#Thesa

[psiionic]

none of you will ever understand the importance of kankri and mituna saying the exact same thing to me. YOULL NEVER UNDERSTAND IT

[mangorumpuscandyfactory]

Junelezen 28-Family

Family wasn't defined by who birthed him. Family was not cold-eyes and absent warmth, by blithe profiteers off of of a young child's indignity and shame. Family wasn't the ones who had shown him that the only thing in life worth relying on was oneself.

They had found him a dead man on the other side of the world, and placed themself between him and a sure end. They were the ones who had welcomed him even has he healed from wounds that would never truly mend. Family was here, now. And never had it felt realer than this.

(Credit to @venusbeautyshock again for the wonderful work getting all our characters together!)

[sihdiel]

sihd/o

[kennamchugh]

"Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse" Based on a Hit Song

The # 1 worldwide hit song by Michael Martin Murphey inspired Wildfire. It’s that tale of the Cherokee ghost horse and a young girl coming to terms with a guilty conscience. Directed by Eric Parkinson, Wildfire tells a story of redemption and forgiveness as a young girl deals with her guilt following the tragic death of her parents. With the family facing financial ruin, the survivors move from…

[hamatoredraphael]

Sol: I have maximum care for you as well. I unfortunately can't guarantee my safety. I will miss you, and please tell Lee and Tello that I will miss them as well.

// @askrisedonnie THE "I LOVE YOU LITTLE BRO" MADE ME TEAR UP SO I HOPE YOU KNOW SOL IS HARDCORE SOBBING OBER THAT//

Raphela: i will

Raphela: plerse be careful

Raphela: please

Raphela: even if you camt promise me youll bre safe

Raphela: promuse me youll be careful.

[kairoswouldnever]

thinking about my poor nb inquisitor whose playthrough is taking me way too long to finish... not because i don't love them, it's just that DAI's replayability can go only yay far :')

[zelda7999]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AKREADY SAW RHGUS ON DISCORD BUT ICANNOT BE NORMALA BOUT IT AT ALL SDLKJFHASDLKJHFJLSK

Accidentally Undercover - Happy New Year <3

Just want to say thank you to all of you, you've made this year so much fun and so incredibly memorizing for me, I haven't been this motivated to share my ideas in ages, if ever - not to mention the sheer inspiration I get from so many incredible people in this fandom. I love this space and I am so very happy I was welcomed so warmly. Here's to another year full of shared enjoyment for all of us <3

And also have some kiss close-ups hehe:

[ailishmaurafiction]

Escaping the dungeon is their clear goal, but first Thesa (the ex-paladin Witch) and her girlfriend? lover? domme? demoness will need to cross through a floor with an out-of-place theme: Candy! Will they make it through in tact or are they going to need a trip to the dentist when this is all done?

The next chapter of Paladin to Witch is the highest production value yet!

3 new monsters with art by Botjira!

A map I made in Dungeon Scrawl!

And the start of some silly nonsense!

Goes live: Tuesday, December 17 @ 11:00am PDT

Story summary and publishing details under the cut:

Indebted to the very demoness she was sent to kill, Thesa questions everything she’s ever known, bonds with the sexy [High Devil] Merijest, and practices her interpersonal skills. Can she help Merijest rebuild her army before it's too late?

Includes:

- Slow-ish burn GL romance

- [System]-lite LitRPG about two characters accustomed to life in a video-gamey world

- Steamy tension (no explicit sex scenes, mostly implications and tension)

- A reverse dungeon-crawl from the bottom of a kaiju-sized mimic

- An ex-Paladin trying her best not to stare at a casually nude demoness

- Weird monsters from the mind of a maniac author

- Very infrequent curse words. I counted 8 times in the first volume (45k+ words).

- Religious trauma. This one is especially going to appeal to the Catholic and Ex-Catholic girlies out there. Nobody does angst like we do, babey! (Nothing inside is strictly allegorical of any religion, but the sensibilities are definitely informed by a Catholic milieu.)

Updates Tuesdays at 11:00am PDT

Chapters hover around 1-2k words each

Cover and monster art by botjira

[jagalart]

❤️ Valentine comm for Thesa and Ma'ara <3 Thank you again!

[aquamonstra]

So I'm on my second Veilguard run and went to pick up Lucanis last night, and something occurred to me...

WHY THE HELL IS THERE LITERALLY NO INFORMATION ON THE OSSUARY???

There's this HUGE MAGICAL UNDERWATER COMPLEX CLOSE ENOUGH TO ACCESS BY MAGE-WITH-A-ROW BOAT FROM TREVISO, and we've just not only never heard of it before, but THERE IS LITERALLY ZERO INFORMATION GIVEN ABOUT IT IN THE GAME???

There's no location info, no history, and any of the codex entries or texts you find there only person to the current Venatori activity???

I feel like I recall someone mentioning it was of ancient Elven build, but if so it was just quick passing banter.

WHY ! DID ! THIS ! PLACE ! GET ! NO ! EXPLANATION ????

Like I'm not even talking as a Dragon Age fan here. I am talking as an Aquaman/Atlantis obsessed, the Gungans were my favorite SW alien, amphibious peoples/species are my #1 thing, ALL THINGS UNDERWATER DEVOTEE here.

Thesas lore and history aside, the Ossuary is HUGE and COMPLETELY ENCASED IN A MAGICAL BARRIER TO HOLD BACK THE WATER. Who the fuck built this and why?? Was it originally a prison? Or did whatever Crow that rediscovered it decide to make it that and fuckin WHY??

Why the hell would you make SUCH AN INCREDIBLY COOL LOCATION and then just handwave it away as "underwater prison, whatever" AND NEVER REVISIT OR MENTION IT AGAIN??? That's not just lazy writing, that's a HUGE disservice to the artists/devs who designed it! WHAT THE FUCK BIOWARE???

Like I know so many people are mad about so many things in this game but fuck it this is going to be my banner I carry in to battle. I WANT ANSWERS ON THE OSSUARY YOU COWARDS. GIVE ME MY MAGICAL UNDERWATER PALACE.

[plantiszour]

Date Night 💓

Mai and Malcolm took the time and went on a date at the club in Willow Creek their Hometown. They fall for eachother everyday more. I'm jealous...

(Thesa baby stayed home with Granny ;p)

[alackofghosts]

got tagged by tumblr user @fourteenthz (loved reading about thesa, by the way <3)! thank you very much!

— B A S I C S

name: lil guy i'm very shy, don't worry about it

nicknames: none based on his name, as it's quite short already, but will also respond to a fond and/or slightly exasperated "hero"

age: 33 as of 6.55

nameday: 27th sun of the 4th umbral moon

race: rava viera

gender: cis man

orientation: gay

profession: adventurer

— P H Y S I C A L     A S P E C T

hair: black, naturally wavy, very thick and soft

eyes: dark brown

skin: warm brown, freckles easily, especially his face

tattoos: none

scars: burn scar on his left shoulder from his fight with ifrit, another burn on his right thigh from nidhogg. a few other scrapes here and there. notable lack of any significant scarring from shb and beyond, because that's how i see astrologian healing working - he feels particularly strange about not having a scar from his fight with zenos in endwalker

— F A M I L Y

parents: he has not been back to his home village, for obvious reasons, so doesn't know - but assumes - his mother is still alive and well; never met his biological dad. but because he showed signs of. however the viera would call/conceptualise the inner beast, one of the women called in a favour with a wood warder who was also a warrior, to take him under his wing to train. said wood warder, however, was wholly at a loss what to do with a child, having never taken in a ward before and decided to seek out an old friend, who had since left the forest. ...long story short, he ends up being raised by an all-viera dalmascan resistance cell, who end up packing up and leaving with him in tow after almost being rooted out by garlean forces. he views most of them as Parental Figures and loves them dearly, even if some of them have scattered into the winds after he left to become an adventurer

siblings: he isn't aware of any biological siblings, but the village took a very communal approach to raising kids, so at the time he definitely felt like the other kids were his siblings, regardless of any blood relations. one of the men in the resistance cell was a 'mere' 30 or so years older than him, so he also counts more as a sibling than anything else in his eyes

grandparents: he has definitely met his maternal grandmother, but as with his mother, he's not been back home and doesn't know if she is still alive (but in all likelihood: yes)

in laws and other: THE TWINS. putting an exact name to what alisaie and alphinaud mean to him would honestly not be Good or Close Enough, but they are absolutely like family to him and a reason to keep on going. he also has a very sibling-like relationship with lyse, who is always ready and willing to match his energy, tag along for workouts and tease the hell out of him

pets: he befriends an amaro hatchling at the crystarium during shadowbringers and during a later visit, her handler notes that she's been looking glum without him around. he loves animals, but his living situation has been far too chaotic after becoming an adventurer to accommodate an animal (that isn't his chocobo, who, at least, is much easier to house) and hasn't felt particularly inclined to change that. but after endwalker, he finds himself actually wanting to change that and has the time to do it... so, with a little bit of help from feo ul, he has a little amaro friend with him now

— S K I L L S

abilities: war + drk + pld and all that that entails. skilled and formidable fighter, good at navigating/strategising through a fight on the fly, quick study (as far as fighting is concerned, anyway)

hobbies: working out (especially running and swimming), hiking, he's been learning to enjoy fishing after endwalker

— T R A I T S

most positive traits: protective, caring, insatiable lust for life

most negative traits: too willing to let other people do the talking for him, impulsive, stubborn

— L I K E S

colours: warm red, gold, the bright green of sunlight filtering through leaves

smells: fresh earth, cinnamon, a meadow in early summer, the savoury smell of the stew one of his dads used to make

textures: soft grass under bare feet, tree bark, skin on skin, the scratch of ardbert's beard

drinks: water, pineapple juice, lemonade

— O T H E R    D E T A I L S

smokes: no

drinks: only socially, and even then it's fairly rare. he did drink a little more often as a baby adventurer, mostly because he simply had more opportunities to do so: mingling was useful and it wasn't uncommon to have a rowdy bar night to celebrate a job well done. he is a bit of a lightweight and tends to withdraw when tipsy/drunk, so he actually has more fun when sober

drugs: also no (unless we're counting medicine for this. he won't be refusing painkillers if he's in pain etc.)

mount issuance: his beloved chocobo, who he dotes on very much, especially because it was something of a dream to have when he was just a baby adventurer - he could not have afforded to buy or maintain one at the time

been arrested: he's got in trouble for those rowdy bar nights - he's not the type to start a fight, but if someone were to pick a fight with him or his friends, by gods, he will be finishing it. no serious jail time, more like being hauled off with everyone else involved to sober up until morning, though

[kellerankept]

Day 19: Food

It wasn’t as often these days that the Free Company had the time for meet ups, and that made meals like these especially important. Even less times to meet up with family.

So when there was a chance to do both and a dinner to boot? The Ul’dahnians would have adored a two for one deal.

Credit to @venusbeautyshock for my FAVORITE shot of the year! Through her magic power, we managed to get every Oc in Ael’s current story all in one place!

From left to right, we have

Temlum Bayquad, retired dominatrix, red mage and Ael’s not-Mom, @venusbeautyshock ‘s character! A certain Doman heir to the throne and his appreciation for Xaela culture has caught her eye…

Kristoff Rockwell, @brokenpocketwatch ‘s good gunbreaking boy and local Lominsan Melwyb/Runar simp

Rhan Kelleran, in the back being the moody stalker-now-adopted-brother a la a stray cat and Ael’s rival for title of Best Brother. Paired duo with Vern.

Thesa Kelleran, adopted sister, battle dancer and technically the reason why Ael’s alive to tell his tale at all. Starting to dance more and more often for a foppy little Ishgardian fellow with a penchant for ballroom dance…

Vern Stinar, back in the back with Rhan, one of the bow hunters who found Aelaeis and the best (if strictest) older sister a group could unofficially adopt. Paired duo with Rhan (and third wheel Rusk).

Samina Olson, a high level Scholar, daughter of a Pirate Queen, and powerhouse who is nearly mythical in the guild itself.

R’hixa Grimm, an accomplished bard and Fangs Brightclaw’s sister, joint paramour to a certain stinky dragoon and de-crystalized kitty.

Fangs Brightclaw, a white mage (by doctor’s orders) and accomplished Ul’dahnian Trading Board mogul whose guild, Triad, accepted Aelaeis and his crew with open arms. Has the ear—and the hand—of a certain beautiful blue Elezen man.

Rusk Atoel, a gadfly and huntress who was among the hunting party to first find Ael all that time ago, funny girl to Vern’s straight man. 🏳️‍⚧️

T’ahlin Ven, another adopted sibling who shares in Aelaeis’ past—and his lack of memory about that past. A Dark Knight with a HORRID sense of direction and a sweet spot for a certain dashing rogue-turned-DILF.

This is Triad, Ael’s Free Company and family. And he wouldn’t trade them for the world.

[lancedoncrimsonwings]

Augusnippets Day 18

Path of Whumperless Whump + Comfort Prompt; "Infection" + "Singing" + "Feverish Caretaking" Part 3

Day 18 of @augusnippets August 2024 Whump writing challenge! (Augusnippets Masterlist)

Characters;

- POV/Caretaker: Gawain - The Green Knight

- Lancelot - The Weeping Monk

(Character Masterlist)

(Ao3 Link)

Wordcount; 752

TWs; feverish caretaking, infection, fever.

Continuation of Day 5 & Day 9

Gawain hummed softly as he tied off the last bandage across Lancelot's back, the source of his fever evident from the troublesome infection raging within several of the lashings there. For the last three days, Lancelot had lain here, battling, Gawain ever at his side.

The fever had yet to break, but Gawain knew it in his heart that it must soon; either Lancelot would succumb to this infection or he would defeat it, and the precipice of which would win out was fast approaching. Lancelot's body shuddered and quaked, the heat pouring off of him had long since caused Gawain to shed his tunic down to his undershirt and even then he still sweat profusely- though not nearly as much as Lancelot, who's drenched skin glinted in the candlelight.

"Come on, Ashman. Are you going to let a little fever beat you?"

Lancelot had fought far worse than this. And yet... Gawain couldn't help the fear that he'd been sick too long now, that it wasn't getting better. The lingering scent of sickness had grown more sinister as of the past day, now more akin to the scent of death, clinging to Lancelot like a malevolent cloud.

"I remember when Nimue was but a young girl," Gawain began, soaking the cloth again and perching on the bed next to him. "She had a fever for three days. 'Twas not long before I left Dewdenn, but I remember how she shook."

Lancelot trembled beneath his touch.

"Lenore would sing to Nimue, you know, as she slept," Gawain wiped Lancelot's brow, watching his heartbeat as it pounded furiously in his neck which alongside his ever laboured breathing had done naught but worsen over time.

"Told me that was a part of the healing, these songs. Lenore taught me them, though I suppose I've never had cause to try before..."

Gawain took a deep breath, willing the Fingers of Airimid to rise to the surface. They came willingly, swarming beneath his skin like they could feel what he was about to do. Carefully, Gawain splayed his hands over Lancelot's chest and shoulder, watching as a vine seemed to creep into Lancelot's skin, a golden leaf shimmering up over the Ashman's collarbone.

"Gang ût, nesso," The words were like invoking a distant memory as he closed his eyes and began to sing. "mid nigun nessiklînon..."

He could feel it like a steady drain of his own strength as the spell began to form. Undeterred, he sung;

"Gang ût, nesso, mid nigun nessiklînon,

Ût fana themo margę an that bên,

Fan themo bêne an that flêsg,

Ût fan themo flêsgke an thia hûd,

Ût fan thera hud an thesa strâla...

...Drohtin, uuerthe sô!"

Again did he sing the verses, over and over, until dawn had begun to break on what was now the start of the fourth day.

"Arawn uuerthe sô." Gawain whispered, falling silent, feeling the fingers of Airimid recede as they settled down once more beneath his skin. He opened his eyes to a wave of exhaustion that washed over him, quite remarkably tired now.

With a glance at Lancelot he could see those harsh lines of discomfort had faded away, his breathing was deep and calm, the vein still throbbed in his neck but his heartbeat had slowed too, strong and steady it beat.

It took Gawain a solid moment to realise what else had changed.

No longer did waves of heat radiate from the Ashman, like the rest of him, it had soothed.

His fever had finally broken.

"Thank Arawn..." Gawain whispered, half to himself, daring to try to stand from the bed now and finding his legs had turned to jelly as he quickly thumped back down into his chair.

"g-Gawain?"

Lancelot's voice was weary and hoarse, and his eyes were bloodshot as he blinked blearily up at him.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Gawain hummed, with an affectionate smile. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Lancelot grimaced, wiping his hand over his face and raising a wry eyebrow towards him.

"...no. No, I did not," came the fairly understandable reply.

"How are you feeling?" Gawain grabbed his own waterskin from the side, passing it over to the Ashman, who was attempting to sit up, Gawain aided him with a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"Ugh... Like I pissed off Goliath... and he stomped all over me." Lancelot replied, accepting the water with a grateful smile. He took a deep swig, throat bobbing as he swallowed.

"So, better, then?"

Lancelot chuckled lightly.

"A little."

I sorta ran out of time to edit this one down any further, whoops. What started off this morning as a 75 word idea spiralled quickly...

The song Gawain sings is called "Nesso" by Heilung;

The lyrics are taken from the words of an ancient healing spell from early Medieval Europe that was preserved by the clerics of the Church in a passage called "Contra Vermes" from the 9th Century! The spell itself was originally to draw sickness from a horse, but works well enough for this. Translation as follows;

"Go out worm, with your nine little ones, out from the marrow to the bone, from the bone to the flesh, out from the flesh to the skin, out from the skin (in)to this arrow, Lord make it so" and I added "Arawn make it so" after the Fey Deity Arawn. Thought I'd throw in a little nod back to Gawain and Nimue's relationship in the book and a few moments from the series into this one! Thanks for reading, onto the next!.

[selfmenticide]

this felt like a time long gone , before things went wrong , before dark was dark . a comfort that hadn’t been brought upon such weary bones and tired eyes in decades . cold fingers lace with warm , relishing in the feeling of his visages hugging close to his form so their ghostly touches could slide into the space his grey digits had created . dark had called the place around him his house , the endless void that was still in isolation , but it never truly felt like HOME until wilford was there .

in his presence , deok-su , the young man with a passion for creation and vibrancy shined . the void around him , while colorless all the same , blossomed with furniture and decorations as the dokkaebi pulled rose from what now appeared to be a front door ( as if deok-su had designed it so rose’s entry didn’t seem accidental ) . dark can’t remember the last time he’d walked and talked with someone and actually cared of what they had the said , perhaps when he was friends with — ? the sting of the past stabs like an ice pick through his nonexistent heart , swallowing the feeling down as tried to take his OWN advice and focus on the NOW .

black eyes look up at rose as he walks them towards the living room , a sincere smile on his face and a chuckle leaving him at the issues the dimension hopper had experienced with what dark could only imagine was an absolutely INSOLENT main character to be dealing with ( how was it that these many marks couldn’t EVER find someone proper to fit the jobs he needed filled ? ) . then , more apologies tumble from wilford’s lips in a fountain that has dark’s brows furrowing , lips pulling into a tight frown as he listened to each word the raven spoke . their feet stop in front of the couch , the dokkaebi slowly letting go of rose’s hand so he can stand before him and meeting with his gaze .

the final question do make him grin though , a glint of emotion shining in usually lifeless eyes . “ oh , my sweet rose . please , listen to my words . “ grey hands take tan , fingers not laced but grip solid . “ i’ve been completely fine , i always ensure to take as much care of myself as i can with all the tasks i must take on . furthermore , i hate nothing about you , understand that . nothing you do , none of the many intricacies that comprise you , none of the misfortunes that have happened or WILL happen . “ one hand reaches to hold the man’s forearm , slowly bringing the pair to sit . “ i want you to do what is best for you . if in my presence you find clarity and want to search , do that ; and rest easy knowing i will be here when you come back . “

he pulls his hand to gesture to the now blooming HOME , warmth radiating off the faux cold walls . “ THIS will be here , always . “ there is a finality to his words , yet not in the dreadful way they would hold to a stranger , instead a comforting certainty . “ i love you , rose . of everything you’ve done and said this time around , i am more relieved than anything to hear that your troublesome memory is treating you better . “ grey fingers raise to gently brush along his lover’s temple . “ and , if it makes you feel less ALONE i’ve found myself in much better spirits since we’ve met as well . “ black eyes lovingly look over rose’s features , giving his hand a squeeze before opening his arms to invite wilford in to catch up on his ‘ hotteok cuddle ‘ rations .

“ but , i will say , it does sound like the person that you had to watch over in that other dimension may have been more out of it than even YOU ; which , frankly , is a high bar . “ the dokkaebi chuckles , all jest behind his words .

[enkisstories]

Anakin will be fine!!!

A Star Wars drabble (~1100 words)

(You'll see why this is tagged "sequel trilogy" instead of "prequels" towards the last 200 words.)

The planet Tatooine, and there a junk dealer’s workshop.

A die tumbled over an improvised table, with four sentients - two humans, a gungan and a toydarian - watching it as intensely as owls ready to swoop in for the kill. For a moment it looked as if the die would stop displaying one of the five red faces, but then, almost as if reacting to a nudge by an invisible force, it tilted and came to land with the blue side up.

“Well, that settles this”, Qui Gon Jinn stated into the toydarian’s direction. “Hand over the kid and you’ll have seen the last of us.”

And while the workshop owner still grumbled, Qui Gon’s padawan already flashed one of a trio of children a wide smile and called out to him:

“Anakin, come here!”

“Huh?” Qui Gon turned around, clearly irritated. “Whoever said we’d take Anakin? I was talking… whatever his name was again. Kitten or something.”

Obi-wan furrowed his brows.

“Enlighten me regarding the wisdom of your decision, master?”

The sarcasm was dripping from Obi-wan’s mouth so intensely that for a moment Qui Gon could see the drops in front of his inner eye. With a sneer the older man replied that his student wasn’t ready for wisdom yet, when he failed at common sense already.

“There is no sense here, neither common nor noble nor anything in between… master”, the padawan insisted. “The plan was to free the little force sensitive from slavery. Now you say the plan has changed. Will you change it any further? Should I start to pray, maybe?”

“Depends. Are you going to talk back to me habitually? Then, yes.”

“But Anakin…”

Qui Gon inhaled sharply and then shouted on top of his lungs: “The brat will be fine!!!”

Now the third group member, the Gungan, turned his head.

“But Master Qui-Gon…!”

Qui Gon didn’t take his gaze off Obi-wan, acting as if breaking eye contact would constitute defeat.

“Look, for Jar Jar’s benefit I’m going into detail. Maybe dumbing the issue down to swamp-frog level will help you understand it.”

“Ribbit”, Jar Jar uttered, well aware that he shouldn’t find this as funny as he did.

“Anakin is super-gifted. At his age he is already an experienced mechanic and additionally can call upon the force”, Qui Gon Jinn recapped what they all knew. “He is therefore a valuable asset to his present and future owners, they will protect their investment. And even if things don’t work out so well, he can react to danger before it even occurs. As I said, Anakin will be fine. Kitten to the contrary is a run of the mill kid, the dime of the dozen. He has nothing going for him. As such he'll get used and discarded, maybe before he reaches adulthood. As the representatives of justice in the galaxy we’re obligated to take Ki…”

Qui Gon stretched out his hand. He moved his fingers as if to tickle the air and promptly a translucent datapad manifested in front of the man. After swiping twice, the Jedi master nodded and finished his sentence with “Kitster” before dismissing the datapad with a flick of his fingers.

“Kitster is the one in need of protection and guidance. Not Anakin.”

“This nosa how thesa game is played…” Jar Jar said.

“But that’s exactly how it is played!” Qui Gon insisted. “If you wanted a tactical challenge, we wouldn’t have to wear those helmets. We could sit around a Dejarik table right now. This game is about making decisions and dealing with the consequences.” With a side glance to his padawan, Qui Gon added: “Like the adults some of us pretend they are.”

Again Jar Jar spoke up: “Look, mesa is aware that some personal issues of yousa play into…”

The remark only served to make the Jedi master snap at him: “Leave my “personal issues” out, I’m warning you! Mouthy padawan gets a facefull of lightsaber now!”

Reaching for his lightsaber and turning to face the Jedi learner was the same movement.

“Or he can still back down. His choice.”

“The hell I will! Back OUT, more like it! You’re stir crazy, man!”

And with these words, Obi-wan Kenobi vanished from the scene.

Jar Jar shrugged in a “yousa should have seen this coming” manner.

Meanwhile Padme, the handmaiden, who had dozed through the negotiation, pushed herself up a little using her elbows. Still lying on the sand, she asked: “Are you done? Can we switch to a combat scene next?”

“Pfft”, Jar Jar spat. “Lord Overemotional here already turned the negotiation into one.”

“I’m don’t tolerate getting talked back”, Qui Gon hissed.

He blushed when he realized that his grammar made no sense, but Jar Jar had already picked up on it and grinned.

“Oh stuff a sock in it!” Qui Gon grumbled.

He raised his hands as if pull off an invisible helmet…

…and the next moment stood in the Steadfast’s officers’ gym, wearing a powder blue jumpsuit and holding a VR helmet in his hands. The face underneath that helmet turned out to be pale and crowned by a neatly coifed orange thatch. It wasn’t the face General Domaric Quinn – or “Jar Jar Binks” - had expected to see.

“Wait, what, YOU played Qui Gon Jinn?” he sputtered.

“Yes, of course. Between Ren and myself I’m the ol…”, General Hux started in irritation, then caught himself. “Wait, you didn’t know?”

“No!”

“And couldn’t tell either?”

“I saw one player getting carried away by their emotions and assumed that was Lord Ren.”

“Ah. Of course.” Hux nodded. “A reasonable presumption. Speaking off, where’s Ren gotten off to?”

“Where-ever we’ll find the boarding demolished by a lightsaber, that’s where Lord Ren will have passed by”, the third person in the room, Chief intelligence officer Tishra Kandia, stated.

Kandia had played the handmaiden, but had really been in the simulation to analyze the game that was becoming so popular in the New Republic firsthand.

“He’s going to put the damage on my tab”, Hux growled, but General Quinn shook his head.

“I wouldn’t be so certain. Ren seems to have passed you over to Pryde. I’m his primary red cloth nowadays.”

Hux’ fingers bore into the VR helmet, until he felt uncomfortably like Kylo Ren just for holding a helmet.

“The Sith filth thinks they can run the show, but it is ME who grew up with the First Order, who carried it and who will… Ah, forget it.”

Realizing that he was still had the prop that the system would recognize as a lightsaber inside the gameworld slung around his wrist, Hux put the helmet on a shelf and then removed the sling.

“The bringers of order and civilization”, he mused while putting the toy lightsaber away, too. “I’d have to lie would I claim that I didn’t identify with this role. But I see now why this game is outlawed in the First Order. It leads to all kinds of… disorder of the mind. Dejarik again next time!”