#hmu i have questions

[darachbeo]

kinda wanna look into becoming a professional GM tbh

[sycamoretrees]

G1 34 block matches cross stitch complete! A Block in reds/yellows and B Block in blues/greens.

Each wrestler is represented by a colour in the outer strips (I used the same order that NJPW did on its results cards), and then where two colours/wrestlers would intersect I recorded their match result, with the winner's colour taking up 3/4 of the square.

(more info and photos under the cut)

I was inspired by my good pal @benchwarming who started this beautiful cross stitch project tracking race results over the F1 season. Wrestling mostly doesn't have the same kind of consistent data points/formats, so I'm glad the G1 allowed me to join in on her very cool idea!

I used FlossCross to mock up the overall design. Because it's just a bunch of evenly-spaced squares I didn't really need a 'pattern', so I made this spreadsheet to track the results (I printed out a physical copy and highlighted the winner as match results came in):

Here's the NJPW results card for A Block as comparison - my piece is essentially just the outlined half of their format (which ngl I find very hard to parse)(not that mine isn't also)(I think this is just a hard dataset to represent) without the duplicate results on the top right.

Back view:

Mostly tried not to travel further than a square or two, and used a combination of loop starts, pin stitch finishes for some of the single stitches, and weaving in ends.

[waterlogged-detective]

Woah! A Commission Post??

Hiya, Just a quick thing but I'm offering commissions for a limited time! Unlimited slots until I close comms, examples below:

Flat Portraits $25

Chibis $25

AC Villagerize your oc! (or canon character/whatever you want) $20

Character Sheets Starting at $40 (depending on number of outfits/poses, negotiated before payment C:) Unavailable ATM, Sorry

All Prices in USD via Paypal (dm me), turnaround time is usually a few weeks!

Will Draw: Ocs, Canon Characters, Any Fandom, Body Horror, Gore, Monsters, Furries, NSFW, Armor, Etc!!! (Just ask! It wont cost extra I promise haha)

Won't Draw: Some Kinks (loli, raceplay, noncon, stuff like that), that's pretty much it!

[sixerstanley]

thinking about stancest fucking sloppy AMA

[crazykuroneko]

Good News: You can watch IWTV on ABC iview for free with VPN!

So, if you are like me, who literally have no way to watch IWTV except by 🏴‍☠️ despite you really really want to give them the money and viewership, now you can!

Just set your VPN to Australia, open ABC iview on your browser and sign up with email. They'll ask if you're in an Australian suburb and a postal code. Just pick "overseas" and it will work. You can then watch on browser or download the app APK on your phone (with VPN on). With this, at least we can help the viewership 😉

Additional info on The Newsreader: afaik the new episode will drop on iview after the TV broadcast. So, if you log in around 8.30-9.30 pm AEST, you can watch the TV livestream on iview (pick the ABC TV stream).

Of course please watch IWTV on AMC+ if it's available in your country. that will help AMC to know there are fans there 🫶

Other streamers that carry IWTV afaik: MAX (USA), AMC+ (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, South Korea via Genie TV), BBC/BBC iplayer (U.K), Sky (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), OSN+ (Middle Eastern and North Africa), TVNZ+ (New Zealand)

[effervescent-fool]

my commissions are now open!

I only have one listing open for now, but I'll probably add more in the future

[chocochipbiscuit]

Fic (and nonfic!) Recs for Pride!

In honor of Pride, have some of my favorite F/F and F/NB reads!

Short stories (available online)

Radcliffe Hall by Miyuki Jane Pinckard - 40k word novella, with a Japanese student attending an American women's college in 1908. It's a Gothic novel with the characters encountering the supernatural, which is no less malevolent than systemic racism and homophobia.

The First Stop Is Always the Last by John Wiswell - Short and sweet time loop flirtation!

Scallop by J.L. Akagi - A woman begins growing eyes all over her body, and struggles to hide them. All the warnings for body horror, eye injury, and referenced sexual assault.

The World Ends in Salty Fingers and Sugared Lips by Jen Reese - Time loop story about the end of the world and the ways we try to deal with the crushing uncertainty of the inevitable.

Romance

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - Subway time travel romance! August moves to New York and meets Jane, a butch punk from the 70s who’s trapped on the subway. It’s warm and sweet and funny, with all the feels and queer found family goodness.

Fatal Fidelity by Rien Gray - Dark romance/erotic suspense featuring a bi femme fatale and a nonbinary assassin! The series begins with Love Kills Twice, in which Justine hires an assassin to get rid of her abusive husband…unaware that Campbell was also hired to kill her. Absolutely delicious.

Feminine Pursuits series by Olivia Waite - While I’m listing it as a series, each novel is entirely stand-alone! These are a set of historical F/F novels featuring women in arts and science (and beekeeping!) making their way and falling in love with one another!

Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan - Historical romance as two older women (73 and 69 years old, respectively!) plot the downfall of an absolutely Terrible Nephew who deserves everything that happens to him. An absolutely delicious comedic romp.

The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz - An AI repair technician and an autonomous robot who runs a small tea shop, set in a retro-futuristic America. It’s warm and gentle and yearning in very good ways.

Horror/Suspense

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin - Gender apocalypse featuring trans women! A virus has turned anyone with over a certain level of testosterone into cannibal rape monsters, so we’re following our trans protagonists as they try to survive feral men, murderous TERFs, and a sociopathic bunker brat. This deserves a LOT of content warnings but it’s also been blurbed as a ‘bleeding love letter to trans women’ and it really is.

Blackwater Sister by Zen Cho - A Malaysian-American lesbian moves to Malaysia with her family, where she is haunted by her grandmother’s ghost. Her grandmother is out for supernatural revenge, involving our protagonist with gangsters and a terrifying goddess.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - Historical crime novel in which a thief poses as a lady’s maid for a con, and ends up developing feelings for the mark. Except the lady’s not as innocent as she seems, and it’s difficult to add more without spoiling the novel but it’s good!

Science fiction

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine - Ambassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the capital of the interstellar Teixcalaanli Empire, discovers that her predecessor has died, and must find not only who murdered him, but why—while trying not to get murdered herself, and trying to maintain her small station’s independence from Teixcalaan’s ever-expanding empire. And there is a sequel but that has its own plot and requires you to read this one anyway!

Passing Strange by Ellen Klages - Set in San Francisco, built on artifice and delight as we follow a group of queer women both present and in the 1940s. Central story is a romance, two women trying to navigate both joy and the brutality of the worlds they inhabit.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - An epistolary love story across time and space, in far futures and alternative pasts as two rival agents—post-singularity Red and bio-consciousness Blue—foil and thwart one another.

Fantasy

The Burning Kingdoms by Tasha Suri - Indian-inspired fantasy trilogy (third book coming in 2024!) that follows a captive princess and a maidservant with forbidden magic who navigate the the tension between their different loyalties and the politics of empire. Just! So good!

The Kingston Cycle by C.L. Polk - A fantasy trilogy (that’s actually complete!) set in a world where witches are persecuted and placed in asylums…while secretly, the witches of elite families use that power in service of the crown. The first book (Witchmark) starts with a murder mystery and a doctor with PTSD who follows that mystery to government secrets that force him to confront his estranged family. It’s also M/M, but the sequels (Stormsong and Soulstar) center around F/F and F/NB main pairings, respectively. 

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir - The first book starts with swordjock butches and lesbian necromancers in space going through (essentially) a haunted mansion together, and it just keeps going after that! It’s delightful, deranged, and full of fantastic characters I want to gnaw on!

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo - A beautiful frame story with a very fairytale feel, where the cleric Chih is telling the story of a tiger and her lover, a female scholar, to a trio of hungry tigers who threaten to eat them if Chih tells the story incorrectly!

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark - Mystery and magic and suspense in a steampunk Cairo, set forty years after magic returned to the world! The first female agent for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities is assigned to discover who murdered members of a secret cult. In addition to solving the case, she’s also assigned a rookie partner to train, and navigating the surprise return of her girlfriend, who has her own secrets! This is a really fun romp, full of joy and wonder. (And Fatma’s fabulous suits!)

Nonfiction

In the Dream House by Carmen Machado - A memoir about surviving domestic abuse, with each chapter using a different trope or genre convention to not only explore the way the relationship affected her sense of self, but also about trying (or failing) to find that representation in cultural history. It’s a rough read in places, but absolutely worth it if you’re in a space to handle that sort of content. (And in case it’s not obvious: her ex was another woman. Abuse isn’t limited by gender.)

[phantomeros]

Thinking about them.... Ex scientist Mechanic living in the wastelands for blackmailing the government x scrapped android soldier that she rebuilt from her car.....

Aka. Dr caligaris cyberpunk grandchild x android cesare the somnambulist

[punk-octo]

Flieder's old coworkers from Heimat, on going list.

EULR-0060, Juli

-Flieder's right hand woman when she still worked on Hiemat. They were commissioned exactly a month apart so Juli called them "almost twins!" Flieder found this enduring.

-Her yap puts Flieder to shame. She's a certified gossip! Can't keep a secret to save her life.

-Very femme, real girls girl. Comes off as a mean girl if you don't know her but she's sweet.

-Wears pink lipglass and eyeliner, also plunks her eyebrows. Tried to get Flieder to wear makeup but Flieder always says she's too busy to put it on in the morning.

-Falls in love quick and gets her heart broken quick. Cried to flieder about some new girlfriend every other week.

-Took over after Flieder originally left but felt overwhelmed and lost without Flieder. She had to give the position to the new Eule, 99. Aka, Flieders replacement.

Gübchen, EULR-0073

-Sleepy gal, chronic bedhead.

-A bit slow but is very kind and reliable. Once she gets around to the task.

-Liked the kitchen section the most and the garden section the least. Doesn't like dirt.

-She usually responds with this like "uhhhh, yeah." But Flieder learned early on to wait and listen. They became close along with her and Juli

-Named after the dimple on her cheek

-Is cold towards 99 though refuses to tell her why. She misses Flieder.

-Took over childrearing after Flieder was banned for it. The child doesn't seem to listen to her, she asks about Flieder. Gübchen doesn't know how to tell her.

-Likes bitter chocolate

Take these two for now but I'll make more

[wikiangela]

tease tidbit tuesday💀

tagged by @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @daffi-990 @fortheloveofbuddie @disasterbuckdiaz @hoodie-buck 💖

hi! so, yesterday I randomly opened the doc with the buddie death cast au - which is a fic I started writing last summer on vacation and never got back to it but then made progress lol it's gonna be MCD, which i know is not everyone's thing so feel free to ignore this 🤣 it's basically buddie in the universe of the "they both die at the end"/"the first to die at the end" books so it's gonna be sad, sorry lol (I never even read mcd, idk why i'm writing this but this idea just wants to be written i guess haha) gotta put this weird mood I've been in lately to good use and finally write this 🤣 not sure if I'm happy with this snippet, but it all needs editing, the first two snippets were written on my phone and haven't been edited yet lol

I posted two snippets so far, gonna link them both snippet 1 | snippet 2

___

“Is all of this clear, Eddie?” she asks in the end.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” he says shortly. He should've just hung up immediately. Or cancel this stupid subscription after Shannon died. Sometimes he wonders if maybe people who get the calls and coincidentally get into accidents, for example, just give up and refuse to fight because they think it’s their time. Not like Shannon could do much, her injuries were too severe when they got there, but the point stands. Maybe they get more reckless, thinking it doesn’t matter anyway. 

There’s a short pause on the line, but then Jane speaks up again, her tone softer, more sympathy seeping through.

“I know it’s not easy to accept, if you’d like some help with that, on out website you can find therapists and grief counselors specializing in-”

“Listen.” Eddie interrupts. He’s spent enough time in therapy. He’s not doing it on his supposedly last day. “I know it’s all bullshit. I don’t care. You said what you had to say, I listened, for whatever reason.” he rolls his eyes. He really should’ve hung up, or not answered at all. “Is this conversation over yet?” he asks and is met with another moment of silence. She’s probably wondering what everyone else always is: why is he even spending money on this if he doesn’t believe. He has an answer ready to go, but that’s not what she asks.

“Can I ask you a question?” she says quieter, whispering, probably not allowed to go too much off-script. 

“Sure, why not.” he shrugs. He’s wide awake now, anyway, he’s not in a hurry. Not like he’s dying anytime soon.

“If it was your last day, how would you spend it? You don’t have to answer, just think about it.” she adds quickly, her tone much softer and gentler now. Eddie’s mind immediately supplies a picture of Christopher and Buck, just a casual hang-out, like usual, maybe going to the movies, or the aquarium, or the planetarium, something fun for his kid. And later a gathering with the rest of their family, maybe a barbecue at Bobby and Athena’s, with Maddie and Chim, and Hen and Karen, all their kids, just everyone having fun together. Yeah, that’d be a perfect day. “There’s no harm in spending today just like this, if possible. Just in case.” Jane adds, still whispering. He doesn’t tell her that’s more or less his plan, anyway, for the evening after his 12-hour shift. During which nothing will happen to him, because Death-Cast doesn’t know shit. “Well, lastly, Eddie,” Jane’s voice is back at normal-volume, tone strictly professional but sympathetic, as she recites the end of her script, “on behalf of everyone here at Death-Cast, we’re so sorry to lose you. Live this day to the fullest.”

Eddie hangs up without a word.

___

no pressure tags: @elvensorceress @gaydiaz @diazass @thebravebitch @silentxxsoul @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @arthursdent @911onabc @housewifebuck @rogerzsteven @watchyourbuck @underwater-ninja-13 @eowon @loserdiaz @evanbegins @ladydorian05 @wildlife4life @nmcggg @diazpatcher @lover-of-mine @king-buckley @monsterrae1 @thewolvesof1998 @puppyboybuckley @weewootruck @buckaroosheart @spagheddiediaz @steadfastsaturnsrings @exhuastedpigeon @jesuisici33 @theotherbuckley @rainbow-nerdss @malewifediaz @giddyupbuck @diazsdimples @jeeyuns @epicbuddieficrecs @pirrusstuff @honestlydarkprincess @hippolotamus @spotsandsocks

[burygods]

do i do a starter call? yeah, let's do a starter call. if you're a multi, please specify muse/s. the more the merrier. length will vary ok <3

[sasanka-27]

Eddie Diaz pfp for Eddie lovers (free to save and use but personal use only, no reposting please)

[bolithesenate]

Hiiiiii ! I’m here to harass you about your temple guard fic 💕🩷❤️💕 I wish to know more about feemor and jastitha (I can’t spell RIP) also I ship your OC’s now Ernstor and Ranatward their dialogue in chapter five especially was very funny and I think they should kiss. Anyway love your fic keep up the good work !!!!

ahahahahaha and I shall welcome you with open arms

Hmmm.... more about Feemor and Jasitha (you almost got it right lol)...

I am a person who tends to stick with a headcanon for a character when I come up with it, so the backstories remain pretty similar across AUs. In that vein, I've always liked the headcanon that Feemor wasn't Qui-Gon's student from the beginning, rather that Qui took over his education (through Yoda's encouragement) after Fee's first Master (Who I called Vyan Ves Jal) died on a mission they had together. The trauma from that was also the main reason why their relationship always remained lukewarm at best.

As for Jasitha, she was an OC I came up with at least in theory quite a bit before I started the guard fic. I've always considered it unlikely that Tor, who seems to have a weird, downright psychosexual obsession with Jaster, to have fathered a bio kid somewhere. Him stealing his sister's child thus seemed much more plausible and also was a good way to make him even more of an absolute asshole :D

Jasitha is a fun existence to think about, because on the one hand she was kyr'tsad and subscribed to their ideologies (at least in part), but on the other hand she first hand experienced how utterly horrible and destructive those turned out to be. She's definitely not a good person, by most standards, but she is learning. Mostly because she has to.

On the other hand, neither Nat not Ernstor were even halway planned to have such an integral part in the progression of the fic and I think it is the HIGHEST honor that people look at these two idiots and think they should kiss!

and who knows! maybe they will!! especially Ranatward certainly wouldn't be against it lol

[snekverse]

can you do Blaze x Daniel on C3?

Hey so sorry but unfortunately I am not currently taking art requests in order to help promote my commissions (prices should be pinned to the top of this blog and my "main" @whomstsnek if you're interested) BUT I would be more than happy to share some head cannons for em!!

Fair warning though I actually haven't seen PDH so I ONLY know them from s5/6, might be just a tad out of chara 😅

Daniel fell first but Blaze def fell harder

I think that Daniel started crushing during high-school, maybe during his later years but Blaze didn't think seriously about dating (or Daniel) until they were adults

They started dating a year or two before Starlight, and they had planned for Blaze to move in with Daniel, Dottie and Rylan after coming home

Blaze loves to cook but is absolutely terrible. Daniel refuses to say anything about how awful the other's cooking in, he couldn't stand to hurt his feelings

They actually had a little fling during college, but as previously mentioned Blaze didn't really take dating/relationships seriously yet. There was a little heartbreak involved afterwards, and a little time to recover, but they (obvs) worked things out :)

Daniel's #1 regret after Starlight was not being there for his friends when they needed him, Blaze especially.

Daniel didn't find out about what happened to Blaze until Aphmau broke the news almost a full year after the fact (in her defense it was the first time they'd seen each other since then and she thought he already knew)

Blaze initiates 90% of the kisses and Daniel initiates 90% of the hugs/cuddles between them

They are absolutely SICKENING with PDA lmao, they're both incredibly tactile, open, and affectionate people

They spend a lot of time playing various sports/games together, a simple game of catch being one of their faves

[hijinks-n-lowjinks]

tell me abt the gasoline jjk wip 🙏

GLADLY.

It all started by listening to Halsey's Badlands album for the umpteenth time and there was just something about Gasoline that suddenly hit different. It gave such distinct apocalyptic vibes that I was instantly inspired and tried to write down as much exposition and plot outlining as I could before I forgot.

And thus the jjk/itafushi vamp au was born!!!

The general premise is that vampires are the ruling class in the modern world. They take blood tithe offerings in order for humans to keep their lives. It's not exactly uncommon for vamps to kill recklessly, but this provides them with some incentive not to kill their main source of food with each feeding.

Megumi's role in this au is... complicated. He works as a poacher, a term used by humans and vampires alike to describe humans that hunt down other humans to feed to vampires. He's enlisted by different vampires and covens to find and capture humans that fit the specific desires of the vamp in question: blood type, gender, age, etc. Think of it as a fucked up comparison to how people have specific foods they prefer.

Now, Megumi isn't playing to role of the good guy in this fic, but he also doesn't want to be doing what he's doing. The only reason he does this is to keep his comatose sister alive and safe, as he's made a deal with coven leader Mahito to keep their hands off of the Fushiguro siblings if he hunts people down when they ask.

The essential plot is that one day Mahito has a specific request for Megumi: capture one boy and Megumi will no longer have to work as a traitor to humanity while still remaining safe from vampires. This boy, Itadori Yuuji, has stolen something from Mahito and he needs it back, but he also needs Yuuji alive so Megumi can't just kill him.

Megumi sees this as his one opportunity to get out of this shithole of a situation and hesitantly accepts the offer. He sets out to find this thief and ends up forming a friendship with him, first to try and gain Yuuji's trust so he can manipulate Yuuji into doing what he wants, but obviously things don't turn out the way he plans.

Yuuji is very much a mystery throughout the story, his background and motives hidden until much later in the story when shit goes down. He and Megumi have a sort of instant chemistry/connection in this fic that throws both of them off, as neither have much experience with forging human relationships. Their dynamic is something I'm so excited to explore!

And that's the basic plot! There's a lot more shit involved that I have and have not written out yet, but I am SO excited to finally get to this one aibtntfi is finished! I've been talking about this fic with @kattythingz forever and she knows how long this shit has been in works lol. The title of this fic has been at war in my head as I can't choose between a simple title like "Gasoline" or if I should go with the good old lyric title "my heart is gold, but my hands are cold", but honestly I'm sort of leaning towards the former? Feels more distinct that way and it's a bit different from my usual fic titles.

[a-master-procrastinator]

So, I have a headcanon regarding Outlander and Valkorion

Spoiler territory for pretty much the whole game (mostly Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior class stories and all expansions from Shadows of Revan).

How does Outlander (especially non Force user) defeat Valkorion in KotET? This question bothered me (and I'm sure all of you) for quite some time. And frankly, the game doesn't answer it very well. So I did some thinking, searching and theorizing, and found a solution that I will bring in my personal stories. Just thought it would be interesting for others to see as well.

Explanations offered in the game:

Valkorion's power had become weaker at some point (as noted by Arcann in chapter 8 "Taking Flight", and indicated by events on Ziost, since Theron wasn't possessed, and by Valkorion in chapter 9 "Eternal Throne", when he said that he needed Vaylin's power to destroy Outlander's mind);

Arcann and Vaylin helped defeat him;

The holocron was the instrument of Valkorion's defeat (but it's never properly explained how exactly);

The "kneel before the dragon of Zakuul" phrase worked on Valkorion because the Outlander said so.

It doesn't sound too bad, but when I tried to go into details, it didn't make much sense. "My mind, my rules" was really out of nowhere, also kinda goes against the previous experience of Outlander not being able to do anything about Valkorion before that. And Arcann and Vaylin being on your side isn't the key either because even the three of them were still losing, it only changed after the main character said the key phrase. And why the heck does it even work like that? Because they said so? Gee, should've thought about it a few chapters before, no?

Now, what I came up with doesn't really go much different from that, I just made some adjustments to make it flow better (at least for myself). I'll talk through my thoughts in chronological order, so bear with me (I tried to summarize it at the end, so scroll if you want the short version).

Vitiate learned to transfer his spirit as one of the ways to be immortal. It can happen either through a ritual, which is preferable since it's easier, doesn't weaken him, and he doesn't need time to adjust, but it does require consent from a person, or killing the previous host, which does weaken him for some time. The longer he has possessed a host, the greater the loss of power will be upon the transfer. It's not to say that he isn't dangerous, quite the opposite, but perhaps he can't do some 'impossible' things (like consume a planet or shatter a mind) just like that.

He was at his full power before the events on Belsavis and Voss, timeline wise. Remember how easily he possessed the minds of the Jedi on the strike team? Yeah, Jedi Knight broke free, but that's bc they're super strong (and the main character in their storyline).

But because of Baras Vitiate had to be released from the body on Voss by being killed, which made him slightly weaker, just enough for the Hero of Tython to kill him again on Dromund Kaas. That made him lose more power (because he possessed this body for much longer than that Voss), and Vitiate tried to find a new host and regain his power (either by Revan reviving him or consuming all life on Ziost). His attempts were not successful, so he retreated to Zakuul.

That would explain why after being 'killed' yet again on Zakuul (thus losing two of his main hosts) Valkorion wasn't powerful enough to possess the Outlander's mind (regardless of their class). He was in a pretty vulnerable position, so he came up with a plan. We'll get to it. For now, Valkorion understands that if the Outlander dies, he'll be even weaker and probably won't be able to get a new host, so he protects the Outlander while pushing them to use his power.

Every time the Outlander agrees to do so gives Valkorion more control over their body, and even if they never agree, the bond grows stronger as time passes, it's just faster when Outlander uses his power. Eventually it would be just strong enough for Valkorion to use the main character's body without their permission (like in chapter 16). But he's still not powerful enough to break their mind, so he goes to the next part of the plan.

Valkorion manipulated the main character into killing Vaylin (and Arcann, if applicable) because he needed to consume her power to destroy Outlander's mind (which is what happens in chapter 9). But he made a couple mistakes in doing so. First, he underestimated how smart Commander is, and how the bond allowed them to take his form to survive. Second, by consuming Vaylin's spirit, Valkorion gained not just her strength, but also her weakness, which is the conditioning.

But wait, didn't Vaylin free herself from it? Sort of. I saw a suggestion from another player that Vaylin didn't get rid of conditioning itself, but rather the lever that triggers it. It's possible because the process on Nathema didn't exactly according to the plan. And because of that, Valkorion also gained her conditioning after consuming her spirit.

So, what does that mean? What does it do? Well, I think that when the key phrase is said in presence of Vaylin, she temporarily loses her connection to the Force (or it becomes so weak that she can't use it), thus isn't a threat. And the same happens to Valkorion when the main character attempts to use it on him in KotET chapter 9, at least for long enough for the Outlander to kill him. This way the victory isn't dependent on one's power in the Force, and it fits a non Force sensitive Commander as well.

What about the holocron? I explain this as it only binds, commands and releases spirits, as we see with lord Dramath. It's not the key to Valkorion's destruction, but it is still important because it is used to free Vaylin's spirit from Valkorion after her death (and Arcann's, if applicable), which gives Outlander a potential powerful ally.

[Just a little addition that has very little to do with my explanation, but wanted to mention - in the throne room, when Valkorion breaks Outlander's mind, he takes over the body and attacks your companions. They hold off long enough for Commander to put their mind back, and at that moment Valky loses control, and the body is unconscious.]

So, to sum it up:

Valkorion is weaker after being killed on Voss, Dromund Kaas and Zakuul, hence why the Outlander can resist him, regardless of theirconnection to the Force;

the holocron found on Nathema can bind, command and release spirits, which allows Outlander to free Vaylin (and Arcann, if applicable) from Valkorion;

the bond formed between Valkorion and Commander allowed the latter to survive after having their mind destroyed;

Vaylin didn't completely get rid of the conditioning on Nathema because the process didn't go as it should've, it just removed the trigger;

by consuming Vaylin's spirit Valkorion gained both her strength and her weakness - her conditioning, that's why it worked on him, and it temporarily weakened his connection to the Force.

I know this isn't perfect, there are probably plot holes that I haven't noticed or poorly explained, but I like it much more. Why do I even bother with this explanation?

I just love doing mental gymnastics around KotFE-ET, and this particular part was difficult yet entertaining to figure out.

But honestly, probably most important reason is that it works for every class (so even non Force-users are fitting here) because strength in the Force is not the key. Valkorion underestimated how observant and clever Outlander is, and I think it works better for their characters.