#Theron got involved

[linnienin]

🖤A s t e r o i d ⁕ P a n t h e r a ⁕4 1 9 8🖤(through the signs and degrees) ~~~~~~~~~~~ Y o u r ⁕ p r e d a t o r y ⁕ e n e r g y ~~~~~~~~~~~

A warrior, a schemer, a predator. Smooth and calculated movements, planning how to kill you in complete silence. The black panther doesn't show off their plan, they only show you their claws.

🖤🐾

The panther is part of the leopard family but it's easily identified because of its black mantle. Usually outcasted due to this difference, they face more difficulties in their habitat as they can't hide so well like others leopards (a black spot is easily identified by potential preys). They take the harder route, panthers also love to jump from tree to tree to assess the situation from a higher perspective. Because of those challenges, they know how to get a better understanding of their environments and know how to use it to their advantage

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🖤 M y ⁕ i n t e r p r e t a t i o n :

In my opinion, Asteroid Panthera (4198) in a birth chart shows you:

⁕ How you scheme to catch your target ⁕ How you fight to gain respect ⁕ Your fighting temperament

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The special-0 degrees : They are THE panther🖤. Surrounded by a mysterious but fiery aura. They have qualities that resembles the ones of these felines. Could love to climb or run as a sport. Enjoy risky activities cause they crave that adrenaline rush 🔥. They could even have physical traits resembling those of a panther, like a feline type of appeal (especially if you have this asteroid in 1st house and 0°). Dominant personalities. Get easily involved in fights lol. They have a big ego and have a need to show their potential to everyone, cause they really crave recognition. Possessive but very caring. Put others needs first, cause this way they feel they're the provider and hold the power.

Celebs examples of Panthera at 0°: Simone Ashley, Jennifer Lawrence, the Weeknd, Beyoncé, Jamie Campbell Bower, Johnny Depp

Aries / 1-13-25 degrees : Straight to the point, leaving their mark boldly 💥. Quick, harsh movements. Impulsive if triggered. Experts of both mental and physical aggression because of their experience. They never hold back to new scary trials, cause they're fearless. Incredible strategy skills, you make It looks like you come from the army lol (maybe you do!). But even if they create different plans they usually stick to one plan until the end, yes, even if it means dying on the battelfield (sometimes being fearless can make you blind to danger). Kings/queens of the territory. Insatiable warriors. Strike first, strike hard, no mercy.

Celebs examples: Amita Suman, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Emilia Clarke, Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep

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Taurus / 2-14-26 degrees : Waiting in the lair for the food to come lol🍗. Not an obvious striker. Slow but steady, plan to trap their prey with their sensuality. Da 'lazy' panther: they don't even bother to plan or think about catching their prey, they get It like this 👏. Sometimes they may appear superficial or dumb, but well, it's part of their stategy 😉. Everyone wants them because they look at them as the perfect throphy and these natives know this very well as they have a high sense of self-worth. They're silent most of the times cause they're relaxing knowing they got ya... "why you feeling ✨ jittery✨darling, i'm here with you...oh sweetie by the way, did you buy that tiara of diamonds i told you i really liked?" 👀. So pretty It hurts...yeah, hitting your self-esteem to make you fall at their feet 😏

Celebs examples: Marylin Monroe, Monica Bellucci, Elizabeth Taylor, Keanu Reeves, Naomi Campbell, Grace Jones

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Gemini / 3-15-27 degrees : Too fast you can't keep up 🌪️. You won't see them coming in any way. They are like a rap song, you're vibing until you realize the words they're speaking 😶. Funny queens/kings that kill you with their sense of humour. Rolling eyes at you, putting into discussion your crafting level as their strategy to make you feel worthless. They have beautiful nails/claws (ngl they really do). These mfk are so freaking versatile and well-rounded, they can do anything... No one knows as many things as they do. The real street smart. They make you think you dodged them but they have already 1827829292 other plans on how they could catch you, you have no escape sorrynotsorry 👋

Celebs examples: Rihanna, Beyoncé, Jamie Dornan

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Cancer / 4-16-28 degrees : Baby panthers everyones wanna protect 🥺, until you realize you should have protected yourself from them lol. So frail they could break and cut you with one of their heart's sharp broken pieces. Jumping on you by jumping on your emotions. Changing moods 24/7 to confuse you even further. Shiny deeply emotional eyes on all the time. They rarely leave their lair but when they do, you know it's trouble (cause they reached an extreme). Like the moon, they catch your attention by making themselves appear all alone, until you realize they were always in their comfortable spot and only waiting for you to get trapped by the immense darkness around. 🌚

Celebs examples: Lily Rose Depp, Chadwick Boseman

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Leo / 5-17-29 degrees : Grumpy cats that want it all *cute umpf sound*😾. Get out of their ways to catch their prey. Hella talented. Work so freaking hard to improve their skills you'll see them making a whole choreography while hunting. They catch so many people's attentions. Now they use that crowd as a fortress with no exits for their prey to escape 😘. But hurt their ego and they can take a looot of time to get back to hunting with some pride. They're the best at taking care of their people, they share the food (keep the best part for themselves tho lmaoo) and they're protective towards their loved ones. Truly fighters with a biig heart and of course they have a *dramatic showy hunting style* 💃

Celebs examples: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Helena Bonham Carter

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Virgo / 6-18 degrees : Peekaboo from da green bush 😶‍🌫️. Panthers with a green thumb for growing detailed organized plans. Perfectionist predators. Calculate every millimeters, every possible outcome, to the point of overthinking It all and not even starting the plan lol. Intelligent and adaptable, quick learners. Can make you think they're weak with their bodily constitution and shy because they don't speak much. Truth is, they're studying you and their surroundings. Make the best advisors, cause they can see what's missing from the bigger picture and they usually don't initiate the hunt. Stay physically behind others' backs but are mentally ages ahead. Outsmart everyone in the end (if in good form and with their doubtful part of the brain shut lol)

Celebs examples: Halle Berry, Winona Ryder

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Libra / 7-19 degrees : Graceful panthers, so poised they resemble perfect statues. And they make you believe they are that harmless...but careful not to fall for it 👀. These people don't aim directly to their prey, they get to it through others (the type to not dirty their hands lol). The glue that keeps the pack intact. They're loved by everyone, gentle smiles, kind gestures, they make sure they are pleasant to be around . Keep their outward persona all in check, constantly clean and polish their shiny fur 💅. Balanced, not too risky in their moves, they always test the waters first and adapt to the responses they get. Choose their words carefully to hit the weakest spot. Kill their prey with kindness and charisma, then offer them dessert to not feel guilty 🙃🍰

Celebs examples: Jamie Campbell Bower, Vincent Cassel, Zoe Kravitz

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Scorpio / 8-20 degrees : The arm reacher distance. No, they don't have the COVID, they have the INTIMIDATION. No one wants to mess up with them. They have the blackest and thickest and shiniest fur of them all. But they rarely show their powerful moves, all they got are rumors spreading from people that SAW. If some other naive panther try to provoke these natives out of fun, they got to be prepared to suffer from Scorpio panther's psychotic fun .This is how they get the people to respect them out of fear. Sneaky and untreceable, they're the best at erasing their fingerprints. Get into their prey's mind. Predicting every little action and elaborating a plan on it. They don't like to strike right away, but prefers to take their time with it cause they enjoy playing and see their prey's reactions to their little scary games 😈. Very private and jealous, won't share their prey with anyone.

Celebs examples: Darkota Johnson, Carrie-Anne Moss

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Sagittarius / 9-21 degrees : Can't stay still a sec. Always get in the way of other's people lol. Two panthers are fighting for the throne? Lemme jump in real quick and make a showstopper mooove 🤸‍♀️ (by risking their lives..yeah 🤦‍♀️). *everybody gets mad (but still laugh)*. "weee everybody sorry, i thought it was match break! I am the lady holding the round sign ya know thisss". Makes mistakes but knows how to crack a joke on them. They don't usually attack intentionally, as they don't really stand cruel actions. But they could kill by mistake cause they take up so much space and are very energetic, you get in their way, you dead😂. Their big presence ,easygoing nature and funny/entertaining behaviour win people's hearts (and their prey's too 👀)

Celebs examples: Michelle Yeoh, Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johannson, Lena Headey, Al Pacino, Simone Ashley

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Capricorn / 10-22 degrees : Why so serious? 🤡 These people have gone through hell and back, no surprise they become the Devil. They tried them all, the bad, neutral and good strategies, they got a baggage of experience that could have either made or broken them. Always disappointed with others. Wise with a mind of a genius, but if this trait of them is neglected by people, the lack of respect could trigger them to suppress their emotions and use this detachment to manipulate others' feelings pretty well. Calm and premedited actions. They take time to kill their prey, they wanna consume them till they can't get it anymore and wanna hear them begging to give them that feeling of respect they didn't get before. Natives that people can consider too strict/inflexible (almost like tirants) if they get to rule as King/Queens panthers. (but they're just good people to whom bad things happened 🥺, lemme give you a hug 🤗)

Celebs examples: Heath Ledger, Zhang Zi-Yi, Grace Kelly, Alan Rickman, Jennifer Lawrence, Maggie Q, The Weeknd, Audrey Hepburn, Alexa Demie, Bruce Lee, Kristen Stewart

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Aquarius / 11-23 degrees : Loner panthers that don't give a heck of getting to the Queen/King's panther's throne cause they're already building one of their own 😎. Making their own rules, getting their own land, initiating a whole new way of living. And then people see how cool and innovative their way is, and how strong they are to have built all of their empire alone, so they get easily influenced, and individually choose to become their plebs. And this is how they sterminate all their preys at once lmaoo. Unpredictable actions, have unique ways to hunt that may seem weird to people, but they're not afraid to show them by being themselves. This silent confidence can only gives more appreciation and genuine respect to the natives. Can get quite a lot of controversial stares too from close-minded people, but again, they just don't care 😇

Celebs examples: Zendaya, Joaquin Phoenix, Lana Del Rey, Keira Knightley, Anya-Taylor Joy

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Pisces / 12-24 degrees : The forgetful predator and utopian leader. Create some fantastic plan than only can exist in an imaginary world cause gravity cannot bend to these native's thoughts unfortunately lol...or maybe it does cause they're manifestation king/queens hehe✨ . But everyone is obsessed with them even if they make a lot of mistakes. People are very very confused by these natives and Pisces panthers take this to their advantage. Manifesting their prey like this 👏...but then they don't feel like attacking them lmao... or coff coff... they were sleeping and missed it 😆. Chill around, but cannot not getting involved in the drama cause they're curious by nature. And then the drama (and so the prey too) hunts them, trying to switch the roles, giving them even more opportunities to catch what they want. Not the best at striking to the front, but will hunt you in your dreams.

Celebs examples: Kim Kardashian, Jenna Ortega, Michelle Pfeiffer, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Jackson, Eva Green, Johnny Depp, Maisie Williams

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And you've reached the end of the post!

Thank you for staying with me 💖

I hope this post entertained you and also gave you some cool info on your placement!

Lemme know if you resonated, and if you didn't let me know equally😊 as you know, i value your feedback a lot ✨ I'm aware this asteroid is an untamed territory, so take in mind this is just my personal interpretation

As always,

I wish you all a wonderful day ahead! Be well, Yours, Linnie 🖤

( Sorry @brielledoesastrology if this took so long, i loved the suggestion of your request, and i hope this post satisfies it 😘 )

[tempestswing]

Ranking the Dark Council:

hi! I was writing some notes for a piece of SWTOR fiction I am working on, and decided to create this list as a fun way to share that information.

Dark Council Pre-Shadow of Revan:

12. Darth Aruk - we know nothing about this character, other than that they were head of the Sphere of Sith Philosophy. According to the Wiki, rooting out Revanites was supposed to be their job. What a failure, hopefully they still have a job after Shadow of Revan?

11. Darth Rictus - Also kind of a mystery, which is ironic since he was head of the Sphere of Mysteries. Rictus does appear in a novel called 'Annihilation', but that book is mostly about Theron Shan. All we really know about Rictus is that he's (A) old, (B) dislikes aliens, unless they're murderous enough, and (C) founded the Dread Executioners to take down the Dread Masters. Not enough information to rank any higher.

10. Darth Acharon - at least this guy appears in the game. He's kind of a nothing character though. He defended the imperial occupation of Corellia unsuccessfully. He was head of the Sphere of Biotics. Since he died on Corellia, he would presumably have been replaced by Shadow of Revan, but we don't know who by.

9. Darth Arkous - hate this guy, but he's still technically head of the Sphere of Military Offense after the Hutt Cartel plotline. God, what a bag of dicks he is though. The one good thing about this character is that he's technically Lana Beniko's master? Although she's an advisor rather than an apprentice, so he gets no credit for the existence of awesome Sith wife.

8. Darth Decimus - Also found in game on Corellia! Decimus is actually present in the imperial quests, so you get a lot more interaction with him than Acharon. Canonically, he also trained Krovos! Krovos is really cool, so decimus should get a few points by association. Not enough to bump him up the list though. For the head of Military Strategy, he's not a very good commander.

7. Darth Ravage - You can meet Ravage at the end of the Inquisitor and Warrior storylines, and for all imperials he is present during the cutscenes preceding the Emperor Malgus flashpoints (although does nothing to help?). The main reason I'm putting Ravage so low is that he's a little bit inconsistently written. He'll gladly say "good riddance" to Darth Thanaton's death in the inquisitor plotline, but if you kill Baras in the Warrior plotline, he'll show up at Nathema and be all offended that you claimed power by murdering your master... does he know what a Sith is?

6. Darth Mortis - I have a bit of a soft spot for Mortis. He's got a no-nonsense demeanour which is rare amongst Sith, and he's clearly serious enough about their philosophy to join a secret conspiracy against the alliance if you "squander" the power of the Eternal Throne - a petty move, this man is a bitch after my own heart. He also is the one who snaps Darth Thanaton's silly little neck, which definitely earns him a few points in my eyes. As a point, he's involved in the Macrobinocular missions, which I did not enjoy, but he was a highlight of the questline.

5. Darth Acina - WOMEN IN POWER!!! Empress Acina is better than Emperor Vitiate. Unfortunately Acina is kind of bland, I really don't feel strongly about her either way. I've killed her on Iokath in most of my playthroughs, even if I don't intend to defect to the republic later. I might be lesbian but I just don't like her that much. Her reforms to the Empire are interesting though, I do have to give her credit for making the Empire slightly less racist and Sith dominated.

4. Darth Vowrawn - Silly guy!! This man is genuinely quite funny. He's a blast to spend time with at the end of the Warrior story, after dealing with Baras' grumpy ass for close to fifty levels. His choice to help the Wrath with the Hand on Rishi says... something. He's genuinely an interesting character to me, especially since he maintains that joviality when he becomes Emperor. It's tempered, to be sure, but I think it does show it wasn't entirely an act. Vowrawn could be a genuine friend to the Wrath.

3. Darth Jadus - Sue me, I like unapologetically evil characters. Jadus is not just an evil clown, he's an evil circus. Schemer to the core and melodramatic as fuck. I chose to serve him without a second thought in my agent playthrough. I appreciated the name drop on Iokath and I have 1% chance 99% cope that he will return at some point in the story.

2. Darth Occlus/Nox/Imperius - OCs are fun. No further notes. I should probably drop the lore for my verison of this character, huh... maybe in another post.

Darth Marr - Everyone's favourite tired Dad just trying to keep his society from collapsing as his colleagues bicker about inane bullshit. I reckon he drinks coffee straight outta the pot in the Dark Council's break room. I really wish he hadn't died, but his force ghost shenanigans were neat and I liked seeing him find a measure of redemption. Again, I am on a high dose of copium but if Malgus can return after being killed and abandonded on an exploding space station why can't someone scrape Marr off the floor of Zakuul and rebuild him. I do also low-key ship Marr with Satele Shan?

anyway, that's my totally subjective ranking of Dark Council members.

[hadesoftheladies]

FEMALE MOVIE/TV RECS (PART 1 / FANTASY)

got inspired from a recommendation post so decided to make a list of movies and shows with female-centric stories/female protagonists. since i can't post all of the genres in one post, i'll split it into multiple posts and y'all can save or add to the list as you wish. (disclaimer: i have watched most of these, but i only know about the existence of others. not every movie/show on these lists will be my recommendation. my recommendations will be beneath the list with reasons. also some of these are way better than others in terms of storytelling/performance--which is why i'll list my faves separately):

#1. FANTASY/ADVENTURE (LIVE ACTION)

Common Themes of Media In the List:

-Strong female friendships

-Romance critical (or anti-romantic centrism)

-Emphasis on female-female relationships

-Warrior girls and women

-Revenge against awful men

-Distrust of male love interests

Ones I Haven't Watched:

His Dark Materials

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Paradise Hills

Crimson Peak

Outlander

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

House of the Dragon

The Nevers

Cursed

NOT LISTED BUT QUALIFIES

Pan's Labyrinth

Mary Poppins

Twilight

The Craft

The BFG

PERSONAL NOTES FOR THE ONES I'VE WATCHED

The School for Good and Evil

5/10

There were many things about it that were good. The chemistry between the two leading actresses, the primacy of friendship over romance, the effects, the costume and set design, the insane cast (Charlize Theron, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh, Kerry Washington?!) and the score. Some of the performances were good, too. The pitfalls of the film had more to do with the writing and directing. Some scenes were rushed, some dialogue was embarrassingly bad, some plot points were just nonsensical and childish. The magic system was also not well executed (though I've seen worse).

It's mostly mid, but the ending is refreshing for the fairytale genre and if you like fairytale fluff, you'll probably be more willing to forgive the film's transgressions. If you can, there'll be a lot of fun left to have with it.

2. Damsel

6.5/10

More action than fantasy and with a much smaller cast. Most of the movie focuses on Millie's character. The performances in this were pretty good, though. If you like heroines getting revenge, non-cliche fantasy stories involving princesses, and dragons, this movie is right up your alley! Also the costuming is delightful! It's predictable, but it is also entertaining.

3. Willow

7/10

This show was just fun. Fantastic effects, female heroics, tomfoolery, lesbians, action, evil forces, cool costuming, lesbians, sword-play, riddle-solving, dumbass princes, sarcastic mentors, and lesbians! This show knew exactly what it was trying to be. Aside from some poor performances, my overall impressions is positive.

4. Wednesday

7/10

I personally enjoy Wednesday Addams' character wherever I see her. Having a whole show of her was just a treat. I didn't care for the typical highschool-shenanigans (like the cliques) as much, but there were many enjoyable elements in this for me. Particularly, the effects, the crime, the other female characters, and the ending. It's entertaining and pretty to look at. Also I'm always on my wenclair propaganda.

5. Shadow & Bone

6/10

I've read the Six of Crows duology and the first book of the Shadow & Bone trilogy, so for me this show was a let down. For new watchers, however, you'll find interesting female characters, cool effects, and an entertaining (though sometimes choppy) plot. Inej Ghafa is my queen forever, regardless.

6. Renegade Nell

7/10

This is puts the fantasy in revenge fantasy. I love all the actresses from Derry Girls, and Louisa Harland is still charming in this. It's basically if Gentleman Jack (same director, I think) and Tinkerbell teamed up. Or if Little Women was also Pirates of the Caribbean but instead of taking to the sea it was highway robbery! The action sequences are so fun, the villains are nuanced (particularly the villainess) the comedy isn't overbearing (like I forgot I was watching a Disney show tbh) and the silly towel boy from Ted Lasso is here! I personally had fun. I hope it's renewed.

7. Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass

7/10 (i love these so much so it's 8/10 for me)

It sucks that Depp is in this, but I can never ever forsake my girl Mia Wasikowska. I just love these movies. I love the design, the music, the costumes, the irreverence toward marriage and romance, Alice's personality and relationship with her mother, how it tackles the pathologisation of female autonomy, the performances, etc. The books are one of my favorite books of all time so there's that.

8. Maleficent

7/10

I really loved the performances in this, the metaphor for rape, the satisfying revenge. I don't mind that it was cliché. I love Maleficent movies. AND the Lana Del Ray cover for "Once Upon A Dream." Also, the first one makes me tear up every time. The mother-daughter love is just so touching to me.

9. Warrior Nun

(?/10)

I love the premise of this show and I can get behind the characters. The protagonist just annoyed me so much so often I have taken multiple breaks and can't remember the story. I am all for imperfect, asshole girl characters. But this protagonist was just whiny and careless beyond reason. And it was taking too long for her to get with the nuns. Like I was not invested enough in her running away arc. Like sis get your ass to the coven you are not that main of a character!

She took up so much screentime when literally every other character in the show was more interesting than she was.

At least there's lesbians.

10. Snow White & The Huntsman

(8/10)

What can I say? Kristen Stewart was hot in this, as was stepmother. Effects? Stellar. Direction? Stellar. Performance? Mostly stellar. Drama? Action? Magic? All there. Thoroughly entertaining. Refreshingly anti-Disney. Unfortunately there are some annoying men involved (I'm talking about the dwarves of course) but it never gets too overbearing. This is, however, the least feminist of the entire list and scores lowest on the above common themes.

[kiaratheronappreciationweek]

(this amazing video was made by our lovely host @sazanes!! Don't forget to show her plenty of love in the comments and reblogs!)

We have just wrapped up our third edition of the Kiara Theron Appreciation Week!!

And what a week indeed it has been. We got some incredible art, moodboards, edits, headcanons, fanfic and even video edits created to celebrate this wonderful character. We also saw plenty of new faces this time, and they really wowed us with their work 😍😍 We simply cannot wait for you all to see our masterlist.

To our CONTRIBUTORS, your work and your immense enthusiasm makes all of this organizing so, so worth it. Thank you so much for making this week such a joy to run.

@a-cloud-for-dreams, @cassiopeiacorvus, @exbex, @lizzybeth1986, @mand-delemonde, @masked-alien-lesbian, @storyofmychoices

Our FAN COMMUNITY BLOGS have been an amazing source of support for our event, and it was so much fun to promote and participate in the events they were hosting too!! Thank you so much for your dedication to promoting fandom creativity!!

@choicesficwriterscreations, @choicesmonthlychallenge, @choicespride, @choicesmaychallenge24, @choicesholidays, @choicesprompts

And how can we ever forget our SIGNAL BOOSTERS!! You all never fail to promote these events and get people involved. We have also seen you encourage your friends and fellow writers and artists, and it really warms our hearts to see this level of support. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and love ❤️❤️❤️

@angelasscribbles, @aria-ashryver, @beyonceswigs, @capt-mortemers, @choicesmc, @deceptivenewt, @delmissesryanandcassi, @inlocusmads-deactivated20240606, @lorirwritesfanfic, @missameliep, @mxcameronrose, @rosesnink, @sazanes, @tessa-liam, @thecapturedafrique, @trystanxthorne

The masterlist is already done, and will be up on the blog soon. It promises some wonderful fanfic, art and various posts!

We know that some of you had planned to be part of the week, and couldn't for very valid reasons. Please don't worry or be disheartened - the KTAW 2024 Masterlist will be open ALL YEAR ROUND for entries until the date of the next event. So please don't hesitate to send in your work, and tag the hosts in it too so we know to put it up on the masterlist!!

It has been an incredible couple of weeks with you all! So for the last time this year we will say...

Happy Kiara Theron Appreciation Week, everyone!!!

[mariacallous]

Forty-seven years ago today, everything changed. True believers might already know what it was: On May 25, 1977, Star Wars hit movie theaters and irrevocably altered nearly everything pertaining to the act of moviegoing. Lines around the block, overly excited nerds, an appetite for action figures. Star Wars taught Hollywood that certain genres—sci-fi, fantasy, anything that percolated in the offbeat TV shows, books, and comics of the 1950s and ’60s—had fans, and those fandoms would show up. Star Wars made a meager $1.6 million in the US in its opening weekend. But people kept coming back, and by the end of its initial run it had made more than $300 million. Hollywood’s Next Big Thing had arrived.

Common wisdom dictates that Jaws, which came out in 1975 and made some $260 million, was the first summer blockbuster. That’s true, but it was Star Wars that shifted the idea of what kind of film future popcorn flicks tried to be. In the years after its release, a trove of sci-fi and genre films landed in theaters: Blade Runner, Alien, E.T., the Mad Max sequel The Road Warrior. By the ’90s, the summer movie energy had shifted to action fare—Twister, Speed, Jurassic Park, Independence Day—but nerd stuff still ruled. For every Forrest Gump there was a Batman Returns or Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Then came a little juggernaut called Marvel. By the time Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies started clearing nine-figure opening weekends in the aughts, it was obvious that comic book heroes’ true superpowers involved making your money disappear. The Avengers opened in early May 2012 and nearly recouped its $200-million-plus production budget in three days. Suddenly, there were at least two superhero movies every year, if not every summer, and some new Star Wars flicks at the holidays.

The one-two punch of Covid-19 theater closures and streaming pretty much kneecapped this entire process. The summer of 2020 had virtually no blockbusters, and by the time moviegoers returned to multiplexes in 2021 and 2022, there had been a vibe shift. Movies like Black Widow and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness did well, but they weren’t events. Rushing to Fandango for tickets didn’t feel as urgent as it once did. Last summer, Barbenheimer was the buzziest thing in movies. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 made money, but they still got beat by Barbie’s might.

Overall, this year could be a wake-up call for studios that superhero fatigue has fully set in, says Chris Nashawaty, author of The Future Was Now, a new book out in July about how the movies of 1982—Blade Runner, E.T., Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, among others—ushered in the current blockbuster era. That epoch, he says, “was always going to be something that couldn’t last forever; I’m frankly surprised that it lasted as long as it did.”

Nashawaty says the success of Barbenheimer—both movies—indicates that audiences are hungry for smart films, but Hollywood’s risk aversion likely means studios will greenlight more projects based on toys and games like Monopoly rather than movies about physicists. “This is a real existential moment in Hollywood right now,” he adds, and studios need to be bold to stay relevant.

Summer 2024, which unofficially begins this weekend, promises a move away from the formula that has been in play for decades. There are only a handful of big popcorn-ready movies coming, and they’re decidedly less family-friendly than the blockbusters of yore. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which dropped on Friday, is a teeth-chatteringly gritty prequel about a kidnapped woman (Anya Taylor-Joy playing the younger version of Charlize Theron’s character from Mad Max: Fury Road) who ends up in a war between two overlords and has to fight her way out. Deadpool & Wolverine is a Marvel movie, yes, but it’s apparently a paean to pegging and cocaine so hard-R that Ryan Reynolds won’t shut up about it.

The series of weird indies coming in the next few months—the thriller Cuckoo, Ti West’s latest horror flick MaXXXine, a new collab from Poor Things pals Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos called Kinds of Kindness—finally have some room to get into the summer movie conversation.

Make no mistake: I am typing these things with glee and admiration. Glossy family movies have their place, but they’ve grown awfully predictable. Safe—not necessarily in their plots, but in their substance. No matter how fun last year’s barn-burner The Super Mario Bros. Movie was, you can’t say anything about it was surprising, much less new. No one walked into the theater for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and walked out as gobsmacked as they were when they saw Star Wars, or even Speed.

This is not a “Hollywood is so homogenized” argument. Rather, it’s a reminder that Tinseltown wasn’t always this way. Its influence used to introduce people to the future. What’s happening now has the potential to mark a return to the kind of startlingly original movies that used to be hits. Between the pandemic, streaming, and the Hollywood strikes of last summer, a lot of old habits got broken, and there’s a sense that a renaissance is afoot.

This revitalization won’t come easy, if it comes at all. Summer 2024 still has its share of redos and sequels—a new Inside Out movie, reboots of ’90s summer staples The Crow and Twister. (The latter is the aptly-named Twisters; there are more tornadoes this time, apparently.) But even those movies at least feel like they’re grasping for the prefranchise days, even if they’re birthing franchises in the process.

Furiosa is currently projected to bring in more than $40 million at the US box office this weekend, a figure that would bring it close to Fury Road’s tally but may not convince Hollywood execs that it should bankroll more R-rated, original shockbusters. It would, presumably, best The Garfield Movie, which is also out this weekend and has the makings of a more surefire hit: well-known IP, animated, PG-rated. (For the record, though: Critics seem to think it sucks.) Early ticket sales for Deadpool & Wolverine are already breaking records for an R-rated movie. Should it dominate the conversation for a couple weeks while also raking in money, that embrace of a very not-Disney Disney movie—coupled with Furiosa and Hot Barbenheimer Summer—could signal a tipping point.

Look, nothing will ever completely derail Hollywood’s reliance on sure things. Video game adaptations remain poised to take the crown long held by superhero flicks. (Borderlands, starring Cate Blanchett, is coming to theaters this August.) But if this summer’s ever-sprawling slate turns up just enough weird hits, maybe we’ll once again know the feeling of walking out of Star Wars for the first time.

[imagineamagicworld]

Slept on my Thoughts and Big Feelings™ about yesterday's patch, here we go (in true stereotypical fashion, this got a bit longer than I initially thought)

Spoilers for the 7.3 story moments (impside)

So obviously this was a very character-centric patch and its highlights really were the cutscenes. Like many people, I expected slightly more out of the gameplay part of the patch, especially after 7.2 and everything we got on Ruhnuk...

But the team really, really pulled through on what we got out of the cutscenes.

Rivix seems like a slimy bastard and I alternated between cheering him on for decking that other random Sithy guy and praying for his downfall at Tau's hand (you'll get him next time baby girl <3)

pleasantly surprised to see him immediately contact the Commander, and YET, I am and will remain suspicious of his every move and will anticipate the inevitable backstabbing

"what about your fascinating Hutt scientist?", mum come pick me up, i'm scared

Sa'har's interactions with Ri'kan make me want to bawl my eyes out, why can't Bioware ever let siblings be happy, she's so gentle but so blind and he's drowning in resentment and rage and they are so doomed

"I had little choice. Some earn what they have. Some are given everything", "and some lost it all", "you dare speak to me of suffering" I am going Insane™

Heta is so delulu it would be funny if it didn't make the situation go from worse to worser so fast, "it's never safe to change a galaxy, never easy to fight corruption and hypocrisy" be for fucking real

Sa'har, just say the word and we WILL come and pick you up (i have all the adoption papers ready whenever)

"I would be more than happy to go over the details", "... But not right now" PLEASE the Commander is SO TIRED lmaoo

not Oggurobb admiring Darth Nul's work, can you please focus

more on The Discrovery™ later in this post

Mind you, I played this whole patch on my main (Elias my love <3), who is a Saboteur ex-Imperial Agent, but...

my god, the Torian alert talk hit Different™

whoever decided this should be a cutscene and not just a letter... you are everything. It felt raw, it felt reflective, it felt absolutely necessary and i'm really liking the depth it is bringing with it

"I agree with Heta about the banner being used as a symbol of shame and betrayal. And yet... how dare she burn it"

"How you feel about your past is for you to decide"

"I spent so much time trying to be better than my history, I didn't stop to think about where I came from", "Good and bad, this box contains my past. Who my father was. My family. My sense of right and wrong. I can open it and remember when I need to, or I can leave it shut. The choice is mine."

It's the intergenerational trauma, fighting against yet embracing your history to shape your future and find your own purpose in life, I-

This Barbie is an ex-war criminal haunted by the Past!! And so am I!!

The whole Malgus cutscene was incredible and I probably spent at least half an hour (if not more) just going over all the different options.

flirting with Theron at work!! In front of our bestie Lana who is So Done™!! "May I remind you both we still have more to discuss", it never gets old <3

was actually shocked by how involved Theron was in the cutscene? actually had a lot of lines and he felt materially present in a way that i hadn't seen in a loong time (I will never ever kill Theron off [I have morals and I love him, your Honour] but I do wonder how the cutscene looks when you don't have him around?)

Theron calling the Imperial characters the fuck out is a kink I didn't know I had, but I do, so thank you for that

"Some higher-up is all sweaty about my past contracts with Malgus", "One of those contracts was destroying the defense grid on Coruscant during an Imperial invasion", get her ass my love!!

the tensions with Shae are back and, listen, I love our problematic girlie as much as the next person (too much), but I am thriving

"Don't you get it? With the holocron, Heta is part of that plan, willing or not", "You weren't interested in the holocron when you shot a teenager out of nowhere we ran into Sa'har", the girls are FIGHTING

I just can't get over how similar yet different they both are. Probably won't resonate with all Outlanders, but as a former Imperial agent, Elias NEVER thought he would become a Leader of any sort. He was always content to stick to the shadows, do what he does best with few restrictions and little scrutiny. It's so so so interesting to see Shae feeling like she owes so much to her people and yet struggling so much with being Mandalore

"Make him think you understand" and isn't the interesting part that some Outlanders really might understand, at least in part? Unique perspectives indeed.

"You and I are very much alike. I couldn't stand it when my mind was at the mercy of another... I don't fault you for wanting to break free" (patch 7.1)

"... few minds can comprehend my vision", "none who have stood by my side have understood this. The only one who could have... is my enemy" (patch 7.3)

Mirrors and narrative foils and the weight of our choices and I'm going Insane™ once again

we didn't learn much from the interrogation that we didn't really already know or couldn't suspect, it was very much about the Themes™

I know it's controversial, but I actually like the Nul and Mandalorian plots intermingling

"The Mandalorians are fractured... a broken people. They struggle to decide who they are", something that is so so important in basically all of the Mando characters we have here. Torian, Akaavi, even the Ordo brothers, Heta herself of course and the Varad, the Dar'manda and the Ash'ad, SHAE SHAE SHAE

I am going to ignore how this would inevitably resonate in many Outlanders too, the longing for home versus the morality of doing what's right for the galaxy and fighting your home and saving your independance but never knowing if it's going to be enough-

it was a bit weird that there was no way to prevent Shae from listening in on Malgus' interrogation, but then again, the whole scene where he bypasses us to speak to her directly is so powerful that I can't really mind too much

the them of HISTORY strikes again!!

"Can you not see it? The past looms over us all... a shadow of unchanging history. There are fools who believe they can outrun the shadow. Without a flame to chase it away, it will consume them - they are doomed to repeat the same failures"

the SILENCE once you get back from the interrogation is so LOUD and I felt a true sense of heaviness from it

Unfortunately, I feel like the Voss part of the patch was the weakest in many ways. I haven't played Shrine of Silence yet (the Flashpoint), but it is (as was announced) not required for the main story content.

The highlights truly were, again, the characters.

Arcann is back!! and we get to have a very nice talk with him about redemption, acceptance and forgiveness. all things that felt very important for Arcann's journey (and for my MC as well, actually)

"I saw centuries worth of horrors committed by my father. I felt the rage and the cruelty born of my desperation to please him", "I was afraid I saw those ruins because I was doomed to follow in his [my father's] footsteps", navigating intergenerational trauma and trying to trace the lines between what you suffered and what you are responsible of, painfully delicious

"I will never expect forgiveness - or even acceptance - from anyone I have hurt. But I will cherish any that is offered", what, me, crying? no, it's just raining, i would never cry (i am bawling like a little baby and will never stop)

can't say I was that surprised to learn that Darth Nul had been a Jedi before being corrupted over to the dark side, but I'm glad that finally puts to rest the "Lana is Darth Nul" theories

I am very intrigued by that Force power of hers , however : "she could mentally bond with anyone who could feel the Force. In those who did not recognize their own abilities, she awakened that realisation", okay, but what does it mean exactly?

the Voss stuff was otherwise a little bit on the forgettable side, I must admit (but I'm always happy to come back to Voss, so it's okay)

"[the Three] would never share them with an outsider, even one of your status", hmmm, excuse you, Sana-Rae, but I was once married to a Voss lady, doesn't that count for something

And just like that we were back to doing little chores-like quests and rocking it KOTOR-dialogue style. Which was okay, but not groundbreaking by any means.

of course it was Czerka, of course it was

out of all the side quests, I really liked the cantina one, it was so silly

the talk with Sana-Rae before going to see the Three was really touching <3 It really is all about personal choices and finding one's purpose even if it clashes with what you were taught growing up

the... prophecy itself is very vague and doesn't give us much more than what we've learned so far

"Life will be reshaped... scales unbalanced... A wave of change rises and falls... beyond the reach of Darth Malgus... and as he dreams, he awakens a great power... one that will tear the galaxy apart"

"Should Darth Malgus perish, this catastrophe will transpire more quickly"

I can't for the life of me begin to guess at what the devs have in store for us, but you can colour me intrigued for sure (and a bit wary)

the sheer unavoidability of "what is to come" is ???

and yet, somehow, "whatever is to come from this, it is you... who will choose the fate of us all"

"I'm tired of being responsible for the consequences of every decision"

"You can fight against destiny, but it is inescapable"

When I tell you boyo is TIRED

Overall, very strong themes for this patch. The way both the past and the future are inescapable, unavoidable, dooms that we cannot run away from.

The way we have to embrace them, embrace who we are, who we were and who we can become.

The way there is always a choice, there always has to be a choice.

[the-andromeda-effect]

12

A knock at the door had Adira and Caliban’s heads turning quickly, as the medic came in to look at her hand.  He let Caliban know that Svarog’s gunshot wound was only superficial and stitches had been all that was required, but there had been quite a bit of bleeding.  He’d need some time off to rest and heal, but otherwise he’d be fine.  Nothing to worry over.

After cleaning the cut, even Caliban could see how deep it was.  She had gotten lucky though, none of the tendons had been cut.  Whether there would be any nerve damage would have to wait until it started healing.  The medic could apply stitches, but only a neurologist or hand surgeon would be able to do more.  That would require a trip to the hospital, which Caliban had already been debating.  In the end it was Adira who decided to just have the stitches at the mansion.  Mircea knew many people at the hospital, and she didn’t want to take a chance on being recognized.  Not yet.  Not so soon.  If there were problems later, they could figure out how to get a specialist involved.

After the stitches were in and the hand bandaged, Caliban took the bloody towel she had previously had her hand wrapped in.  He had an idea on how to keep Mircea from suspecting anything, at least for a while.  Once Adira was seen in public with him, there might be some talk that they would have to deal with; but for the short term it would be a solution.  Her wedding rings from Mircea were still up in his bedroom.  By putting her blood all over them and returning them to him, it would hopefully confirm somewhat in his mind that she was indeed dead.  Then with having her secluded with him at his cabin for a while, where he could even work remotely, there would be time away to let everything settle within the society he ran in.  Hopefully that would give her a bit more of a sense of security as well.

Once the medic had left, Caliban sat quietly with Adira waiting for Theron to arrive with a car to take her up to the main mansion.  He figured the delay was that Theron and Lars were talking outside, and possibly others that had witnessed the shooting.  No doubt Theron wanted to know how things could have gone so sideways so quickly, a question that  he had himself.  Once Adira was back up at the house and resting, Caliban was going to start demanding answers and someone better have some; or there was going to be hell to pay that would make Mircea Kalavati look merciful.  

Finally Theron appeared, looking a bit drawn and frustrated.  It was clear that whatever he had found out was not good.   “Why don’t I take Adira back up to the mansion so she can rest while you handle things down here, Caliban?”  While Theron was concerned about the woman, it was Caliban he was fully focussed on.  He wouldn’t say more, not with her sitting there.  Caliban was not a stupid man, he would have to figure it out.  “Theron?” Adira was the one that spoke, looking between the two men.  “I…I…��  Now both men were looking only at her.  She was trying to find words, but was failing, she was still so scared.  She didn’t want to go with Theron, even if she trusted him.  “No.”  Her head shook as her voice came out shaky and quiet.  “Caliban can take me up.  I want him with me.” She was now looking at the floor and fighting not to completely collapse over the weight of all that happened.  She was holding Caliban’s hand and her grip on it tightened, feeling like it was a lifeline to sanity.   

Caliban pulled her to him and cradled her head on his shoulder, before Adira had even finished speaking.  Someone was going to pay for what had gone on, more than just the dead guard outside.  There had been more than one failure that got it to this point.  Softly he kissed her head as his hand gently soothed her back as she softly began to sob against the side of his neck.  His eyes closed, he hated not being able to do anything to soothe her, to make everything that had transpired that morning disappear from her memory.  

Theron looked between the couple on the couch, he too was not a stupid man.  “Of course, Adira.  I’m sorry for thinking you would have no problem otherwise.  I did not mean to upset you.”  Things were about to be very bad, he could tell from the way Caliban was caring for her.  Already both of them were accepting her into their lives in her new role, and that meant that whoever threatened her would face a severe  retribution..  “He is going to need to come back down here at some point, unfortunately.  The men need to talk to him.  Who do you want to stay with you at the mansion, once you are settled?  I promise that we are not going to leave you up there alone.” He was treading much more carefully now.  His voice was warm and understanding, realizing that he might not fully know all that had happened.  He was not going to ask either.

“I..I..I don’t know.”  Adira said around choked sobs, her arms now around Caliban tightening as she clung to him.  “Can anyone keep me safe from Mircea?” Her eyes closed and she pressed against Caliban; he was the only one that she truly believed and trusted could.

“Theron, why don’t you stay with her and I’ll send up two more guards when I leave.”  Caliban again kissed her head.  “Theron will stay in the room with you and the others will be right outside the room.  You need to rest and I need to find out what happened to lead to this.  We’ll get you settled first and comfortable.”  His hand gently ran over her hair in a soothing manner.  Keeping her calm was his top priority at the moment. “Mircea is not going to get to you. I’ll kill him first, do you understand me?”  Caliban’s tone was soft and comforting for someone who had just promised death to her ex-husband. “No one hurts what’s mine.”  His arms tightened around her as his eyes met Theron’s.  The expression on Caliban’s face did not match his comforting tone, instead it was one of intense fury. It was one Theron knew, and knew well.  It was one that the men outside had best fear.

“Ok.”  It was said so softly that neither Theron nor Caliban were sure that they had heard it, but her nod reinforced that Adira had said something.

[tiredassmage]

I LIVED, BITCHES. Okay, let's see if I can run down my thoughts. SWTOR 7.3 thoughts, under a cut.

Yelling and related screenshots ahead!

Rivix, what the fuck are you playing at? Whore. Bitch. I don't fucking trust you. Asshole. This sly little fuck and his smug-ass face. God.

Kick his fuckin ASS Tau. Oh god oh no Oh fuck [kazoo noises]

THERON, DON'T LEAVE ME WITH HIM ALONE AGAIN THERONNNNNNN [WHINES PATHETICALLY AS THE CUTSCENE ENDS AND MY BOY IS DISMISSED FOR COMPANION TRADE OUT] oh god not both of them not Rivix AND Oggurobb someone is trying to kill Tyr today.

lmaooo why the FUCK is it floating so HIGH

Sa'har and Ri'kan's facial animations seem... better this patch. Slightly less staring into dead space, my soul, etc. Good for them.

THERON SHAN LOVERS REJOICE THEY FUCKING REMEMBERED HE EXISTED. THERON FLIRTS!!! THERON FLIRTS IN FRONT OF LANA!!! TYR STAY WINNING!!!!!

Shitheads flirt in the middle of an important mission brief and Lana makes exasperated noises, more at 11.

I was literally just chomping at the bit with a mut last night about Tyr's dynamic with Shae, I am SO GLAD I could rep some of that in game. [Two local bloodhounds have different bones and get into a pissing contest about it]

Malgus you bitch I hate seeing you I hate being here I hate this I hate it I hate it I hate it but at least. At least Tyr's not alone in thinking Shae's maybe getting a bit hotheaded and ahead of herself, but like that MALGUS of all people is the one sharing that concern god he fuckin' HATES it here when can he fuckin LEAVE

Anyway, Cipher Nine being hot again, (again) more at 11

WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST TO FIND OUT TORIAN MISSION???? Brb almost in tears. That was really sweet. And tied into a later point, I love... pc actually sitting and conversing with companions this patch? Like normal friends? So incredibly incredibly human and all really really touching stuff and I'm going feral about the running theme this patch about outrunning the past or overcoming it and being more, being different, but destiny- aNYWAY I'm getting ahead of myself and also my bias for my own OC is showing again in interpretation

I. love. what we learned about Darth Null. Shoveling this into my face like I'm horking down spoonfuls of soup. [I NEED her lightsaber pray for my wallet, friends]

The chat with Arcann was... really nice. And oh my god PC's puppy face. This felt really needed. It adds a lot more to what felt so cut short and rushed through from KOTXX.

This did so so much for me for real fOR REAL.

Voss daily section is really good until it's really long. The bonus mission for doing 4 tasks DOES give you a 'chievo but GOD at what cost I was starting to lose my marbles.

Anyway it's fuckin' gorgeous scenery. I love the abundance of waterfalls.

The initial 'unlocks' of the actual dailies themselves are relatively involved though. Not necessarily a bad thing, but ough. A bit much for me to chew off like I did, at least.

Shrine of Silence does not count for that, btw. Didn't expect it to based on how they pitched it as separate from the crit path, but I really wanted to run it anyway. It was fun! I have NO fucking clue what happened in the last half of the boss fight but I only died once the whole run because I missed one of the many holes in the floor and went right through it lmaooooo. So no actual mech deaths. On story mode ofc bc it is me and my beau against this silly silly little world. MVP Theron + Droid fighting possessed bitches that got yeeted under the floor for me while Tyr just looks hot

Good job, boys!!! You got this!!!!

I know there's mixed feelings about the vague prophecy bullshit, but I will continue to eat that shit up. Tyr disagrees, he's so fucking tired of being everyone's solution god let this man rest but!!! Put that pretty bitch in SITUATIONS.

Overall, Dot-approved update. I shall remain intrigued to see how all of these threads are going to come together.

[imperial-topaz2003]

Some OT3 ramblings

Artek and Theron's relationship was a 'first time' for both of them. Theron, it was his first time with another man, which ties into my "Theron is bi, leaning towards women" sexuality headcanon. Haven't decided if he's had casual sex with men before or not, but in my headcanon, Artek was the first man that Theron got serious with. For Artek, it was his first time being genuinely in love with someone (he'd been with Ranna and Kira before, but that was more him thinking with the other head lol).

Artek actually did have a brief fling with Kira in Chapter 1 of the Knight storyline. They were pretty playful and flirtatious with each other, but Artek did promise to Orgus he wouldn't be romantically involved with anyone anymore, after he revealed his relationship with Ranna. It really ate him up inside, especially after Orgus died. That caused him to break off their relationship and keep it platonic. It wasn't until KOTXX where they realized just how much they missed each other and eventually got back together.

Haven't fleshed it out yet, but Kira and Theron did start working together a bit during KOTFE's timeskip. Both of them were able to bond over shared experiences and how much they missed Artek. While they might've thought about getting together, nothing came of it until Artek came back into the picture.

Artek is the tallest of the three (tho with Theron, it's only by like an inch or two), and the most muscular (he's more just ripped or 'average' rather than full on beefy). He's capable of carrying both Kira and Theron, sometimes both at the same time, and they absolutely love it. There's also quite a bit of muscle play involved when they get frisky.

Each of them has a favorite PDA type. Artek really loves giving Kira and Theron hugs from behind or massaging their shoulders. Theron just really loves hand holding both his partners at the same time. Kira most commonly gives her boyfriends kisses on the cheek.

Their sleeping situation is...a bit of a pain. It does not matter what position Artek falls asleep in. Eventually, he's gonna end up completely sprawled out over someone and waking him up is borderline impossible. Theron is a big blanket hog himself, so you better hope it's not too cold. And Kira stays up way too late. You're lucky if she hits the sack by 3 AM.

[dirthara-dalen]

Time for some updated lore for Ligastar! It's going to be under a read more as it got way longer than i had originally intended lol. my thoughts are also under the cut.

I really enjoyed the patch but i have to say I'm not super surprised in regards to what Shae did. I do wish the quests on Hutta with the rebelling slaves had been done differently considering its not a dailies zone. The Ri'kan boss fight also kinda...glitched on me which resulted in me running around after he jumped into the machines shield trying to figure out wtf i was supposed to be doing.

All in all it was a good patch btw broadsword? Maybe warn us ahead of time when you decided to change a va -.-

Now for Ligastar's updated lore

He and my agent Vilkas are in a poly romance that begins in between act 1 & 2

He was under the emperor's mind control for like a minute before breaking free but ultimately chose to submit.

He was trained by the station's sith overseer for a few months then went to Korriban to complete the trials. Upon completing the trials he is named a sith lord and goes by Lord Frey Xeno.

He takes an apprentice, a cathar inquisitor named Raz’lim

Upon returning to Tython he does not rejoin the order. He only returns to ensure nothing happens to Cain who impersonated him in order to warn the jedi

After the end of act 3 Ligastar decides to follow his own path in life. Due to Darth Marr covering up his involvement in the emperor's murder he can still traverse sith space freely.

Also at the end of act 3 he locates the Ebon Hawke in a ship junkyard. He buys it and ends up spending years restoring it by using the knowledge granted to him by jeeta.

He does not take part in the attacks against Korriban and Tython during SOR. However, he is brought in by Vilkas and Theron to assist with Manaan and Rakatta prime.

During the whole Ziost storyline Ligastar is actively working to save Cain from being possessed.

in Kofte he is the one who ends up in carbonite with Valkorion in his head. Cain helps found the alliance on the condition that Ligastar be his co-commander once he is found and freed.

Post kofte/kotet he originally agrees to ally with the republic but overtime he begins to pull the alliance away. 

He only helps Shae for the sake of his son Levi who became part of clan ordo during the five years he was imprisoned. The whole heta thing starts to annoy him greatly.

The events on Ruhnuk cause his relationship with Shae to become further strained. 

Realizing just how obsessed Shae is with Heta results in him leaving her out of official meeting despite being allies as he believes heta is her problem not his.

The events of 7.4 make him realize just how incompetent Shae really is. As a result he denies her any access to his spies, to his networks and Malgus.

When shae goes missing and forces her mess onto Ligastar he is enraged. He flat out tells Jekiah that if she does anything to threaten the alliance or the ones he loves then their little alliance is over.

After successfully retrieving Nul’s holocron he makes it damn clear to the Jedi they will never touch it and that the alliance is no longer part of the republic. The holocron stayed in the Starwing family for centuries. The only other person to study it being Ligastar’s descendant, Lee Starwing.

After learning what Shae had done, he breaks off the alliance he once had with the mando’s citing that any who are still loyal to Shae need to gtfo or be killed. Those loyal to jekiah can remain. He also swears to kill Shae the next time he sees her.

Ligastar lays the ground work for an order of the grey based on the force enclave but never puts his plans into practice. Roughly 3,000yr later his descendant Lee starwing puts his original plans to use although slightly modified in 19 bby following order 66.

[fancyfade]

I got into DC recently and latched onto Talia like a baby duckling. Like even before I fully understood her as a character I was ready to fight for her honor, which is when ran into your blog on her tag.

The Talia brainrot has been really rotting my brain SO you got anything Talia related? Arcs you wish were explored. If you were put in charge of a Talia run what would it be? Outfits you saw, or made up, that you think she would rock? Do you know any other blogs that are normal (as in they know Talia's OG characterization) about Talia? HCs? Your bio says you like Star Wars, so what Star Wars character do you think she would be friends with? (I think she would be friends with Satine Kryze) Who do you think she would despise? Do you think she would be a Jedi? If so what era do you think she would thrive in? What's her favorite Shakespeare play? Do you think she would have a favorite quote from him? (I think it would be Beatrice's "I will eat his heart in the marketplace" from Much Ado. Beatrice's relationship with Hero is so personal to me and I definitely think that's the type of cousin/ older sister Talia would be). Something DC brought up once about Talia, but you think it should be explored more (WHO IS AMALA DC??? WHAT IS HER FRIENDSHIP WITH TALIA TELL ME MORE).

Oh most importantly: How do you deal with comics that completely screw her up? I'm reading Tomasi's Batman and Robin and GOD I barely get through the beginning of Vol 2, and I know there are comics that do worse with her. So I know I can't just drop comics that do a nasty job with her because then I should just quit Batfam comics in general and try some other fam and I have NO idea where to start with that and ugh.

Just anything about Talia.

Also, I know I typed a lot and if you don't want to answer some of them that is 100% fine! Or if you want to answer them in parts across different posts. I just need more with her.

hmmm so talia arcs i would like to see

well probably b/c i am just re-reading lexcorp, but i would like a more satisfying end to president lex stuff and lexcorp talia. I feel like he just kind of grabs the idiot ball, unless I am remembering the end to this saga wrong. like IIRC it was due to him being stupid in batman/superman and not any of the people trying to take him down... which is SUCH a shame b/c a story of talia teaming up with the superman characters and helping them take down lex could be so interesting. like. we saw talia feed calvin carson info to get him to go to the press about lex. we saw clark go undercover* to try to find some dirt on lex after lex covered up his crimes. lois got a lot of dirt on lex he conveniently made disappear about his involvement in OWAW . i want to see this all come together in a satisfying way!!

for star wars, I think Satele Shan (from SWTOR era) interacting with Talia could be very cool! both in I just think both characters are neat, but also for some interesting mother son parallelisms and contrasts. Talia initially wants Damian but then realizes she has to give him up to avoid him being raised in the league and to protect him from his parents possibly dying on him, Satele I don't think we see a ton of reason why she gives up Theron, but in general I viewed her as a character who did not want to be a mother, and she knew that she couldn't be theron's mother while still fulfilling all her obligations to the Jedi and fighting the sith, and that's OK (Fandom hates this). I think seeing them interact and team up to stop a bigger threat could be cool.

Also would be cool: To see Talia interacting with Imperial Agent's crew (again SWTOR :P). Talia in her lexcorp era often feels very much like she'd fit in with the vibes they are going for in that story, which is that no one really trusts anyone completely, or in many cases at all. A lot of her time in Lexcorp she has no allies and has to play all her cards very close to her chest as she's dealing w/ very dangerous people. especially if you go with defector-imperial agent (who defects in chapter 2 to... that guy who's name i forget since it's been a very long time since I played swtor IA. ardun?). B/c my understanding of defector IA (I've never played it b/c Aereinys is too mad to consider it, even tho she also hates the empire at that point) would, being a double agent appearing to work for the empire and having to pull off missions successfully for them to stay useful, routinely work against people who otherwise would be on her side, while working for people she finds morally repugnant.

For Jedi stuff I think Talia would want to be one of those chill nerdy Jedi who meditate and study. But if we go with her in canon plotlines a Jedi Shadow would work well :P

I don't read much shakespeare so I can't say much for what her favorite Shakespeare play would be. if we're going w/ Talia + literature appreciation, I can see her liking Hombre Pequeñito (link) which is admittedly a short poem and not a play but :P

For dealing with comics that completely screw her up: I honestly just write my own headcanon stuff and that's my canon now. It is helped a little by the fact that new 52 created a big break in my mental continuity, b/c they messed up so many characters I care about (Babs, Cass, Jaime), so all of DC from 2011 til now is very much "I do what I want". So there is stuff to re-write but less stuff.

I got my own fanfic (link) for how pre-Morrison Talia can meet Damian, and that's what I hang my mental canons on for them.

I do know that people who are reading Ram V's TEC run say it's got pretty good Talia, I haven't read it yet but hopefully they're getting her back on the right track.

for other blogs that are good about talia u might find some in my talia al ghul tag (link)... there are a lot of good blogs tho. @brucetalias, @immortaldino, @fluffykitty149, and @arellas are often who I think of for the Talia fans!

*for like 1 issue ;_;

[cinlat]

Blood in the Breeze: Ch 16 (Into the Void)

Parts one and two of this series linked.

Read every chapter on FFN or Ao3.

Summary: Fynta and Aric still have some things to work through. Verin offers some brotherly advice (and violence). And the council, once again, regrets every decision that led them to where they are.

Chapter Word Count: 3,402 Chapter Rating: T Characters in Chapter: Fynta Wolfe, Aric Jorgan, Theron Shan, Zolah Holran, Lana Beniko, Shillet Jorgan, Verin Ejnar-Wolfe

Author’s Note: Whole chapter under the cut. Better formatting on Ao3.

  The Thunderclap   Leaving Nathema

 Aric glared at the gleaming box on the edge of his desk. Strange that such a menacing device could look so innocuous when Aric picked it up. He didn’t know why he’d pilfered the holocron, or what he planned to do with it, only that it felt important. An idea niggled at the back of Aric’s mind, roosting there until it could reach maturity.

 “Did you hear me?” Aric leaned back in a desk chair that might as well have a permanent impression of his ass. Shillet waited on the other side of his comm, black eyes glaring into the camera. He saw the accusation. Aric had interrupted whatever she’d been working on, but couldn’t be bothered to keep his attention on the conversation he’d started.

 Scooping the datacron into a drawer, Aric gave his daughter an apologetic nod. “Sorry, kiddo, what was that?”

 The teenager in question rolled her eyes, then went back to painting her toenails. Shillet had grown into a woman overnight, filling out in ways that made Aric uncomfortable with so many young men on the base. She’d also taken to wearing makeup and doing things like painting her nails. Not for the first time, Jorgan wondered if there was a boy involved, but he was too much of a coward to ask. Maybe he’d comm Elara to see if she knew anything.

 “I said ‘how did it go?’” Shillet leaned forward to blow on the wet paint. “You weren’t out of contact as long as I expected.”

 Was that disappointment that Aric heard in his daughter’s voice? “Missed the target,” his gaze slid towards the drawer, “made some interesting discoveries, though.”

 “That’s good, then, right?” Shillet screwed the cap on and fanned one hand over her feet. “It’s better than nothing, at least.”

 Aric started to answer that he didn’t know. That he might have found a weapon or a shield, but wasn’t sure which way to wield it or who to tell. Fynta had wanted to blow the thing up, so she probably wouldn’t approve of him removing it from the vault. All Aric knew was that it was important.  

 “And I’ve lost you again.” Shillet sighed.

 “I’m still here,” Aric grumbled, then sat straight when the door to their room opened and Fynta swept in. “So is Fynta.”

The woman waved, then tapped the side of her head to let Aric know that she was on another call. She’d been in near continuous contact with Odessen discussing what had been discovered on Nathema. Everything from Vaylin’s tortured childhood and the strange absence of the Force, to the world shaking dread that came with realizing that Vaylin’s full potential had been unlocked.

 “We need those numbers, Theron.” Fynta ended the call, then learned over with a grin. “You look nice. Any particular reason?”

 Jorgan clenched his jaw to keep from growling and tried to be invisible for fear that Shillet wouldn’t answer if he drew attention to himself. Shillet flushed a deeper shade of green, and Jorgan saw red. He didn’t need this added stress on top of everything else and contemplated finding a reason to ground the girl until he got home. He’d      definitely     need to speak to Elara.

 Fynta slid into Jorgan’s lap, looping one arm around his neck while he sorted through the boys Shillet’s age on base. “How was the movie?”

 “It was fine, stupid actually.” Shillet crossed the room to put her supplies away, calling out to the comm she’d left behind. “I thought I might help unload the ships. A bunch of kids work there on the weekends for school passes.”

     What’s his name,    lingered at the back of Jorgan’s throat, but Fynta answered instead. “Take Tranx and Zula. Those two have been going stir crazy.” Fynta’s smirk turned devious. “I think Torian does some maintenance there too.”

 “Torian,” Jorgan heard himself say before he could stop it. A sense of relief washed over him at the knowledge that Shillet’s crush was on a man who would never take advantage of her. Not to mention, the Mandalorian chief was head over heels for Fynta’s pet Jedi. Once more, Jorgan was struck by the startling realization that he trusted Mandalorians with his most precious people than anyone else.

 Fynta carried on without acknowledging Jorgan, but Shillet dropped her head enough that a couple of tendrils fell across her face. “Listen, if it’s a boy’s attention you’re after, you’ve got to show them that you’re serious.” Fynta nudged Jorgan with a grin. “Blow something up.”

 Jorgan stood, dropping Fynta onto the floor from her perch on his thighs. She laughed, and Shillet did her best to hide a smile. Jorgan ignored them both. “On that note, please don’t take dating advice from Fynta.” He avoided any mention of motherhood. Neither woman took the insinuation well, and he didn’t want to upset the comfortable rhythm that they’d found.

 Fynta cupped her hands to her mouth, amplifying her voice while still sitting on the floor. “It worked on your father.”

 “Okay.” Shillet dragged the word out and leaned forward. “I’m going to go eat dinner. See you when you get home.”

 The call ended, and Fynta met Jorgan’s glare with a bright smile. “What? She knows that I was kidding.”

 “Does she?” Jorgan held out one hand, pulling Fynta upright with a grunt. “What if she believed you?”

 “It was a joke, Riduur.” Fynta patted Jorgan’s cheek and stepped away. “She’s practically an adult,      and    you and Elara raised her well. Give the girl some breathing room.”

 Jorgan clenched his fists and followed, looming so that Fynta knew that he was serious. “She’s thirteen, that’s not an adult.”

 “It is by my standards.” Fynta turned to open one of the drawers and began counting ammo magazines.

 Jorgan hadn’t intended to lash out, but before he understood his own actions, his fingers were wrapped around Fynta’s bicep, and she stared wide-eyed into his face. “Shillet isn’t Mandalorian.”

 Jorgan knew the growled words hurt. He wanted to regret them, but he couldn’t. Still, he should have chosen a better way to say them. “Fynta—”

 “You’re right,” Fynta interrupted, placing her hand over his. Jorgan’s fingers loosened under the unspoken threat. He hadn’t gripped her hard, but Fynta wouldn’t tolerate being handled in such a manner, nor should she.

 Lifting his hands, Jorgan let go of his wife and stepped away. “I’m sorry.”

 “I will never push anything you are uncomfortable with.” Fynta touched Jorgan’s cheek again, but it was fleeting. “She’s      your     daughter.” And like that, the familial moment shattered.

 Fynta put space between them, and Jorgan didn’t feel right about closing it yet. With a sigh, he plopped onto the bed and ran a hand over his head.  “I don’t want to fuck this up anymore than I already have.” He chanced a glance at Fynta, waiting until she met his eyes. “Any of it.”

 Fynta dropped the magazine she’d checked back into the box, then knelt in front of Jorgan. “You and I, we’re always good.” She pressed a quick kiss to Jorgan’s lips. “And, Shillet is a great kid.”

 Again, Fynta pulled away before Jorgan could reply. Her nails scraped over his scalp as she headed for the door, towards her escape. “I’m going to check on Verin, he took a nasty knock to the head. See you in a bit.”

 “I’ll be here,” Jorgan answered, but his wife was already gone. With a snarl, Jorgan flopped onto the bed and glared at the ceiling. With everything he cared for close by, why did Jorgan still feel like his world was falling apart?

The Thunderclap En Route to Odessen Conference Room    “How about a drink, Fyn’ika?” Verin pressed his palms into the table across from where Fynta stared through a holomap. She was parsecs away, lost in a way he’d seen before. She blinked, focusing on him through whatever thoughts occupied her attention. Verin flashed a crooked grin and lifted a couple of dark bottles. “Come on, vod’ika. I smuggled in some netra’gal.”

 “Why didn’t you tell me that on the way      to    fighting the voidspawn?” Fynta leaned across the table to snatch one of the Mandalorian specialties and twisted the top off by brute force. “I could use a decent drink about now.”

 Spinning around one of the deck mounted chairs, Verin straddled the seat and watched his sister. “So, are you going to tell me what’s really going on, or do I have to drag it out of Jorgan?”

 Fynta lowered her drink and rubbed her eyes. “The old bastard is talking again.” She tapped her temple. “He’s scared of Vaylin, and was      not     happy about our trip to Nathema. And, I’ve got this headache from hell thanks to all of the Force suppression stuff. I can only imagine how Lana feels.”

 Verin propped his elbows on the chair back and settled in to let his sister talk herself in circles. Fynta didn’t disappoint. She spun her bottle in a lazy circle on the table. “I’d hoped that Arcann would join us, but he’s not confident in his ability to resist Nathema’s pull. Probably a good thing now that I’ve been there.” Without warning, Fynta thumped her head against the table. “And, Aric’s mad at me again.”

 “Why now?” Verin asked, taking another sip. He let the sweet liquid warm him from the inside, steeling his nerves for the tough conversation to come.

 “Mostly because I’m osik around kids.” Fynta gestured around the room without lifting her face from the table. Her words were muffled against the false wood polish. “It’s one of the rare moments when we can’t see eye to eye on anything.”

 “I’ve been meaning to ask how that was going?” Verin expected some hiccups while Fynta tried to find her place in Shillet’s life, but the pushback from Aric surprised him. Verin supposed some things couldn’t span the gaps between their cultures. That had never been a problem for them because they hadn’t planned on having children. The galaxy had a way of turning people’s plans inside out. Verin knew that better than most.

 When Fynta looked up, it was with a violent shake of her head. “No, we’re not doing that.” She chugged the netra’gal, then smacked her lips. “New topic.”

 “Okay.” Verin took a drink, dragging the silence out to let the annoyance drain from Fynta before continuing. “What’s happened since Darvannis?” She’d had the coveted lust for life then. She fought and loved and laughed. Perhaps she still did, but it sounded hollow.

 Fynta shrank into herself, knees curling against her chest and chin propped on them like when she was just a skinny kid. “You gave me Cinlat’s haalas gaid, armor that she lived and died in. Of everything learned from her time among Mandalorians, that was the only part that she truly loved.” Fynta offered a wry smile and tipped her head in Verin’s direction. “Apart from you.” The old sting of loss surfaced, but time had dulled the effect.

 Verin didn’t interrupt. He could see that Fynta was building to her point, but had taken the long way around. Letting out a breath, Fynta plopped her chin back on her knees and hugged them closer. Once again the little girl from that night so long ago when it became just the two of them against the galaxy.

 “I’m not Mando’ade anymore, Verin.” The words felt like a blow to his stomach. He wanted to argue or snort in disagreement, but made himself stay silent. If he spoke too soon, she’d shut down.

 “I’ve been thinking about it,” Fynta continued. “The Resol’nare is as close to a religion as we have. How many do I follow? Speaking the language, sure. Wearing the armor, I am now thanks to your gift. I’m bred to fight, but I won’t answer the call of the Mand’alor.” Fynta snorted. “Shab, she answers mine. And Shillet...I can’t force that decision on her. Not when her father is Cathar.”

 Verin nodded. “Have you two discussed it? Shillet, I mean.”

 Shaking her head, Fynta seemed to remember the beer in her hands and drained half the bottle in one pull. Sighing, she smacked her lips. “We’ve tiptoed around it, but Aric being her father doesn’t make me the girl’s mother. She’s got Elara for that. The woman raised that child. I’m...a friend. Shillet respects my authority and no longer believes that I’m a danger to Aric’s happiness, but it’s different.”

 Fynta shrugged, then drained the rest of the bottle. “I’m not a Republic soldier, not a Mandalorian, not a mother. What am I?”

 “You’ve forgotten the spirit of mandokarla. Life fluctuates, and we evolve. Are the ones who are forced into the ba'slan shev'la less Mando’ade than the ones who remain in society?”

 “No, but—” Fynta’s eyes narrowed when Verin snapped his fingers.

 Leaning back, Verin laced them behind his head and grinned. “You’re overthinking it. It’s not always all or nothing. We work with what we’re given.”

 Fynta sighed. “Yeah.” Verin leaned forward and smacked her on the back of the head. She snarled a curse while rubbing it. “What the hell?”

 “Enough pity. Time to get back into life, Fyn’ika.” Verin dodged her response with a laugh. “You’ve got a husband and a daughter. Whatever happens with them is up to you, but it won’t turn out well if you don’t get back into it.”

 Fynta snorted and muttered an insult under her breath, but her eyes weren’t dull anymore. She stood and checked her wrist chrono. “Shab, I’ve got another meeting. Thanks for the drink, ori’vod.” Verin nodded, lifting his bottle in salute while she headed towards the door. Fynta stopped, speaking without looking back. “Hang around for a bit, if you can.”

 “I get to sleep through the night here,” Verin chuckled and made a show of settling into the cushions, legs kicked out and feet on the table. “I’m not giving that up without a fight.”

 Odessen        War Room

 Images of broken tanks and derelict walls floated in the center of the table. The conference room was full to bursting, with senior members in the chairs while those who came in later positioned themselves around the walls. Fynta stood towards the back, having seen Nathema in person. Murmurs drifted through the air, but she had heard it all before.

 “The question now is what to do with this information.” Lana waved a hand, pausing the holo on the image of destruction left by Vaylin’s escape.

 “Is it relevant?” Zolah asked. The woman had her menagerie of men surrounding her, each wearing a furrowed brow specific to them. When every eye turned on the Chiss spy, she gestured at the image. “Whatever power that place had over Vaylin is broken. Does this information serve as anything beyond telling us that she is not only psychotic, but no longer leashed?”

 More murmurs. Fynta had theories, but she wasn’t ready to share them. Aric stood stiffly at her side, his fingers flexing around an invisible object. Fynta would need to look into whatever was troubling the Cathar later. For the moment, she counted down the time her presence was required before it would be rude to slip away.

 “You’ve been ignoring me.” Valkorion stood at Fynta’s side, startling a curse from her. The old Sith smiled in his demure way and nodded at the image. “Did you learn anything of…value?”

 For whatever reason, Valkorion had been unable to follow Fynta into the vault that protected her small party from Vaylin’s wrath. It had left her chilled, as if the ghost of Valkorion was a separate heat source instead of cold death. Fynta had learned plenty in those sprawling catacombs, and none of it surprised her.

 “Only that you’re as bad of a father as you are a benevolent ruler.” Fynta folded her arms and refused to look at him.

 Valkorion sighed while the meeting carried on around Fynta. She was surprised that the old bastard hadn’t stopped time again. “Vaylin needed to be controlled.”

 “She was your kid,” Fynta snapped. “As far as childhoods go, that was one of the shittiest I’ve ever seen., and I’ve seen some bad ones”

 “You aren’t considering a charity case, I hope.” It took Fynta a few seconds to realize that Lana’s barb was directed at her. When she glanced to her right, Valkorion was gone.

 Instead of trying to explain that Fynta hadn’t been talking to the collected group, she rolled with it. “Of course not. Mad dogs need to be put down.” Lana gave a quick jerk of her head, but Fynta wasn’t done. “Let’s keep in mind that this is a child who never grew up. Valkorion kept her chained in agony for years. It’s no wonder she went insane. Whatever our course of action, let’s make it quick and as clean as possible.” With that, Fynta pushed away from the wall and walked out. She was done with meetings and talking circles around a problem that none of them knew how to deal with.

 As expected, Aric fell into step at Fynta’s side. “You feeling sorry for her?”

 Fynta lifted a shoulder. “There’s not a lot standing in between Vaylin and any one of us ending up just like her. A push in the right direction, and we all go feral.”

 “Not everyone.” Aric bumped Fynta’s shoulder, and she forced a smile so that he’d know she appreciated his faith in her. Valkorion hummed in the recesses of Fynta’s mind. It felt like a fly buzzing around her head, the melody too quiet to pick out, but she      knew     it was there.

 Shillet waited at the door when Fynta and Aric got home. The smell of food hit Fynta’s stomach like a punch, but it was Aric who voiced their mingled surprise. “What’s all this?”

 “Dinner,” Shillet answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. Which, Fynta supposed it was. The Nautolan girl skipped to the table where an assortment of meats and vegetables that didn’t normally go together waited. She offered a wide, sharp grin. “These are the only things that I know how to make.”

 “It looks good,” Aric laughed while ruffling the girl’s head tresses. Fynta made a mental note to teach her a few Mandalorian staples to sneak into her father’s meals.

 The night carried on in companionable conversation. Fynta finally let herself relax long enough to invite Cormac, Tayl, and Elara over for a few drinks. The kids vanished into Shillet’s room, leaving the adults sitting around the table like old times. Fynta heaved a steadying breath and told herself that Vaylin could wait until tomorrow. Tonight was for family.

[amarcia]

there's something very similar to what you described in your ideal jedi romance story in the old EU with the character satele shan who's a jedi (eventually grandmaster) who gave up her son theron except that they don't have any relationship and theron's father (a soldier satele had a brief romance with during a war) doesn't know he exists because she never told him she got pregnant. sorry to bother but it just instantly reminded me of it. you might already be familiar with it too

Oh, I know Theron he is that guy who everyone expected to become a grand jedi like his mother but he wasn't force sensitive at all, right? That's so tragic I love it.

Something about many reationships involving a jedi ending up on some kind of bad note is so fascinating to me. Don't date jedi it's bad luck.

[sealeneee]

I know you’re working on the other ask but I had some more questions.

What is Doc/Katona’s love language? How does Katona respond to Doc’s nicknames of “beautiful” and “gorgeous”? Does she have specific ways she likes to be touched or talked to? Is she taller than Doc and if so, how does he feel about that?

And for Katona and Theron: what is their friendship like? What sort of things do they get up to? Does Doc ever get involved or is it purely Katona and Theron who hang out? What is Katona’s favorite and least favorite things about Doc and Theron?

this turned out quite long so i'm putting it under readmore jkhfakjfg

i think katona is more of a gift giver -- she'd buy or make anything that reminded her of her husband, while doc is more of an acts of service and quality time guy. physical touch is a thing for both of them.

at first katona find the nicknames a bit annoying, but starts to like them pretty quickly. she may not exactly share his views on her looks -- "i look fine, but nothing outstanding. aside from, you know, the veins and glowing eyes" is something she'd say -- but she appreciates it nonetheless. it's something nice amidst whatever disaster is happening at the time. makes her smile every time.

as for ways of being talked to, i think she prefers a casual, humorous banter kind of talk. unless we're talking about sex, in which case she has a praise kink.

touch is a bit hard to answer, but i think she likes having her hair braided/played with, and having doc's hand on her waist is one of her favorite ways of physical contact, alongside hugs and putting one's head on their partner's shoulder.

and oh YEAH she's taller. she's like 6'8, while i see doc as average or below average height. something like 5'9? having him shorter would be fun (not in a demeaning way though. he's just a little guy. stealing @rubensmuse's text here)

but would be too much of a height difference. so he's about average in my canon

i'd say he was just surprised at first -- not every day you see anyone, let alone a human, over two meters tall -- but quickly got used to it. he likes it, it suits katona's personality and skills in his opinion, makes him feel defended when she's nearby. she could snap him in half and he loves it and also knows that she wouldn't.

now for theron. i think they really bonded during kotfe/et, when they had to closely work together and got to know each other better. chaotic adhd siblings. i think most of their shenanigans either happen when theron asks katona to help him on whatever job he has to do, which can be a lot of things, from recovering intel to getting new allies or assets. we all know how theron operates, and katona isn't afraid of doing some insane bullshit either. also i think there is a lot of grabbing food and talking shit about everyone and everything. don't think doc joins on their bullshit too often, most times it's only if several alliance people are involved. group bullshit, if you will.

have i answered favorite things about doc? i think i have. poke me if i haven't. as for theron, i think what draws katona to him most is the similar chaotic vibe they have and the opportunity to bond over their weird relationship with the jedi order.

as for the disliked qualities, i think doc's vanity can get on her nerves sometimes. another thing that just clashes with her personality is his immense desire to help people even if it puts themselves in danger. sorry imperials on balmorra yall are getting stabbed. nevertheless she saves his ass on dromund kaas instead of moving to attack the emperor right away. that's because she's a little hypocritical. as a treat.

i think the latter is also a point of conflict with theron -- he is, despite his chaotic nature, a very goodhearted character, while she has... interesting morals. if it's not beneficial to her or isn't explicitly a part of her task it's very likely she'll stall doing the objective to help someone, i.e. the reactor on zakuul. there is no time to waste, she's super confused and fresh out of carbonite, and she didn't even cause the damn explosion! not her job. master surro gets killed as a weird way of showing mercy. and so on.

she also never lets him forget the """""betrayal""""" and especially the dumb haircut he got. the spy shenanigans greatly annoy her, and the hair was just ugly.

[sullustangin]

Double-size chapter (two birthdays in this one!)

Rating: M

Quick Quote:

By the end of Theron’s repair job, he’d heard her message countless times, and he knew who Miel Muwn had been because he’d searched on the Holonet through a subroutine.  He placed him the timeline of Eva’s life --

 “We’ve gone through a lot, including being shot, kidnapped, saving the galaxy together.  And … even if it would involve being shot again, but not too badly….”

Theron sat back on his heels just in time to see Eva flirt with him, physically and verbally.  “I’d do it again.  With you.  Because…”   

Then came the shyness and the caution.

 “Because…you know.”

He knew.

“You should know.  I just can’t say it because I’m terrified you’ll run at the very idea that –”

Theron nodded.  “You were right.”

He stared at the now-repaired comm unit.  He’d even got it to set properly on Athene’s wristband without flopping over.  The back with its engraving needed to be fixed, but Theron was able to gently reach over and switch it on.

Connection …

Connection …

 “You know why I’d do it all again.” 

“Yeah.”  Theron watched as the device tried, one more time, to reach –

Connection: secured. 

Welcome home to Virtue’s Thief, Captain.

[greyssketchbook]

Based on an old sketch about a very silly Discord discussion with @storyknitter, that started with her joking about Theron being an undercover electrician planting spy devices in someone's home, and then somehow literal plants got involved.

(aka -- I just wanted to try out a new lineart techinque, but didn't want to bother sketching anything new so I just resurrected this. Art talk under the cut)

I finished watching an open tab I had forgotten about for several months on some quick and dirty line art tips in which you use the border effect inside of Clip Studio to quickly block out shapes and create line art. Wanting to try it out on something, and not in the mood to sketch, I went and found this extremely silly sketch I did on Discord a few months back. Like this sketch, I didn't spend really want to spend too much time in making things super pretty, just wanted to see how quickly I could finish.

Conclusion: I like it! Need to mess around with the anti-aliasing settings a bit more so that when removing the white color and converting the lines to vector (mostly because i wanted some latitude to adjust the line width) it doesn't get quite so crunchy and jagged. Something you can see along the lines around the "flower". If you're using Clip Studio Paint and want a new line art method, worth giving it an experiment.