweaters as a joke. Marr wore his on a mission to Hoth under his armor. made a very deadpan remark about how warm it was. nobody knew if he was joking. he was joking. he did actually appreciate the warmth

Thoth (best present giver)

Wraith, her (son, gets a new weapon, he has a spear collection, an antique spear or other swords.

Akh: Legos. he has moved on and builds massive masterbuilder sets. childlike wonder with massive intricate creations, worthy of a sith architect, some mom son traditions never change.

Wrathe: (family friend) Rishi pirate legos/ collectables, and books on famous underworld figures, pirates and bounty hunters, lots of first hand accounts from Imperial archives. he and Mako love lore.

Tutenkamun:  (nephew)  talismans and trinkets,

Vette:  (neice in law) Twilek relics, and genealogy research (setting Vette up as a literal queen with her restored royal paraphernalia.)

Azul’de: (sister in law) a Pleasure Sauna, an old Sith style decadent room for relaxation, will also give her a spice addicted slave or two, Azul’de either enjoys the whore, or helps them clean up.

Skarabe (big bro) : Akasti relics from their raiding days, and old speeders for joyriding. They also go to masquerades together

Amun Raa: yearly strategy games, where each relaxed and doesn’t think about work. he also gets legos, but they are from Typhojem

Lana Beniko: one (1) of her own library books per year, she passes one along as an heirloom, its something of a joke between the two sith women, an ancestral tome per year. they make snide jokes at parties.

Black Stache and Risha ( Underworld business friends) : Blanket pardon (he gets one every year, like socks)

Socks for adults Star wars Legos for kids.

Fallows old Sith tribute traditions, and sends the seated Dark Council members some manner of traditional Sith gift, usually a ceremonial knife or garment, often times a Ziost Solstice Robe, meant to keep warm.

Z’tuuan Priests, and Zakuul scions/ nobles: nice wood tables for altars and aid for the local communities.

THAT Triade: kinky nasty free use sex to anyone.

Black Stache and Risha, they shop as a couple:

Wrathe household: toys for their niece, their syndicate, each get “one favor on the day of my wookie’s lifeday”  Every 8 years they also honor Saturnalia, and cancel all debts to the mob, up to a certain level. (the debt cap is pretty high, and he doesn’t like to do money loaning so massive debts quickly evaporate.)

Free ammo to his loyalists, and tailored suits to his hitmen and underbosses.

[obiwns]

—⠀masterlist ♡

last updated 12/18/2020, will no longer be updating. i do not create content anymore.

remaster began: 5/21/2022, remaster completed: --

note: all reader inserts are female description unless specified otherwise. if you have enjoyed any of my creations, please consider donating to my ko-fi. i would greatly appreciate it!

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Anakin Skywalker ⠀ ─ ⠀ o n e ⠀s h o t s ⠀☽

a shard of jealousy: ⠀ he expresses his concern about your closeness to obi-wan.

reassurance: ⠀ anakin quells your insecurity about padme.

what love drives you to do: ⠀ anakin is at his turning point during ‘rise of the sith.’

privacy?: ⠀ anakin confessing his feelings. insecurity follows.

new experience: ⠀ he takes matters in his own hands.

give me a hand?: ⠀ your master, anakin skywalker, is supportive as he helps you walk with your new prosthetic after you lose it in battle.

battle weary: ⠀ you get hurt during a mission and anakin comforts you.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ─ ⠀ 𝘣 𝘭 𝘶 𝘳 𝘣 𝘴 ⠀☽

last kiss: ⠀ you share your last kiss with anakin.

bottled emotions: ⠀ he comforts you during a senate proposal gone wrong.

fleeting moments: ⠀ he sneaks up on you during a senate gala.

sleep with you: ⠀ anakin returns home to find you in bed.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀   ─ ⠀ h e a d c a n o n s ⠀☽

how he is as a boyfriend

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Obi-Wan Kenobi ⠀ ─ ⠀ s e r i e s ⠀☽

close to the stars: ⠀ obi-wan knows he’s one of the best in the galaxy. being on the jedi council only fuels his concealed arrogance. he likes how secure his position on the council is and he likes that the coruscanti sun shines on his back at his seat. he doesn’t appreciate that the council decides to add another bright jedi knight, who happens to be you.. in his seat.

sneak peak; ⠀ chapter one.

*NOW MOVED TO AO3.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀   ─  ⠀o n e ⠀s h o t s ⠀☽

solstice: ⠀ padawan!obi-wan is haunted by premonitions of the future and he seeks your comfort.

i am yours: ⠀ spending a night together in complete bliss wasn’t out of the ordinary - that is until a voice begins to feed at obi-wan’s worst fear.

your voice: ⠀ obi-wan confesses his feelings for you.

come back to me: ⠀ he fails to protect you during a candidate hearing.

marry me: ⠀ after intimacy, obi-wan can’t help but to pop the question.

night routine: ⠀ dad!obi-wan settles your baby and you marvel at the sight.

generosity: ⠀ he teases you about the sex and you counter.

case study: ⠀ he longs for your hold and comforts you.

uncontrollable feelings: ⠀ obi-wan comforts you when jealousy hits.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀   ─  ⠀ 𝘣 𝘭 𝘶 𝘳 𝘣 𝘴 ⠀☽

calling home: ⠀ obi-wan comes home for the first time in a long while.

first kiss: ⠀ obi-wan shares his first kiss with you.

his paramour: ⠀obi-wan gives you a kiss in front of others.

nights like this: ⠀ obi-wan helps you through a dark time.

to a storm: ⠀ padawan!obi + thunderstorm.

once in a lifetime: ⠀ you and obi-wan share a moment together on corellia.

ride for life: ⠀he looks for you in the stands of his show.

just as friends:  ⠀obi-wan stops himself from admitting his feelings.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀   ─  ⠀ h e a d c a n o n s ⠀☽

as your husband

[case-of-traxits]

Shinra Holiday Party Masterlist

[Shinra Holiday Party]

My masterlist for the Shinra Holiday Party! I'll reblog this at the end of the event, and all the [Tumblr] and [AO3] tags will be linked to their respective locations.

The Long Night Draws Near, part 1

Dec 15 || Day 1 [Tumblr][AO3] Gift exchange, peaceful, decorate Word count: 4102 words. Content Notes: Genesis and Reeve are co-parenting Cait Sith. Just so that's clear up front. Characters: Reeve Tuesti, Lazard Deusericus, Genesis Rhapsodos, Cait Sith. Ships: Lazard Deusericus/Reeve Tuesti, mentioned Genesis Rhapsodos/Angeal Hewley. Soundtrack: "Morning Star," by Lisa Lynne. Summary: Reeve prepares to host a Solstice party in his penthouse.

The Long Night Draws Near, part 2

Dec 16 || Day 2 [Tumblr][AO3] Snowing in the tropics, freezing, moonlight Word count: 3203 words. Content Notes: Melancholy. Characters: Rufus Shinra, Drew Morrison (OC SOLDIER), Tseng. Ships: None in this section. Soundtrack: "Ar Droim Na Goethe," by John Fitzpatrick. Summary: Tseng picks Rufus up to take him to the party.

The Long Night Draws Near, part 3

Dec 17 || Day 3 [Tumblr][AO3] Snowed in, coming home, baking Word count: TBD Content Notes: TBD Characters: Reeve Tuesti, Lazard Deusericus, Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewley, Sephiroth, Tseng, Rufus Shinra, [Drew and Benji (maybe?)]. Ships: Lazard Deusericus/Reeve Tuesti, Sephiroth/Tseng, mentioned Genesis Rhapsodos/Angeal Hewley. Soundtrack: TBD Summary: Everyone arrives and they exchange gifts.  Sephiroth learns a new game.

Pending

Dec 18 || Day 4 [Tumblr][AO3] Mistletoe, snowball, cider (or eggnog or mulled wine) Word count: XXX words. Content Notes: Characters: Soundtrack: Summary:

Lights in the Dark

Dec 19 || Day 5 [Tumblr][AO3] Gloves, winter in Icicle, sparkling lights Word count: 1546 words. Content Notes: Inspire Reeve; sentient Cait Sith; Past Lazard/Reeve; Past Genesis+Reeve; Genesis was co-parenting Cait Sith; set during the OG. Characters: Cait Sith, Reeve Tuesti. Soundtrack: "Burden," by Jorge Méndez. Summary: Cait Sith takes the night watch for AVALANCHE and talks to Reeve.

The Long Night Draws Near, part 4

Dec 20 || Day 6 [Tumblr][AO3] Hogging the blankets, forgotten trinkets, traditions Word count: TBD Content Notes: TBD Characters: Reeve Tuesti, Lazard Deusericus, Genesis Rhapsodos, Angeal Hewley, Sephiroth, Tseng, Rufus Shinra, [Drew and Benji (maybe?)]. Ships: Lazard Deusericus/Reeve Tuesti, Sephiroth/Tseng, mentioned Genesis Rhapsodos/Angeal Hewley. Soundtrack: TBD Summary: The party winds down and the group says goodbye before heading to their respective homes.

Pending

Dec 21 || Day 7 [Tumblr][AO3] Office party, solstice, confession Word count: XXX words. Content Notes: Characters: Soundtrack: Summary:

[accursedkaleeshi]

Grievous, what would you do if one of your kids showed up? Bonus questions- What if they worked for the Seperatists / What if they were a Jedi? -Solstice

The General did not answer for several moments, pensively tapping a claw along the faux fangs decorating the end of his face plate. He was debating on whether or not he wanted to start thinking too deeply about his family & whether it was the business of random holonet gremlins. Being as several of them seemed to know an unreasonable amount about him, coupled with the fact that he was already dead, he supposed that nothing he said would matter. Still, he sighed & dropped his shoulders from framing his face.

“Careful with that information. I doubt the rest of the galaxy would be glad to know just how much of me remains among them.” Grievous then seemed to push through several lines of thought, indicated only by the wavering of his vertical pupils shrinking & relaxing in quick succession. “Kaleesh make large families for the same reason other animals do, eh? But with the number of children I sired possibilities aren’t exactly limited,” he said concerning your hypothetical. A coughing fit rattled his organic vessel against its stabilizing cage. He paused again.

There was resistance to implicate himself as being a person after so long. There were many contributors to that hang up but, again, with his life having come & gone already, his malaise wore down any concern he harbored.

“Kalee was already part of the Confederacy of Independent Systems specifically because I essentially sold myself into the Banking Clan’s service. I did not spend my life soaked in blood so that my children would not have opportunity- hack ack- In all honesty as long as they are doing what they want to be doing with the freedom they have: I cannot complain. A number undoubtedly followed my shadow into battle one way or another.” Another pause. That was enough sharing with the class for now.

“I do not like your last suggestion. The Jedi Order tends to avoid the more aggressive races with all of those, eh,” he waves a hand in a universal gesture of recollection, “Sith Things. You know, emotions. We have a lot of those, contrary to popular belief.” He couldn’t have been bothered to remember the very specific & dramatic nouns the Sith revered in their feverish mantra. “Besides. Most of my children were too old for the taste of the sorcerer’s brand of nest snatching, even by the time I was last on planet.”

[politicalmamaduck]

Reylo Fic Recs: Canonverse

Across the Stars by @rapturousaurora

Hugging Rey close, desperate to feel something of her, her skin against his, a lingering tendril of their once vibrant Force bond—anything—Ben only felt cold silence. Her vacant gaze stared up at the ceiling of the Sith’s Exegol stronghold.And still he felt no anger. No hate. His emotions were dominated by the almost childlike desire to fix what his lifetime of mistakes had broken—Ben wanted to fix her.

With You by @politicalpadme

Ben Solo finds the will to rise.

the shadows are whispering (again) by @thewayofthetrashcompactor

The Force has always had it out for the Skywalkers. Ben feels like he knows that better than most. Why else would it have saddled him with another curse to add to his legacy? (From birth to death and back again.)

Phantasm by @forcebondedreylo

Rey thought that she was finished with Ben Solo after Crait. She was proven otherwise when she crash-landed on a strange and dangerous planet with no way to contact the Resistance. Now Ben Solo might be her only hope of survival, if the deadly inhabitants don't get her first.

The Weight of a Soul by @ceallaigheirinn

“If he is condemned, then his soul shall be cast into oblivion,” the Mother answered. “It will cease to be. Oblivion is beyond the veil that the Force encompasses. His soul would be consumed by nothingness, and Ben Solo would exist on neither the mortal plane or the World Beyond.”

linger in the doorway (of my field of paper flowers) by @mnemehoshiko

She can't tell if she got the better deal or not. Foolish. Did you truly want to waste away in this sand-ridden hell? a voice whispers, low and soft.  No, she thinks, but it would be a familiar hell, at least.

destruction makes the world burn brighter by @cosmicforces

When he was nearly within reach, he extended the blade—or was it his hand?—but everything faded to black before she was certain. Panting, she bolted upright in her bed and wiped away the sweat clinging to her forehead. She’d dreamt of Jakku again.

A New Generation by @aionimica

Ben glances at Rey and quietly asks, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life with a twice-fallen former warlord who doesn’t know what place he has in this galaxy except as a porg-mother?”

In Our Silence, Volumes by @roamingbadger

When Rey senses through their Force Bond that Ben is in trouble, she'll stop at nothing to get to him. But what if he's not ready to be rescued - from himself? 

I Choose You by @shelikespretties

In the throne room, Rey proposes a counter offer.

Breakout by @leofgyth

In which Rey, Finn, and Ben break Ransolm Casterfo out of prison... for reasons.

Oh the Glory of Tenderness by @ann3onymous

Leia Organa taught her little boy how to weave stories with hair. Years later, Ben Solo weaves Rey's hair with promises.

Slipping Off Course by @fingertipstrembling

Between the birth and death of every star stretches a wide expanse of space, a thirsty maw that drinks up all the light it sees and spits back darkness. In the bowels of a star destroyer deep in that darkness, they find each other—the Supreme Leader’s apprentice and a fledgling pilot recruit who outflies and outwits him at every opportunity. Though he fights the pull of the Force, Kylo Ren finds himself reaching for Rey with nothing to stop his fall.

Like This by @kylo-wouldnt-like-those-chips

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... Peace reigns in the galaxy.  Seriously. The Imperial Remnant fizzled out. There is no First Order. There is no Snoke. The worst thing Ben Solo's ever done was some light brawling. The kids are, as they say, more or less alright.Still, the Force has plans for Ben and Rey, which is how they find themselves working for the same civil rights firm, thrown together in a stakeout van.

temptations of grey by @lasthopesolo

Nightmares filled with the ghostly voice of a woman haunt Supreme Leader Kylo Ren; a constant reminder of the discord within. Terrifying dreams plague Rey, casting doubt on choices she’s made. Both find themselves stranded on a humid jungle planet in unknown territory, captured and forced to participate in a strange mystical ceremony. Rey and Kylo must work together in their journey through the jungle, facing themselves and each other in the pursuit of balance.

Wish Upon a Star by @shelikespretties

When Ben Solo exiles himself on a random planet in order to atone, he finds his mother packed him a calligraphy set. He keeps a diary of his existence, while Rey, cut off from him in the Force, tracks him down the only way she can.

Only If for a Night by @reylotrashcompactor and @southsidestory

The night the war ends is a time for victories and change. Maybe, if Rey is lucky, she can win where Ben Solo is concerned. There’s something between them, more than friendship or battle-forged camaraderie, a need that she’s felt threaded along their bond, and she’s tired of ignoring it.

Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations. by @shmisolo

Ben woke, but Luke’s saber wasn’t ignited.  Instead, he saw a master who had shattered his trust, who thought he was a monster, and—worse—he was probably right.So he fled Yavin IV, to Skywalker’s dismay, and no one heard from him since.Years later, on a wasteland planet, a girl and a fugitive stormtrooper board a Corellian YT-1300 light freighter in desperation to find they are not the only ones trying to steal it.

In the Footsteps of Giants by @aionimica

Post-Sequel Trilogy; Ben Solo is off in exile, accompanied by Rey. In desperate need of fuel, they stop on Naboo, but their pit stop doesn’t quite go as planned.

build a ladder to the stars by @redbelles

Kylo Ren's heart is a desert.

these violent delights (have violent ends) by @luminoustico

The news runs like a wildfire through the galaxy.Kylo Ren found something, someone, else to believe in. He gutted his master for her life. In return, vestiges of Snoke's power delivered a punishment greater than anything either the fallen Knight or the last Jedi could imagine. Together forever, eternally apart.

Luminous Beings by @hauscrashburn

In order to become a Jedi, Rey must do one thing: Kill Kylo Ren. But how can she when her heart belongs--and has belonged to him--for years now?

Midsummer Night's Shared Dream by @shelikespretties

“We’re not on an approved airfield, but look,” she held out her datapad with the map of the crash location. “Xa-Tla City is on the other side of this forest. We can make it there on foot, and, if we start now, we’ll get there before the solstice celebration begins.” Kylo lifted a mocking eyebrow. “You’d risk the spirits of the forest?”Rey scoffed. “I don’t believe in ghosts. Let’s start walking.”

Spillikin by @ceallaigheirinn

“Forgiving yourself doesn’t mean you have to forget what happened, Ben,” his mother said. “It just means you can finally let go and move forward.”

The Way to Tomorrow by @the-reylo-void

Kylo Ren faces his sentence at the hands of the Resistance: a year of off-world solitary confinement, no communication with the outside world. But it's never that easy to leave old wounds behind. Or such deeply-forged bonds.

Porgs by @tehanufromearthsea

Porgs think of Luke Skywalker as the eccentric but harmless giant who lives on their island. Life on Ahch-To can be pretty dull, so at least Luke gives the Porgs something to watch. Then another of his kind arrives, with her friends, and life on Ahch-To gets a lot more entertaining for the porgs.Then comes the invader...

The Jedi Path by @southsidestory

She’s Ben's world: the only thing he cares about, the only thing he needs, the only one who matters. That interest used to be focused on Rey's power, her talent, her fierce, uncompromising will. Platonic, if not innocent, but now—now he still loves her like a protege, but he wants her too. He wants her, and he can’t keep lying to himself about it.

Yub Nub, and a Celebration Song by @luminoustico

It starts with a forest moon, a destined clash between a scavenger and a knight, and some Very Determined Ewoks.

The Visions That Connect Us by @lariren-shadow

They've seen each other for years before they even meet. Kylo Ren and Rey have visions of the other through out their lives.

Reflektor by @reylotrashcompactor

Kylo Ren isn’t fool enough to believe that her capture was a happy accident. He didn’t believe it was good fortune, and he believed least of all that it had anything to do with the reconnaissance skills of Hux’s half-wit stormtroopers. If they have The Girl Called Rey in custody, it is because she meant for it to happen. It was because she had a plan and this was a step in executing it.

Paper Minds by @kuresoto

At the age of five, Ben Solo built his first droid. At the age of ten, he manifested and started to see her everywhere. At the age of eleven, he was sent to train with Luke. He still saw her. When he was fifteen, she disappeared. He was twenty-three when he left Ben Solo behind and became someone who wouldn’t trust blindly ever again. He became Kylo Ren. He meets her for the first time when he’s on the cusp of turning thirty. These were the events that shaped Ben Solo and in turn, Kylo Ren.

Just A Little Crush by @lariren-shadow

Ben Solo has been away from the Jedi Academy for a few years.  Now that he's back he's developed a little problem his brother is keen on goading him about.

Retrouvailles by @luminoustico

Six months ago, Ben Solo was removed from Rey's side and his uncle's Jedi Academy to take up his mother's mantle as Senator, and to act representative of the Resistance. He has already claimed the reputation of a troublemaker. After Han Solo requests Luke and Rey act as Ben's security intel at a ball in Coruscant, it is underneath the pressure of galactic politics that her world and his new world collide.

Convergence by @the-reylo-void

Whatever the next steps are, I want to take them with you.

let the silver arrow fly by @solikerez

Leia plays cupid, and fires a few misshots before getting it right.

What We Do in the Snow by @reylotrashcompactor

The first time she dreamed of Starkiller, not much was different.

The Gamble by @nightsofreylo

Whenever you gamble, eventually you lose...

Matchmaker by @lariren-shadow

Bored with being a Force Ghost Anakin decides that his grandson needs some help in the relationship department.  Kylo Ren isn't too thrilled at the prospect but, then again, neither is Rey.

here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true by @the-reylo-void

Here is the place where I love you.

People Will Say by @reylotrashcompactor

In a ditch effort to coax the wary members of the Resistance into accepting the prodigal son Ben Solo back into their fold, General Leia Organa requests a hefty favor from Rey. "Behind every good man is a great woman" is how the saying goes, but the man formerly known as Kylo Ren isn't good, and Rey isn't sure that any manner of hand-holding is going to change people's minds about that.

crave my heart (it's bleeding in your hand) by @mnemehoshiko

She wakes with the taste of salt on her lips and screams in her head.

Dark Matter by @arcticelves

Rey is never really alone. Even on Ahch-To, beginning her training with Luke Skywalker, she is frequently interrupted by an uninvited visitor. But is he truly unwelcome?

kept in the dark (but you were there in front of me) by @mnemehoshiko

Ben Solo is nine when he dreams of sand and darkness.

Peace and Purpose by @the-reylo-void

Across the stars, Rey and Ben yearn for each other, neither able to move on, both facing the unending nights alone. But the Force longs for balance as surely as they long for each other.

Laid To Rest by @khaleesa

Ben wants to show Rey the galaxy, to see it with her. First, they have business on Naboo.

Endings and Beginnings by @shelikespretties

Rey’s hand cradles Ben’s head before it can hit the stone floor. He’s ridiculously heavy, all dead weight, and Rey’s entire body cramps in horror before she sees the faint rise and fall of his chest. He’s not dead. He hasn’t left her. Yet. She cradles his face with both hands and sobs in relief.

What Was Lost Is Now Found by @ceallaigheirinn​

With no memories of the past, his mind was nothing more than a void of vast emptiness. He couldn’t remember how he got there. It sounded insane, but he even wondered if he was actually there the moment before. When he closed his eyes, fleeting images of a metallic mask, a world collapsing on itself, the touch of a weathered hand across his cheek and a beautiful woman dressed in white flickered from the dark recesses of his mind. But none of it made sense. He had no idea what those images represented or who that woman was. Did she mean something to him? Was she an enemy, friend or lover?

a million miles (cross the ocean) by @mnemehoshiko

in which the Force tries to pay back some of the debt it owes the Skywalkers.

gift to me forever by LonelyLavenderBones, @luminoustico, TazWren, @thewayofthetrashcompactor

Palpatine has remained dead. Ben Solo followed in his mother’s footsteps and became the Senator of Chandrila, his mother training him in the Force instead of sending him to Luke. And, instead of being left on Jakku, Rey has been trained in the Force from childhood to help redeem the Palpatine name in the eyes of the galaxy's highest social circles.Now the princess of the ultimate Sith is due to make her debut, on the arm of her betrothed, Armitage Hux. But, the Force still has plans for Rey Palpatine and Ben Solo.

My own canonverse Reylo fics:

Rise

Ben Solo and Rey fake their deaths after Exegol and live their lives.

It was not Death, for I stood up

Emperor Palpatine lied on Exegol; Rey is not his granddaughter. Rey sets off on a journey, led by Obi-Wan Kenobi, to bring Ben Solo back from the World Between Worlds.

luminous beings are we

Rey and Ben survive Exegol.

the healing balance

The battle was over; the war was won. The Finalizer was a smoking ruin; General Hux’s attempted mutiny had backfired as the Resistance attacked and finally incapacitated the First Order leadership. Kylo Ren was missing, presumed dead at the hands of the last Jedi, who must have succumbed to her own injuries. Neither body was found. So said the initial official report of the aftermath.

Aggressive Negotiations

It was a shame, really, that Rey did not want her new assignment, did not want to be tempted by Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala’s grandson.

Calligraphy and Atonement

Ben Solo spends his time in exile trying not to think of Rey and keeps failing.

beam that lights the way home

The star lit their path to each other, and lit their way home together.

food for the soul

Rey struggles with new food and the knowledge that Kylo Ren is her soulmate.

you burn with me

Rey's soulmark burns when she meets Kylo Ren for the first time.

light brings forth hidden truths

Light brings forth hidden truths, and demonstrates the Force's balance.

Falling Embers

Rey takes Kylo Ren's hand after they have killed Snoke and his Praetorian Guards.

Force of Light

After celebrating the end of the war and Wookiee Life Day on the Resistance base, Rey heads out into the snow to meditate. Kylo Ren goes out after her...and learns the true reason for the season.

Wanting

Kylo Ren has wanted things his whole life.

My other fic rec lists:

Fic Recs Under 100 Kudos | Historical AU | Fantasy, Fae, Magic, Fairy Tale, and Mythology | Modern AU | Smuggler Ben Solo | Dark Side Rey | Smut |

[independence1776]

Snowflake Challenge Days 6 & 7

(Catching up crossposting from Dreamwidth. I’m listing Day 7 first because it’s shorter.)

Challenge #7: In your own space, create your own challenge. I usually say some variation of "be kind" but a significant number of people are saying that this year (for pretty obvious reasons!), so I want to say something else. So: Remember why you love what you love and focus on it. You don't have to share it or anything. Simply let yourself love it.

Challenge #6: In your own space, rec at least three fanworks that you didn’t create.

(I did this ahead of time so I could copy/paste from my document because I knew it would pop up sooner or later. So glad I did because classes started today [Monday] and my free time is pretty much gone now.) This was really hard for me to do because it sometimes seems like I don’t remember most of what I read last year. Part of that I can blame on grad school, when my fic reading time went down to “whatever I can read during lunch and dinner” (it could take me two weeks to read what I’d normally read in an evening). Part of it is, well, I’ll blame 2020 in general. So this is a hodgepodge of some of the Star Wars fic I enjoyed rather than anything comprehensive.

Writer

1. Icarus_is_flying. Because I can’t rec just one fic of theirs. They have a TPM-era canon divergent AU WIP starring Obi-Wan, Depa, and some others. They have a “Vader finds Obi-Wan and infant!Luke on Tatooine” series that in the second story (a WIP), focuses on kid!Leia and Luke on Alderaan. And other great shorter Star Wars fics, too.

Finished Fics

2. Necessity by Ermingarde. Padawan Depa takes a life for the first time. Mace helps her through the aftermath. Rated General with no warnings. 500 words. Mace and Padawan Depa. What’s not to love? 3. Curiosity killed the padawan (but satisfaction brought him back) by skatzaa. Depa and Caleb meditate together. Set between the time Depa takes Caleb as her padawan and when they're deployed. Rated General, no warnings. 900 words. Depa & Caleb = love. 4. A Present for Master Billaba by eschscholzia. Caleb Dume needs all his creativity and network of friends to successfully barter for the perfect solstice present for Depa Billaba. Rated General with no warnings. 8100 words. Locked to AO3 members. An Order 66 never happens AU that’s joyously almost-crack fluff. 5. The Nameless by Draculard. After Order 66, all Jedi survivors are rounded up and forced into medical experimentation to destroy their Force sensitivity. Caleb Dume is no exception. Rated Mature for Graphic Depictions of Violence. 3700 words. This is absolutely brutal, managed to work in pretty much all of my requested tags for Darkest Night, and I love it. [For those who don’t know, Darkest Night is a darkfic exchange.] 6. Conviction by SassySnowperson. Obi-Wan Kenobi is accused of killing Chancellor Palpatine. The galaxy is hunting him. So why did Bail decide to hide him in Breha's private medical suite? "Breha," Bail pleaded. "If nothing else, we owe him.”. Bail/Breha/Obi-Wan. Rated Teens with no warnings. 10,300 words. I can’t get enough of this triad. 7.  Eclipse by SpellCleaver. Luke and Leia, the twin children of Darth Vader and heirs to the Emperor himself, defect. When they do, it's naturally a dream come true for the Rebellion and the mother they never knew, one that's been a long time in the making. But they have to get to that point first. Or: Darth Vader unwittingly sends his children down the merry path of treason... and the ugly, painful fallout. Rated Mature for Graphic Depictions of Violence. 260,000 words. Luke and Leia, raised by Vader to be Imperials, and still completely in character, down to their defection. Also, Padmé lives. 8. it snows on jakku at midnight by nightdotlight. Heat from the engines of their ship melts the snow around them when they land planet side, not far from the Temple. Even so, Rey immediately clutches at her arms upon leaving its confines, despite the heavy coat she wears, and Mace knows that by the time they return, their transport will be snowed half under. Ilum’s wind bites at his face. He braces. He wonders. Rated General with no warnings. 2500 words. Time-travelling Rey apprenticed to Mace Windu. What’s not to love?

WIPs

9. Broken Pieces, Lonely Places by PaperCraneCastles. Cal Kestis finds himself alone and running for his life, having caught the attention of the terrifying Sith Lord Darth Vader. As he runs, he remembers his life before Eno Cordova, before BD-1 and the Mantis and the holocron, and wonders how a failed Padawan turned scrap rat scurrying across Bracca became the Empire's Most Wanted. Rated Teens with no archive warnings. 27,000 words so far. Post-game frame story with the non-frame sections set between Order 66 and the start of the game. 10. Shine So Bright by Okadiah. When Kasmir is captured as a slave by the Pyke Syndicate, he is less than enthused. But, no worries. Nothing’s going to keep him from busting out of the mine he’s been sentenced to, contacting Kleeve, and getting the kriff out of there.But damn his bleeding heart because he wasn’t expecting to find the baby Jedi there either, clearly in need of some help of his own. And he definitely wasn’t expecting to run into the kid’s master either, just as in need but not at all as he remembered. Unfortunately, between them, the ambitious, sadistic warden running the mines, and a Jedi Hunter on the way, getting out might be tougher than he’d hoped. Way tougher. Rated Teens with no archive warnings. One chapter so far. Depa Billaba lives AU! 11. The Weeds in the Wilderness by Ealcynn. A man wakes on a cold and desolate moor. He knows he is hurt. He knows he is alone. What he doesn't know is what he is, or where he came from. He doesn't know even his own name. But there is something else that this man knows, and that is that if he doesn't get help soon, he is going to die. And on this strange new world, there are so many dangers. Rated Teens and Choose Not to Warn. 186,000 words so far; metadata says 25/30 chapters.Amnesiac Obi-Wan; plenty of original characters and worldbuilding. This is exactly the type of OC-heavy fic I love.