#Iskat Empire

[kyrabombastic]

ISKAT NATION RISE UP *cue the sound of approximately half a dozen people standing*

Fr! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[roguerebels]

Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade Review!

Begun the Clone Wars have! Seeing through the lies of the Jedi! Embracing passions! Spinny sabers! And the Inquisitorious! Check out Sal's Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade review! #StarWarsBooks

“Your future is more important than your past. Make it count.”Jocasta Nu Jedi Padawan Iskat Akaris finds her path leading further from the Jedi tenets she has lived with her entire life. When she is offered another path, she feels more herself than ever. Begun the Clone Wars have! Seeing through the lies of the Jedi! Embracing passions! Spinny sabers! And the Inquisitorious! Delilah Dawson…

[apas-75]

I know a lot of people got attached to a lot of ideas about how the Vader scene would go and are wondering what the point of it was if he didn’t even speak, and so my answer to that is: because it’s not about him.

That moment is not about Anakin Skywalker, his feelings about Barriss Offee, or Barriss Offee’s feelings about him. Anakin-as-Vader does not give a shit about her, which is to say he hates her the same way he hates everyone he meets. He puts the blame for Ahsoka leaving him squarely at Ahsoka’s feet, and hates her for it, wants her dead for it. Barriss doesn’t matter to him any more than any other Jedi he knew before the purge does. (If there’s any tinge of personal feeling, it’s more adjacent to satisfaction at seeing her stuck in the same despair trap as him than anything else.) And Barriss doesn’t have a clue who he is.

So: The point of that moment is that Barriss sees that she’s kneeling to a Sith Lord. She sees that things are so much worse than she had ever feared. She sees that she’s completely lost control of her life.

And in that moment, she cannot see the way out. She feels small and afraid and everyone she loves is dead and the entire oppressive structure of the Empire is bearing down on her and saying: If you want to live, this is what you have to be. This is all you can ever be. If you step a foot out of line you’ll be dead and it won’t even do anything to help anyone.

Later, when she gets back out in the galaxy and sees again the effect she can have on people, she’ll rekindle hope within her and see the way out. There was simply NO universe where Barriss “friend to all children” Offee could ever have been an Inquisitor past the moment where she actually had to fulfill the duties of one, and the whole point of this failed attempt to force her into the Inquisitorius was to show that was true; whether she ended that first mission dead or as another rogue Jedi on the run, she never would have been what the Grand Inquisitor wanted her to be.

But right then? Now? Kneeling to Vader, knowing that she’d be dead before she could even draw the new red lightsaber on her back—the one that she hates and that hates her back because she was forced to profane it herself?* When the Grand Inquisitor has kept her isolated and provoked her over and over again so that when she finally lashes out to defend herself he can tell her that’s who she really is? There’s nothing she can do. There’s nothing she can do.

That’s her lowest point. That’s the only moment she ever really was the First Sister.

(*Kyber crystal bleeding is the kind of thing that only really hits if you're a huge turbonerd about the star war lore and know how it works, so I get why they skipped over it onscreen when it's really just a more abstract metaphor for what she was forced to do in the pit fight, but given that we know Iskat and Reva both made theirs themselves there's no way they didn't make Barriss do it too.)

[tremendouskoalachild]

Inquisitor Women in Star Wars: a 2024 Summary

while women are underrepresented in the Sith order, the Inquisitorius is quite an egalitarian organization :) let's sum up what we know about these lovely ladies

(spoilers for everything concerning inquisitor characters, including the manner of their death)

2. Second Sister aka Trilla Suduri

Padawan to Cere Junda at the time of Order 66

captured and tortured into joining the Inquisitorius shortly after

dies 5 years later, executed by Vader for her perceived failure

human; age unknown, I'd estimate late teens to mid-twenties at the time of recruitment

created for Jedi: Fallen Order (2019), appeared before the game's release as a cameo in Darth Vader 2017 issue 19 (2018) and as a main character in the game tie-in miniseries Dark Temple. mentioned in Rise of the Red Blade (2023).

ambitious, relentless, a good slicer. wears a full helmet all the time when on the job.

3. Third Sister aka Reva Sevander

12-year-old human youngling at the time of Order 66

joined the organization voluntarily and while hiding her identity, at an unspecified point a relatively short time before 10 years post-Order 66

left the Inquisitorius 10 years after Order 66, after failing to kill Darth Vader and being left to die

created for Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). not in RotRB, likely due to not yet being a member during the book's timeline. does not appear and isn't mentioned in other canon material, outside of OWK's comic adaptation.

spent 10 years single-mindedly pursuing her goal of revenge. very intense and ambitious. youngest recruit we know of and the only one to have at least a quasi-canon number duplicate (the Third Brother).

4. Fourth Sister aka Lyn Rakish

joined the Inquisitorius around the time of Order 66, apparently of her own free will

species, age and rank at that point unknown, may have been a peer of Barriss or somewhat older

left the Inquisitorius after serving it for over 15 years (actual time unknown but less than 20 years)

created for Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), part of the main cast in Tales of the Empire (2024), mentioned in RotRB (2023).

dedicated to the organization, pragmatic and better at cooperation than most colleagues.

7. Seventh Sister

joined the Inquisitorius shortly after Order 66, and appears to have been tortured into it

mirialan; age and rank before recruitment unknown, implied she may have been a peer of Aayla Secura or younger

killed in action after serving the Inquisitorius for 16 years

created for Rebels s2 (2015), a minor character with several scenes in Darth Vader 2017, RotRB (2023) and the Inquisitors comic miniseries (2024)

only one on the list without a known name. snarky and flirty with targets. strained relationship with multiple coworkers.

9. Ninth Sister aka Masana Tide

Dowutin, age unknown and hard to estimate

joined the Inquisitorius involuntarily shortly after Order 66, through torture and mutilation

dies 10 years later, killed by her target

created for Darth Vader (2017) as a recurring character. part of the main cast in Jedi: Fallen Order (2019), shows up in Jedi: Survivor (2023), has a part in RotRB (2023) and Inquisitors (2024).

best empath of the Inquisitorius. snarky and jovial even with Darth Vader. very traumatized. keeps losing body parts.

13. Thirteenth Sister aka Iskat Akaris

joined voluntarily after flirting with the dark side for years and being groomed by Palpatine

21-year-old Knight at the time, pkorian (species created for her)

killed 5 years after joining by Vader for perceived disloyalty

created for Darth Vader 2017 issue 19 (2018), main character of novel Rise of the Red Blade (2023)

only inquisitor to have a boyfriend in canon. has a helmet she wears on missions but is pretty laid back about it. only gets her inquisitor name a while into her tenure, so her birth name is known to others.

+ Barriss Offee

former Jedi in Republic prison at the time of joining

agreed to get recruited a short while after Order 66, but left on her first mission after learning more about the organization, never got a proper inquisitor title

mirialan; age unknown but is around the age or slightly older than Ahsoka, 17 year old at the time; would have been 21 according to a non-canon reference book

has existed since 2002 as a background character in the prequels and their now non-canon tie-in novels, her short-lived inquisitor iteration was long rumored and introduced in Tales of the Empire (2024).

[andypantsx3]

andie can u give us some book recs?<33

Yes!! Although normally I think recs are best given in the context of your other tastes, because I find literary preferences to be a highly-individualized thing!! So without knowing what other books you love, idk how my recs will hold up.

But I will give you some of my personal recent faves!!

I have already talked at length about my favorite book of all time The Goblin Emperor, and I think I've already also recommended the Pink Carnation series to my fun silly regency romance lovers, so I will not go into depth on them here but those are easily my all time faves.

I forget if I have also already talked about Winter's Orbit so forgive me if this is repeat info for you!! But I absolutely loved this book.

SUMMARY: While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat's rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam's cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control. But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war... all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.

I really like the way Kiem's & Jainan's pictures of one another shift over the course of the narrative, and as you read them through one another's eyes you understand their unreliability in self-narration due to their own personal insecurities. And what I love is that they both strive to emulate the traits they grow to respect in one another and that becomes the key to defeating the forces working against them!! It's so masterfully done, very gentle and thoughtful, and I hope someday to write a book just like this.

As an aside the author also got their start on ao3 and has a tumblr account and you can really feel the love & respect for some of the fannish conventions in their work. Cannot recommend enough.

This is also so basic of me but I would be remiss if I did not also recommend Howl's Moving Castle which I recently reread. If you have seen the movie but not read the book, you are absolutely missing out because it's very much its own unique experience with several divergences from the plot of the movie. Sophie's perspective is hilarious, it's such a fond send up of men in general, and I love the extra argumentative element to Howl & Sophie's relationship we get to see here; I feel it adds way more depth to their characters and relationship and you will totally eat it up.

I also read The House Witch recently and would definitely recommend to fantasy fans who are in the mood for something wholesome and cozy!!

SUMMARY: When Finlay Ashowan joins the staff of the King and Queen of Daxaria, he’s an enigma. No one knows where he comes from or how he came to be where he is, which suits Fin just fine. He’s satisfied simply serving as the royal cook, keeping nosy passersby out of his kitchen, and concocting some truly uncanny meals. But Fin’s secret identity doesn’t stay hidden for long. After all, it’s not every day a house witch and his kitten familiar, Kraken, take to meddling in imperial affairs. As his powers are gradually discovered by the court, Fin finds himself involved in a slew of intrigues: going head-to-head with knights with less-than-chivalrous intentions, helping to protect the pregnant queen, fending off the ire of the royal mage, and uncovering a spy in the castle. And that’s only the beginning—because Fin’s past is catching up with him just as his love life is getting complicated . . .

It is not the most tightly-buttoned narrative, I think because there are several more books in the series that I haven't read yet, so there are lingering threads of an overarching plot I've not seen sewn together yet. But it's an extremely easy and accessible read and I again really loved the respect and admiration the characters grow for each other, even as they resist their feelings for one another.

This rec in particular though I can see people disagreeing with me on, as some of the humor is like kind of immature and you can tell the author is inexperienced and/or the editing team did not quite do their jobs as some of the ending felt forced or cobbled together. But overall I really did like this book, I thought the gems of a really compelling story shone through the little dirt there was lol.

I also cannot recommend most of Naomi Novik's work enough either. In particular I would recommend Spinning Silver (Uprooted too but that's wildly more popular and you might have already read it!!).

SUMMARY: Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father's inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold. When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the Staryk--grim fey creatures who seem more ice than flesh--Miryem's fate, and that of two kingdoms, will be forever altered. Set an impossible challenge by the nameless king, Miryem unwittingly spins a web that draws in a peasant girl, Wanda, and the unhappy daughter of a local lord who plots to wed his child to the dashing young tsar. But Tsar Mirnatius is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of humans and Staryk alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and her two unlikely allies embark on a desperate quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power, and love. Channeling the vibrant heart of myth and fairy tale, Spinning Silver weaves a multilayered, magical tapestry that readers will want to return to again and again.

Her prose is always immaculate, vividly descriptive but succinct enough to keep the story going at a driving pace. She always writes like the most compelling female POV characters, to me; driven and complex without falling into the trap of being ~so special uwu~ or ~angry murder girlie >:(~ which I feel so many authors end up flattening their FPOV characters into!! She is absolutely masterful at taking common ideas/tropes and turning them on their heads/fleshing them out in unique and interesting ways.

Lastly, I have also been reading through a bunch of MXTX's danmei series LOL. I haven't finished Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation so I can't quite give a coherent account yet but I have been enjoying it so far. What I can say is I like how conversational and silly her style is even while tackling gruesome and fairly problematic concepts, and I very much love the sweeping and single-minded focus the love interests always have on one another. She also is very good at writing unreliable narrators whose perspectives you don't really understand are unreliable until the end of the narrative, and it makes you fonder of them for all their self-doubt and strength in the face of hardships they try to downplay.

[ct-hardcase]

Since a twitter mutual asked for an Inquisitor canon guide, I'm revamping my answer to an anon to include some more recent inquisitor canon. I'll get into the substantial canon stories first (which I'd say are the proverbial "must watch/read/play"s), and then into the ones where there might be slightly less content in a list below:

Star Wars: Rebels originated the inquisitors in the new canon and the start of their lore, though I'd argue it wasn't the best at handling them. Despite this, I'd recommend starting here. Introduces the Grand Inquisitor, Fifth Brother, Seventh Sister, and Eighth Brother. Also introduces (the ever-elusive) Project Harvester.

Darth Vader (2017): while this is a Vader-focused comic, you get quite a bit of inquisitor lore out of it, and also multiple characters you won’t find anywhere else/many other places. Highly recommend for how it builds up the Grand Inquisitor, Ninth Sister, and Sixth Brother in particular. Also includes the Fifth Brother, Tenth Brother, Iskat, and Tualon in a capacity that develops their characters. The comic additionally goes out of its way to include Seventh, Eighth, and Trilla as background characters. I recommend reading all of it, since I love the way it handles Vader as well, but the inquisitor-focused issues are almost all issues 6-20 minus issues 10 and 18. The writing has some flaws but overall one of my favorite canon comics in terms of story and art.

Jedi: Fallen Order was the blueprint, honestly. What made the inquisitors ascend from goofy side characters in others' stories to tragic villains in their own right. What's not to love about Trilla Suduri? Also provides a fair bit of depth to Ninth Sister, especially in the context of her previous DV (2017) appearances. It also fleshes out the Purge Troopers, who, while not inquisitors, are a fun addition to the organization. Also add a bit of inquisitor capture/initiation lore. I'm not a gamer, so I found a video which compiled all of the story scenes and it did the trick for me (though many gamers do recommend playing).

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Introduces Reva Sevander, and her wonderfully complicated story and character. This is among some of the essential inquisitor watch material for good reason, as it provides context for how inquisitors interpret the group dynamics, as well as a look at their military operations and how a hunt works from their end, somewhat. It also provides some context and/or development for the Grand Inquisitor and Fifth Brother; and introduces the Fourth Sister.

Rise of the Red Blade: The most personal look we get into an inquisitor's backstory and fall, so far (TotE will probably prove me wrong in about a month), this story centers Iskat's time as a Jedi and a bit of her time as an inquisitor. It goes through a Knight's look at the clone wars, and some of the Inquisitor initiation process/first few missions, in addition to glimpses of what a pre-Vader inquisitorius looked like. This book also features Tualon as a prominent character, but notably includes cameos from almost every canon inquisitor minus Reva, Marrok, and Bird Mask.*

*among others, who are more relegated to sourcebooks/secondhand references.

Next on the docket are Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts, which I assume is going to go into the Inquisitor initiation process in full detail (see also: the reason Delilah Dawson couldn't full delve into it in RotRB), and should feature Barriss, the Fourth Sister, the Grand Inquisitor Marrok, and Bird Mask; and the Inquisitors (2024) comic miniseries coming this summer, which should include the Grand Inquisitor, Fifth Brother, Seventh Sister, and Ninth Sister.

I'll organize the rest by characters that you may want to know more about, though please note that there are minor spoilers for the above series (including character names) in the summaries of the series below:

Grand Inquisitor:

The Servants of the Empire series has some Grand Inquisitor lore with a focus on Zare Leonis and (the ever-elusive) Project Harvester. The Grand Inquisitor serves as an antagonist. This is a Middle Grade series, but it's one of the best MG series I've read in Star Wars.

The Grand Inquisitor has appeared in the Rebels manga adaptation! I haven't read it myself, but the art looks good.

He gets a semi-canon appearance in one short story of Star Wars: Dark Legends. He's got creepy vampire vibes, which are cool, and you also get one of my favorite Order 66 survivors in the dubiously-canon Kira Vantala.

[He also gets a spotlight in Issue 6 of Star Wars (2020). Yes, the comic takes place post-esb. Yes, the Grand Inquisitor is there. This one has the most payoff after reading Vader (2017) and watching swr s1

Will probably have a supporting/important role in Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts.

Second Sister (Trilla Suduri):

Most of her Material is in JFO, but she also gets a spotlight in Jedi Fallen Order: Dark Temple. Though this five-issue comic focuses mostly on Cere, it gives you some good Second Sister content, presented pre-Trilla reveal in-game. It gives you more of her cool and competent inquisitor vibe that way. Also, the dynamic Trilla has with her Purge Trooper Commander is a bonus for me, in this one.

Third Sister (Reva Sevander):

Sadly, not a lot of supplemental content exists for Reva outside of OWK. I suppose I'm obligated to include the Obi-Wan Kenobi Comic Adaptation, but considering the art is about the equivalent of traced-over screenshots, I feel confident in saying you can skip this one.

Fourth Sister (Lyn):

Her...armor appears in Return to Vader’s Castle 4 and 5. The saboteur wearing it uses her designation, but that's about all the character lore we get. I suspect that more will come in the TotE short.

Will probably have a supporting/important role in Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts.

Fifth Brother:

He gets a PoV section in Jedi: Battle Scars! Though it's not super substantive, it's the closest we've gotten to a backstory for him, and he gets a hell of a duel in this one. The overall plot is steamy and fun as well, plus Merrin and Fret are worth the price of admission alone.

He also gets a lot of bit parts in other inquisitor media, including OWK and Vader (2017), all of which add up to a more complex character than the man we get in Rebels.

Some comics featuring the Fifth Brother are in the Star Wars Rebels Magazine are in German so if you read the language you’re in luck, but some have been translated into English by fans so you can find them in their tumblr tags.

It seems he'll be a main character in the Inquisitors (2024) comic series.

Sixth Brother (Bil Valen):

The Ahsoka Novel: This is obviously mostly about Ahsoka, but Sixth Brother gets some PoV chapters as well. Though the chapters may initially not seem the most substantive, the other inquisitor canon (plus his scenes in Vader [2017]) builds up around him to end up giving a surprising amount of glimpses into who he is as a person. The Grand Inquisitor also appears here, but his appearance is short enough to not warrant a place in his section.

Seventh Sister:

She plays a somewhat significant role in Iskat's first years in Rise of the Red Blade, though sadly, aside from Rebels, she doesn't have a substantive role in many stories.

Seventh Sister also features in the Star Wars Rebels Magazine stories.

She also seems to be a main character in the Inquisitors (2024) comic series.

Eighth Brother:

Sorry, you're SoL (I say with love; he's my favorite).

In all seriousness, he has one line of dialogue in Vader (2017), and a cameo in Rise of the Red Blade. If he ends up being your favorite, I can help link some interviews from Robbie Daymond about him, or something.

Ninth Sister (Masana Tide):

Aside from a brief appearance in Jedi: Survivor, most of her story takes place in Vader (2017) and JFO.

She also appears to be among the main cast of Inquisitors (2024).

Tenth Brother (Prosset Dibs):

Mace Windu: Jedi of the Republic: A five-issue comic focusing on a strike team of four Jedi in the beginning the clone war, raises questions of what the republic is coming to, and also gives you some of the Tenth Brother’s backstory.

Thirteenth Sister (Iskat Akaris):

She doesn't have much outside of Vader (2017) and RotRB, but considering she's the protagonist of the latter, hopefully that's alright for now.

Tualon Yaluna:

See Iskat's entry above—though he's not the protagonist of RotRB, he gets quite a bit of focus.

Marrok:

One of the antagonists of the Ahsoka show, and primarily appears there.

Will probably have a supporting/background role in Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts.

Bird Mask:

A note on him is that the jury's split about whether he's actually the Sixth Brother based on his role in Ahsoka's final Tales of the Jedi episode, which is strikingly similar to the Ahsoka Novel. I choose to believe he's not.

Will probably have a supporting/background role in Barriss' Tales of the Empire shorts.

Other Canon Inquisitors/Noncanonical Inquisitors/I'm Bald/Other Nuanced Opinion:

There’s an Inquisitor in the semi-canon Star Wars Visions season 1 episode T0-B1.

There's also an Inquisitor in the semi-canon Star Wars Visions season 2 episode Bandits of Golak.

Per a guidebook released prior to Obi-Wan Kenobi, There was an inquisitor with the designation Third Brother. At this time, we do not know what he looks like, nor has he been confirmed to have been in a story.

Per a TTRPG campaign, there was a female inquisitor who trained the Nightsister Jerserra, who killed her and stole the unidentified inquisitor's lightsaber. We do not have confirmation on who this is.

Maul carries an inquisitor's saber from at least the time of Solo to Star Wars: Rebels. This may or may not belong to an existing canon inquisitor or an as-of-yet-unknown character (it was modeled off of the Grand Inquisitor's, but we can assume this was due to budget concerns).

There's a variety of mobile games, sourcebooks, and other sources that provide a series of blurbs on the canon inquisitors that I haven't kept close track of. While these provide some information, most of it goes over existing information (possibly sourced directly from the Star Wars databank entries or Wookieepedia pages) and rarely do we get any new information from these (and more rarely still does canon actually stick to the information we get from them). These are fun, and can be delved into if you want more detail, but my personal MO is to stick to canon works first.

The slight exception to me is the Lightsaber coffeetable book, which I find has gorgeous (original!) art, and has some blurbs about the inquisitors' fighting styles.

[starwarstoxicfemslash]

between trilla, reva, iskat, the seventh sister, the thirteenth sister, and the fourth sister, the inquisitorius is a HOTBED of toxicity. they all want to be the best, and sometimes that involves making sure the others are beneath them in every way

literallyyyy the toxic homoerotic bestieworstieship has to be off the rails!!! in the misogynistic environment of the empire they're all clawing at each other, leaving marks and scars to stay afloat

[steepedfoxglovetea]

Guys, how likely is it that Iskat will appear in Tales of the Empire?

[phantom-wolf]

Might I propose a discussion about the timeline:

Good now that I have your attention I wanted to discuss and hear people's opinions on it. What do you think the timeline is for when Fortress Inquisitorius was built?

We know Iskat was recruited by the Empire during Order 66. From then on she spent weeks or months in a cell (As far as I'm aware the book doesn't specifify a time frame). We know that the reason that the Fortress was built was because her and Tualon ended up causing damage to Coruscant trying to escape Vader. She seemed to be with the Empire and Inquisitors for a decent amount of time at the point in which she died.

Seems very cut and dry right?

Well maybe? But we also know Fallen Order takes place 5 years after Order 66. The Fortress is built by then so it must've been built some time after Order 66 and before Fallen Order.

However, we see when Trilla is captured. During that time Cere and the youngling she was with (plus Trilla herself) seem to be wearing their Jedi apparel. That paired with the fact that they're being hunted make it seem like that happens during Order 66. Unless I'm wrong about this and they were captured a few weeks/ months after the order? Maybe they had been stuck on the mission planet with no way to escape and had just been hiding from the Clones for a while?

Regardless Cere is held at the Fortress. I'm not sure how the Fortress would have been built by the time Cere and Trilla were captured if it took Iskat a bit to even become a full blown Inquisitor.

Perhaps Iskat was only held for a few days in a cell and it seemed like longer to her? Then everything else happened pretty quickly?

Maybe its just a continuity error? Or maybe I'm overthinking it. Thoughts?

[whumpily-ever-after]

Whumpy Book List 2

Welcome to my second whumpy book list. This list has been a long time coming. I read a lot but most of the books I read recently had no whump in them. I finally feel like I have enough books to make this list!

I always welcome whumpy book recommendations and/or suggestions. Please feel free to send any whumpy books my way.

List below the cut...

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Summary: “While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat's rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam's cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control. But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war... all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.”

Whump tropes: Not the whumpiest book out there, but about half-way through there is a decent hypothermia scene, attempted brainwashing also occurs in the second half of the book

Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds by Brandon Sanderson

Summary: “Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane. It’s his hallucinations who are mad.

A genius of unrivaled aptitude, Stephen can learn any new skill, vocation, or art in a matter of hours. However, to contain all of this, his mind creates hallucinatory people��Stephen calls them aspects—to hold and manifest the information. Wherever he goes, he is joined by a team of imaginary experts to give advice, interpretstion, and explanation. He uses them to solve problems…for a price.

His brain is getting a little crowded and the aspects have a tendency of taking on lives of their own. When a company hires him to recover stolen property—a camera that can allegedly take pictures of the past—Stephen finds himself in an adventure crossing oceans and fighting terrorists. What he discovers may upend the foundation of three major world religions—and, perhaps, give him a vital clue into the true nature of his aspects.”

Note: This book consists of three (3) short stories about Stephen Leeds and the personalities in his head. I don’t remember all of the whump tropes in these stories, but I remember that the third story, “Lies of the Beholder,” had the most whump.

Whump tropes: From what I remember it includes being trapped in a facility and the main character’s “aspects” are forcibly (and possibly painfully) taken away from him.

Guardian by Priest

Summary: “The Special Investigations Unit is a covert organization that no-one in the city knows about, dedicated to investigating bizarre occurrences beyond the comprehension of the living. The Chief Zhao Yunlan isn’t a simple guy either, being the inheritor of the Guardian order, he has always been a righteous conformist, excelling between realms of the living and the dead. While investigating a school suicide case, Zhao is attracted to the calm and reserved Professor Shen Wei, but the Professor seems to be rather fickle towards him…”

Whump tropes: Angst, hurt/comfort, sick character, there is so much more, but I am drawing a blank at the moment

Note: I read a fan translation of this book on the interwebs but I believe it will be available for purchase (in the US) sometime this year.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance (The Tithenai Chronicles #1) by Foz Meadows

Summary: “Velasin vin Aaro never planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead. Caethari Aeduria always knew he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock. With an unknown faction willing to kill to end their new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other. Survival is one thing, but love – as both will learn – is quite another.”

Whump tropes: Arrow wounds, magical exhaustion, betrayal, captured characters

Note: Heed the warnings for this book!

Rescued by the Married Monster Hunters by Ennis Rook Bashe

Summary: “Vessel is a monster living in a dimension-hopping dungeon where his only solace is mercy-killing human prisoners. When one of these prisoners leaves Vessel a diary about his life as a monster hunter, Vessel imagines a new future for himself and takes on a human identity in an attempt to survive. Rescued by married monster hunters, Rhys and Sera, Vessel quickly finds himself overwhelmed by his secret, by the demands of pretending to be human, and by the intensity of falling unexpectedly in love with the pair. But if Rhys and Sera find out the truth, Vessel knows heartbreak won’t be the worst thing he’ll face… This book features a trans character in a setting where being trans is no big deal, badass disabled monster hunters, an enormous gruff swordsman who would do anything for his adorable bard, a back brace that doubles as armor, and a soft bisexual eldritch abomination learning what love really is. Please note, this book contains discussions of assault, cissexism, body horror, and violence.”

Whump tropes: Chronic pain, torture, monster/nonhuman whump, conditioned Whumpee, hands-on magical healing

Note: I have not read this book myself but it looks to be plenty whumpy!

The Starless Crown by James Rollins

Summary: “A gifted student foretells an apocalypse. Her reward is a sentence of death.

Fleeing into the unknown she is drawn into a team of outcasts: A broken soldier, who once again takes up the weapons he’s forbidden to wield and carves a trail back home. A drunken prince, who steps out from his beloved brother’s shadow and claims a purpose of his own. An imprisoned thief, who escapes the crushing dark and discovers a gleaming artifact- one that will ignite a power struggle across the globe.

On the run, hunted by enemies old and new, they must learn to trust each other in order to survive in a world evolved in strange, beautiful, and deadly ways, and uncover ancient secrets that hold the key to their salvation. But with each passing moment, doom draws closer. Who will claim the starless crown?”

Whump tropes: Attempted kidnapping, trapped in a dark mine with no light while bound at the ankles, betrayal

Antrax by Terry Brooks

Summary: “Brave explorers led by the last Druid, Walker Boh, traveled across unknown seas in search of an elusive magic. But now it seems that Walker and his team were lured there for sinister, unforeseen purposes. As the crew aboard the airship Jerle Shannara is being attacked by evil forces, the Druid’s protégé, Bek Rowe, and his companions are being pursued by the mysterious Ilse Witch. Meanwhile, Walker is alone, caught in a dark maze beneath the ruined city of Castledown, stalked by a hungry, unseen enemy. It is alive, but not human, coveting the magic of Druids, elves, even the Ilse Witch. It hunts men for its own designs. It is Antrax: a spirit that feeds off enchantment and traps the souls of men. And with it, the fate of the Four Lands hangs in the balance.”

Whump tropes: Captivity, voice stolen, chased, dramatic rescue

Note: This is the second book in a series. But it has one of my most re-read whump scenes that I couldn't resist including it.

Note: The next two entries have teenage (minor) whumpees. If this is not your thing, stop reading here.

The Extraordinaries Series by T.J. Klune

Summary: "Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right? After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick’s best friend (and maybe the love of his life).”

Whump tropes: Kidnapping, emotional whump, betrayal

Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora

Summary: “Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM – Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue created by the scientists of Gathos City as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, he was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and into the Withers – a quarantined, lawless region. Nate manages to survive by using his engineering skills to become a Tinker, fixing broken tech in exchange for food or a safe place to sleep. When he meets Reed, a kind and fiercely protective boy that makes his heart race, and his misfit gang of scavengers, Nate finds the family he’s always longed for – even if he can’t risk telling them what he is.

But Gathos created a genetic failsafe in their GEMs – a flaw that causes their health to rapidly deteriorate as they age unless they are regularly dosed with medication controlled by Gathos City. As Nate’s health declines, his hard-won freedom is put in jeopardy. Violence erupts across the Withers, his illegal supply of medicine is cut off, and a vicious attack on Reed threatens to expose his secret. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay – and die – with the boy he loves.”

Whump tropes: I have not been able to get my hands on this book, so I don't know the exact tropes. But the summary makes it sound pretty whumpy.

[thesuperiorfoe]

SPOILERS FOR DARTH VADER (2017) COMICS AND POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE RED BLADE

As my fellow SW fans may know, there's a upcoming book from Delilah S. Dawson focused on a little known Inquisitor. One that only appeared in Charles Soule's comics.

So, the story concluded with the red skinned Inquisitor and her Twilek crush (identified in the novel as Iskat Akaris and Tualon, respectively) anti-climaticaly dying at Vader's hands. Not exactly a good promotion for a spin-off book.

However, the released Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade excerpt makes an interesting revelation one might overlook in a first read.

ISKAT HAS 2 HEARTS!!! ❤️ ❤️

This isn't just a Doctor Who Easter egg. Iskat supposedly died after being stabbed in the heart by Darth Vader. If she had 2, it's likely they're going to retcon her into surviving.

What's next? Rejoining the Inquisitors (unlikely)? Being assigned to a new Imperial post? Defecting from the Empire?

We'll find out July 18.

[roostar1]

Not everything about Anakin. She is referring to the other cases.

The thirteenth Sister Iskat Akaris, who the main focus of the novel 'Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade'.

Or if you think that a weak excuse, there also Heezo (Ironically from the same novel).

Who was a jedi washout that Sidious found and recruited to be his spies in the temple, and to find PERFECT individuals for his future Inquisitorious.

HOW? WHEN?

If anything, your own Master dearest is the living dead proof those standards were correct! They were lifted for him and look at what that "handwaving" got the Order in the end! Dead to the last baby in the Temple's cribs!

Like, yes, the Force resides in all living things and everyone can connect to it (Yoda himself said and demonstrated so in TCW ep1 w the clones) but Sabine's clearly shit at being Force sensitive, on-screen.

Filoni, you do know that you could've just had your character say "true, but this is what we've got to work with after the Order got massacred" or something like that, don't you?

This "Oh, it's the Jedi elitism (when) that got them killed, not a diabolical plan a thousand years in the making" is blatantly retconning shit that was never on screen. If you don't like the Order move aside and let some of the High Republic initiative writers handle them

[tremendouskoalachild]

anyway since a lot of it might be getting overwritten soon now that filoni is revisiting the inquisitorius characters (i assume he is? he wrote basically all of tales of the jedi right): here's what i understand of the inquisitor lore outside of the rebels show

Palpatine was keeping an eye out for Jedi who seemed at odds with the Order and/or susceptible to the dark side during the war (and likely earlier, much like with Anakin), either in person or using various agents (can be assumed and is shown in Rise of the Red Blade). this likely includes Jedi with specific knowledge or skills (the implication i got from Cere in Jedi: Fallen Order)

the groundwork for what would become the Inquisitorius was already in place by the time of the war's end

the Grand Inquisitor was a former Temple Guard who felt held back by the order and had a grudge against Jocasta Nu specifically (pretty sure this comes from Rebels and shows up in Darth Vader 2017). he was recruited at some point prior to Order 66 by Palpatine personally and promised leadership of the organization. this happened before Vader's conversion, and neither Vader nor the GI were informed of each other's existence at first (DV 2017).

several former Jedi were recruited willingly (eg. the GI, Iskat Akaris/13th Sister, Prosset Dibs/10th Brother, 5th Brother according to Battle Scars, Reva Sevander/Third Sister)

most (?) inquisitors were recruited by force, specifically torture upon being captured, usually during Order 66 (eg. Trilla Suduri/Second Sister (JFO), Seventh Sister (described as feeling broken in the Force in RotRB), Tualon Yaluna (RotRB), Masana Tide/Ninth Sister (JFO))

their primary purpose seems to be killing Jedi survivors rather than expanding their ranks by recruiting them. although it is a fear for those hunted by them, the inquisitors rarely try it, even if they do taunt their prey with the possibility (Masana's dialogue in JFO). this may have changed in the later years as the inquisitor numbers dwindled (i'm pretty sure they were actually trying to convert Ezra during Rebels. please correct me.)

they do, however, often try to kidnap Force-sensitive children too young to have been pre-Empire Jedi. this appears to include any age group and be the continuation of Palpatine's project during the clone wars. (i believe this is expanded upon in Rebels? it's a plot point in DV 2017 with Eeth Koth's infant daughter. also, i might have made this up but it seems to be the implied threat in Jedi: Survivor.)

the numbered titles appear to reference the order of initiation, with the GI being implicitly the First but never referred to as such. the numbers do not change over an inquisitor's tenure and do not seem to be replaced when an inquisitor falls. there do not seem to be duplicates (except for the Third Brother, who appears in a reference book written before Obi-Wan Kenobi and whose existence seems to have been overwritten by the Third Sister's. her character's age and implied backstory do not fit this naming assumption, however.)

if the naming is sequential, then siblings 2 through 10 join very shortly after Order 66, and number 13 gets initiated within months (RotRB). we still don't know 11 and 12.

there is some number of active inquisitors without a numbered title, who still go by their old names. these seem to have similar duties and authority to their numbered colleagues and are also referred to as "brother" or "sister", at least by other inquisitors. (Tualon in RotRB)

there might (?) be some hierarchy to the numbers, with lower numbers corresponding to a higher position. or not. (Third Sister seems to think she's next in line after the deaths of Grand Inquisitor and Second Sister as per Obi-Wan Kenobi. there's a confusing exchange somewhere in Rebels where Seventh and Fifth pointedly emphasize their titles to each other while having a disagreement but i have no idea what that means.)

inquisitors do occasional solo missions but mostly seem to work in pairs or small groups. the chain of command during these missions seems ambiguous, possibly intentionally so. Darth Vader joins in for some missions, where all inquisitors defer to him.

originally recruited inquisitors are not trained after joining outside of sparring with each other, which seems entirely voluntary. sometimes Darth Vader drops in and tests them, often ending in mutilation. they are allowed and perhaps even encouraged to study the dark side on their own time, though they do not have many opportunities to do so, possibly by design. (RotRB)

inquisitors are not Sith, and are not officially intended to become Sith, though as dark side adepts they are a potential source of replacement apprentices. (i believe this is fan speculation and out of universe material more than actual text but would love to be proven wrong)

Inquisitorius personnel have authority over some other Imperial forces, and have a long-term rivalry with the ISB (JS). they are generally an unknown force.

the organization was founded on Coruscant and headquartered there for about 5 years after its founding. (DV 2017) afterwards, its HQ transferred to Nur. however, that facility was already in heavy use immediately after and possibly before Order 66 (backstory in JFO).

the members get killed off pretty quickly. 6th and 10th die within a year, 2nd and 13th (along with her bf without a number) within 5 years, 3rd and 9th 5 years after that (Reva actually leaves, as we know). the ones that make it to Rebels die in that show. Fourth Sister is unaccounted for.

inquisitors tend to die by Vader or Ahsoka and Maul.

[kinziethings]

REVIEW: Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

REVIEW: #OceansEcho by Everina Maxwell || A new book set in the same universe as #WintersOrbit - great story! #QueerScifi #Books #BookReview

  Rich socialite, inveterate flirt, and walking disaster Tennalhin Halkana can read minds. Tennal, like all neuromodified “readers,” is a security threat on his own. But when controlled, readers are a rare asset. Not only can they read minds, but they can navigate chaotic space, the maelstroms surrounding the gateway to the wider universe. Conscripted into the military under dubious…

[melanielocke]

Book recommendations - science fiction

I couldn't put the pictures next to each other as half the books would fall off the picture, but I decided to continue with a selection of science fiction books. Some are set in space, but not all of the, because sci-fi as a genre is more than just space books so if you're not into space books perhaps one of the other books might be a good choice.

I'll start with Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

This is not a space book. It's a mermaid book. And while you'd think that's fantasy, this one is actually a sci-fi horror. The way the mermaids are portrayed here is very scientific and also rather horrifying, which is why it's a scifi horror.

While the ending leaves an opening for a sequel, there is currently no sequel. As I understand, this is due to the publisher but if a lot of people were to buy the first one a sequel could still be possible.

Seven years ago, the Atargatis set out to the mariana trench to film a mockumentary about mermaids. The ship disappeared, and was discovered weeks later drifting somewhere with no one on it. Now, a new ship filled with scientists is traveling to the same area to find out what happened.

This book follows a wide cast of characters, but the main character is Tori. Tori is a marine biologist whose older sister was on the Atargatis and presumably died and she wants nothing more than to find out what really happened to her sister.

Some of the other major characters include Olivia, an autistic lesbian who is a tv presenter, the same job Tori's sister had on the previous voyage, deaf twins Holly and Heather who both have their own scientific expertise, dr. Jillian Toth, a marine biologist and siren expert at a time when people generally don't believe in mermaids.

There isn't a lot of romance in the book, but the main pairing is sapphic.

One of the greatest strenghts of this book is the use of science, everything in here is really believable, and the way scientists are portrayed. As very curious people who do not have a lot of self preservation (which is why they're looking for mermaids that might very well kill them all)

Next up is Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell, which I had to include if I'm making a sci-fi list although I've talked about it before as I used the premise from this book for the Stars Collide. The book on the picture is the UK edition, which I bought because at the time it was the only available paperback, but I'm kind of regretting that I don't have a US cover edition because I like that cover a lot better.

Winter's Orbit is a sci-fi romance that follows prince Kiem, a minor prince of the Iskat empire. When Kiem's cousin Prince Taam dies suddenly and unexpectedly, Kiem is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam's widower Jainan to keep the treaty between Iskat and Jainan's home planet Thea.

It soon turns out Taam's death might not have been an accident and Jainan is a suspect, and Kiem and Jainan will have to navigate an investigation, possible conspiracy and their growing feelings for each other.

Winter's Orbit is equal parts sci-fi and romance, and I think one of the books where miscommunication is done well. It makes sense here for Taam and Kiem to misunderstand each other based on their past relationships, assumptions and expectations, and I would definitely recommend this if you like queer romance, sci-fi romance and arranged marriage stories.

Oceans' Echo is Everina Maxwell's second book, which I also discussed in my first book recommendations post. However, back then I hadn't gotten around to reading it yet and just wanted to show off my very pretty new book. Now I have read it and can tell you a little more about it.

Ocean's Echo is set in the same universe as Winter's Orbit, but featuring different characters set in a completely different part of the galaxy. You do not need to read Winter's Orbit to read this book. The only thing that appears in both books is the existence of the Resolution and their treaties and the remnants, but it'll make sense if you haven't read Winter's Orbit.

The story is set on a planet where they've done experiments with neuromodification, resulting in readers and architects existing. Architects are more common and can "write" people's minds, imposing their will on them, depending on how strong they are. Readers can read people's minds, and they are rarer, and generally not trusted, but their abilities do allow them to navigate chaotic space while mentally linked to an architect.

The main character is Tennal, a reader and walking disaster. He's conscripted into the military under very dubious circumstances, and is ordered to soul bound with young lieutanant Surit Yeni. This soul bond would essentially allow Surit to follow control Tennal's mind.

Surit is the son of a famous dead traitor general, and he is determined to prove he's not a traitor. He seems like the kind of guy who just follows orders, until he's told to soul bond with an unwilling Tennal. The moment he's told to do something unethical he throws that all obedient soldier guy thing out of the window and decides they have to fake a soul bound until he can help Tennal escape the military.

Compared to Winter's Orbit, this book leans more toward sci-fi than romance. It's more sci-fi with a major romance subplot than sci-fi romance, and I found myself less rooting for the romance, but more for the plot and the characters individually. I still liked them as a couple, but that's not the main focus here. It's very military focused, but in a way that portrays the military as an institution with dubious morals that they are mainly trying to escape from.

Next up is the Space between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

This is a sci-fi not set in space but focused on interdimensional travel instead. In this world, interdimensional travel has been made possible, but there's a problem. You can only travel to worlds where you're already dead.

Cara, the main character, is exceptionally good at dying. So much that out of the currently discovered worlds, she is dead in 372 worlds and only alive in 9. This makes her an ideal candidate to travel to parallel worlds to do research them, which allows her to move from her poor community into the wealthier city, and if she keeps up the job long enough can even win her citizenship there.

I'm not sure how to tell more about the plot without giving everything away, but there are a few things I'll mention.

The second character on the cover is Dell, a Japanese woman who works with Cara and sends her on assignments and such. Dell has grown up in the city, and is unable to travel to other worlds herself because she's still alive in too many of them. She is also Cara's love interest.

This story, and the reason Cara is so good at dying, is largely about poverty and racism. Cara is a Black woman who grew up in an unsafe and poor part of the world, whereas Dell grew up wealthy, and spends a lot of time exploring that, and how the poor area Cara grew up in works in her world but also different worlds she travels too.

There are also a couple of twists that really surprised me and I didn't see coming. While I admit I'm not the best at predicting plot twists, I think this book has one that will surprise a lot of people.

On the Edge of Gone is an internationally published book by a Dutch author (which aren't many), and is set in the Netherlands. Amsterdam, specifically.

A comet is set to hit earth, and Denise and her family have been assigned a shelter to hide in for the blast. Unfortunately, Denise's sister Iris is not home in time and her drug addict mother is slowing her down too, she's never getting to the shelter in time. Through a teacher from Denise's school, she discovers a space ship that has not yet taken off that they can hide in for the blast.

The problem is, passengers need good practical skills to be able to contribute to be allowed on the ship, and Denise is an autistic teenager who doesn't know what she has to offer, nor her mother or sister. Still, she tries her best to secure them passage on the ship.

This book is written by an autistic author, and the autism is very well portrayed here. The story is mostly focused on Denise's relationship with her family and people she meets on the spaceship, and about her autism and the idea of having to contribute. It's not very plot heavy and not very fast paced, and the spaceship doesn't actually take off, it's hidden on Schiphol (Amsterdam airport), and remains there after the impact, after which Amsterdam is flooded. I imagine if disaster strikes, that is likely because Amsterdam is below sea level.

I would recommend this mainly for the autism representation, if you're looking for something fast paced with a lot of plot this one isn't for you.

Next up is the Darkness Outside Us, which is a survival story set in space

Ambrose is a trained astronaut. When his sister's distress beacon goes off on Titan where she was the first human to settle, a rescue missue is launched, and Ambrose is chosen to go find her.

But the rescue doesn't go as planned. Ambrose wakes up on the space ship with no memory of the launch, and it turns out there's a second part of the ship with a second astronaut he wasn't aware of, a spacefarer from a different country who locks himself in his own part of the ship and wants nothing to do with Ambrose. And the ship's a worn down mess, with lots of repair jobs Ambrose has to do.

To survive and succeed in the rescue, Ambrose and Kodiak, the other spacefarer, will have to work together.

This book is YA, but a lot of goodreads reviews will tell you it reads more as adult. I'm not sure if that's true, since YA is mainly determined by the age of the main characters, who are teenagers in this book, but if you're more interested in adult sci-fi I think you might still like this book.

There is a lot of emphasis on the themes of survival, isolation, and humanity and bonds between humans, it does get more philosophical than some other books on this list. Ambrose and Kodiak are completely alone on their spaceship, they only have each other, and much of the focus is on that. Their relationship also becomes romantic at some point.

The book is divided into 5 or 6 different parts or so, with the first one being the longest, and I won't say what divides them as that'd be a huge spoiler. However, as you go from part 1 into part 2 you're going to be very confused. It makes little sense, until it does, and I thought this was a very intriguing idea.

Last book on this list is Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Iron Widow is the first book in a duology with book 2, Heavenly Tyrant, coming out this August. The book is a reimagining of Empress Wu, the only female emperor in Chinese history, and many of the characters are based on Chinese historical figures. However, the setting is a futuristic sci-fi world inspired by ancient Chinese culture.

Huaxia has been under attack by aliens called Hunduns for many generations. The only way to fight them is with a chrysalis, a sort of robot that is piloted by a couple of pilots. Their shapes are based on Chinese mythological animals, such as the nine tailed fox and the vermillion bird.

The chrysalises are piloted by male pilots, paired up with a female concubine-pilot. No one really cares that the girls very often die.

Wu Zetian offers herself up as a concubine pilot after her sister was killed by a powerful male pilot outside of battle, to get revenge. And she gets it in an unexpected way. When she goes into battle with the pilot, she kills him through their psychic link and is labeled an Iron Widow, a female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up a chrysalis.

She's paired with Li Shimin, the strongest male pilot in Huaxia, and the most controversial as he was on death row for killing his father and brothers and his execution has been postponed indefinitely because he's so powerful.

But Zetian won't let him kill her or tame her, she's had a taste of power and she won't stop until she's destroyed the system that treats girls as disposable.

Zetian is kind of unhinged in the best way. After she killed the first male pilot, she yells something like "I'm your nightmare" on camera, and I love her for it. She's definitely a morally gray character, but very easy to root for because she's pissed off because of the patriarchy and wants to take it down.

The two other major characters in this book are Shimin and Yihzi. I already talked a little about Shimin before. Yihzi is Zetian's secret boyfriend at the start of the book, and at some point while Zetian's paired up with Shimin he shows up again. His super power is that he's rich, his father is the richest man in Huaxia. At some point he literally says "You can't shoot me, I'm rich". He seems like a very sweet guy but he can actually be quite brutal when he wants to be.

All three main characters are bisexual and end up being in a polyamorous relationship which I really liked. The author described this book as 400 pages of Zetian and Shimin suffering while Yihzi has the most bisexual time of his life.

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @bottomdelioncourt @ikissedsmithparker

[ct-hardcase]

I haven’t made any actual stories for this au, but here are some updates a few years later based on new canon and my developing thoughts about the inqusitors. Some lore distinctions first:

I decided against Ahsoka being the Grand Inquisitor (at least at first). I haven’t decided whether it’ll go to Cere or Eeth Koth, but I’m leaning toward Cere, who I did eventually cave on making an inquisitor because she'd be scarily good at it.

In terms of timeline (long post continued under the cut):

After Order 66 happens to this universe’s Jedi, most scatter.

The Temple Guard who would never become the Grand Inquisitor remembers how Barriss Offee lit a fire in him and made him care again, and rushes to save her in the chaos of Order 66.

In this iteration, Cere cracks under the inquisitors’ torture, but with enough time for Trilla to take the younglings and run.

(Trilla Suduri is not prepared for her new role as a youngling instructor/guardian against the threats the empire will throw, but she disappears pretty thoroughly for a few years).

The first incident I have down is where, while falling into a trap set by Inquisitor!Ferren Barr, Bil Valen and Masana Tide briefly meet, though this may get cut.

Bil’s story follows Ahsoka’s in canon somewhat closely, since he also fashioned himself a mechanic. After touching down on Thabeska, he also gets out of dodge and stops on Raada, where events play out similarly, though his contact with Kaeden is mostly due to her role as “person that binds the group together” and his role as "the guy who kind of knows what he's doing", and runs away out of frustration that the Raada rebels nearly got themselves killed. The story with Hedala proceeds similarly. The final fight on Raada ends with Inquisitor!Ahsoka killing him, though I'd want him to somehow find out that Hedala was taken for Project Harvester.

During this time, Iskat and Tualon have been on the run together, but escaping Order 66 doesn't mean that all of Iskat's issues with her own identity and relationship with the Force have been erased.

Iskat and Tualon try dearly to make their friendship/situationship/burgeoning romantic feelings work, but Tualon wants to resist the Empire, somehow, while Iskat wants to run and find herself.

Eventually, the two break apart, with Iskat going to find out about her family, and Tualon going to either fight against the Empire or do more quiet resistance until he can become a threat.

At some point between now and the next time jump, Seventh and Fifth (still being placeheld as Aliyah and Silas) find each other. Aliyah wants to make the empire hurt for what it did to the Jedi, and Silas wants to make the empire hurt since that's what the republic became. They start traveling as a duo.

Barriss, after being saved, goes through a similar journey to Ahsoka in her original novel and realizes that she doesn't want to fight again, but she's smart, and she can help. She goes the fulcrum route on her own. Unsure how connected to the rebellion it is vs. finding surviving Jedi, but she starts something and eventually takes on a role similar to that of Ahsoka in Rebels.

The timeline is fuzzy until this point, but I imagine that the "JFO" incident is that either Trilla or one of her younglings (padawans?) gets found by an inquisitor (for poetry's sake, to make it rhyme, have it be Cal), and are forced on the run. She gets her groove and allows herself to be considered a Jedi Knight. Unsure how Cere factors into this, but I assume she would.

I'm not sure how 1:1 it goes with JFO, but @zareleonis gave the idea of Jaro mentoring Trilla similarly to how Cere mentored Cal, and I'm sort of leaning toward that. Unsure exactly how the story beats and ending go (besides the fact that the Dathomir subplot isn't a part of Trilla's story, as I've had Merrin replace Kanan's spot on the Ghost crew), but I'm tentatively sure that Inquisitor!Cal dies at the end of this, too.

At some point, Iskat finds Pkori and tries to settle there. She's still restless, but tries to make it work, and eventually finds some semblance of peace there, even if it doesn't cure everything and anger boils beneath the surface.

Aliyah and Silas make each other better, actually. They begin doing on-and-off work with Saw Gerrera's partisans and Barriss-as-Fulcrum finds them and connects them slowly but surely to the burgeoning alliance.

The inquisitors eventually find Pkori. Iskat and the others try to stand and fight, but Iskat makes a run for it. Inquisitor!Charlin was also involved, and the toxicity that she carried and sort of hid for Iskat as a Jedi is now on full display. Iskat still dislikes Charlin, now bolstered by Charlin hellbent on killing her. They get a bit obsessed with one another.

Iskat hates the inquisitorius for burning down the life that she had, and moves to reunite with Tualon, who's become sort of this universe's Survivor!Cal analogue (constantly throwing himself at the empire, generally a well-known nuisance to most inquisitors). Given that Tualon and Iskat are both really damn good fighters and dangerous, these two become priority targets, either to turn or to kill.

I'm also toying with having Iskat and Tualon at least partially kick off the Jedi Survivor plotline here, considering that they're outwardly being rebels (though, it'd probably make more sense to include Trilla? idk, still working on that, plus the fact that Merrin was pretty important to Survivor).

If Iskat and Tualon are the Survivor Jedi, I'm tempted to kill one off in the place of Cere (after the love confession, of course, since we do dramatics, here). Given Iskat's propensity to the dark side, her taking care of Kata paralleling her original care for the younglings (which, I hc her skill at that in this universe is what saved her from being an inquisitor pick this time around), I'm tempted for the death to be Tualon, much as it devastates me. No matter the universe, he goes protecting Iskat from Vader :').

The above's still very subject to reworking, though. I could also work the Temple Guard's plot in here as well wrt Cere's original intent to preserve the Jedi Order? Seems like it'd be a good fit for him along with the Vader fight.

I also want to have some iteration of the OWK plot, in that I believe Reva in this universe is still very hellbent on killing Vader, but didn't join the inquisitorius about it and either stayed in the underworld or took another path.

I'm pretty shaky about what happens between here and rebels, but here's what I've got for swr, so far.

Ezra Bridger still meets up with the Ghost Crew (Merrin, Hera, Zeb, Sabine, Chopper), and while nobody's equipped to train him, Merrin recognizes that he has the Force and Ezra welcomes a place on the crew.

While it'd make more sense to alert Trilla and her Tiny School for Jedi Youth (tm), I'm wondering if they either take the place of the path or the defeat functions as a large victory for the inquisitors.

Either way, Silas and Aliyah get called, eventually.

Not quickly enough, though, as Inquisitor!Kanan catches word of a rogue Jedi in the sector, and while the rest of the crew gets away, he kidnaps Ezra.

Ezra spends most of "seasons" 1 and 2 becoming an inquisitor initiate, and though the Ghost Crew is scared, they care about him, so they try to find out what they can.

Though the dynamic is a lot more fucked up in this iteration, Kanan does still care about Ezra, and will defend him against the remaining inquisitors. The way that he shows it is...not great, seeing as Kanan's been an inquisitor for most of his life, at this point.

The Ghost Crew does their own thing (possibly getting chased due to Merrin being a nightsister?).

Eventually Kanan, Ezra, Ahsoka, Aliyah, and Silas all make their way to Malachor. Roughly the same people, completely different dynamic.

In this case, though Ezra (in his own traumatized way) was getting attached to Kanan (and maybe even starting to make him consider running from the inquisitorius), he accepts Maul's offer to become an apprentice on account of knowing he has nothing as an inquisitor, but will have some sort of power as an off-brand Sith. Kanan bites it, and Aliyah and Silas run after realizing they can't save Ezra.

As for Ahsoka? I'm still working on her. My original thoughts for her are that her intent was always to team up with Vader and eventually become a true Sith Apprentice after killing Sidious. At this point, she gets frustrated that Vader isn't going through with it and knows that Sidious has never particularly liked her being around, so she asks Vader to make a choice. Vader chooses to kill her instead.

(either that, or they go for the coup? that gets into dicey territory though, and I still go back and forth on whether Vader would actually do it).

Ezra and Maul train together and piece together the holocron. Eventually, they go to kill Obi-Wan together. Obi-Wan does what he will to Maul, but realizes that there may still be hope for Ezra, and either leaves him to the desert or allows for a metaphorical "one phone call". He calls the Ghost Crew.

Naturally, everyone's suspicious, but given Merrin and Sabine's pasts, let him onboard. Ezra knows that the dark exhausts him, but doesn't want to become a Jedi, not yet, and so the Ghost Crew allow him to stay, and he becomes a Rebel and slowly begins to make peace with the Force.

jedi au inquisitor plot bits from vague conversations and talks

Essentially the premise of this au is that the jedi who become inquisitors in canon remain jedi in this au, whereas some of their targets become inquisitors

Ahsoka’s the grand inquisitor. Vader is eventually planning on taking her as an actual sith apprentice but she convinced him to stick around and pump Sidious for knowledge about the dark side first.

other inquistiors in this au include: Cal, Eeth, Ferren (who gets to be Extra Bastard in this au), Kanan, Kirak probably, Quinlan probably, Verla possibly, and Cere probably not (but the amount of female jedi survivors is. rancid. so I might have to add her).

I didn’t add Jocasta since I literally cannot see her turning or Sidious wanting her as an inquisitor.

I also haven’t added Barriss because I’m thinking she serves as this au’s Fulcrum.

idk where to include Ezra or Hedala (yes, Hedala, because I want to do more with her) with the logistics so let me get back to you on that.

The inquisitors also try to stay anonymous but really, people are gonna recognize an ex-council member, ahsoka fucking tano, and quinlan, so it’s more laissez-faire. Masks are worn but identity reveals happen.

Also the characters who are now jedi get their power level a bit reset to put them on a somewhat more even playing field with the inquisitors so they don’t get curb-stomped a year into the purge. However, you definitely still feel that the Jedi Survivors are less skilled than the inquisitors in this au, so the fear’s a bit more palpable.

Now for the lore about the actual Jedi Survivors ™

They still have some of their bastard traits, first of all, but some are erased.

Most of them still call themselves Jedi after a fashion (most of them know damn well that the code is shattered in pieces)

Prosset doesn’t consider himself a Jedi. Light side of the Force? Sure. Remorseful about the fact that he tried to kill Windu? A little. Angry at himself that he didn’t let the Jedi know effectively enough that they were being used before it was too late? Definitely. Livid at the Jedi for not getting Barriss’ message too? Absolutely. But not a Jedi.

Fifth and Seventh (I use Silas and Aliyah for this au) kinda just. Still pal around together but make the bickering “married couple”. Use the fact that they’re good trackers to their advantage and maybe subtly let parents of FS kids know to get far away from the Empire? idk

The Temple Guard (lmao who needs names am I right) is trying to locate the other Jedi and turn them against the Empire since he’s the one asshole with blade skills left that isn’t using them for Vader. He’s also got a massive grudge against the Empire for how they’re using the Archives and perverting that knowledge.

Masana is still a general fucking nuisance but this time it’s against the Empire. May the Force help them. They have her logged as KIA twice and she’s still kicking.

Bil is still kind of a dick but at least he’s not abandoning his fellows to die. He’s also the best pilot of the bunch and having gotten the opportunity to pursue that, he does.

Eighth (????) still a fucking enigma. Appears once every ten years from his hole probably and if he sees his shadow he climbs back inside.

I’d hope Trilla was palling around with Cere (in this scenario, they survive together with the clutch of kids), but if Cere becomes an inquisitor suddenly this gets sadder for everyone involved.

But if those two are a rebel cell, they are the empire’s nightmare. Competent fighters? And an entire group of Padawans? Dammit.

idk what the redacteds are doing but they’re also hanging out.