#REVA Medical

[short-wooloo]

Okay, one complaint I keep seeing about ahsoka (and to an extent the rest of disney SW) that I disagree with is this claim of "lightsabers don't kill anyone anymore"

Or "only Qui-Gon dies from a lightsaber"

Specifically referring to being stabbed by a lightsaber

And let's just examine this shall we?

First, all of the persons who survived a lightsaber stab were stabbed in the stomach/lower abdomen

That's a survivable injury irl

Here's some fiction 101 for ya: when you want to seriously injure a character, like near death injure, but don't want to actually kill them, you go for the lower abdomen

(for example: Weiss, Blake, and Hazel in RWBY)

Actually, a lightsaber stab to the lower abdomen might be more survivable, since lightsabers cauterize wounds

Now, let's take a look at our stab survivors specifically, we have Reva, the Grand Inquisitor, Sabine, and kylo ren

That's 4 characters, hardly "no one can die of a lightsaber anymore"

But why did they survive?

Well, out of universe the explanation is these are major characters, they can't die because that's the narrative

And for these 4 characters who survive, there's numerous minor/background/secondary characters who die from lightsaber stabbing

But let's examine the in universe reasons they survived shall we?

The Grand Inquisitor and Reva are dark siders, it is well established by now that through rage dark siders can cling to life even through worse injuries

But we can also assume from the "text" that Reva and the GI received medical attention rather quickly, the fact that Vader had the GI with him, alive and well, implies he personally intervened to save his life

And Reva was left alone in the Hidden Path base, which was established in Part IV to have a medical facility, she could have easily used it to self administer care

(And regarding her surviving Anakin's mass shooting, well rage keeping her alive still applies, as does medical supplies, but also it's possible that Anakin didn't take the time to make sure all the kids he killed were dead)

More importantly, Kenobi does a tremendous amount of legwork to establish that lightsaber stabbing to the lower abdomen is survivable

It starts by stabbing the Grand Inquisitor, a character who shows up later in the timeline (which everyone ignored for baseless stupid clone/zombie theories)

And when Reva is stabbed at the end of part V, the episode had already established in flashbacks that she had survived this injury before

Now let's cover kyle

He didn't actually survive

Because Rey healed him

Was it stupid that she did that? Yes, but not because it's impossible, it was stupid because why would she do this

And then we have sabine (rip to Rebels sabine, you weren't my favorite, but you weren't unbearable)

This one actually relates to why Qui-Gon couldn't survive

Sabine got medical attention soon after stabbing, Qui-Gon did not

Rewatch Phantom Menace, take note of what happens after Qui-Gon is stabbed

1. Obi-Wan and maul glare at each other through a force field for an undetermined amount of time

2. Obi-Wan and Maul duel for a few minutes

3. Obi-Wan spends an undetermined amount of time hanging over a bottomless pit

4. Obi-Wan defeats Maul

5. Qui-Gon has some last words with Obi-Wan

6. Qui-Gon dies

Maybe if he had received medical attention immediately he would have survived

And ultimately, the reason Qui-Gon dies is the same reason lightsabers are more fatal to minor characters

The narrative, Qui-Gon needs to be gone so Obi-Wan will be the one who trains Anakin, and thus he dies

[425599167]

I've been flip-flopping moment to moment on whether I think Barriss will ever return or not, and I want to talk about her nondeath & the comparisons with other characters surviving similar injuries.

Barriss got stabbed in the center of the torso, and she stopped breathing after going limp. Sabine got stabbed through the flank rather than her center, immediately got medical attention, and fully recovered. Fennec got gutshot through light armor, received worse medical attention, and walked away with some cybernetics. Grand Quizzy and Reva both survived their impalings through the power of hate, which isn't an option with Barriss. None of these examples were intended to make the audience think the character died, though some people thought Quizzy died despite him appearing chronologically later, but that's due to either unfamiliarity with Rebels or incredible stupidity.

Palpatine and Maul survived worse, but were both intended to die and then got written back to life many years later. If Barriss isn't dead, the writers are sure making her survival look as contrived as possible. The obvious route is to have Lyn use medical supplies in Barriss's dwelling, which was my first assumption until I looked for clues.

There's nothing in there except twenty candles, a tea set, a space cactus, and small nondescript containers which might have something useful, or they might have literally anything else. It looks like Barriss relies on Force healing alone. There's the door on the right, but I assume it leads to candle storage because how the hell else is she keeping that place lit on a daily basis.

If she's going to survive, the means should be foreshadowed. Show that Lyn was one of the people who taught Barriss healing, or learned it alongside her, and regaining that power is another step in escaping the Empire. Show some medical equipment Barriss used as a healer, stick a few bright blue bacta canisters in the background. Show she still has signs of life after being stabbed. The only reason to think she survived is genre-savviness, not anything on-screen. I've come up with my own ideas, but they're just me wanting something to be true and filling in the gaps with my own baseless assumptions. Even if she lives, this setup is lazy.

[kalevalakryze]

Blood On The Ice

Chapter One: Muun Nynir

Characters: Sabine Wren, Shin Hati, Ahsoka Tano, Ezra Bridger, Tristan Wren, CT-7567 | Rex, CC-5576-39 | Gregor, CT-6116 | Kix,Bo-Katan Kryze, Koska Reeves, Axe Woves, Paz Vizsla, Trilla Suduri | Second Sister, Reva Sevander | Third Sister, Grand Inquisitor (Star Wars), Baylan Skoll, Hera Syndulla, Morgan Elsbeth, Fifth Brother (Star Wars) Relationships: Shin Hati/Sabine Wren, Alrich Wren/Ursa Wren, Ezra Bridger/Tristan Wren, C1-10P | Chopper/Marrok, Hera Syndulla/Ahsoka Tano, The Armorer (The Mandalorian TV)/Bo-Katan Kryze, Reva Sevander | Third Sister/Trilla Suduri | Second Sister, Shin Hati & Baylan Skoll, Ezra Bridger & Ahsoka Tano & Sabine Wren, Alrich Wren & Sabine Wren & Tristan Wren & Ursa Wren Tags: Alternate Universe - Hockey, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood and Injury, Enemies to Lovers, Slow Build, Hockey Fights, Hockey Injuries AO3 Link: Here! Word Count: 3,125

Notes: It's finally here! I've been working on this one chapter for the last two months! Gosh, so happy to get here right now! So some things to note, this series will take place across 3 acts, with a currently undefined chapter count on all, with obviously as seen in the series, some loose snippets floating around. This world was built by @thegirlsinthecity and myself, and while neither of us know everything about hockey, I think it's more about the fun we had putting this together over exact accuracy. (And yes, there are plans to return and update tags soon) So just some basic team lineups so it isn't all lost (And yes, more will be added slowly as I expand on the lines) Lothal Spectres: Sabine Wren, #5, Right Wing, Two-Way Forward Ahsoka Tano, #32, Center, Playmaker Ezra Bridger, #6, Left Wing, Grinder Tristan Wren, #60, Right Defense, Offensive Rex Fett, #51, Left Defense, Enforcer Gregor Fett, #39, Goalie, Hybrid Kix Fett, Team Medic Axe Woves, #17, Right Wing, Sniper Koska Reeves, #29, Left Wing, Playmaker Bo-Katan Kryze, #42, Center, Grinder Chopper: #00 Mascot Hera Syndulla, Coach/Owner Mercenaries: Shin Hati, #64, Left Wing, Enforcer Baylan Skoll, #87, Center, Playmaker Reva Sevander, #66, Right Wing, Two-Way Fifth Brother, #23, Right Defense, Offensive Trilla Suduri, #74, Left Defense, Enforcer Grant Inquisitor, #85, Goalie, Standup Cad Bane, #32, Center, Grinder Boba Fett, #1, Right Defense, Two-way Fennec Shand, #9, Left Defense, Enforcer Aurra Sing, #48, Right Wing, Playmaker Bossk, #54, Left Wing, Sniper Marrok, #26, Mascot Morgan Elsbeth, Owner

“You ready to get back out there, Sabine?” Ahsoka called from the other side of the locker room, securing her lekku in the padding so they wouldn’t risk injury or swing about and hurt someone. 

Sabine looked up from the yellow and blue jersey in her hands, the Firebird emblazoned on the chest, and the number five stamped across the back and shoulders. 

“You’ll figure it out, verd’ika,” Bo-Katan’s hand was heavy on her shoulder, warmth seeping through the thick shoulder pads as the older Mandalorian dropped to her side. “Shoot straight, don’t get hit. Rules haven’t changed on your way up to the big leagues.”

“But you need to be mindful of everyone on the ice,” Ahsoka cut the redhead off with a shake of her head as she settled on Sabine’s other side. “The Mercenaries are… better equipped than us. They’ve also had more time to train their rookie,” 

“Run that one by me again?” The younger woman shrugged off Bo’s hand to tug the jersey over her head, brushing her fingers through her hair to fix it once the material was settled over all the padding. 

“Shin Hati, some kind of college star, Merc’s Captain, Baylan Skoll, has been training her since she was a kid, I guess.” Sabine scoffed at the mention. Some kid whose connections got them the job, typical. 

“Don’t underestimate your opponent, Sabine.” Ahsoka reprimanded gently as she started to lace up her skates. “Hati made a name for themselves in the pre-season, a dangerous one at that. You’ll need to keep your head out there.” 

“Ahsoka, if anyone can keep their head out there, it’s Sabine,” Bo stood to her defense immediately, bringing a small smile to the younger Mandalorian’s lips. “You just gotta trust her, and also, hurry up. Clock’s ticking-” The redhead motioned to the loudspeaker announcing their time left before they needed to make their first appearance on the ice. 

Grabbing her helmet, Bo offered Sabine one last look of mild sympathy. “You’ll be alright, ad’ika. Your aliit is with you,” 

Trilla and Reva were laughing. The first game of the full season, and they were sitting there laughing. Shin was trying their best not to give them a moment of their time as she adjusted the light away uniform on her body, making sure the padding was covered and everything fell perfectly. 

Stepping out into the hallway, Shin was greeted by Baylan exiting the men’s locker room as well. Their head dipped in a silent greeting as he fixed the chin straps of his helmet. “The Spectres have had a roster change since we last faced them,” He informed them as a  greeting as they made their way down the hall towards the tunnels where the pounding feet and heavy bass made it hard to hear him properly. 

Taking the sticks as they were handed out by Morgan who was working her way down the line of their emerging teammates, Baylan rested his hands on the top. “Their newest addition, Sabine Wren; has countless connections to many on the team, including her little brothers, Tristan Wren, and Ezra Bridger. Keep an eye on her, but be mindful of the positions on the ice.”

“Of course,” Shin nodded, silvery eyes glancing through the doors to catch the shining lights all over the yellow and blue arena. Lothal. If they never had to come back, it would be too soon. 

There was no meeting or chant, nothing said between the players as the clock ticked by; not like the teams Shin had played for in college, which she was grateful for, really, the team bonding thing just wasn’t their vibe, and this team respected that quality in them all, but there may have been some part of them that itched at the lack of any acknowledgment from Morgan, who’s career counted on their wins. 

The speakers thundered in their ears as the doors were pulled open to the ice. “Everybody welcome to the ice, your Lothal Spectres!” It was an older man on the intercom, someone who sounded as if he genuinely loved his job, like everyone at this blasted arena. The cheering grew tenfold as skates hit the ice. From behind Baylan, Shin could see the flashes of blue and yellow on the rink as the players took a lap. 

“And your opponents for tonight, the Seatos Mercenaries!” Balanced on his blades, Baylan led their line down the tunnel. There wasn’t a big fanbase willing to travel across the galaxy to watch them. Still, they had a handful of devoted regulars reaching their hands into the tunnels, as well as some children and Spectres fans who didn’t seem to care, as long as somebody acknowledged them.

Shin paid none of them any mind, ducking out of the way of reaching hands, even as Baylan offered a tap of his glove into each one. The crushing feeling of anxiety melted the minute her skates touched the ice and she was allowed to break away. The music and screaming were still deafening, but now they had their favorite distraction in the form of muscles burning and the cool air in her face 

“Well kid, there they are.” Bo-Katan called as she zipped past, sinking a puck into the empty net while Gregor caught up on his stretches to the side. “They’ve been calling ‘em Wolves, Kurs’kadedse.”  Sparing a look to the opposing side of the ice, Sabine caught a pair of silver eyes locked onto her, eyes that continued to stare even as the Mandalorians caught them.

“That’s the one we were warning you about, Hati.” 

“What the krif is she looking at?” Sabine huffed as she passed a puck between her skates before sending it flying towards the net, hitting the post before bouncing right into the netting. 

Bo-Katan’s gaze drifted back to the ever-present stare on the other side of the ice. “I don’t know, but girl; please blink.” The redhead shook her head and turned her attention to the filling stands around them. “Seriously, I don’t think she’s blinked this entire time; could be something to use to our advantage.” The older Mandalorian clapped Sabine on the shoulder before taking off to the glass by their box to flick pucks over for the group of kids gathered on the other side. 

Sabine dared one last glance back towards the Mercenaries side before shaking her head, she could deal with a little staring for be’gotal’ad sake, you didn’t look like she did and did not get used to all kinds of stares, this creepy… animalistic stare was nothing… Everything was fine….

Through the entire anthem, Sabine could feel the icy stare, determinedly, the Mandalorian focused on the ice, etching a groove with her skates as the anthem pulled to a close. 

“So, she’s got some kind of staring problem,” Tristan was quick to announce, making Ezra laugh and nod his head.

“Yeah seriously, ‘bine, you’d think you personally went over there and insulted her mother, she didn’t look away from you once.” Ezra crossed his arms over his chest, the tip of his colorfully taped stick pressing under his chin and against the strap. “Be careful… Something feels off about them.”

“Seriously guys, I’ll be fine, it’s only the first game. I seriously doubt anyone will be out for blood,” Sabine shook off their worry with a dismissive wave of her hand as she glided to start. 

Sabine didn’t have a chance to give the wolf on the ice much more of a single thought once they returned; The eyes on her were in the back of her mind the second the puck had dropped at center ice. Besides, she had plenty enough eyes on her the second she’d taken control of the puck and sank it right past the Inquisitor’s glove, sailing past his shoulder and smacking into the goalpost before finding a home in the white netting as the horns blared not even thirty seconds into the game.

Tristan was the first one on her, arms tight around his older sister as the rest of the team crowded her against the boards in celebration. The crowd was screaming, though it was dulled by the beating of her heart in her ears. “I knew you could do it!” Ezra shouted in her ear as Ahsoka’s hand pressed against the top of her helmet. Even Rex offered the Mandalorian a proud punch to the shoulder before finally allowing her some room. 

The eyes on her from the other bench were deadly and predatory, as Sabine glided past, she watched a short woman leaning over the wall to talk to psycho-eyes. It was… disconcerting, but really, not her problem. As Sabine rolled into her first shift, Hera’s hand clamped down on her shoulder proudly. “That was a good run, we’re gonna send you on the next shift, watch for Bo-Katan’s signal.” 

“Got it!” Sabine called over the roar of fans in the stadium, offering a smirk towards the camera when she glanced to the screens to see her name flashing on the humongotron, progressing to full laughter at the increase in noise from the crowd, before the cameras flipped back to the game. 

“They love you, ‘bine!” Ezra called as he hopped the board, letting his shoulder bump into hers as he grabbed a bottle of water, nearly missing entirely when he squeezed the thin plastic to squirt it into his mouth.

 Rex jumped over the boards then, smacking his gloved hand into Ezra’s hand for good measure. Sabine couldn’t hear his comment, but Ezra flipped him off anyway as the old timer went into the frey, catching Suduri in a hit that sent the behemoth of an enforcer to the ground. 

There was a flash of the mirrored tint from Bo-Katan’s helmet as she turned her head towards the bench. There was no other signal to be sent her way, but as Wedge glided to the bench, she knew it was her time to jump back in. 

Almost immediately, the Wolf was back on the ice, shifting as Sabine was crossing the neutral zone. Their head lowered, shoulders tilting forward as they streaked down middle ice. Sabine caught the puck as it was shot to her, clear for the moment in the breakaway. The puck smacked off the hook of her stick, pulling it in close to her body as she stuck to the wall. The wolf was gaining ground on her, fast.

Golden eyes flashed across the ice. Ezra was almost clear… If he could just catch her gaze; Blue met gold, the puck soared across the ice, missing gloves and sicks as it went. It hit the edge of his skate as he broke away from the towering defense. Sabine didn’t get to see what he did with the puck, catching a heavily padded shoulder square in the chest that sent her down to the ice. 

“Learn to take a hit,” Her attacker growled from above as the play was called dead. One of the linesmen pulled to the wolf as Tristan rushed over to help her up. As the penalty animation played on screen and zoomed in on the wolf for roughing, Sabine could swear she saw a flash of teeth as the Keldorian ref pulled her to the box. 

“Gotal’ad, verd’ika!” Bo-Katan exclaimed as she pulled to Sabine’s other side, gloved hand pressing into her back and fixing the bright jersey. “What did you do to them?”

“Literally nothing!” The purple haired woman groaned dramatically, shaking out muscles they knew would be overly sore the next day. “She’s fucking insane!.”

“It was a valid hit though, little Wren,” Rex called as he pulled into the circle, shrugging his shoulder nonchalantly as the Mercenaries penalty killers lined up. 

“Shut up, old man,” Sabine grumbled as she settled in. 

The ref dropped the puck, backing out of the two spitfires that were Bo-Katan Kryze and third-line center, Moff Gideon. Shoulders smashed together, skates scratched into ice, and sticks smacked into each other, until at last, Bo managed to kick the puck free, passing it to Ezra, who swung it across to Koska, then Axe. As the Spectre’s raced down the ice to take advantage of the five-on-four, the Mercenaries fought like hell to stop the assault. 

Sabine was streaking up the middle with Reva on her tail, pushing her closer and closer to the boards. Reva was bigger, but Sabine was faster, pushing the puck between her skates every time a black and red taped stick reached across to poke the puck from her unrelenting control. Rex pulled in next, pushing his way between the offensive right defense and the two-way forward.

Getting Reva off her back was everything Sabine needed as she pulled into the Goalie’s space, Axe swinging around the left side goalpost to screen the Inquisitor, taking that half a second of attention away from her as she kicked the puck from where it sat between her feet. The windup was fast, sending the puck flying from the toe of her stick. 

The Inquisitor dropped into a butterfly, but it was too late, the puck sailed past the closing edges of his pads and sank into the net, the loud goal horn echoing through the arena, quickly drowned out by the explosion of cheers from the crowd as Sabine’s arms went up into the air. “Yes! That’s how you get it done!” She shouted, her voice unheard with all the noise. 

Gleaming golden eyes turned to the crowd as Bo-Katan slammed into her, arms wrapping around her as Axe, Koska, Tristan, and Paz all joined in, almost slamming their huddle into the boards in their celebration. The only thing that altered the high of her joy was the heavy weight of predatory eyes, their weight intensifying as the Mercenaries winger was released from the penalty box. 

Eleven minutes left in the period, Spectres up by two, the crowd was electric, and Sabine’s heart was thumping comfortably in her chest, each time she glanced back at Hera, the beaming smile only made her light up more. As they pulled back to center ice, Sabine spared one last glance at the crowd, lips twisting when she caught sight of Ursa’s familiar yellow and grey coat in the stadium’s loudville level, phone raised, no doubt zoomed in to catch her kids on the ice. 

“Tristan!” She called as he came into his position at her right. “Buir is taking a picture, stop looking dumb,” This earned a barking laugh from him as Ezra and Koska switched out. 

“Yeah yeah, don’t hog all the limelight, ‘bine!” 

A growl from the opposing side had Sabine looking away from her brother. “You got a problem, kurs’kaded?” Sabine shot to the enforcer that sat on the other side of the blue line. The blonde only sneered and settled in, shoulders hunched forward and silver eyes breaking away from Sabine for probably the first time all day. “That’s what I thought,”

The next break came with a renowned intensity. Whatever the small coach on the Mercenaries lines said must have been particularly seething, with each forward all but bowling the spectre line over the moment the puck dropped. 

The puck was passed between wolf, to Sudari, Sevander, Skoll, then wolf again. Hera signalled for Sabine to shift, though it went ignored as the young Mandalorian managed to get her stick out, shoving the puck out of the wolf’s grasp. She slid carefully, hearing their skates scrape and grind as she spun around to take control. 

The race back to the Mercenaries goal was intense, a five on one break away that had Sabine already tensing up to get hit the further she pushed it, legs exhausting as she worked; Bo-Katan had already shifted, and Koska had switched with Rex this time. 

“Wren is breaking away! All alone crossing into Mercenary ice!”

“Here comes Hati, closing in fast-”

“Ohhh that one has got to hurt!”

The wolf’s shoulder smacked into her, their stick tangling in her skates in an illegal hook that sent her to the ground. Sabine hit the ice hard, sliding into the boards as they released their hold. The shrill whistle was sharp and skull splitting, but still, Sabine managed to get up, catching the venomous heaviness in dark eyes that tracked her recovery. The wolf turned away from her, igniting a spark of anger in her stomach. 

“Seems like Wren isn’t going to let that hit stand!”

The cheers that followed Sabine throwing her gloves and stick to the ground were loud and thunderous, but no more than her own heart as the almost bored look in Hati’s gaze turned into one of excitement. The scouts had noted that the wolf played with her food, and right now, Sabine was a four course meal. 

Her knuckles connected with their jaw almost as soon as her glove bounced off the ice. Heavy hands shoved into her to keep her back, though she could tell already that the bony knuckle of her middle finger had managed to split skin, red bubbling up onto a pale canvas quickly.

There wasn’t much time to focus on the renowned look in their eyes when a gloved hand launched into her face, smacking her head back off the glass hard enough to bring black spots to her eyes, though the second hit, ungloved, and right into the sliver of space between the pads right into her kidneys was the one that sent her to the ground, knees hitting the ice hard enough to make her bones ache. 

The crowd was screaming and cheering at the fight, smaller fights broke out on the ice around them, and Sabine could just barely see Skoll, shouting past the line of refs and yellow and white jerseys as he tried to call them off of her as Ahsoka and Kix struggled to rush through the traffic. Fans were throwing things onto the ice, and a cold hand bashed into her face at least two more times, the skin of her lip splitting under torn knuckles,  even as hot blood raced down the back of her head, staining her own jersey an almost orange color as the ichor bled into the bright yellows. 

Sabine’s vision swam, fists swinging weakly out, hands grasping at the white of their jersey, staining it with her own blood, trying to keep them from swinging any more. By the time Baylan managed to drag them off of her, Sabine’s vision was just a pinprick, barely managing to catch the look on Ahsoka’s face as she and Hera raced to try and catch her, darkness enveloping them in the hazy warmth of blood loss and the deafening sound of fans screaming. 

Translations: Muun Nynir - Hard Hit verd'ika - little warrior ad'ika - little one aliit - family Kurs’kadedse - wolves for be’gotal’ad sake - for the sake of the maker Gotal’ad, verd’ika - Maker, little warrior

[negative-speedforce]

OC Fandom Asks! For Kayla and Siv please

1, 3, 7, 10, 15, 19, and 29?

1: Was your OC influenced or inspired by any particular fictional character(s) when you made them?

Kayla is loosely based on the ORIGINAL-original version of Siv, the one from 14-year-old me's DC/Marvel/Percy Jackson/Star Wars crossover. I had some really cool concepts for the later chapters of that one, and I decided to recycle them into a whole new character.

Siv is quite literally the product of a dream I had when I was 13, but overall, while I mostly base my characters' stories and personalities off their playlists, her personality has been influenced by a whole lot of characters. They were influenced by Cassandra from Tangled: The Series, Natasha Romanoff, Reva from Kenobi, Adrien from Miraculous, and a whole lot of other characters from fandoms I've been into over the 7+ years I've had them.

3: What genre would your OC do badly in but it would be hilarious or interesting to watch?

Kayla would absolutely SUCK in a rom-com. First of all, she aroace-spec, second of all, she does not know how to talk to girls- at all. It would low-key be pretty funny to watch her fumble around like that.

Siv would loathe being in a Regency period drama. All those rules and restrictions for how you have to be- she wouldn't be able to stand it. She'd probably end up going apeshit and destroying the castle.

7: If your OC had to cosplay as a fictional character, who would they choose?

Kayla normally isn't the cosplaying type, but I think she'd have a lot of fun dressed up as Sam from Totally Spies.

Siv would probably dress up as some kind of creature from Star Trek. I'm not sure what, but they'd pull it off really well nonetheless.

10: How would your OC do in the last book/movie/tv show/game/etc. you read/watched/played?

Oooh I watched Birds of Prey yesterday with my Grandma (it is her favorite movie) so this will be fun-

Kayla absolutely slays. She's got that vaguely morally gray component to her character that means that she'll probably get along with most of the main cast. Though Harley's personality would probably give her a headache.

I'm actually planning an arc where Siv has to team up with Harley and the Birds of Prey for... plot reasons! I feel like she'd get along best with Dinah and Helena for obvious reasons, but ngl I'm mostly planning this arc because I have the idea of Siv snapping at Harley and telling her to shut up/stop being annoying/etc, and Harley goes all psychiatrist on her.

15: How well would your OC do in a standard slasher movie?

Kayla, being a secret agent, would fare pretty well. Her skills in recognizing patterns and taking down supervillains would be invaluable in a slasher film.

Siv, if they weren't the slasher themself, would definitely make it to the end, and probably end up slashing the slasher.

19: If your OC was in Star Trek’s Starfleet, what would be their role/position? Or, if that doesn’t really fit your OC: why would they get kicked out of Starfleet?

Kayla, being a biomedical engineer in real life, would probably be either the chief medical officer or an engineer in Starfleet.

Siv would get thrown out of Starfleet for starting too many fights and overwhelming her ship's medical supplies with all the injuries she's caused.

29: Gun to their head, what is your OC’s fursona?

I don't even know if Kayla really knows what a fursona is, but if she had to chose, I think she'd go with some kind of bird. Like maybe a blue jay or some other kind of corvid?

Siv isn't a furry, but she made up a fursona as a joke with her friends in high school. It's a lynx that wields a giant battle axe.

[sinead-smith-3]

He had panicked.

That was the only true explanation for his actions.

But that wasn’t possible. He was Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, and Right Hand of the Emperor. He was feared in every system of the Galaxy. He was the Scourge of the Jedi and Enforcer of Imperial Peace. He was unmatched in power and he Did. Not. Panic.

That somehow didn’t change the fact that he was currently sitting in the meager med-center of his T-4 shuttle, staring down at the unconscious 10-year-old boy that he had absolutely zero idea of how to care for. He had experienced more emotions in the last rotation than he had in the entire last decade, and his ordeal was still far from over.

What had happened was this:

The Grand Inquisitor arrived unannounced at his stronghold on Mustafar, bringing with him the corpse of the traitor Reva and the terrified young boy. Despite his fury at the interruption, Vader acquiesced to hearing his servant out. The Grand Inquisitor boasted about hunting Reva down and in the process discovered the child, who was clearly Force-sensitive. Vader had mostly tuned the Inquisitor out, his attention caught by the boy who, despite clearly being terrified, was doing his best to put on a brave face.

The boy was indeed strong in the Force. Rather too strong, actually. Vader’s Jedi hunters should have found the boy cycles ago. There was also something oddly, uncomfortably, familiar about the child’s sun-bleached hair and bright, blue eyes.

“Where did you find him?” Vader demanded, cutting the Inquisitor off mid-sentence. Accustomed to such treatment, the Inquisitor changed tack flawlessly. “Reva led us straight to him, my Lord. He was on Tattooine.”

Vader’s train of thought screeched to a halt like a runaway eopie approaching a canyon edge.

“Tattooine,” he echoed slowly, ominously.

“Yes, my Lord,” the Inquisitor confirmed, wisely moving back out of striking distance. “He was being protected by a farmer named Lars.” Vader would have stopped breathing if the apparatus implanted into his throat would have allowed it.

He leaned forward on his throne and beckoned the child closer. The boy raised his chin defiantly and marched to Vader’s side like a soldier marching to certain doom. He stopped close enough to be able to touch Vader’s knees if he had wanted to and tried to meet Vader’s eyes through the mask.

“What,” Vader asked carefully, trying for the first time ever to minimize the inevitable terror his voice caused, “Is your name?”

The boy braced himself as if he knew the answer to this question determined the course of the rest of his life because it most certainly did.

“My name is Luke Skywalker,” the boy declared.

The next few moments were a bit hazy. Vader would have to work out the details later. The next thing he knew, the Grand Inquisitor lay scattered around his throne room in still-steaming chunks, the entire fortress was riddled with cracks down to the foundation, and the boy was unconscious (but unharmed!) in Vader’s arms.

The most logical thing he could think of to do was to get the boy to his shuttle and watch his stronghold crumble into the lava pits as he set a course for the middle of absolutely nowhere.

Which is how he had come to be here, drifting in empty space while he waited nervously for the boy to wake up. The medical scan told him there was nothing physically wrong with the child beyond mild exhaustion and a bit of dehydration, but he had been asleep for going on seventeen hours and Vader was fairly certain that was not a normal amount even for a child who’d been through some very traumatic events.

When the child finally did begin to stir, Vader belatedly realized that waking up to find Darth Vader looming over him was probably not going to be beneficial for the boy’s mental state and retreated to the cockpit. He left all the doors between the med-bay and the cockpit unlocked, however, so the boy could seek him out if he chose to. Not like he would. No rational person would willingly seek an audience with Darth karking Vader.

Yet somehow, about a half hour later, he heard the shuffle of tiny feet, and someone cleared their throat behind him. He turned in the pilot’s chair; slowly so as not to startle the boy. Luke Skywalker stood in the doorway, his tan robes wrinkled and his blonde hair disheveled, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

“Where am I?” he asked in a voice still thick with sleep. The sound of it acted like a pass card in Vader’s brain that bypassed a decade’s worth of walls and barriers to crank his protective instincts into overdrive.

“We are in space,” Vader replied tersely.

Luke blinked slowly at him. “Am I in trouble?” he asked cautiously.

Vader had to delay answering while he wrestled the instinctive flare of parental rage back into submission. “No, you are not,” he said finally. “Why would you think you are?”

Luke shrugged. “Cause Uncle Owen always says that if I misbehave the Stormtroopers are gonna come and take me away. Only this time I don’t think I was bad. Aunt Beru told me to run and I did. I ran and ran but then I fell down and… And I don’t remember what happened after that.”

Vader allowed himself three breaths before attempting to explain. “You are not being punished, Luke. I am… I am trying to protect you.”

Luke tilted his head, his eyes going narrow and suspicious. “From who?”

“From people who would wish to use you for their own purposes.”

Luke’s expression cleared as understanding set in. He nodded confidently. “You mean like slavers.”

“Yes,” Vader said, and then paused while he thought about that. “Exactly like slavers.”

Luke bit his lower lip and looked down. “Does this mean I can’t go home? Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are real worried about me, I’m sure. They don’t like it when I’m gone all night.”

There was a less than zero chance that Owen and Beru Lars would ever have to worry about anything ever again, but Vader was not going to tell that to Luke right now. “No. You cannot return home, for your safety. Your aunt and uncle… would want you to be safe.”

“Okay,” Luke whispered. He shuffled his feet. “May I have something to eat?”

Vader was out of the pilot’s chair and ushering Luke to the galley before the boy could process the sight of the Emperor’s Most Faithful bearing down on him with the intensity of a clawbird swooping over its prey. Within minutes he had the boy seated on the prep counter as he dug through the storage units for anything that was not a tasteless ration bar.

He found a hoska steak that was probably intended for his own meal, as well as some dehydrated vegetables and self-rise bread. Each item had helpful instructions printed on the packages, so Vader was able to present the boy with a decent-looking meal in a reasonable amount of time.

There was nothing suitable onboard for the boy to drink other than plain water, but when Vader set the bottle on the table by the boy’s elbow, Luke’s eyes went impossibly round.

“For me?” he asked breathlessly, staring at the single-serving bottle. “That’s all for me?”

Vader barely quelled the urge to break something large and heavy into teeny tiny pieces. “Yes,” he said with difficulty. “You may drink the entire portion.”

Because of course the child had never been given the luxury of more than a few sips of water a day. Of course the cycle of poverty that trapped moisture farmers into little more than indentured servitude forced them to sell most of the harvest except the bare necessity they needed to survive. Luke had grown up relying on bantha milk for his main source of hydration; water being a privilege he was rarely able to indulge in.

Luke tore into his food with a healthy appetite, a sight that did wonders to calm Vader’s seething rage at the thought of what the boy’s childhood must have been like. He seemed to enjoy the meat particularly, and Vader remembered that meat that had not been desiccated into jerky was a rare find on Tattooine.

Luke ate every scrap on his plate and drained the bottle of water. Better to hydrate now than to save it for later and risk losing it. This was a lesson every child on Tattooine learned at an early age. Once his plate was clean and his bottle empty, Luke folded his hands in his lap and turned his blue-eyed gaze to Vader’s mask. There was still trepidation in that gaze, born mostly from uncertainty, but the fear had faded into caution.

“Do you have any chores for me to do?” Luke asked politely. “I’m pretty good at chores. Aunt Beru says so, even though Uncle Owen sometimes disagrees.”

Vader stared back at the boy. The boy, he forces himself to think, because he will not give voice nor substance to the hope that had flared up in the empty void of what had once been his soul when he had heard the boy’s name. The boy wanted to do chores. The boy wanted to be useful. The boy wanted to pay back Vader’s kindness for feeding him and keeping him safe.

Kindness. From Vader.

What in the Sith hells was he doing? Vader was in no position to care for any being, much less a tiny, fragile, Force-sensitive one! He had no safe haven he could take this child, no resources to provide for him, and no one he could request help from. By now word had to have reached the Emperor of his deeds. It would be noted that the transponder of his personal shuttle was no longer functioning. He had permanently disabled communications to prevent any Imperial from even trying to contact him. He was currently spending most of his limited energy trying to dampen his Force signature so that Palpatine could not find him that way, either.

No Imperial system was safe for him anymore. He had heard the rumors, as many others had, of pockets of resistance to the Empire, but those were mostly that: rumors. And even if these pockets actually existed, they did not have the power to shelter him from Palpatine. And if, by some miracle, they did, not a single one would be willing. Not for him, Lord Vader: Conqueror of a Thousand Worlds, Death Incarnate, Harbinger of Darkness.

He was alone in this mission, to protect this boy from Palpatine. Alone in a way he had never truly been. Vader clenched his right fist so tightly he could hear the servos protesting. If that was how it must be, then he would find a way to succeed or he would forge one. There was no other possibility. Despite his misgivings, Darth Vader was now the sole guardian of one Luke Skywalker.

Force have mercy on anyone who stood in his way.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

January 21, 2023

Heather Cox Richardson

Tomorrow marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court decided that for the first trimester of a pregnancy, “the attending physician, in consultation with his patient, is free to determine, without regulation by the State, that, in his medical judgment, the patient's pregnancy should be terminated. If that decision is reached, the judgment may be effectuated by an abortion free of interference by the State.” It went on: “With respect to the State's important and legitimate interest in potential life, the ‘compelling’ point is at viability. This is so because the fetus then presumably has the capability of meaningful life outside the mother's womb. State regulation protective of fetal life after viability thus has both logical and biological justifications. If the State is interested in protecting fetal life after viability, it may go so far as to [prohibit] abortion during that period, except when it is necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.” The wording of that decision, giving power to physicians—who were presumed to be male—to determine with a patient whether the patient’s pregnancy should be terminated, shows the roots of the Roe v. Wade decision in a public health crisis. Abortion had been a part of American life since its inception, but states began to criminalize abortion in the 1870s. By 1960, an observer estimated, there were between 200,000 and 1.2 million illegal U.S. abortions a year, endangering women, primarily poor ones who could not afford a workaround. To stem this public health crisis, doctors wanted to decriminalize abortion and keep it between a woman and her doctor. In the 1960s, states began to decriminalize abortion on this medical model, and support for abortion rights grew. The rising women's movement wanted women to have control over their lives. Its leaders were latecomers to the reproductive rights movement, but they came to see reproductive rights as key to self-determination. In 1969, activist Betty Friedan told a medical abortion meeting: “[M]y only claim to be here, is our belated recognition, if you will, that there is no freedom, no equality, no full human dignity and personhood possible for women until we assert and demand the control over our own bodies, over our own reproductive process….” In 1971, even the evangelical Southern Baptist Convention agreed that abortion should be legal in some cases, and vowed to work for modernization. Their convention that year reiterated the “belief that society has a responsibility to affirm through the laws of the state a high view of the sanctity of human life, including fetal life, in order to protect those who cannot protect themselves” but also called on “Southern Baptists to work for legislation that will allow the possibility of abortion under such conditions as rape, incest, clear evidence of severe fetal deformity, and carefully ascertained evidence of the likelihood of damage to the emotional, mental, and physical health of the mother.” By 1972, Gallup pollsters reported that 64% of Americans agreed that abortion should be between a woman and her doctor. Sixty-eight percent of Republicans, who had always liked family planning, agreed, as did 59% of Democrats. In keeping with that sentiment, in 1973 the Supreme Court, under Republican Chief Justice Warren Burger, in a decision written by Republican Harry Blackmun, decided Roe v. Wade, legalizing first-trimester abortion. The common story is that Roe sparked a backlash. But legal scholars Linda Greenhouse and Reva Siegel showed that opposition to the eventual Roe v. Wade decision began in 1972—the year before the decision—and that it was a deliberate attempt to polarize American politics. In 1972, President Richard Nixon was up for reelection, and he and his people were paranoid that he would lose. His adviser Pat Buchanan was a Goldwater man who wanted to destroy the popular New Deal state that regulated the economy and protected social welfare and civil rights. To that end, he believed Democrats and traditional Republicans must be kept from power and Nixon must win reelection. Catholics, who opposed abortion and believed that “the right of innocent human beings to life is sacred,” tended to vote for Democratic candidates. Buchanan, who was a Catholic himself, urged Nixon to woo Catholic Democrats before the 1972 election over the issue of abortion. In 1970, Nixon had directed U.S. military hospitals to perform abortions regardless of state law, but in 1971, using Catholic language, he reversed course to split the Democrats, citing his personal belief “in the sanctity of human life—including the life of the yet unborn.” Although Nixon and Democratic nominee George McGovern had similar stances on abortion, Nixon and Buchanan defined McGovern as the candidate of “Acid, Amnesty, and Abortion,” a radical framing designed to alienate traditionalists. As Nixon split the U.S. in two to rally voters, his supporters used abortion to stand in for women's rights in general. Railing against the Equal Rights Amendment, in her first statement on abortion in 1972, activist Phyllis Schlafly did not talk about fetuses: “Women’s lib is a total assault on the role of the American woman as wife and mother and on the family as the basic unit of society. Women’s libbers are trying to make wives and mothers unhappy with their career, make them feel that they are ‘second-class citizens’ and ‘abject slaves.’ Women’s libbers are promoting free sex instead of the ‘slavery’ of marriage. They are promoting Federal ‘day-care centers’ for babies instead of homes. They are promoting abortions instead of families.” A dozen years later, sociologist Kristin Luker discovered that “pro-life” activists believed that selfish “pro-choice” women were denigrating the roles of wife and mother. They wanted an active government to give them rights they didn't need or deserve. By 1988, radio provocateur Rush Limbaugh demonized women’s rights advocates as “feminazis” for whom “the most important thing in life is ensuring that as many abortions as possible occur.” The complicated issue of abortion had become a proxy for a way to denigrate the political opponents of the radicalizing Republican Party. Such threats turned out Republican voters, especially the evangelical base. But support for safe and legal abortion has always been strong. Today, notwithstanding that it was overturned in June 2022 by a Supreme Court radicalized under Republican presidents since Nixon, about 62% of Americans support the guidelines laid down in Roe v. Wade, about the same percentage that supported it fifty years ago, when it became law.

—

Notes:

https://news.gallup.com/poll/350804/americans-opposed-overturning-roe-wade.aspx

Linda Greenhouse and Reva B. Siegel, “Before (and After) Roe v. Wade: New Questions About Backlash,” The Yale Law Journal, 120 (June 2011): 2028–2087, at https://www.jstor.org/stable/41149586

https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2016/02/02/whats-wrong-with-equal-rights-for-women-1972/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/01/21/us/abortion-ban-exceptions.html

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/410/113

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/05/15/abortion-history-founders-alito/

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/07/06/majority-of-public-disapproves-of-supreme-courts-decision-to-overturn-roe-v-wade/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/01/feminazi-feminists-women-rights-feminism-charlotte-proudman

Kristin Luker, Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood (University of California Press, 198).

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[barissoffee]

To be fair, Cal, Reva, Kylo, and the Grand Inquisitor also survived a saber wound. I think the difference here is thst they all got immediate medical attention (and in Reva and G.I.'s case using the dark side to use the pain as to fuel them) (Also Cal and Sabine's wounds were more to the side rather then directly in the gut compared to Qui-Gon and Satine's wounds)

true true okay maybe you right. Also I'm sure Ahsoka would have done something as well to keep Sabine alive. They probably only stabbed her to end the episode on a cliff hanger.

[photogirl894]

I have a minor thought to share about the latest Ahsoka episodes below the cut...only look if you've watched them.

For people who are complaining about Sabine getting stabbed by a lightsaber and surving...

Y'all ever heard of bacta? 😑

Seriously, it literally shows her waking up in what appears to be a med room and in med clothing. They weren't that far from the city, so Ahsoka was most likely able to get her back in time to get her proper medical attention. Plus, she was stabbed in her side more than her gut, which isn't always fatal. Hence why she was able to survive.

And comparing what happened to Qui-Gon, Satine or characters like the Grand Inquisitor or Reva? Well, let's look at that.

Qui-Gon: stabbed pretty much directly between his gut and his chest, a more fatal area of the body, and was not in a position to get medical help right away. Same with Satine. Hence why they died.

Grand Inquisitor? It was the whole "my hatred/the Dark Side kept me alive" bullshit, which frankly I just feel is a cop-out just to keep villains alive (looking at you, Maul! Not complaining that they kept him alive cuz he turned out to be an awesome character, but that whole reasoning just seemed cheap as if they couldn't think of a legit reason of how they could bring him back)

As for Reva, I'm pretty sure it was the same as Sabine, but it's been a while since I've watched Kenobi, plus I'm fairly certain that it doesn't really show where she got stabbed anyway. It was most likely more of a flesh wound than anything truly fatal.

Overall, the point is: it's not just "anyone in Star Wars survives lightsaber stabs now"; it's the fact that they have bacta and advanced healing technology that helps with that. It's not "dishonoring" Qui-Gon or Satine's deaths in any way, like I've seen people say. That's just ridiculous. It's not anything out of the ordinary, yet so many people seemed shocked or offended by this. It's not that hard to figure out if you just pay attention. If characters can survive being freaking chopped in half by a lightsaber, then this really shouldn't be surprising and is nothing in comparison. Again, also with proper medical help.

Seriously, have y'all forgotten this is Star Wars? 🤨

[squireofgeekdom]

I'm contractually obliged to ask after 'kenobi fic concepts' for the WIP game, but I'm also curious about 'okay FINE here's the role reversal au'!

kenobi fic concepts is a doc that contains two fics, the latter of which is a sequel to more than this, my aroace obi-wan fic, where we finally get the conversation with aroace luke that I reference at the end of that fic, pinging off of some of the stuff we get in the kenobi series

the first fic in that doc is a reva & obi wan fic, working title 'we both are', set in the time between the end of reva's story/screentime in the show and the end of the show, getting into reva's recovery with obi-wan on tatooine. its existence is very much inspired by the joke below XD

“Well,” he says, “what you really need is a proper surgeon and a bacta tank,” What she really needs, they both know and don’t say, is the medical services of the Temple healers. What she needs is a Temple whole and unburnt, brimming with life and light. “But you’ve got me,” he continues, and isn’t that the truth. “Let’s see what bacta patches I still have -” She watches as he pulls out a container from a crevice in the wall, and carefully unpacks it. “Here,” he pulls out packages of bacta. “Have to keep these well hidden, or Teeka will grab them and sell them back to me for a markup.” “Teeka?” “Oh, he’s a Jawa who comes through here sometimes. Friendly fellow, helpful if you need to find something odd. Has an eye for profitable opportunities.” A Jawa randomly wandered through Kenobi’s - she wasn’t calling it a house - cave, and stole things from him? And somehow, they hadn’t managed to kill him? Karking hells.

I talked a bit about 'okay FINE here's the role reversal au' over here but let me give you a little bit of an unexpected but entertaining dynamic that came out of thinking about it, which is peak bitch v bitch hostile friendship between marci stahl and james 'voted most meme-able little shit of 2015 by me and alex' wesley, who in this 'verse has a day job as an economist (pure self indulgence, of course) at the non-l&z law firm marci ended up working at when matt&foggy took the l&z job. the friend referenced is of course fisk because their whole 'guard dog / whatever those two have going on' is absolute catnip to me personally

"And what are you working on? I didn't think there was anything - oh." She's pulled some of the papers on his desk towards her to read. "You think I'm going to lose." "Running the numbers to give a decent estimate of the compensation Tully should really be giving our clients might get him to realize selling off the property just isn't worth it to him." "Or they could be forced to move out anyway, but get more money for it. You're contingency planning for if we settle. If I lose." "Plenty of cases settle. Plenty outright lose. It happens here like anywhere." "Not to me." "It doesn't hurt to be prepared. And if Ms Cardenas walks away with more money, it's not ... It's not nothing." "Says the economist." "She'll still be better off than if you hadn't taken the case." He looks up at her. "You do as much as you can with what you have." "That sounds like your friend talking." She catches a small, genuine smile before he says "you've met him twice." "Am I wrong? No, obviously."

send me a wip title and i'll tell you something about it!

[naturesesme]

Time: Right after Mercuralia and the labyrinth/Knossos stuff finished up Location: Outside The Pyramid Characters: @xrevasx​ & @naturesesme

Atlas was okay; he was apparently on the road to a perfect recovery after Nettelia’s help but Esme had still lingered in the medical wing for a little while longer. She had only seen Eren by sight when they’d all returned from Knossos together, but after what she had seen from the Asphodel, she had no energy to speak to her brother just yet. Instead, news came from one of the acolytes that apparently everyone who had attended Mercuralia had been taken a dangerous Labyrinth. The thought had immediately brought her terror as she thought of Revas, wondering if he and Logon had attended like she’d seen so many fey had.

She had ran outside, having every intention of making her way to the Faerie King’s Forest again when she saw him. Relief swept over her, even as she continued to wonder if his Wardee was alright, if the fey had suffered like the druids had. Esme ran over, taking his arms, looking him over. She had been so afraid of asking him the question that she’d wanted to know that day in the park: do we still have a chance? The druid had been too afraid of the answer, to afraid to wonder if the fey had moved on. So overwhelmed before, she hadn’t thought that she could handle it. Now it was clear that Esme had only been wasting precious time. The future was so uncertain that even Gods died and never returned. “Did- did you go? Mercuralia?” 

[kanansdume]

I'm imagining an AU where TCW Barriss Offee (so, aged down a bit still, but maybe a year or so ahead of Ahsoka) is struggling with the war, the growing darkness in the Force, the politics going on around her, and what it means for the Order as a whole and herself as a future Jedi, and ends up spending some time at the Temple, working with the Healers. One day, she takes a trip to the creche, to help out with the younglings, and she meets little Reva.

Little Reva immediately latches onto Barriss and thinks she's the absolute coolest person she's ever met, but she also feels kind-of sad and so Reva wants to make her happy, so she offers her some of her cookies, or has Barriss help out with the crafts or offers to meditate with Barriss or something to try to cheer her up. And while it doesn't obviously answer any of Barriss's lingering existential doubts and questions about the Order, it does help to cheer Barriss up and reminds her what she loves about the Jedi, about BEING a Jedi.

When Luminara comes back from the front lines, she finds her Padawan a little lighter, a little more balanced, and with an extra shadow following her around places. Reva especially likes going with Barriss to the Archives and working on research projects, whether it's for Barriss's classes or Reva's, doesn't matter. She adores research and Barriss's attention to detail and ability for memorization work well alongside Reva's almost magical ability to find niche information.

And after the war ends, some years down the road, Barriss takes Reva on as a Padawan and Reva goes into medical research.

[autisticassassinbird]

Things I'm planning:

Reva Sevander one-shot based off the song Spillways by Ghost (currently in planning stages)

OC Clone Medic one-shot (graphic descriptions of eye surgery/eye injury)

Ghost daemon au + Ghost daemon au whumptober prompt

New chapter for Rebels Warrior cats AU (half done)

Trans Ezra one shot

[ramblingromance]

My Year of Rest and Relaxation: Book Review

Hey y'all, sorry this took me longer than expected! I got kind of distracted by Queen Charlotte on netflix, but I'm here now, and finally remembered to type this up. So, let's get right to it! These are my thoughts, feelings, and rambles on...

Our narrator should be happy, shouldn’t she? She’s young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate, works an easy job at a hip art gallery, lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like the rest of her needs, by her inheritance. But there is a dark and vacuous hole in her heart, and it isn’t just the loss of her parents, or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her, or her sadomasochistic relationship with her best friend, Reva. It’s the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong?

_________________________________________________________

This is my first time reading anything by Moshfegh, but I don't think it will be the last. Her dark, ridiculous sense of humor had me fully entertained throughout much of the novel, which in fact was a very quick read.

This book certainly isn't for everyone, but I found that her writing was able to keep my attention despite the fact that our narrator goes on plenty of pill induced rambles, or we're often told just how often she chomping down on her medication like it's candy.

I think it's a dark insight into the reality of depression, and for once it was kind of nice to follow along with a character who is kind of an asshole, and someone I definitely wouldn't be friends with.

_________________________________________________________

Trigger Warnings: Depictions of Depression, Drug Abuse, Eating Disorder, Mentions of 9/11, Suicide Ideation.

[yourlocalnotmysteriousswiftie]

My year of Rest and Relaxation written by Ottessa Moshfegh, published on July 28th 2018

The book is about a young girl who lives in New York City in the year 2000. She’s an art history college graduate who works in an art gallery, though through the money she inherited from her parents, she gets to live in the affluence of the upper east side. An older-than-her boyfriend with a foul personality, alcohol, parties, fake friends, a sophisticated sense in fashion and style are what keep her company. With a tendency to judgment and disgust she approaches life and everyone that comes with it, including her best friend Reva, a bulimic who chases the life of the exquisite high society.

Our main character, who remains nameless through the whole book, is tired and bored of the meaninglessness of life and decides to sleep for a whole year. A whole year of doing nothing, putting minimal effort into anything and spending most of her time resting. Coffee and the smallest necessities from the small shop a few feet away from her apartment, movies and occasional visits from Reva are the only things that she allows to happen in her life.

By lying to her therapist and faking an insomnia, she gets an almost unlimited amount of sleeping pills and other psychiatric medications, so she can enjoy her year of sleep. Until those medications started showing unwanted side effects, that made the sleeping even more complicated than the life she was living before…

I think Ottessa Moshfegh did an amazing job introducing us to a perspective of a rich, judging and mean young woman. The lack of empathy in the main characters thoughts shocked me at first and lots of her phrases felt like a punch in the gut sometimes. I admired Moshfegh´s ability to come up with such evil phrases at unexpected moments. To be honest, it took me a while to get into the book. At first, sometimes I was only reading the book because I thought that it had a fancy cover. ( For everybody wondering, the painting on the cover is „Madame Hamelin“ by Jacques-Louis David) But once I’ve got over that phase, I finished the book in just one day.

I was amazed how Moshfegh brought so many serious topics into the book without me really noticing. Our main characters thoughts and the way she deals with all of those things, are probably to blame. I mean, let’s think about it; bulimia, eating disorders, feminism, sexism , sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, abortion, depression, insomnia, suicide, cancer and the list goes on. Consider this as a trigger warning for the book.

Even though I agree that the main character is a horrible person, I can’t help but feel sorry for her. She never got love or affection from her parents and never witnessed those things between her parents. Her mother loved pity and never knew how to be a loving mom. Her father was distant and emotionally unavailable. I assume that this is one of the reasons why our main character always felt so numb and didn’t have any empathy. To fill that numbness, she started to emotionally harm herself. Her boyfriend is a great example for that. He emotionally abused her and had that disgusting imagination, that he lived out with her. I always imagined him as Patrick Bateman from „American Psycho“.

I wouldn’t recommend that book to everybody honestly. Probably because of the earlier listed trigger warnings. This novel was beautifully disturbing, but mixed with some dark satire. Still, its an amazing and great part of the modern literature.

[airasilver]

AU:

The twins have bodyguards. They have a whole company for each of them. They're Skywalkers/Kenobis/Tanos. They're as bad as their uncle/dad/aunt and need watching every single minute.

Ghost company follows Leia, Luke has Torrent but when it gets to much, they switch. Heck, the Bad Batch sometimes takes watch...If Hunter's feeling nice.

Hell, give the Padawans their battalions. Give the masters and knights their battalions. No Jedi is ever left alone. The Guard gets the Temple Guards. Fox has them all (GAR included) on a rotation within two minutes. The crechemasters are relaxing because the creche is full and the younglings are full of joy because of the new playmates.

The Alphas track down the wondering masters and refuse to leave. They are also dragged back to the main temple, they opened more because of the Vode, and given comms to "call in at least once every two months. We don't need more Jedi pretending they're dead."

Alpha 17 is the only one who sticks around the main temple. Mostly to bully Obi-Wan since Cody is wrapped around Leia's finger. At first 17 scoffs at Cody and Rex and etc for letting nat-born kids bully them until he meets Reva and Grogu. Then he gets laughed at since at least the others only have one youngling to watch out for.

The Jedi are just wondering what's going on. Anakin is pouting, Padme still died even getting actual care (a left over from Palpatine before he was taken out by Fox and a living Fives.), because Rex is ignoring him. No, Rex is not ignoring you, he's just busy keeping Luke from becoming too devilish with an angel's smile. Leia's already a lost cause but at least she listens to Cody... sometimes.

Ahsoka and Barriss are watched by Appo (Ahsoka actually told Rex to take Luke, she be fine with Jesse but Appo decided to take her since Jesse and Hardcase got Anakin. For now. Fives gets Anakin when he reveals himself. Then Jesse went to help back to Ahsoka.) (Kix technically has custody of all of them. Well him and Stiches, the 212th's main medic.) and Maker, Gree's SIC when Ahsoka came back. Neither are allowed anywhere near any dark siders for a long time. Actually they aren't allowed out of the temple unless it's a diplomatic mission. With their master/grandmaster only.

Anakin's pouting (to get back to him) so Fives decides he's taking Anakin out to find himself (blow something up, free slaves, etc) while the twins are placed in the creche for a month or so to give Ghost and Torrent some rest. Now granted it was only supposed to Fives, Jesse, Hardcase, and Kix (they needed a medic and Kix overheard and said he was coming.) BUT Obi-Wan felt Anakin's happiness and confronted him about it and then decided he's going along. Which meant Wooley was going, which meant Longshot told Boil, who told Waxer, who told Cody, who told Rex, who decided he was going also.

Cody sighed and ordered Ghost and Torrent to suit up. They were all going since they're Generals WILL get in trouble and yes, Ahsoka, you may come. Heck, let's just let anyone who wants to come, come. So all of the knights and half the masters end up going. They were going to take only one Venator Destroyer but with so many coming they ended up taking about half the fleet.

Before anyone asks the Vode own the ships and have them in storage. So they say. In actuality the Venator Destroyers are stripped of all indentible features on the outside and are used to clear out the main temple. The main temple which is now just gone. Surprising Coruscant who doesn't know what happened (when the last of their people were on the Destroyers, the temple vanished. It showed up again when they decided on the main planet for the Jedi.

So while the twins and younger Padawans, that aren't 15/16, are watched over by the crechemasters and the Vode that stayed behind, the rest that wanted to go on a spree freeing slaves and just going back to being Jedi. It relaxes everyone and while the Vode still follow and protect their Jedi, they do let them out and about without them... sometimes. (Feemor and Rael are the only ones in the lineage that can and do leave without an escort. No one else in the lineage can claim that. Though even they sometimes need to be watched.)

Yes, the twins see Padme's family but they're closer to their aliit. They try but since they're both force sensitive, and not hiding it for years, the twins can tell that it hurts the Naberrie's to see them (Leia might look like Padme but Luke has her compassion and both have even more traits of Padme) so it's just...easier to only see them once a year and then every couple years. Even Anakin isn't well received since the Naberrie's blame Anakin for Padme's death (Anakin blames himself for the longest time until his therapist finally gets through to him. It was a combination.) even though it was proven to be Palpatine...it's just easier to stay with the aliit.

This started with me just wanting to give Luke and Leia their aliit and dang, I went a lot more than I thought I would. Oh well.

[fox-under-the-willow-tree]

Book Review - My Year of Rest and Relaxation

By Ottessa Moshfegh

Summary:

The protagonist of this story is an unnamed 26 year old Art History graduate who describes herself as "pretty, skinny and blonde" and lives in the Upper East Side of New York. Even though she comes from a fairly privileged background, the protagonist describes having had a difficult childhood with an uncaring, reluctant mother who battled an alcohol addiction and a father who was a professor and preferred working over spending time with his family. Both her parents died before her 30s and she was left with a small inheritance. The protagonist also mentions having a tumultuous love life with a shallow man named Trevor, who gave me Patrick Bateman vibes, and a materialistic, anxious friend named Reva, who doesn't hide her envy for the protagonists beauty.

One day, she decides she's had enough of this life and calls up a psychiatrist named Dr. Tuttle who is described as a spiritual, uncaring, self-centered person. Lying about the reasons for her need for medicines, the protagonist says that she suffers from a severe form of insomnia. The doctor doesn't question the protagonist throughout the whole novel and she prescribes her various forms of sleeping medication and painkillers. This starts her project in which the protagonist decides to begin her "Year of Rest and Relaxation", after which she expects to wake up as a person with a completely new outlook on life.

Characters:

The protagonist: a 26 year old Art History student from a privileged background who feels estranged in the materialistic world of the early 00's New York.

Reva: the protagonists "best friend," who does everything to fit in with the elite of New York. It is implied that she has an eating disorder. Reva is also in constant competition with the protagonist and envies her for her size 0 body and beauty.

Trevor: a man in his 30s whom the protagonist met during a Halloween party when she was only 19. He is described as narcissistic, rich, handsome and uncaring.

Dr. Tuttle: the spiritual and self-centered psychiatrist who reluctantly prescribed various forms of medications without properly checking the mental wellbeing of the protagonist.

New York: it might be strange, but the backdrop of New York also plays a role in the story. New York is portrayed as a culturally diverse place, in which various types of people meet who have but one goal in common: becoming the next "It Person".

Analysis:

The novel started out extremely strong. Various storyline were interwoven with references to the past and presence as a way to clarify why the protagonist came to the conclusion to take a year off. It's obvious from the first page that the protagonist harbors an intense irritation towards Reva, who symbolises everything she despises about the materialistic and shallow part of New York she inhibits. She explains her disdain for her job at an art exhibition, which basically showcases garbage. She namedrops various designer clothes, as well and brands of nightclubs and TV Shows that characterised the early 00's and thus I would say that this novel fits right into the whole Sex and the City vibe that era was known for: rich, materialistic, single women who had but two problems in life: who to sleep with and what shoes to wear to the next party they would attend.

Although the protagonist describes herself as educated and looks down on others, among whom her mother, she herself can't help but participate in a world driven by material wealth. The majority of her wardrobe consists out of designer outfits and the mere fact that she can take a year off by sleeping, underlines a privilege, of which she is surprisingly aware. And yet, she does not apologise for her privilege. Her project to go to sleep and wake up as a new person does not imply her giving up her privileged background, which she clearly states in chapter 7 of the book. Rather, she wishes to wake up with a new outlook on life.

To be really honest, I'm not really sure I understand what the project accomplishes. Indeed, she distances herself from her toxic friends, she gives up on her job and sells the majority of her belongings. And yet... something in this novel feels off. Perhaps it is the fact that the whole project in itself presupposes a type of self-centered and spoiled lifestyle that not many can dream to do. After all, how many of us would like to take a break from life? And yet, to discredit her misery doesn't seem fair either. Moshfegh does a great job describing the upbringing of the protagonist and the type of parents she had to deal with. The story also seems to hint on themes of naturalistic determinism, as the protagonist tries to process her grief by acting exactly like her mother. As I said, the first 100 pages were amazing, gripping, deliciously macabre in humor and in some ways relatable. As I read on, I had to suspend my disbelief a few times. First of all, by wondering how the protagonist hasn't had a brain tumor from the amount of medication she's taking. Second, how nobody has noticed she has vanished for a year. And third, what the character of Trevor added to the story. He was so shallow and one dimensional that I wondered why the protagonist kept going back to him. Isn't she beautiful, smart, wealthy?

Lastly, I didn't understand the ending. I assume it meant that she gave up on the materialistic world and decided to continue living as an art piece, which doesn't make much sense considering she disliked the art world as she deemed it to be shallow and pretentious.

Overall, it's a good enough read, but not what I expected. I expected a female interpretation of American Psycho and instead got a grumpy version of Sex and the City. Would I recommend it? Not to everyone, but I can understand it will gain a cult following after a couple of decades. If you're a fan of Sex and the City, the Love Witch and Lana del Rey, I'd give it a shot.

3/5 stars.