#cadet vanto

[netmors]

Night drop of sketches with Eli Vanto.

In addition to the canonical appearance, I sketched a version of the “commodore” from my Eleventh Fleet AU.

Because we need MORE bearded Eli'van'to, otherwise only Karyn with a cape :3

[gillymugs]

Alt versions

[contentment-of-cats]

Eli's timeline

Wookiepedia is jossing the timelines. They've removed Eli's previously canon birth year of 32BBY.

Thrawn born 59BBY

Eli Vanto born 32BBY

Thrawn joins the Empire 15BBY.

Eli sent to the Ascendancy @ 2BBY

Eli was a cadet about to graduate Myomar and be commissioned as an ensign at 17?!

[marroniere]

fic excerpt: Admiral Fantastic. Thranto, post-Ahsoka fix-it, FINISHED, chapter 33/33

The lights of Coruscant make Eli Vanto seem like the Royal Imperial cadet he once was, despite the greying hair, the wrinkles around his eyes, and the severity his features have acquired over the years.

“Eli,” Thrawn says. “Given our situation and Defense Force rules, I’d ask you to address this matter together while we are on Coruscant. Tomorrow morning, preferably. It is easier to do should we choose a lower levels marriage registry office—”

Eli licks his lips.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I am…” Thrawn has to think hard of a way to phrase this. “I would very much like you to become my husband.”

Another second of silence. Speeders fly past them, tailed by flocks of delivery droids. Eli and for a moment, Thrawn regrets his choice of a time and place for this conversation.

Then Eli starts laughing.

“Ar’alani will kill us,” he says, then, his voice full of quiet acceptance. “Of course it’s a yes from me. Now let’s go home already.”

[vibratingskull]

The Trial part 2 : Don't turn your back

Part1, 2, 3, 4

Thrawn x f!reader

The trial continues and everything go south when you fall for the enemy's strategy...

The morning temperature is suffocating. You didn’t do a thing and you already want to run naked to the lake.

You open the tent and crawl out grunting, what a way to start the day. You observe the landscape at your feet, you don't hear Thrawn coming behind you; You nearly jump out of your skin.

“Maker! Sir, please make a sound next time. You will kill someone one day!”

He doesn’t answer, instead fixing the tent squinting.

“This is not your tent?” He asks, sounding a bit lost.

“I slept with Eli last night.”

Cosblo whistle in your back. You roll your eyes.

“You're a dunce, Cosblo.”

“Each group needs one” He shoots without missing a beat, it takes a smile off your face.

You turn back to a Thrawn staring at you with brows frowned. You’re taken aback. What did you do to deserve the cold shoulder like that? You didn’t…

Oh

Oh no.

Did he notice you last night?

You’re frozen in place under his gaze, you wish the earth could swallow you right here and now.

But he just closes his eyes and passes you. You release your breath.

“I am not sure this is the correct circumstance for a display of such behaviors, but I understand stress gets the best of us.”

What? Did he just insinuate…

“What does that mean exactly?”

“That I hope your… relationship will not interfere with the mission.” He warns with a cool tone.

What is going on here?

Eli took this moment to appear.

“ ‘Morning everyone.” He yawns.

“Good morning, Casanova!” Cosblo high fives Eli who blinks in confusion while you spat out your caf. This is ridiculous!

Thrawn takes the floor before you could interject.

“Once you have eaten, we will continue north until we reach the cliff I found yesterday.”

“Shouldn't we head west?” Cosblo intervenes “We won’t cross a cliff but a plateau, like on the map.”

“Well observed cadet, but it would take us a day or more to walk up there. I suggest we go for the shorter road.”Since nobody objected, you all rolled with it. “And while I am at it: Vanto, (y/l/n)? This is the last time this happened.” Eli's still lost and looks at you in hope to have some explanation, on your hand you're out of your mind. What the hell? You bare your teeth but don't answer anything. Keep calm,J. C.,keep calm.

You swallow what’s supposed to be a breakfast and your protests, pack your stuff and on the road again. It takes you a solid hour to attain the said cliff and once here you're stopped by the breathtaking view of the region.

A wow escapes you as you try to take a better view of the panorama.

“I regret I don’t have my imager to take a picture.” You say.

“Interesting to hear.” Thrawn slides beside you.

“Yes, I take a lot of…” You stop mid sentence “I will never let you see my collection.”

“Why not?” He asks genuinely surprised.

“You will psychoanalyze me over my dead body.”

“I did not have ulterior motives.” He simply responds.

You shake your head as you approach the edge. A fall would be extremely brutal at this height, surely some broken bones and if you're unlucky a broken spine you estimate.

You walk back to the group who’s taking out the climbing gear.

“Who’s going first ?” Ask Eli, leaning slightly to the edge of the void.

“I will.” You decide.

You drop your pack off the cliff and take the rope and the grip to start your descent carefully, one step after the other, trying your best not looking down. The stone is sharp and scorching hot, slashing the palms of your hands. You clench your jaw and push down. You plant the grip and pass the rope through it, checking if it’s secure and continue down below. You breathe out counting in your head to forget the height below you until your feet touch the ground and you can breathe correctly once more. You wipe your sweat off of your forehead and signify to the group that they could come down too.

Cosblo goes first, you hold the rope letting it slide as he descends. It went smoothly, and he reached the ground without problems.

“I will signal the next one, survey the surroundings.” He tells you.

You take your gun off your back and observe the vicinity, concentrating on sounds and visual cues. An animal flees in the bosques with a rustling sound but you don’t locate anything else.

You hear a thud and a cry of pain.

You go back running and find Eli on the ground holding his leg with Cosblo kneeled next to him.

“What happened?!” You shout.

Eli grimaces in pain, unable to respond. Cosblo begins to give way to panic.

“I… I don’t know. I was holding the rope then something hit my head and…”

You can’t believe what you’re hearing.

“You dropped him?!” You fume.

Cosblo doesn't respond, looking everywhere frantically like a solution was under a random rock. Eli tries to spread his legs and lets out a whine of pain from his mouth. You kneel next to him to support him.

You knew you couldn’t trust this guy! He took it at the first occasion he got and now Eli is hurt with a cracked bone or worse. You feel rage growing in you.

Thrawn appears next to you out of fine air.

“What happened?” He asks way calmer than you.

“Cosblo dropped Eli!” You spit.

“Something hit my head!” He pleads.

“Bullshit!”

“Quiet, both of you!” Thrawn cuts off.

He helps Eli take off his boot to observe his leg, he wrinkles his nose as it’s already starting to swell. Eli winces as he manipulates his limb.

“He will need bacta treatment and perhaps a splint.” He diagnoses.

“What?” Eli is incredulous.

You look daggers at Cosblo who’s defeated, you don’t buy his little scheme even if he plays it well. You put your hand on Eli’s shoulder in a recomforting gesture.

“That’s your fault Jamwest!”

“I told you something hit me. Someone is here looking at us right this moment!” He says with a rock in his hand.

Thrawn raises his hand to shush everyone.

“Silence! What is done, is done. Now-”

He stops and fixes a point behind him. He quickly turns back.

“Help him on his feet.” He orders, “We need to move.”

You and Cosblo put your arms under Eli's shoulder and rise like one man. You follow Thrawn laboriously in the tall grass and bushes, adrenaline through your veins, until he stops with his fist in the air. He listens and points to a small cavern well hidden under the vegetation.

You crawl inside with Eli and Cosblo as Thrawn walks out the trail and starts climbing an enormous tree on the other side. You all wait in complete silence, barely daring to breathe, that something happens. Finally, after a minute, you can hear the sound of a little group emerging from where you come from.

“They went that way.” One whispers,“Let's go!”

You squint as a dispatched group appears behind the foliage, with great strides.They are five. The first one waves at the others to advance, their rifles in hand. They are clearly on the hunt.

One stops a little ahead of Thrawn, they are sandwiched between you. He flattens himself against the wood and points you as he takes out his gun. You frown, what does he mean?

“Are you sure you didn’t lose them? We can’t see them anymore.”

You suddenly remember you have the sniper rifle, you detach it off your bag and posture yourself. You will need to be quick, you don’t know what kind of sound it will produce.

You inhale and exhale several times, emptying your head and aim.

One loud clack echoes in the jungle and one person collapses. You don’t take the time to savor your victory and pass to the next. Alerted, they all stopped and regrouped with their weapons drowned, ready to shoot anything in sight. Impossible to have a clear shot with all this movement.

“They’re here! Regroup! Regroup!”

Back to back they form a circle to cover every possible direction, they well learned their lessons. You choose your next victim in this commotion and aim. She flashes red and collapses before you could pull the trigger, Thrawn was more rapid than you on this one.

“They are dispatched! Search!”

Thrawn takes a second one, but betrays his position by doing so.

“Up! They’re in the-” You shoot this one up. Silence!

The last one realizes he is alone and starts searching frantically, spinning again and again. You put him out of his misery with a well placed shoot in the chip. All his body turns red and he falls down silently.

You sigh with relief, not bad for a first encounter. You crawl back out and help Eli as Thrawn already starts to investigate their package without regard for one adversary whining right next to him.

“Bastards! You-”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up!” You shoot her in the chip too. She makes a strangled noise and blacks out.

“That was uncalled for…” Cosblo starts, supporting Eli.

“Shut the fuck up Jamwest Cosbblo.” You articulate every word. “You’re not in any position to comment on my behavior.” You slide the cannon of your rifle towards his chest. The ire you felt was far from down.

He stares at you wide-eyed, taken aback.

“I have found the cylinder.” Thrawn notes on a conversational tone.

You turn your head, approaching him, or rather moving away from Cosblo. He had already taken out the datapad to plug it.

“Is it the B team?” You ask over his shoulder.

“No, but I am curious about that data.” He starts to analyze.

It takes a minute once again and the results appear on the screen.

“So?” You try to unclench your jaw.

“It is just auto generated text and numbers.” He pouts. His shoulders seem to lower a bit.

“Perfect! Are we going?” You ask with a false enthusiasm.

You don’t wait for any answer and start walking straight forward.

A deeply irritating calm voice stops you on your tracks.

“Cadet (y/f/n), it is useless to go this fast. We have a wounded comrade on our arms.”

“I’m not a dead weight either.” Eli speaks, a bit annoyed.

You take a deep breath through your nose.

“Sure. How insensitive of me.”

And you go back.

The group walk in silence, safe for an occasional whine of pain from Eli and the encouraging words from Thrawn. You lead them with angry steps, well ahead, ruminating on what happened, playing the scene again and again. Imagining Cosblo letting go of the rope and letting Eli fall from this height. That bastard. You couldn't believe it, but here you are.

You try to calm down, but you know that once you started it, it takes you time to go down again. You hear Cosblo whispering to Eli.

“Your girlfriend has some serious anger issues, dude.” You swear you’re gonna punch this guy.

You choose a plateau covered by foliage to drop your bag and let Eli rest. They sat him down on a rock while you're circling aimlesslyl, trying to put your mind at ease. But to no avail. Everything gets on your nerves at this moment, the precarious situation, the pained expression of Cosblo, the whines of pain of Eli, the orders of Thrawn, the heat, the trial…

You need to isolate yourself.

To clear your mind.

You put your rifle on your back and start walking again in a random direction.

You hear Thrawn calling you back but you choose to ignore it, going deeper in the unfamiliar jungle. The more distant the better.

He calls you once more and you accelerate. What do you need to do to get one minute of tranquility?

You hear steps behind you, you start to run.

The steps go after you. You hear your name again.

You run without thinking right in front of you, blinded by anger and frustration. You hear them getting closer but you don’t slow down.

You reach a large clearing and you stop to catch your breath. The steps stop and you're greeted with an icy cold voice.

“Cadet (y/n) (y/l/n)!”

You frown. You’re in no mood to take the beat without shouting back.

“Sir, I assure you this is not the right time.”

“Cadet, you will come back to the camp right this instant.”

You turn to face him.

“No.”

“No?” He squints.

“No.” You insist

“I am your Lieutenant and you will follow my orders.” He detaches every single word.

This is the only language he understands, the hierarchy.

“Oh really? I thought we were comrades earlier?” You frown.

“This trial doesn’t erase the hierarchy.”

You snarl.

“We’ll see that. If I’m really insubordinate as you claim, then the instructor would surely have struck me down by now.”

It’s his turn to frown.

“Perhaps.” His voice is warmer but the menace is undoubtedly here. “But you’re making a mistake.”

He takes one step towards you like a predator, by reflex you draw your weapon. His eyes widened an instant but went back to his imperturbable mask of stoicism just as quick. You blink, torn between anger and a growing fear, but you muffle this last one. You’re really flirting with the red line.

“Cadet…” He warns “You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“If I’ve learned anything about you, it's that you like to play this game yourself.” You retort. “You wanna bet who’s gonna win this round?”

You draw your rifle closer to your face, aiming at his chest. He surely thinks you’re bluffing but you’re dead serious. You know you can be a real hazard when you’re pushed to your limit, that’s why you wanted some space to calm yourself in the first place but he doesn’t facilitate the task.

He takes one more step.

You shoot between his feet.

A loud clack rings in the clearing. Some birds fly away. You look at each other in silence. You feel yourself trembling with rage and tension.

He raises an open hand as an appeasing gesture.

“Cadet, let’s get back to the camp if you please.” The voice is soft but the tone is commanding.

You shake your head. You feel this weird tension from those three last months bubbling out to the surface and you’re afraid of the explosion.

“No. Listen, I just need some space to breathe, can you understand that?”

“I am afraid not, it would be playing in the hands of the adversary team.”

“The one we just beat?” You snigger.

“We may have just defeated them, but their initial plan is still unfolding at this very moment and it will be profitable to the others very soon.”

“What plan?” You’re losing patience.

“Creating dissension in the group by striking Cosblo.”

“Don’t tell me you believe this jackass?”

“I do.”

Once again you can’t believe what you’re hearing.

“I asked you to be a reasonable person, you remember? Eli is mature enough to not let it get to him, I trust you can do the same, cadet.” He is trying the diplomacy tactic now.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you but not at the moment! Taking the risk to repeat myself but I need-”

A clac rings in the clearing but none of you shooted.

You feel a burning sensation and compression on your side as you lower your gaze. You see red slowly spreading on your hip.

You’ve been hit.

You’ve been hit!

You freeze in disbelief, you don’t see Thrawn sprinting towards you and hitting you with all his weight.

“Dive!”

You hit the floor with such impact it forces the air out of your lungs. As you cough you hear people shouting and running towards you. You’ve got company!

But you don’t care. You barely register what’s happening.

You’ve been hit.

lt hurts.

There is so much red…

Blood.

You’re bleeding.

A breath gets caught in your throat as you go into panic. You’re bleeding!

“Bleeding… I’m bleeding!” You croak.

“Calm down cadet (y/l/n).” Thrawn’s voice barely reaches you.

“I’m bleeding! I’m bleeding!”

You go into a frenzy, crying and clawing at your wound. You will bleed to death if you don’t receive treatment, maybe the corvette won’t be fast enough.

“Everything is okay Cadet! You are in shock...”

“I’m bleeding! I’m gonna die!”

You start crying, scratching your face, drawing blood, screeching.

Suddenly a pair of strong hands seize your shoulder and shake you one rough time.

“Cadet (y/n)!”

You look at Thrawn wide eyed and mouth agape, impossible to make a single sound as they all get stuck in your throat. Thrawn’s looking at you, jaw clenched and brows frown with an intense stare. You feel a tear rolling down your cheek as you try to speak but just open your mouth slightly more.

Thrawn visibly relaxes and his tone soothes as you stop screaming.

“Everything is good cadet, you are not wounded.”

A hiccup escapes you as you start sobbing.

He sighs and his hands pass behind your neck, bringing your head to his chest. The rhythmic sound of a steady heart reaches you and lulls you.

You're frozen in place, unmoving, eyes wide open and silent under the warm body of Thrawn. Eyes fixed on a point away, you’re pressed against his chest where you can hear his steady heartbeat and your heart could sing if only you were fully aware of your surroundings and not terrified at the same time. You start contemplating on how you ended up in this position…

You can feel him cradling you gently.

“Everything is fine. Nothing can reach you here.” He murmurs.

You blink slowly, starting to come back to your senses, still shaking with sobs. You realize you’re not in the clearing anymore but on your knees in a dark cavern only illuminated by luminescent mushrooms. How did you get here?

You take a deep breath to stop the hiccup and you pull apart from one another, you nod as a thank you and get back on your feet.

“Where are we?” You ask with a shaky voice.

“We are in a cavern as you can see.” He responds. “I managed to drag us here while you were in shock.”

You nod. You look around but don’t manage to find any daylight. How deep are you?

“The other team…?” You begin.

“Will not be a problem for now, but we should refrain from retracing our steps back.”

He wedges his gun on his back and takes out his comlink.

“Cadet Vanto, can you hear me?”

Static noises ring to give place to a relieved voice.

“Thrawn? Thank maker, I tried to join you several times! Is (y/n) with you?”

“She is. We ran into an ambush.”

“You’re okay?”

“Everything is fine, we escaped them through a network of caverns. It will take us a day to get out, we will need to regroup. Can you see a tall reddish tree?”

“A tall red tree… Yes!”

“We will come and meet you there in one day. Do not stay where you are, they must certainly scavenge in your zone.”

“Understood. Over.”

He puts back his comlink and invites you to walk deeper in this cavern. He explains as you look uncertain.

“There is a web of caverns but they all lead to the outside. I have studied them on the datapad earlier, I can guide us through it.”

You’re not even surprised anymore.

You nod once again and he takes the lead in those sinuous ways.

You walk in silence. With the fallout of earlier all your fear and anger has dropped, you just feel a nagging fatigue but you focus on the present moment. You travel side by side, helping each other with the different obstacles. It is especially difficult with your locked suit that hinders your movements in addition to being painful. But you manage to walk past it and your progress is relatively uneventful.

At some point Thrawn stops.

“No need to go further for now. Resting would be best, we should go back for the first hours.”

Without some real choice you stop and head towards those shiny mushrooms.

“We should test it first for poisoning.” You hear behind you.

“Ha yesh’, thatch a goo’ ideach.” You respond, the mouth already full of those goodies.

Oops.

He looks at you and shakes his head with a tired expression.

“Forget what I said.”

You swallow, discreetly, and shoot a smile. It’s really sour. Guess you will know if they're poisonous soon enough.

You gather some woodish plants that are sneaking around the wall of the cave and Thrawn starts the fire with a good old method: two stones.

You sit and look at him through the flames, contemplating your situation. It upsets you, but you owe him excuses, to the whole team.

“Thrawn I…”

His flaming gaze darts on you, letting you know you have his attention despite is mute behavior. You swallow your pride.

“... I’m… sorry… for what happened.”

He remains silent, inviting you to continue with one gesture of the hand. He really wants you to go all the way, huh?

“I shouldn’t have run this way and left the team vulnerable, but I was in a bad headspace and did what I thought was the right course of action. In insight, it was a terrible idea.”

You manage to finish. He slowly nods.

“I hear what you say, and I thank you for honesty.” He murmurs. “Can I ask you where those bursts of anger come from?”

You frown at him.

“From what I have seen… and comprehend, I suspect them to be the symptom of ptsd for your case. I was wondering if you had the chance to talk about it to someone.” He says, thoughtfully.

“I…” You commence, gathering your thoughts, wondering if you wanted to share this story.

Your gaze travels through the interior of the cavern, ending once again on the eyes of Thrawn. You’re enthralled by them, getting the courage to continue.

“I hate when we let each other down because… because when I was a child I…” You gulp, eyes fixated on your fidgeting hands. “I saw… one of my cousins got slain by a rival family. And we weren’t there to help him. We were hiding in the bushes with some of my siblings and cousins and we saw him get shot in the head by them.” Your lips tremble, you fight back tears.

“You were a child, you could hardly do anything else other than hiding.” He says softly.

You nod.

“Yes, it was logical. The only logical thing for a child to do.” Your voice breaks. “Only he was fourteen. We should have… we should have gone get an adult.” You feel a tear traveling down your cheek. “Do something…”

You wipe the tears with the back of your hand.

“You must take me for a hypocrite,” You smile without joy ”I say I hate when people let each other down and I did it the first chance I got.”

“I think we all grief our own ways, your own manifested in an unfortunate way today.” He states pensively.

You don’t respond, relieved that he doesn’t bury you with reproaches yet.

You rub your hands and expose them to the fire. This cave is freezing cold.

You slide yourself way closer to Thrawn.

“If I may, it’s to warm up.” You smile timidly.

He doesn't respond, letting you bring yourself closer to his warmer body and the fire.

You clear your throat, desperate for a conversation subject.

“But… I suppose… I mean I guess, you also had some terrible ideas in the past?” You try, murmuring too.

His gaze travels from you to the fire, contemplating his thoughts.

“I did.”

“No really? I wasn’t serious, what kind of terrible ideas a tactical genius like you can have?” You laugh, your eyes still moist.

“My brother died because of one of my plans.” He whispers.

Your laugh dies immediately.

“We were fighting pirates, and he met his demise in the crash of his ship under my commandment.” He said, his gaze fixated on the fire like the face of his brother was in it.

You’re struck by lightning, don’t know what to say. So you remain silent.

“Sometimes I wonder what if I had done things differently, would he still be here?”

“That is the best way to go mad, trust me. I did the same thing.”

“I know,” he breathes, “But the mind wanders without reason or guidance…”

Your mouth is dry, what could you possibly say to alleviate his pain? You clear your throat.

“Don’t dwell on the past, you should just… Be grateful to have known your brother.”

This is surely the cheesiest response possible, but you don’t have better for now. Comforting is not one of your fortes, much to your regret.

He doesn’t answer, nodding pensively still fixated on the fire.

Silence settles again.

You try something to lighten the atmosphere.

“You wanna know a secret?”

He looks at you, head resting on his hand.

“Cosblo and I, well… We’re exes.”

He frowns, staring at you head to toe, visibly surprised.

“You didn’t expect this one, didn’t you?’

“I must admit, I did not.” He looks like he’s trying to digest the info or to glue back two incompatible pieces.

“Well, not a lot of people are aware of that. It’s a secret we share and hide from the rest of the galaxy.”

You really want to pry on his love life but it might wake up some pain, and you figure you both had your dose for the night.

You continue.

“It dates back to high school, he reminded me of one of my star crushes that I saw on the posters of the Empire. It ended the day I tried to introduce him to my family, they didn’t try too hard to present like… “respectable” people and he ran away. He has given me a bad reputation since.”

“Without passing judgment, you seem to be doing just fine now.”

You frown, what does he mean?

You recall this morning conversation.

“Oh, you mean with… Eli?”

He blinks affirmatively.

“No!” You laugh in embarrassment. “No, no. Eli is a sweet guy, but he’s… I am… He’s not my type.” You try to explain “He’s like my little bro’ at the Academy.”

He pouts.

“A pity.”

“You are judging now.” You warn.

“My apologies.”

You continue to discuss this way until late in the night, about everything and nothing. Or rather you’re the one talking, Thrawn only nods or answers with evasive sentences, you thought he was a bit bored but he was always reactive in the discussion, his attention fully on you. But the opening of vulnerability you saw earlier is clearly sealed. And like that you fall asleep next to one another, searching each other’s body for warmth now that the fire had extinguished, and in spite of your suit that makes every possible position uncomfortable and a bit painful.

At some point a little regular sound gets you out of sleep, you blink trying to remember where you are and realize you were sleeping on Thrawn’s shoulder, his head resting on yours. You move away carefully not to wake him up, and you actually take the time to detail his resting face. The last time you got to see him sleeping you were tempted to kiss him. You berate yourself at the thought of this childish display of want. Now that you take the time to think about it, you would want nothing more than to embrace him with all your might and him embracing you back with enthusiasm, to hear his heartbeat again and feel his hand caressing your hair softly. You still want to kiss him you confess, oh gods you do, but this wish subside in front of the desire to make one with him, one heartbeat.

You gently trace the contours of his cheek with your finger, dreaming your fantasies while admitting to yourself, finally, that you were falling in love.

The regular sound gets you back to reality and you realize it’s your comlink once again. You rise up on your feet and move away to another chamber for privacy. You open the transmission and a screeching sound with static assaults your ears. You flinch, it’s terribly disagreeable. But you can still hear a discordant voice in this cacophony, a voice that you guess is of one of your cousins in “the business”, but impossible to say which one. The audio is horrifyingly chopped, but you manage to take out some words.

“Hello?”

“... hear me…”

“What? I can barely hear you.”

“... careful… … new meat… market… … governing…”

And it cuts.

What?

You don’t understand.

You gather your thoughts, trying to make the most of it. Apparently there is a new “product” on the black market, but “new meat”? You don’t get it.

And why warn you? You’re no more part of the business of your family. It doesn’t make sense.

Lost in your thought you don’t hear Thrawn walking away from your hiding place. You decide you will have the mind clearer once in the morning and get back in the chamber where you left Thrawn. You found him in the same position as you left him. You smile interiorly, placing yourself back, your head on his shoulder. You deeply inhale his scent, and close your eyes.

The morning comes way too quickly to your taste, waking up is proven difficult and the prospect of breakfast with those mushrooms doesn’t help. You eat reluctantly and go back on the road soon after.

Once again you progress uneventfully. Until you found something at a turning point.

“What the…?” You start.

You open your eyes wide at the sight of a 74-Z speeder bike laying there.

“What is it doing here?”

“They mentioned vehicles if I recall. They must have scattered them through the region for the teams to find.” He supposes.

“Wonderful! We can join Eli and Jamwest way faster now!” You cheered, jumping right on the seat.

You work the gear but nothing happens.

“It doesn't work.” You lament disappointedly.

Thrawn kneels next to the speeder, eyeballing the transport.

“I see. It is a test to evaluate our mechanics abilities.”

You sigh, not another test. Can nothing work like it is supposed to just for once? You get off the speeder and kneel in front of Thrawn.

“Alright, so what do we got?”

“Hold this.”

It takes you two hours with bare hands to work on the bike, a lot of things were plugged and turned and your skin was pinched to blood more than once, but finally, after several fruitless tries you turn the gear and a rumble echoes between the stone walls of the cavern.

You can’t refrain from a cry of joy.

“Hell yeah! Give me five!”

But Thrawn just squints at you with a confused expression.

“Here, that’s how you do it!”

You take his arm and top his hand with yours with a broad smile. He looks at his hand with a raised eyebrow but doesn’t comment anything.

Sometimes humans really puzzle him.

He takes place in the driver seat and you take place behind him, a little disappointed to not drive, but you soon forget it as you get to take him in your arms. You press yourself gleefully against his broad back, your cheek resting against his warm body. His scent fills up your nose again, and you breathe it joyously.

He makes the motor roar.

“Hang on!”

No need to tell you twice.

You flinch as he starts the engine and picks up speed instantly. You see the walls pass before your eyes at high speed as you fly like the wind. The road is uneven and bumpy, forcing you to snuggle yourself against him tighter, it’s a good excuse and you take full advantage of it, feeling your heart beat faster against him. Flying like that makes you feel like you weigh like a feather and everything is lighter. You feel your ponytail flowing behind you, even your suit seems to less compress you.

Soon you can catch sight of sunshine.

The exit. Finally

You burst out of the cave at full speed, it takes off the ground and you yelp in surprise. You drift on the tall grass and almost plummet off the bike but you’re holding on.

His driving is clearly not the most agile you got to see but it does the job, you close your eyes as low branches come scratch your face. At this moment a shadow passes between the trees next to you. You blink. Did you really see that? You squint and focus. But you see noth- Here! It disappears as quickly it appeared, but you clearly see it this time!

“Thrawn!”

“I know. They are just behind us.”

You hear them more than you see them now, but you’re unmistakably followed by other bikers. You come out on a plateau without forest and three rivals appear behind you with the urge to fight. You gulp at their expressions, they are determined and seem prone to violence.

They’re riding a 74-Z similar to yours, at the difference that they’re faster. You clench your jaw as you realize that you’re technically a dead weight behind Thrawn and you slow him down considerably.

Despite that you feel him accelerate and start zigzagging between the trees and the boulders, they follow without too much difficulty, and get some terrain over you. You hear them laugh as they harass you.

“They are still following us!” You shout over the noise.

He tacks fully to the right, almost throwing you out off the bike, and rushes into a trench. You‘re taken off your seat for seconds until the hard landing, you bang your head against his back.

They’re right on you but are limited by the width of the trench at least.

You shot a glare behind you.

“Dive!” Thrawn warns.

You have just the time to hunch, you pass under a massive trunk. You feel the drought as it grazes your hair. The second pursuer didn’t see it tough and you hear a dull sound as he rushes into it at full speed. You feel for him on this one, he will be very lucky if he doesn’t have the jaw broken.

“Shit!” You hear his teammate swear.

The nice side effect is that his fall slowed down the third one dramatically, the less nice side effect is that the first one is still on your heels and she’s really, really angry now.

She extends her hand, trying to grasp your ponytail. You sweep it away with a large gesture of the arm, throwing both of you off balance. Thrawn rectifies the best he could, but the weight doesn’t help. You emerge from the trench into a plateau in a cacophony of noisy engines and bended sheets of metal.

“Come back here freak! I know you have it!” She screams.

Anger rises at this nickname, you suddenly really want to punch her in the face. Well, you can’t, but you just thought about something almost as satisfying.

“Keep a straight line and let her get closer.” You enjoin Thrawn.

He complies and you see her smile enlarging as she gets on you.

“You’re about to get what you truly deserve, blueface!” She yells.

She acts like she already won. Good, she will be less cautious. You wait for her to get next to you and in a smooth motion you pivot on your seat and jump off.

You land off behind her. You didn’t hit her with your knee as you wanted, but that’s okay. You pick up your gun from your back and slide it under her throat while she tries to maintain the balance of the vehicle, you violently bring your arms back and pull her off the controls, she lets a strangled noise escape her as she tries to ease the pressure on her throat. You spin and let her fall almost carelessly. You look at her rolling in the dirt with a satisfied grin.

You dive onward and take control of the handlebars before you collide with something.

“Two for the price of one!” You shout gleefully to Thrawn.

He nods and slows down at the limit where the jungle starts again, you both stop and look behind. Away you see the third one, stopped too, looking back at you like he is trying to make a decision. You give him a dark look, fully prepared to bring it on if he’s starting again. He stares at you both and turns, retracing his steps towards his fallen comrades.

You observe him pick up the girl when Thrawn speaks.

“It appears I have made a miscalculation.”

You turn back to him in surprise.

“I’m sorry?”

He reaches into his pocket and takes out the cylinders.

“I wanted to take care of it because I am confident in my abilities, but it appears in insight that as the odd one out, I am an obvious target.”

He holds out the cylinder to you. You look without understanding.

“They expect me to have it, we should contradict those expectations.”

You nod, taking the cylinder and putting it in your pocket.

“Let’s go.” Thrawn simply says.

You follow, with the engines at the bare minimum to minimize the noise and you travel for an hour in silence, until you finally see the red tree Thrawn talked about. At last.

Tree grants you shadows but, once again, the temperature is merciless. You raise your hand to shield your eyes and see Eli waving at you. He looks already in a better state than when you left him. You feel a pinch of guilt at his smile.

“What do you got there?” He asks.

“Two brand new 74-Z speeder bike.” You announce proudly.

“I can see that, but where do they come from?”

Thrawn explains to Eli all of the situation while you look over his shoulder. Cosblo stands slightly set back with a closed expression. You both cross-eyes. You offer a contrite smile. He nods.

“What happened (y/n)?” Eli finally asks.

You sigh and decide to put all your cards on the table.

“I needed some time alone to take stock of the situation and I put the team at risk by my sole selfishness. I want to say I’m sorry.”

Eli put his arm around your shoulder.

“And you’re pardoned. Don’t cause us another fright like that again.”

You laugh alongside one another.

“But tell me, you’re radiant. How’s your leg?”

He stretches it in front of you. It got a splint.

“Brand new like your bike! Jamwest did the splint.” They use each other’s name now?

“Did you know he got medical skills thanks to his mother who is an apothecary?”

Yeah, it reminds you of something.

“Now that you're here, we got good news.” Cosblo announces.

Everyone turns towards him.

“We’ve located the B team.”

@bluechiss

[sunflowerrex]

Eli Vanto and music (or at least when Thrawn notices)

I feel like Eli would be the kind to constantly be consuming or making music. On my drive home from work today I thought up a few examples of this- or at least the examples that thrawn notices

I know some of these are iffy cannonically, but just roll w it or scroll on :)

this is also my first time writing anything fic related, like literally ever so if you have any recommendations or tips pls let me know!! I also dont know if i should call this a drabble or ficlet or what it is so feel free to tag as you feel is right

(Bisexual! Eli, Thrawn is... jealous?, Yea hes def jealous, Eli is a fucken tease, Thrawn is bad with feelings, I will most definitely be writting more installments of this bc omg this is FUN)

CW: Alcohol, getting/being drunk, 18+ to be safe, clubs/bars

Minors DNI :)

First Time- Heads will Roll, Yeah Yeah Yeah's

Eli had more friends than Thrawn did at the academy, Thrawn knew this and Eli denied it. Eli enjoyed ocassionally going out with said other friends- particuarly on the weekends. While Thrawn had been in these sorts of scenes in the past, he didn't actively seek them out. Nevertheless, Eli- being Eli, manages to convince Thrawn out for a night.

It was mid-fall on the city planet, and the air was comfortably cool with a crisp breeze that would sweep through to cause a chill to run down the spine.

When Eli had dragged Thrawn out of their quarters, it was just past sundown and the world was painted in a blue glow- the kind that makes you slow down to take it all in.

Eli had dressed in a set of civilian clothes- slightly fitted blue jeans, chelsea boots, a short sleeve button up. This was unlike anything Thrawn had ever seen him in and he silently thought to himself that he looked good.

Entering the club, the atmospheric change was one that Thrawn could feel with every one of his senses.

The temperature became warm and fuzzy, loud music and chatter clouded the room, the smell of high-end fragrances and booze was heavy in the air. There were all sorts of species- none like Thrawn, of course- but the variety could allow him to blend in ever so slightly easier.

A pair of waving humans caugh Eli's attention, who grabbed the cuff of Thrawns sleeve to pull him through the crowd behind the tan skinned human.

The trio chattered while Thrawn continued to observe his surroundings, the way that the group of Twi'leks in the corner danced on each other, the bartender mixing fantastical looking beverages to serve to the seemingly intoxicated group next to them.

His eyes continued to scan over the dancing strangers, all huddled in close and moving to the beat of the-

"Thrawn".

Snapping back to the moment, Thrawn was meeted with a sickeningly sweet smile from Eli, and the curious eyes of the two that were known as "his friends".

It took only a few seconds for it to dawn onto Thrawn that he was being introduced. He quickly put up a polite smile, "pleasant to meet you both".

Eli's smile grew a little bigger.

Thrawn lifted the glass once again, taking down the amber liquid. Eli's friends lingered for about an hour before dissapearing on the dance floor, leaving Thrawn and Eli at the bar.

Not much had been said between the two in the 20 minutes they had been alone, excpet for Eli offering Thrawn different drink options. He settled on simply ordering two of anything he got, and Thrawn was silently grateful.

Eli placed his empty glass down on the counter with slightly more force than before, prompting Thrawn to look his way.

"My apologies if I have bored you, Cadet Vanto."

Eli responded with a tight lipped smile, too polite to say anything, especially since he had been the one to drag Thrawn out. He then flagged down the bartender, and soon after three small glasses of clear liquid were placed in front of the two.

One was pushed by Eli in front of Thrawn, the other two he dragged towards himself.

Picking up one of the glasses, he raised it up, brought it back down to tap the counter, and then took it in one go- his head tilting back.

He followed with the second one, and waited for Thrawn to follow suite.

After a few moments of Thrawn just looking at Eli, the later eventually got the memo and took the third shot down.

The music faded into a song higher in volume and intensity.

"Dripping with Alchemy, shiver stop shivvering"

With a quick smirk, a "wish me luck", Eli winked at Thrawn and made his way out towards the group of people. Thrawn watched with fascination at how he naviagted the large mass, eventually ending next to a young female twi'lek.

Thrawn sat with his hands folded on the counter, watching his aide and the stranger he had found.

"off off with your head, dance dance till youre dead"

Eli was positioned behind the twi'lek, skin pressed to skin as his top was now completely unbuttoned.

He ran his hands up and down the twi'lek, painting a masterpiece with his movements. Their hips pressed into each other and swayed with the grooves of the music.

Thrawn had always found his aide captivating, but never like, well like this. His movements were intoxicating, and Thrawn couldn't pry himself away from watching.

The twi'lek spun around, kissing Eli's neck, encouraging him to throw his head back, a small amount of sweat accumulating along his hairline.

Mouth slightly agape and smiling, his eyes closed. He continued to trace her body as she kissed up and down his neck.

As she moved away to spin back around to keep grinding against him- Eli opened his eyes to meet Thrawns, giving him a hazy, drunken smile before putting his attention back to his partner.

Thrawn left shortly after he witnessed this interaction of Eli and the twi'lek, with a strange feeling that he was unsure of. He wasn't sad, or upset, but it was something peculiar. He brushed it off on his walk back to their room.

When Eli didn't return until the next morning with purple marks scattered on his neck and chest, Thrawn determined that this feeling was an unpleasant one.

Second Time: Love it if we made it, The 1975

A few months after the Club Incident, Thrawn encountered Eli's music endevours a second time.

Thrawn followed a strict schedule- usually down to the minute. When he goes on his runs after his and Eli's workout sessions, Eli usually heads back to their room to do whatever.

Today though, Thrawn started to develop a headache shortly into the run and he decided to call it quits early.

Usually Eli has this 2ish hours to himself, where he can exist in his own space without any fear of judgement or questioning from his chiss roommate.

It usually starts with a shower to wash off the sweat.

When Thrawn entered their room unexpectedly early, he was met with an absense of Eli in the main area, the shower running, the refresher door open, and some decently loud music playing.

The music was familiar, as he had heard bits of it when Eli had his headphones up too high. This was different though- now he could hear all the words of the song.

"Start with misdemeanors and we'll make a business out of them

And we can find out the information access all the applications

That are hardening positions based on miscommunication"

Along with the sounds of the band and the singer, was a mumbly sounding fog overtop of it all.

Thrawn stopped outside the fresher, listening to the music and mumbly sounds trying to figure out what was happening in there.

Was Eli working through some issue? Talking it outloud to help organize his thoughts? It was a sound that was definitely coming from Eli- Thrawn just could not decipher what he was mumbling about.

"And poison me, daddy, I've got the Jones right through my bones"

Thrawn listened closely the words, trying to find a meaning of them that could make sense as to why Eli would enjoy it.

What parts of this did he resonate with? Which chords hit home to him?

Thrawn moved to sit on his bunk, the music still loud and clear as he continued to think through how this song would relate to Eli.

The next bit of the song seemed to clarify this a little more.

"The war has been incited, and guess what? You're all invited

And you're famous, modernity has failed us"

Eli seemed to sing this bit a little louder, growing up to the chorus where he sang it clear and bodly, the syllables punching off his tongue, pitches gliding from his throat with ease.

He was surprisingly good, really good. Thrawn listened now simply for the enjoyment of getting to hear Eli.

"And I'd love it, if we, made it."

"I'd love it if we made it"

It dawns on Thrawn that the mumbly sounds that he initally heard was Eli singing along, just much much quieter with less confidence.

As soon as the song ended, the shower turned off as if Eli had been waiting to get out until the tune had finished.

A few moments later, Eli strolled out of the fresher, his skin still damp, hair dropping water onto his chest, a blue towel wrapped around his hips showing off his impressive muscular build and v-cut.

In his hands he held a datapad, Thrawn assumed thats what he had been playing the music from.

"It was an honor to get to hear you, why didn't you show me your talent sooner?" Thrawn expressed his content with being able to hear his aide.

Eli jumped slightly, not expecting Thrawn to be back. He quickly grabbed the towel as an extra security it wouldn't fall, tossed the datapad onto his desk, and adjusted his posture a bit.

Thrawn could see warmth spreading across his face quickly, and he assumed that the man was embarassed to have been caught.

He attmepted to cover his embarassment, "Sorry sir, I didn't know that you had returned, I would have turned it off if I knew"

Thrawn tilted his head as he eyed up Eli, confused by his response "There would have been no need, cadet Vanto, like I expressed, you have a lovely voice. I do not mind"

Eli gave an embarassed smile in return, quickly grabbed a pair of sweats and a t shirt, and vanished back into the fresher-shutting the door this time.

Thrawn had hoped that he could hear his aide sing again sometime, it would be nice to see him in the open and unafraid. This way Thrawn would have been able to see how the music affects him as a whole, rather than just guessing what the meaning was to him.

He opened his data pad again to read up on some studies, a warm feeling inside him that he couldn't comprehend.

[blazingstar24]

Thranto Pokemon AU

You know I love characters when I start making pokemon teams for them, so here’s Thrawn and Eli’s pokemon teams! The fun part about these guys is I built two teams, one for their time spent in the Ascendancy and one for their time in the Empire:

Thrawn (Ascendancy team):

Glaceon- An ice type is a must for a Chiss and Glaceon’s elegant nature fits Thrawn.

Corviknight- In a Pokemon filled world, I’d say that the Corviknight line is the standard CEDF pokemon. Every cadet gets a Rookidee and must train it up into a Corviknight. (The aesthetic of Corviknight just feels very CEDF like imo)

Armarouge- In a similar vein, Armarouge is the pokemon of the Mitth house. (Solrock was too easy and I think it’s ugly lmao) Charcadets are given to merit-adoptives and they are expected to train them up into Armarouge, the fierce and loyal warriors to represent the family.

Lucario- A pokemon to reflect Thrawn’s martial prowess and also calm and collected nature. Not to mention Lucario are drawn to those with certain auras, so naturally Thrawn would attract a Lucario to him.

Smeargle- I mean I gotta. Also Smeargle’s Sketch move does allow it to learn the moves of it’s enemies. Smeargles canoncially tend to get sold off to people due to the special marks they can make, so I think Thrawn got his Smeargle early on and saved it from some kind of pokemon smuggling ring. It’s not a pokemon one would expect from an Ace Trainer but nevertheless it never leaves his side.

Dragonair- Finding a pokemon to represent the Chimaera symbol and his relationship with Uingali was hard! But I settled on Dragonair, it was more elegant than Hydregion. With the ring he receives at the end of LE, he also gets a Dratini egg. Thrawn raises it during his exile and it’s a Dragonair by the time the Empire finds him.

Eli Vanto: (Imperial Team)

Cyndaquil- A starter pokemon for Eli because oh boy ihas he unknowingly started his pokemon journey. Cyndaquil is a bit of a timid pokemon, but as it grows, it becomes quite a fierce protector into Typhlosion. It was a gift from his parents when he left home.

Eevee- A pokemon that truly represents potential. Also I like to have my ships have paired eeveelutions. Eli catches Eevee the day he meets Thrawn.

Rockruff- Another pokemon with potential, but one that changes based on the trials and tribulations of it and it’s trainer. What form will Eli’s Rockruff take?

Joltik- This one was purely aesthetics. There is no math type pokemon, but Electric types seem to fit him as well. And the image of Joltik sitting on Eli’s head and shoulders while he’s running numbers on the datapad was too cute. Also quick charges his datapad too~

Mudsdale- Cowboy. That’s it. (But actually Mudsdale are sought after due to the mud they create to help with pottery(art) so it pairs nicely with how Eli pairs very well with Thrawn and helps out a lot) This is the one pokemon Eli keeps from his days in Lysatra. Raised it himself from a Mudbray.

Shroomish- It’s face looks like Eli’s ☹️ face. Also it has short king vibes. It’s small but will fuck you up in ways you didn’t see coming.

Thrawn (Imperial Team):

For the most part, Thrawn’s team stays the same. He still has his Glaceon, Dragonair, Lucario, and Smeargle. But upon exile, his Corviknight and Armarouge were taken from him. (Ar’alani takes care of his Corviknight and Thalias took his Armarouge but secretly gave it to Borika to look after on her ranch) His two new pokepartners are:

Salandit- Had to give him his ysalmiri pokemon. I know scraggy would match the color more but Salandit looked more lizard like and easier for having on one’s lap or shoulders. Thrawn’s definitely used Salazzle phremones to lure a bunch of Salandits onto the Chimaera.

Crobat- Crobat was to represent the TIE defenders, but also isn’t Crobat the standard pokemon villain poke? Yes. But to get a Crobat, one needs high friendship. And I think that in the Empire, the standard Imp pokemon is a Honchkrow, big bird that bosses around underling Murkrows to serves itself. But Thrawn commands and teaches through loyalty and respect so he would be the one Imp without a Honchkrow and instead a Crobat (high friendship).

Eli Vanto (Ascendancy Team):

Eli’s team does go through a bit of change, evolution wise and new pokemon. He keeps Mudsdale and his Cyndaquil is now Typhlosion.

Glaceon- Eli’s had plenty of opportunities to evolve his Eevee into anything else, but nothing felt right. He wanted to let Eevee decide what to be. It wasn’t until Thalias, interested in seeing just who Thrawn sent back home was, invited Eli back to the Mitth estate. It was there his Eevee walked up to an icy rock and evolved into a Glaceon. Said Glaceon also popped out of its ball during the GDLV moment causing Thrawn’s Glaceon to pop out of its ball and they properly greeted each other. Giving these two idiots time for a less formal exchange.

Lycanrock (dusk form)- Eli has truly been through the fucking wringer. And Dusk form Lycanrocks are supposed to the hardest to raise. Yet even so, they are said to be seemingly docile yet when it comes time to battle, they are the fiercest protectors. And that matches Eli perfectly, everyone(apart from Thrawn) tends to underestimate him, but he’s actually so fucking deadly.

Corvisquire- Since he’s now in the CEDF, Eli too gets a Rookidee to train. Not yet at Corviknight but working his way up there. (His Corvisquire likes to hang out with the Corviknight that Ar’alani keeps out of its ball, it teaches all the Rookidees and Corvisquires on her ship. Yes, it’s Thrawn’s.)

Togetic- To represent Eli’s work on the sky-walker program. A caretaker pokemon but also one that will appear before kind people. After rescuing a bunch of sky-walkers from Grysk, Togetic appeared before him and it was also how the captured girls trusted Eli and came with him. From then on, Togetic has stayed by his side.

[c0rpseductor]

saw this post on someone’s blog i was reading and it strikes me as kind of narrow-minded about escapism and what a reader wants from fiction and takes TO fiction, plus i love the sound of my own voice, so. My rebuttal to nobody in particular

if it were any other form of fiction i’d tend to agree with this take; honestly, i do to an extent even with reader insert fiction. it’s true that not all fiction (or even most!) should be approached with the desire for Relatability of the protagonist as one’s first concern. it’s fine to listen to another person‘s perspective and experience and inhabit it knowing it’s not yours, whether for escapism or to learn. (i don’t agree that escapism ought to be one’s sole aim or concern in engaging with texts, but it’s a still a valid aim.)

but this take irritates me because reader insertion fic promises — or at least purports to promise — an intrinsically “relatable” experience, a more intimate kind of vicarious pleasure. character x YOU, go many of the tags. if i’m being told that this is MY experience, that this fic was written with the aim of giving ME, the reader, an experience where I get to interact with glup shitto MYSELF….why on earth would i not complain if i didn’t get the promised experience, if the vessel i’m supposed to be able to effortlessly project upon is so unlike me that i can’t possibly?

and sure, of course i see the appeal in “what would it be like to be some other person for a bit,” but is that not why we have fiction that doesn’t purport to insert the reader directly into the narrative? for example, if i wanted to read about thrawn and imagine myself as a hotheaded cadet from wild space with a totally different set of life circumstances i would simply fucking make the decision to project onto eli vanto. whether or not the narrative is written in second person is immaterial.

i think it’s important to be able to approach any narrative and know when to say “this wasn’t written with someone like me in mind” and be able to interface with it for what it is rather than what you wished it might be. i read my fair share of reader insertion fanfiction, honestly mostly out of morbid curiosity, and i recognize that absolutely 0% of it is written with someone like me in mind simply because i’m male. i don’t expect other writers to write for an audience that doesn’t include themselves or that doesn’t interest them; none of these works HAVE to cater to me, and i CAN just analyze the storytelling and characters without needing to be anything like the woman usually featured (or, sometimes, person of undisclosed gender).

but — and this part is critical — i’m also not able to derive much vicarious enjoyment from these fanfics precisely because they don’t reflect my experience in any real way. my desires, my thoughts, and my personality are never even really dimly echoed in these characters. i can’t imagine myself in the narrative. is that not kind of the point? if you simply can’t put yourself in that position at all, if the reader insert is so unlike you that you have to essentially pretend you’re someone else, why even bother with the reader insertion gimmick? i, the reader, am not actually being inserted at that point. i, the male reader, am usually reading a second-person POV narrative about an unfamiliar woman with a personality entirely unlike mine and whose name and appearance i do not know. if i actually cared about the vicarious enjoyment angle i’d be pissed. for people who DO care about that aspect of the subgenre and don’t find themselves reflected in any meaningful way, i imagine it’s very frustrating to feel overlooked and then be told you ought to just enjoy the work for the storytelling instead of what you want and were promised.

and to that end i think it’s not a problem with any individual author or even the community in aggregate so much as the actual premise of the genre itself — readers are too diverse! you have to dilute the POV character to less than a whisper in order to make them a suitable vessel for as many people as possible, and in the event where you don’t you’re probably still going to try to go for a broadly appealing set of traits that many readers won’t be able to truly connect with as if they, themselves, are present. in that respect, at least in my opinion, it’s a lot better to vicariously experience things through well-defined characters in more typical fiction, where i’m not given the dashed expectation of being able to relate to them or essentially BE them. it leaves room for richer experiences and, as this post says, an appreciation of the story without the baggage of “relating.” because ultimately that approach i think is widely correct and broadly applicable. but it rings a little ridiculous in the discussion of a genre literally called “reader insert” to tell the reader they oughtn’t expect to be inserted into the narrative. that’s kind of fucking goofy. come on now.

[empress-violetlight]

Empire of the Hand Military Ranks and the Explorers Branch

Just a little worldbuilding exercise of mine for my Star Wars AU :D

---

Empire of the Hand Military Ranks

The Empire of the Hand uses a more streamlined rank system compared to the old Galactic Empire or the Chiss Ascendency.  I’m using Star Trek’s Starfleet, and Canada’s military ranks, as a basis.

Military personnel wear similar uniforms as in the Imperial Navy, with the exception of the Explorers (see “Explorer” section”), and Flag officers, who have a variant over that of the Old Galactic Empire, as described in their section. 

Galactic Empire-style rank plates are still in use.

The Stormtrooper Corps uses an identical rank structure to the Army.  Member species elite forces (such as the Paccosh Commandos, Kaleesh Warriors, etc. have systems unique to their own cultures). 

Non-Commissioned Ranks (from lowest to highest):

Navy/Explorers:                                              Army/Starfighter Corps:

Crewmember                                                    Private

Able Crewmember                                         Able Private

Leading Crewmember                                   Corporal

Master Crewmember                                    Master Corporal

Junior Petty Officer                                         Sergeant

Senior Petty Officer                                        Drill/Flight Sergeant

Master Petty Officer                                      Warrant Officer

Chief Petty Officer                                          Chief Warrant Officer

Notes: 

"Crewmember" is often shortened to “crewman”, regardless of gender.

It is entirely possible for enlisted personnel to be promoted to officer rank due to exceptional service.

Commissioned Officers:

Navy/Explorers:   

Junior Cadet (1st, 2nd  years)

Senior Cadet/Acting Ensign (3rd, 4th years)

Ensign

Sub-Lieutenant

Lieutenant

Lieutentant-Commander

Commander

Captain

Senior Captain

Army/Starfighter Corps:

Junior Cadet (1st, 2nd years)

Senior Cadet / Acting Lieutenant (3rd ,4th years)

Second Lieutenant

First Lieutenant / Flight Lieutenant

Captain/ Flight Captain

Major / Flight Major

Lieutenant-Colonel / Flight Commander

Colonel / Flight Colonel

Senior Colonel / Wing Colonel

Notes:

“Acting Ensign/Lieutenant” are only used when the cadets are on field assignments.

“Lieutenant” uses the Core World (i.e. British) pronunciation (so like “left-tennant”) 

Specialist titles can be used alongside formal ranks, such as “Doctor”, “Medic”, “Specialist”, “Ranger”, “Scientist” etc.

A senior officer’s aide can use the courtesy title “Yeoman”, regardless of whether they are an enlisted or commissioned officer (i.e. Yeoman Eli Vanto).

Flag Officers:

Navy/Explorers:                                      Army/Starfighter Corps:

Commodore                                            Brigadier-General

Rear Admiral                                            Major-General

Vice-Admiral                                            Lieutenant-General

Admiral                                                      General

Fleet Admiral                                            Army General / Wing General

Notes:

The Commander of the Starfighter Corps (actual rank of Wing General) is given the specialist title “Flight Baron”, in honour of Baron Soontir Fel. 

Navy flag officers are allowed to wear lighter grey uniforms, with silver epaulets. (rather than the grey-green of most navel ranks).  Fleet Admirals/Army Generals/Wing Generals additionally wear white cuffs on their uniform sleeves.

Grand Moffs (a civilian title, held only by Xelarra – given to her by Thrawn before her ascension to Empress) can wear a similar grey uniform to flag officers.  Planetary leaders wear what is deemed appropriate in their cultures, which can include flag officer-style uniforms for planets with Imperial-style governors, like Nirauan and New Cardia.  Galactic Empire-style Sector Moffs do not exist. 

 

Supreme Commander of the Empire of the Hand military:

Grand Admiral

Notes: 

In theory, both Voss Parck and Karyn Faro, during their times as Supreme Commander, were entitled to use the rank of “Grand Admiral”, but both declined, preferring “Fleet Admiral”.  There has only ever been one Grand Admiral of the Empire of the Hand, Grand Admiral Thrawn. 

Grand Admirals wear unique, all-white uniforms with gold epaulets. 

Only the Empress can give the Grand Admiral orders.  More usually, the Grand Admiral and the Empress work in tandem to effectively govern the Empire of the Hand.  

Explorers:

The Explorers are an offshoot of the Navy, focused on (relatively) peaceful exploration, planetary/sector surveys, and planting the hyperspace beacons used to navigate by the Empire of the Hand’s Navy throughout the Unknown Regions/Chaos without reliance on Force-users.  They use an identical rank structure to the Navy.

Explorers wear blue uniforms with black pants, with a variant for field studies.  Uniform details indicate specialties:

Explorer Shipboard Uniform Examples:

Explorer Field Uniform Examples:

(art my by husband)

Field variants come with matching backpacks, in their division colours, customized to the Explorer’s role. 

Explorer Division colours:

1.  White = command

2.  Scrub Green = Medical

3.  Forest Green = biology/life sciences

4.  sky blue = chemistry / meteorology

5.  black = physics/space sciences

6.  Grey = geology/geography

7.  Red = Survival/Combat/security

8.  yellow = Engineering, ships operations

9.  lilac purple = First Contact/Cultural studies/diplomacy

10. magenta - Communications/Linguistics

11. silver - helm, astro-navigation. 

Explorers of non-Chisslike species may have uniform variants customized to their physiology. 

Explorers in the “command” division (most especially Captains) are expected to have at least a working knowledge of all the other disciplines, so they can more effectively lead their crews.

Standard issue for all field Explorers includes a handheld scanner, vibro-blade multi-tool, and blaster pistol. 

Imperial navy-style hats, in black, are available, but a little-used option

Weather appropriate-hats for field uniforms are usually worn on-planet. Explorer rank plates have built-in communications and personnel tracking systems (and are informally referred to as ‘comm. badges’).  These are slowly being adopted by the rest of the military.

[amukmuk]

Nothing That I’ve Earned | Chp. 1 - Hands

Thrawn takes a deep breath, enough to feel the bruise that is likely blooming on his rib cage, but to know for certain that nothing is broken. “Are you alright?” he asks Cadet Vanto as the young Human scrambles over the hedge.

“Yeah. You?” he returns, offering Thrawn a hand without even a moment of hesitation.

Thrawn looks at his outstretched palm. It could be a trap, an offering of kindness to divert Thrawn’s suspicions. Yet compared to the rest of the Humans he has met this far, Cadet Vanto seems to be the one who always tells the truth. He wouldn't offer something he didn't want to give.

Thrawn takes his hand. Cadet Vanto's grip is sure and he uses his own weight to leverage Thrawn to his feet.

Remembering that the cadet has asked him a question, he says, "My injuries are minor."

Vanto's relieved expression, though, hurts far worse than any of his injuries. It almost looks like he cares; Thrawn doesn’t know why that makes his chest ache.

Keep Reading

[heaven-s-black-box]

Notes- Modern Star Wars pt.2

Return to File

Recovery date: September 5th, 2022

Description: While taking notes on this modern universe, I began to ponder alternate paths it could have taken, specifically Eli Vanto and Thrawn.

Notes: N/a

Parts: 1 2 3 4

Back to directory

- Thrawn takes on the role of Castle and Eli is Detective Beckett

- I imagine instead of being a writer Thrawn is an artist that draws cultural studies mostly for himself, and made a name for himself drawing more... macabre things

- A series of these drawings become the bases for a case Eli gets assigned to as a newly graduated cadet or something like that, basically Eli is a newby

- He approached Thrawn who immediately takes an interest in the fact someone is basing their crimes off his work, the two solve the case together

- Maybe Jixtus is behind the first murder (like he's the master mind), but Yiv gets caught for actually committing the murders and while Thrawn knows something is still up Eli can't really keep the case open and it sort of becomes a Sherlock and John vs Moriarty bit

- Like Castle, Thrawn takes enough of an interest in Eli to pull favors to get to work with him and Thrawn begins to plan an exhibit based around Eli

- I don't know about everyone else, but I think Thalias and Che'ri would be Martha and Alexis

- but like, if Martha was his sister and Alexis was his niece he was really close with...

[netmors]

Sketches of exile Mitth'raw'nuruodo and cadet Vanto.

Inspired by the first part of the comic about the Grand Admiral ///v///

[gillymugs]

Eli Vanto dating sim

My old cowboy

@qyrhan Thanks for the help

I made a gif version but it comes out so compressed

[prxjectshadxw]

alt!

gimme gimme

You got Grand Admiral Thrawn from Star Wars! | @sourentropy

Knowing your enemy and how they function right down to even how they think is key to beating them at their own game. Thrawn had learned that during his time with the Empire, though he had learned a great deal before he even allowed himself to be ‘captured’. The Chiss were a very intelligent species, even if his fellow cadets at the time did not believe that.

That did not stop him from becoming Grand Admiral in the Galactic Empire though, and it was a title he held quite dear. Yes his entire career thus far in the Empire was as a spy for the Ascendency, he couldn’t deny he had picked up some useful tips in various regards.

Then there was his translator, the human Eli Vanto. He was an enigma in himself, and it made the Chiss feel even more drawn to him.

“Now is our time,” he says to Vanto as his crimson eyes lock onto the human’s green, and without missing a beat he continues on, “You will go be with the Ascendency, while I remain here in the Empire for now. You will tell them all that you have learned, Vanto, and nothing more.”

Nothing about them, he should add.

[blackmonitor]

Comic Redraw Friends support each other in any trouble  For @owlpartytime

I hope you'll feel better soon and find joy in your writing!

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[reysky-daughterjedi]

Why isn’t there more Eli Vanto content? He deserves love too