#jedi consular storyline

[abbee-normal]

Forge at Tython

[its-called-fashion-sithy]

Have finally created a jedi consular character that I like enough to play through the entire story. That being said I know absolutely nothing about this storyline. I’m actually kind of excited not knowing anything about the companions or when I’ll get them.

[fabeong]

Archive Conversations - SWTOR

Summary: “Lord Vivicar had been dead for little over a week,  but his shadow had by no means retreated.” The newly-titled Barsen’thor struggles with the sacrifices she’s had to make, but Syo Bakarn has a promise to keep.

Characters: Master Syo Bakarn, Rysan Ni (Consular OC, Mirialan and mostly light-side-leaning). Mentioned: Lord Vivicar/Parkanas Tark, Yuon Parr, Qyzen Fess.

Word count: 1673

***

The clock that hovered somewhere high in the walls of the Archives chimed delicately, and Master Syo Bakarn jerked up from the text in front of him. He stared at the time in wonder for a moment, having been so absorbed in his reading that the hours had flown away and it was far later than he had wished. Through the windows he could see marvellous constellations painting intricate pictures across Tython’s sky and Syo stood, stretching his legs and working the aches from his cramped wrists – stars, when had he gotten old?

The Jedi wandered over to the closest window and stood for a while, marvelling anew at the spectacle of the stars above and the scenery below. There was no doubt that Tython had to be one of the most beautiful planets in the galaxy, and that was just to the naked eye! Through the Force a person could see, as Syo did, far more than just the rolling hills, waterfalls, and smoke of far-away camps; he could feel the life of every individual who called it home, he could sense their joy, the satisfaction of a hard day’s work, the relief at survival, and hopes for the future…

And he could sense distress.

Syo frowned. He stared out of the window for a moment longer and then glanced around, searching for the source of this tremor in the Force and deciding it was definitely coming from within the Archives rather than somewhere out in Tython’s forests. But where? He walked back to the table he had been hunched over and closed the text, bookmarking his place for next time, and paced slowly through the rows of illuminated holo-texts. He seemed quite alone, unsurprising for so late at night when padawans had all been packed off to bed and most sensible Knights and Masters had followed them there. But still that current of distress called out in the Force and Syo looked up another corridor of shelves – and his heart sank.

The Mirialan was clearly asleep, slumped over the desk with her head in her arms and her short black hair falling haphazardly from its previously high ponytail. The blinking light from a holo-transmitter beside her flung light onto her dark green face and intricate tattoos but all Syo could notice was how tired the young Jedi looked, the dark shadows under her eyes only worsened by the dim glow of the desk’s failing lamp. Quietly as he could, the Jedi Master approached the desk and gently laid a hand on the Mirialan’s shoulder.

“Wha-” She jolted awake, her head snapping up and her violet eyes sweeping everywhere before focussing on Syo. “Master Syo! Sorry, I was just…”

But the young Consular’s sleepy grin faltered and then fell as she woke up properly, and the shadow across her face only grew. Syo’s brow knitted together in worry; her mental shields were still weak from sleep and he could easily sense the memories flooding back into her mind, the stress and despair, the loss. Lord Vivicar had been dead for little over a week, but his shadow had by no means retreated.

“Hello Rysan.” He greeted the Mirialan, keeping his hand gently on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“I think so.” It wasn’t really an answer, and they both knew it. Instead of pushing it Syo shifted, moving to the seat beside Rysan’s and sitting down beside her.

“Are you sleeping alright?” He asked at last.

“I never did” Rysan replied wryly, and Syo just nodded. This wasn’t exactly news to him; Yuon Parr had often mentioned Rysan’s unique mind in training, her issues with focusing yet bursts of hyper-concentration, an incredible brain that could trace complex mysteries to their source yet would deny her sleep when she needed it most. Something was resting against his foot and he leant down, picking up the diamond-shaped object that must have rolled off the desk. Its metal surface was cool to the touch, and he could feel the calming energy rolling off it as he held it out to the younger Jedi with a soft smile. Her mouth twitching in what Syo hoped was the beginning of a grin, Rysan took it. “Thanks, Master.”

“Does it still help?” Syo asked curiously. Rysan held her green palm out flat and the object rose a few inches before beginning to spin rapidly.

“Yeah, it helps keep me grounded.” Even as she spoke, the focus-imbued shape was steadily slowing its rotations and the tension was bleeding out of Rysan’s shoulders. “Theran’s been building me other things too,” she added, “Things to keep my hands busy, so I can concentrate.”

“He’s a very skilled man. Though please, never let him take you to a casino.”

Rysan’s violet eyes glanced mischievously back up at the master,

“Are you telling me that from experience, Master Syo?”

“Perhaps. A mistake I have never repeated! ” Syo admitted with a chuckle and decided it was safe to ask, “What are you reading?”

He had misjudged, and Rysan’s growing smile vanished and her focus object fell into her hand heavily. She didn’t say anything for a while, just curled back into herself and raked a hand through loose black hair. He worried that she might not reply at all, but then Rysan just turned back to the datapad propped up in front of her and slid it over; taking the hint, Syo leant forward in his seat, only to see a list of names. He frowned in confusion for a moment before realising that these names were familiar, Jedi names, names that had been recently read out at a memorial ceremony in the peaceful courtyard that the Archives overlooked. These were the names of the Jedi who had died with Vivicar, and Rysan was on page four out of twelve. Now Syo was quiet for a while too, using the pad of his finger to slowly scroll down the list.

“It’s a good thing to honour the dead, Rysan.” He said at last, his voice calm and gentle. “But we shouldn’t hold onto them beyond their time.”

The Mirialan Jedi shifted, now hugging her knees to her chest. The motion threw dark shadows across her exhausted face, and Syo’s heart ached – she’s far too young to look so pained.

“Master Tyken. Master Fain. Master Vossan, Master Sidone.” Rysan recited those names as if they were seared into her brain. “I saved them for nothing.”

Her hollow voice would have betrayed her emotions even if her powerful Force signature hadn’t.

Rysan. Look after her. Promise me, Syo, please.

Syo had made that promise to Yuon Parr, and now he took a breath, switching off the datapad before turning to look at the knight head-on.

“That’s not true. Cin Tyken’s padawan is safe and will be well supported in her future studies. Nar Shaddaa has one less gang roaming its streets. Master Vossan’s research, which you yourself saved, will be preserved and used just as he wanted. And do not underestimate the peace which you brokered on Alderaan, Rysan. Master Sidone rested knowing you brought healing where she could not.”

Rysan had slowly lowered her knees from her chest and was spinning the diamond-shaped object again. Syo paused before adding “And I’m sure you know that Yuon Parr would be incredibly proud of you.”

“You think so?” It was barely audible in her voice, but Syo could relax as he sensed the sliver of relief, of hope sink through the young Jedi.

“No. I know how proud she was of you.”

Tell Rysan I’m proud of her, Syo.

There was no mistaking the small smile that flickered on Rysan’s face. Syo smiled too, and leant forward to lay a hand on her shoulder again. “You have done well, padaw-” he broke off, catching his near-mistake with a wry smile, “Barsen’thor. You ensured the end of a plague that could have wiped us out and undoubtedly earned that title. There’s no need to be so hard on yourself.”

“Thank you, Master Syo.” Anyone who knew Rysan Ni would tell you her smile was infectious and now certainly proved it; despite his own tiredness and concern for the young Jedi Syo found himself returning her smile in kind.

“It’s alright.” He replied, “I will always be here if you need me, Rysan.”

Rysan’s grateful smile lit up her face, and she suddenly moved forward to fling her arms around the elder master in a tight hug. Syo blinked, startled for a moment; the Jedi didn’t exactly encourage such overt expressions. But he had made a promise and he cared enough to keep it, and he returned the embrace gently.

“Thank you.” Rysan whispered into his shoulder. The urgent flashing of her commlink drew her attention and she drew back to pull it over.

“Qyzen’s looking for me.” She murmured, her violet eyes scanning the message “I should-”

“Get some sleep.” Syo interposed, trying and failing to sound stern. It didn’t work, Rysan actually laughed – a welcome sound – as she got to her feet and stretched. Her left wrist and hand cracked as she did so, not from the popping of natural joints but from the whirr of mechanical gears in her cybernetic.

“I’ll just see what he wants, then go to bed. Promise.” She almost turned to go before Syo cleared his throat and held out the focus object she was about to forget on the table. Rysan took it with a sheepish grin. “Thanks. Goodnight, Master Syo.”

“Goodnight, Rysan. Sleep well.” The Master watched the young knight vanish into the depths of the Temple, no doubt to find her Trandoshian friend who was also grieving for her former master.

Syo knew he should worry about Rysan. Her capacity for care, for emotion, for attachment even, was such that only her shocking sacrifice of Vivicar and the masters had kept the Council’s mouth closed on the subject. It really should worry him.

But Syo had no idea that same care would one day save his life.

-Fin-

[thornetabris]

thinking of my dear jedi consular sage today

[krisslegacy]

sorry that jedi consular is one of the best classes. sorry that yall can't handle depth and layered storylines.

[larena]

Wanted to try ranking SWTOR class stories in order of "importance" - how relevant they are to the games overarching ongoing storyline, based on factors like how often aspects of them come up in other class stories, or elsewhere in the story, how easily they flow into the expansions, how important their companions end up being later, etc.

Jedi Knight: This one's undeniable, I think. It's basically the main plot class. Knight kills Vitiate first, deals with a lot of the more important problems on most of the planets they go to. And Kira, Scourge, and T7 all get main character status in the expansions regardless of your class.

Imperial Agent: This one is a tossup with Sith Warrior for me. I can see arguments for either, but Agent wins out imo just because of how far-reaching the Star Cabal is, and, maybe somewhat paradoxically, how relevant *other* class stories are to its story. Kaliyo and especially SCORPIO also end up being pretty important in the expansions, as well as a few other Agent companions and NPCs.

Sith Warrior: You are literally the Emperor's Wrath. The class with the closest direct connection to the Emperor, besides maybe Knight. Again its a tossup for me whether Warrior or Agent are the "A" plot for the Empire storyline, but the Wrath almost single handedly reignites the war for Darth Baras. As well as being a fairly close acquaintance of one of Vitiate's potential successors, Vowrawn. Vette also ends up being fairly important in the expansions, though not as much since Eternal Throne.

Jedi Consular: The Children of the Emperor have only recently become very, very relevant again, and we don't fully know where that plot is going, but I think thats still a compelling argument to put Consular relatively high. None of their companions have been super relevant post-class story besides Nadia on Ossus, but the Rift Alliance does end up feeling like a precursor to the Eternal Alliance, to me.

Sith Inquisitor: This may feel low for Inquisitor, given they become a Dark Council Member but honestly they don't do that much. They're somewhat responsible for the Dark Temple being Like That in the other class stories, and the Silencer Fleet is somewhat important, as well as Moff Pyron. But none of their companions are relevant anywhere else and I don't think the events of their class story are referenced anywhere except some passing name drops of Darth Thanaton. I could realistically rank them lower, but again, they ARE on the Dark Council.

Bounty Hunter: Honestly the remaining three tech classes are hard to rank. But I think BH gets a lot of credit for technically allowing Saresh to rise to power. And not for nothing, a lot of their companions have been relevant in expansions, especially Torian recently. You only get a *lot* of the earlier Mando stuff through BH, which I think also counts for something.

Trooper: I think Trooper mainly gets points for Jorgan being a main character in Fallen Empire. They do a lot of stuff that *feels* important, and General Garza, Rakton, and the Bastion come up elsewhere, but it never feels like there's much impact from the Trooper story overall.

Smuggler: I mean what can I say. I love the Smuggler storyline, and Nok Drayen *is* a member of the Star Cabal, but none of this shit mattered lol. Which is totally thematically appropriate imo, it's at least meant to be a pretty personal story with personal stakes. At least everyone can meet Akaavi and Guss in the expansions.

[hurricanek8art]

Okay, so, um... Hi? So, I've been a lurker on Tumblr for a while, including the SWTOR tag, because I've got major social anxiety. Recently, I think I've finally worked up the courage to interact, which is great! Especially now, because I think I need advice about the game and don't really know where else to ask! Other social media sites scare me and I'm not currently a subscriber, so I can't access the SWTOR forums. :P

I've just finished Corellia on my Jedi Knight. She's technically my main, even though I already finished the class storylines for Consular and Smuggler. I got burnout on doing the planetary missions and side quests around Balmorra (I'm a huge goody-two-shoes, so I was doing almost every quest I came across) so I figured, hey, I'll just focus on the story for a while and come back to it another time! Except now I feel kinda bad for skipping them because my Knight's leveled at 53, when my other two finished their class stories around 60/65. I know over-leveling's pointless, but at the speed I take getting through stuff, they'll have to have raised the level cap again by the time I catch up. 🤣

Should I go back and do them before finishing the class story? I know it's pretty harmless to skip them but I dunno, I want to do as much as I can with my Knight so I haven't missed out on anything. My brother plays too, we share an account, but his philosophy is skip absolutely everything that's not important unless he's underleveled, so obviously we have differing opinions on the subject. 🤣🤣🤣 Can some more experienced players give me some advice? I'm paralyzed with indecision, help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, etc., etc., you get the gist.

Unnecessarily adding pictures of my Knight because she is awesome and I love her to pieces and I only really get to talk about her with my brother. I'm a writer/artist and I've got loads of stuff I've created about her and my other legacy characters but. y'know. extreme social anxiety says no sharing yet. You guys make such cool stuff and I'm a huge chicken, but I'm working on getting over that, so maybe someday I can actually tell their stories!

[sith-shenanigans]

Introduction and Masterpost

Hello! I’m Io (with an i, not an L), they/them, enthusiast of evil space wizards and other assorted terrible people everywhere. This is primarily a SWTOR blog, but I post about other fandoms occasionally, and have recently fallen down a terrible hyperfixation hole about Fallen London. I write longfic, on a somewhat inconsistent schedule; chronic illness makes it difficult to put out chapters consistently.

I don’t have a DNI, but I block bigots and anyone whose posts I’d prefer not to see. I don’t do shipping discourse, and I don’t necessarily care what you ship, but see the previous sentence; if it makes me uncomfortable, and there are definitely things that make me profoundly uncomfortable out there, I’ll probably block you. (This has much more to do with tone than content—I have triggers, I’m all for people experiencing unpleasant things in safe ways, but the moment it feels like they’re being written as good and sweet and normal I’m going to nope on out of there as fast as I can. For my own mental health, and because the alternative is me biting someone’s head off.)

For my own part, I often write about dark subjects (especially in regards to my SWTOR OCs), and this blog may contain untagged discussion of fictional slavery, speciesism, systemic child abuse, state violence, toxic and abusive relationships, and similar topics. Mentions of sexual assault are generally tagged as “sexual assault cw.” I try to tag discussion of parental or school-based child abuse as “child abuse cw,” as well as in-depth descriptions of it in general, but I can’t 100% guarantee it. I try to remember to tag what friends ask me to tag, but if we don’t know each other well, I may not be able to manage it.

For neurodivergence reasons, I find it extremely difficult to describe images most of the time, but I’m trying to include alt text on screenshots of tags more consistently, and I’m attempting to tag my own posts with undescribed images as “undescribed.” (This includes most of my Fallen London posting, because there’s just enough formatting to poke me in the “cannot easily transcribe visuals to text” issue.)

Liminality/Discontent (SWTOR):

Liminality Main Cast:

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Discontent Main Cast:

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Sunlight (SWTOR):

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Other/Miscellaneous (SWTOR):

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Fallen London:

Amias Arling, the Calescent Inquisitive. Heart’s Desire. A former freelance detective with a few unfortunate soft spots, who came to the Neath for a case and ended up framed for something their target did. Extremely clever and extremely driven, but embodies the maxim that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Practically allergic to the direct route, unless it seems like no one would ever expect it. And even then, they’d rather take a convoluted way around.

SWTOR:

Liminality/Discontent, a sometimes-AU SWTOR novelization in multiple parts. Has a heavy focus on the implications that the game didn’t go into, the politics of the galaxy, and the pressure the protagonists go through.

like a moth to you, sunlight, a collaboration with my sibling @azems-familiar. Not very much is written on it, because collaboration is hard even when both people involved aren’t chronically ill (and our hyperfixations are largely elsewhere right now), but we love our terrible children anyway.

Liminality/Discontent:

The Dead Star; The Ruin, a prologue of a sort. As yet unpublished. Also works as a standalone work.

Anamnesis, a KOTOR novelization with a certain amount of playing with the format. A tragedy, if a bittersweet one, and a case study in why villains with good motivations are still villains. On hiatus.

Liminality, my pride and joy and occasional mortal enemy. The first and primary of two SWTOR base game novelizations, covering the Sith Inquisitor, Smuggler, Sith Warrior, and Jedi Consular storylines. It deals heavily with loss and family—the latter both by blood and by choice, and sometimes unexpectedly uncovered. It’s also about history, about the boundaries between past and future and life and death—and the things that survive when someone is gone. The galaxy is full of dangerous secrets, and cycles that seem inexorable; in the end, though, what matters most are the choices you make and why.

Discontent, the fic I will someday definitely write. Covers the Jedi Knight, Imperial Agent, Bounty Hunter, and Republic Trooper. It’s about war, mostly, and cleaning up other people’s messes. Nobody gets to step off a battlefield as the same person who walked onto it, if they make it off at all, but there are reasons to keep trying—even if only some of them are good ones. And somebody has to be the one to chase down the conspiracies in the dark.

Sacrifice, as yet not even started, which will cover the portion of the game running from the end of the class stories to Ziost. There’s a fourth fic for the Alliance era, tentatively titled Conviction, but there’s less in my head about how that one’s going to go.

Sunlight:

still my heart is heavy (with the hate of some other man’s beliefs), about spies and loyalty and people making slightly better decisions than they could have. Written primarily by @azems-familiar, who Illami belongs to. (I helped write Ardun.)

Other/Miscellaneous (SWTOR):

your last serving daughter, a collaboration with @reconstructionlegacy. Our silly little AU about Empire and the people who wish they didn’t live in it. Also infrequently updated due to the trials of life and coauthorship.

Fallen London:

None, yet, but it will happen. I can feel it.

The organizational banners used can be found here.

[kemendin]

Can you tell me about your other Swtor Ocs?

By 'other' I'm gonna assume 'ones who are not my main lads Cas and Khel' haha. So let's see....

Damaskh, aka Cipher Twelve: My Imperial Agent, who actually doesn't follow the game's IA storyline. Genderfluid half Zeltron, half Sith pureblood. His specialties are disguise and infiltration, primarily for longterm undercover missions. He's a background character - I really don't have a lot of actual story or plot for him, except when he pops up occasionally in Khel's world, but I do find his 'casual but deadly' manner to be immensely entertaining.

Darius Serapis: My canon Republic Trooper, and Caspian's older brother. He's a die-hard Republic loyalist with a no-nonsense attitude, sometimes harsh and unyielding, but he's got an excellent reputation among the lower ranks as a commander who never leads from the back or leaves a soldier behind. He and Cas do share a fierce family loyalty to one another, even if they disagree on a lot of things.

Emryn Solari: A Republic medic who's highly Force sensitive but actually declined to join the Jedi, preferring to serve as a field medic in the military. He often comes off as naive and mild-mannered, but he's surprisingly level-headed when working under fire. He was Caspian's best friend when they were growing up on Corellia, and he joins Cas' crew as their medic during Chapter 3 of the JK story (basically replacing Doc, who doesn't join up in my canon).

Maahes: A Sith battle prodigy who defected to the Jedi at the tail end of the Great War, and who is now a respected if somewhat maverick Jedi Master. Stern but kind, he has an understated sense of humour which I adore, and is often tasked with chaperoning groups of Jedi-in-training on field trips. He's also Caspian's former mentor, and something of an unspoken father figure for Cas.

Shod'al Kur, aka Darth Syphon: Similar vibes to the Sith Inquisitor story, only a few generations earlier, aka former slave who clawed his way to power and now sits on the Dark Council. He's far more about cunning than brute force, and always has a feel out for the pulse of how things are going in the Sith Order. He's a newer OC, so I don't know a lot more about him yet - but I do know that he went through Sith training with Maahes, and the two became friends, then lovers, and while Maahes defected, Shod'al refused to give up his place of power and remained in the Empire.

Vanirr Kel-Su - My canon-ish Jedi Consular. He embodies everything the Jedi are supposed to be, in the layman's eye - good and bad. He's calm and scholarly, an exceptional diplomat and excellent at sneaking around to find the path of least violence, both literally and figuratively. Unfortunately, he knows he's all of this, and so he's also quite preachy and thinks he can handle anything, especially all those dangerous artefacts out there. He and Caspian went through Jedi training together - they didn't get along then, and they don't get along now.

Ibis: A non-canon-story smuggler who's really out there just to cause some chaos and then sit back with popcorn. They live for danger and entertainment - credits are just a bonus. Like Damaskh, more of a background character till they deign to tell be more about themself.

[jb-nonsense]

Jedi Knight Storyline: We're breaking the Jedi Code by dating!!

Jedi Consular Storyline: and if you pass this discussion with the Jedi Council and we're deemed trustworthy, we can get married.

[rikki-roses]

Fluffy February Day 10: Care

SWTOR

Time Period: Early Chapter 3 of Consular storyline

I think Nadia is "supposed" to be older, like 21-ish, but honestly I headcanon her as closer to Ashara's age based on how she acts and how her father treats her, and I think Ashara is about 16? Definitely picture an older sister/younger sister dynamic between her and my Consular, bordering on a mother/daughter dynamic; Setra's 25/26 here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Setra and the boys gathered around Nadia, trying desperately to provide comfort to her after the death of her father, all four of them woefully unprepared to care for a grieving orphaned teenager. While Setra could formally make Nadia her Padawan as per Nadia's father's last wish, ensuring the girl would be cared for and still have a Responsible Adult in her life, it didn't provide solace in the moment. And Setra certainly hadn't expected it to come about like this, the months of them training in secret notwithstanding.

In the end, they situated Nadia on the couch in the ship lounge, keeping a steady stream of tea (Zenith promptly tried to mix it with brandy - "that's what we do when we're grieving the loss of someone in the Balmorran Resistance, and 17 is totally old enough for alcohol" - but Setra quickly put a stop to that) at her elbow and practically burying her in lap blankets and stuffed animals. The remaining diplomats, for their part, provided comforting words to her but otherwise stayed out of Setra and her crew's way.

When Nadia hadn't moved from the couch after several hours, leaving her lunch untouched, Setra gingerly perched on the edge of the couch next to her. Nadia looked up at her, eyes welling up with tears, and leaned into Setra hard as she wrapped her arms around the older woman's neck, weeping into her shoulder.

For the briefest second, Setra froze; she was not used to providing comfort like this - normally, when she dealt with someone experiencing high emotions, it was anger or fear, not sadness. But her Jedi training came through, and she wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her close.

Relax. No different than comforting Kiki when we were children, before...

She closed her eyes and gently swayed the two of them, reaching out to her Padawan through the Force, letting her presence in the Force wrap around the girl's. Nadia gratefully seized upon the offered connection, steadying her breathing to match Setra's. She pulled away after several minutes, sniffling; Setra handed her a handkerchief, brushing the hair out of Nadia's eyes.

"There's my girl. Do you think you can try eating?"

Nadia's lower lip trembled, but she nodded and grabbed the untouched plate. Nadia picked at the food, offering bites to Setra, who in turn politely declined. Setra herself had eaten little, but she didn't want the girl to worry or get distracted. Not that she had an appetite after the recent events, anyways. Nadia got through a good chunk of her food before finally speaking."

"When...when are we going to Tython? Does the Council know yet that I'm your Padawan?"

Setra took a long moment to respond. "Master Syo knows I was planning on training you regardless of what your father had wanted, but he and the others know yet what happened, or that you're officially my Padawan now. We can go to Tython and tell them in person whenever you're ready, but I didn't want to rush you so soon."

"Will they be angry?"

Setra quickly shook her head. "No, no; this isn't the first time a Jedi has taken a Padawan in these conditions. Master Kaeden on the Council might complain since I technically didn't get Council approval beforehand, but he'll be an outlier. He's...more rigid about the rules. And again, Master Syo is on our side."

Nadia bobbed her head, mimicking how Setra often nodded. "Can...can you read one of your texts to me, tonight? Daddy always read to me before bed."

"Of course, sweet girl. We can make for Tython tomorrow, if you think you're ready?"

Nadia bobbed her head again, and Setra felt a weight lift that she hadn't realized was there. She looked up and saw the four men hovering in the doorway; she gave them a thumbs up, and they left to prepare the ship to leave.

Setra hadn't expected to have to care for a Padawan so soon, but if the Force willed it, she would follow.

[oh-my-hubris]

Everyone should feel extremely bad for my husband because I have 8 SWTOR AUs that I'm actively (as in they're in open tabs) working on and Ink is hearing about all of them at once.

Occasionally without context so I have to back up at try again.

We have:

Breaker -- The third and possibly final of the Jhonnen AUs, in which he is the Jedi Knight (this is better than being Sith but still pretty bad for all parties involved)

Flip -- An extremely traumatized Inle

Unexplored Territories: Ruins and Relationships -- In an attempt to not get murdered by various people who outrank her, Yon'kne achieves near ultimate power and starts sleeping with the Wrath.

Font Of Strength -- Sith Warrior Storyline, now with 32% more found family vibes and Quinn getting comfortable(?) with being a kinky bottom.

Beyond Destiny -- It's the Marli and Kat ~shoooooow~

Chaos In The Old Republic -- no idea if this will see the light of day, but what if Jhonnen (smuggler), Kat (Knight), Ashlan (Warrior), Yon'kne (Inquisitor), Nikopol (Bounty Hunter), and Inle (Agent) were all stuck in the same AU?

Thicker Than Water -- Delgado Organa is dragged into the Jedi order and discovers his destiny is to kick the Emperor in the taint. His adopted sister Idrilla gets a job with SIS so he doesn't die in the process.

Unnamed Neria + Sikai AU -- Neria and Sikai are separated when she escapes Korriban and he doesn't pushing these adopted siblings into the consular and inquisitor storylines respectively.

Ink has been an absolute saint about my ramblings.

[anchanted-one]

Alliance Commander Ask Game

I saw this interesting post by @consularmain , and thought I'd do it too!

1. Who’s your Alliance Commander? What class are they? Alignment? Random other facts you wanna share?

That would be Vajra Devarath, Jedi Knight. He's mostly Light-Sided, but gets very attached to people. During his 'funeral' after he and the rest of Braga's strike team went MIA, my Consular thought he was a bad Jedi, but a really great person.

His story deviates greatly from the game, but I'll be referring to that rather than the game. I'm currently writing it on AO3, but I'm on Shadow of Revan, at the moment. I'm a long way from writing about his Commander days.

2. What’s a reason or two you like that this character is your Commander?

Vajra is decisive and clearheaded. He doesn't always know what's best, but on these occasions, he's very quick to ask Lana, Theron, Koth, Jorgan, Beywan, Scourge, Kira, or anyone else for their opinions. And choosing the one he things is the best one.

He has a good reputation in the galaxy. Most ordinary people see him as the ultimate white knight errant; honest (more than he actually is), self-sacrificing, and a winner. The Sith and both sides' High Command (including Acina) acknowledge his strength. The Jedi acknowledge his commitment to the galaxy, and perhaps even the Force. I should say, Vajra didn't ask for this, his legend just grew on its own thanks to him getting a lot of spotlight missions.

3. What’s a reason or two you don’t like about them being Commander?

Vajra was permanently affected by the carbonite. It's a source of chronic pain for him, to the point of knocking him out when he least expects it. He does cope somewhat after accepting both Sides of the Force thanks to Satele and Marr, but fifteen years after his return, he's got quite the litany of health problems.

He also has an old problem with mental health. He does deal with it on Rishi, thanks to Lana, but killing or losing allies can hit him hard.

4. Why did this character of all your OCs become Commander?

I've always been partial to the Knight-Errants, and the Jedi Knight felt like the natural anti-Emperor crusader. I thought that once they kill the Emperor in chapter 3, they're already the strongest boss in the galaxy, with few able to stand against them. In addition, Kotfe-et always felt like a Force-user storyline to me. It doesn't translate well for the others. I mean, Smuggler and Bounty Hunter are basically criminals, and Cipher Nine is a spy, not a poster model. And there are the fights against Arcann and Vaylin too...

5. Who did they side with? Did they stay loyal or go saboteur? Or maybe you headcanon they defect properly?

By the time of the Iokath conflict, my universe is far divorced from SWTOR storyline. In fact, the reverse happened. With the Fleet and the Gravestone under his command, Vajra attempts to put an end to fighting. He more or less strongarms both sides into going along with it. Acina and Chancellor Rans are the ones who have to choose, and they choose 'surrender.'

6. Are there any NPC’s from the class stories you’d like to see/HC join the Alliance? Ex: Master Timmns, Ardun Kothe, Watcher One, etc.

The following are part of my Alliance: Shara Jenn (remote worker), Watcher One (secretly), Praven, Bengel, and a bunch of others.

7. How’s your OC feeling about the current Malgus situation?

Doesn't happen. Vajra has the habit of decapitating enemies. Malgus was killed on Ilum, and there was nothing could be salvaged from the station's self-destruct.

On a meta level, I hate enemies that won't stay dead. It's lazy writing, and they already had Malora. They could've brought back Jadus, if they wanted nostalgia-bait, the community would've rejoiced. (You either die as a respected adversary, or live to become more nuisance than terror)

8. Are any of your other OC’s part of the Alliance? If yes what do they do for the Alliance? Do they get along with your Commander?

Most notably, Jasme Shan, Theron's twin sister. But she's not one of the starting classes. She's an Archivist first, combatant second. She's also Vajra's best friend.

Technically, Cipher Nine is a founding member, but only Vajra, Lana, Shara Jenn, and Watcher One know about it. Lana lets Theron and Jasme in on the secret at some point, but I don't know when.

Seraphim Abbot, who's a Jedi pilot and Kira's husband, also joins when she does (earlier, in my story).

Hekaten (Sith Inquisitor) joins the Alliance, in a way. They get along okay.

In addition, Roban Queens (Trooper) joins the Alliance early. But he's had a problem with Vajra for over a decade now.

Vajra encountered Commander Tavus on Taris, but didn't apprehend him, since Garza kept his defection secret. Roban hated him for it, somehow expecting the then-fifteen-year-old to somehow know how to tell a traitor. He picked a fight with Vajra, and lost. To add insult to injury, Vajra filed a formal complaint against him and Garza, which led to her losing trust, and getting a temporary demotion. He never forgave Vajra for that.

During the timeskip, Roban worked with Lana, and began to want her. But she wasn't interested, and he blamed Vajra for that (rarely admitting that he himself was the problem).

Oh, and um. Roban and his family are Zakuulan sleeper agents. He hates Arcann for killing them, but he's a Valkorionist through and through. So that's one more reason to hate Vajra.

9. How does your OC feel about Odessen? (Bonus: how do you feel about it)

Vajra loves it. The scenery is perfect, and it's balanced in the Force. In my story, Lana starts developing it as mroe than just a military base. It has cities, farms, industries, and even markets. They build a home on Odessen, and raise their kids there.

Personally, I love it. Only world I love more is Alderaan.

10. How does your Commander feel about being the Commander?

He accepts it. You have to understand though; he takes it to a whole new level. If you've ever heard of the Shogunate in Japan, that's what he becomes. A benign military dictator. He's able to bring peace to the galaxy thanks to this, but he hates how he's going against his teachings to be a dictator. In addition, he would've liked to have retired from fighting and leading. To spend the bulk of his time as a good husband and father.

11. Favorite place in the Alliance base?

The cliffs overlooking the base and valley beyond.

12. Favorite mission in KotFE?

Chapter 3. The escape from Zakuul, and getting rescued by Lana. On a personal note, I like how this mission frames Vaylin as a force of nature. Like the Dahaka from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. She was a better Vader, back in those days. Then she became a worse Kylo Ren...

13. Favorite mission in KotET?

The final one, though it's very different for Vajra. When he and Hekaten meet face-to-face for the first time, Valkorion realizes that the Sith has a super-strong pull on ghosts. He uses that to escape his 'cage' (Vajra) and transfer over to Hekaten. The final chapter, where you have to piece yourself together, takes place in Hekaten's mind rather than Vajra's. The Inquisitor escapes thanks to Vaylin's interference, and Vajra briefly resumes his role in containing Valkorion before destroying him for good using Tenebrae's original body.

14. Least favorite mission in either? Why?

From meta, the walker missions. In the game, Iokath. I hate everything about that world, but especially the conclusion. After everything SCORPIO did, having her arc resolved with a single choice like that is dumb. Personally, I resent SCORPIO blaming all organics for what only the Cabal did to her. And she's not fighting for droid rights; she has no problem treating HK-55 like a tool.

15. Is your Commander successful because they’re skilled? Or are they perhaps just really lucky?

Skill more than luck, but I can't stress on how important his friends/council are to his success.

16. From our OC’s point of view, SoR -> KotET wasn’t a fun experience, did they develop any fears as a result?

He was terribly upset by finding out that he lost five whole years. Especially because everyone he knew has changed and grown without him. Most importantly, Lana and Jasme. The latter lost the love of her life (Sith Warrior, Kairegane Rooks) and nearly gave up. He wished he'd been there for her, as she'd been for him.

He's also aware of just how hard his absence was for Lana, with whom he shares a powerful Force-Bond. It was almost dead for five years, which caused her no end of grief.

It doesn't help how he realizes that they've had five years of growth taken away from them, including the family they wished to start together.

And then there's Kira, who had a son while he was frozen.

As a result, he's very afraid of losing time. He's always in a hurry to get the work out of the way, so he can do what's really important to him--spending time with his loved ones. He's loath to let them out of his sight, like he's owrried they'll slip through some crack and vanish the moment he has his back turned. This also makes him very angry with Arcann, though he manages to put his feelings aside.

17. AU time! If your Commander wasn’t Commander, which of your other OCs would have likely taken their place?

Probably no one. Kairegane Rooks, the Wrath, was terminally ill. For her to survive, she'd have to not have a congenital disease. Hekaten is taken prisoner by the Eternal Empire, and Lana and Theron don't trust Roban due to his affiliation to Zakuul (in addition to his general creepy behavior). He proves them right by abandoning the Alliance when Valkorion takes over Hekaten. Smuggler and Bounty Hunter are far too removed from galactic politics to care. I suppose someone would've risen up, but it would've been a dark and bloody universe that ended up in an even worse place than where we are now.

18. Who’s someone your Commander hopes they never have to deal with again?

The Emperor, and Roban. That second guy especially. Creeped on his wife (Lana, whom he married way back during SOR), and joined Valkorion. He even had the temerity to pretend that Force Users have bad inner eyes, rather than accept that maybe Valkorion really was the Sith Emperor.

19. Does your Commander hold on to/still use any titles they earned before KotET?

He doesn't, but he finds them thrown his way very often. Some of the titles he has, which aren't in-game titles:

General, Jedi Marshal, and Crown Reaper (or just Reaper).

20. Share something, anything at all, you want about your Commander that you’ve not really gotten the chance to share before but really want to.

Honestly, I've either already written it, or will be writing when I get there in the story.

In the beginning, I intended for each of my OCs to correspond to a deadly sin:

Vajra: Pride (in his swordsmanship) Kairegane: Lust (thrill seeker) Roban: Envy Hekaten: Greed Mark Fordorn (Bounty Hunter): Wrath (He's an escaped Power Guard) Juun Stede (Smuggler): Gluttony Devel Nirol (Consular): Sloth.

But I did a poor job of keeping to it in most cases, so the 'sins' are a shadow of what they might have been, with the exception of Mark, who's still a very angry man.

[relevant-url-incoming]

No True Kids

Ok three out of five consular companions now! Zenith is actually really easy for me to write, I feel like - made more fun by the fact that he is of course the least likely to trust Caibos of anyone in this entire storyline. glossing over the initial introduction for now, since these bits are more about them finding out/reacting to his age, but someday... someday i'll explore that mess, too.

Zenith didn’t think much of the Jedi at first. Not in the insulting way, either. He was just another Jedi. Republic did it all the time: swoop in, save one day, leave the rest to fall apart when they left. They never made truly good on their promises.

He didn’t like that the Jedi wanted Imperials alive, either. Too soft. Made Zenith wonder where this Jedi’s loyalties lay, if he was honest: the man was a Sith in species if not temperament. Zenith had heard of things like this. Jedi going dark, and more rarely Sith deciding they felt sorry about all the things they’d done. Zenith didn’t think much of it, and that was in the insulting way. An apologetic Sith couldn’t bring people back to life, or undo the years of slavery Balmorrans had endured. He suspected this Jedi-Sith was that kind. It was in the way he was so strict about not killing a wounded captive. Nobody took a stance like that unless they had something they were afraid of. And the way he’d talked to that kid Sith! The boy may have been Balmorran, but he should have known better than to collaborate with Lachris. The Jedi’s mercy was only creating more problems for Zenith’s people.

Before the Jedi went out to meet with the corporate collaborators – took everything Zenith had not to scoff at that one – Zenith pulled him aside.

“Gotta ask,” he said. “You’re obviously a Jedi, but – you’re a Sith pureblood.”

“Believe me,” the Jedi said. “My blood is anything but pure.”

Zenith couldn’t tell if he was upset or not. Could be a good sign – Jedi behaviour – or it could be bad. Zenith didn’t like people he couldn’t quite read. He decided to press.

“How long have you been a Jedi?”

The Jedi’s red eyes flashed with anger.

“What a ridiculous and insulting question!” exclaimed the Jedi’s friend. Zenith hadn’t gotten the human’s name. Hadn’t cared. Of course, if he was sticking around for all the firefights Zenith ought to pay attention, even if he did look pretty useless. He’d made it in and out of Okara. Seemed pretty gung-ho about protecting the Jedi, too.

“It’s all right, Tharan,” said the Jedi. Interesting, since he’d been upset by Zenith, too. “I’ve been with the Jedi for eleven years, Zenith.”

“Before that?” Zenith asked, folding his arms. If this Jedi was going to crack and reveal a Sith underneath, Zenith was going to find out now among allies. Not when he was meant to be saving Balmorra.

“You don’t have to indulge this – cretin and his insinuations –“ Tharan said hotly. The Jedi ignored his sputtering. A strangely savage smile lit his face as he leaned in closer to Zenith.

“Before that,” he said in an undertone. “I was five years old.”

The smile faded as the Jedi stepped back. Now his face was cold.

“I will leave for my next mission straight away,” he announced to the room at large. Then he was out the door.

Tharan followed behind, hissing something at the Jedi. Zenith caught bits: things like “what were you thinking,” and “of all the times to be forthcoming!”

Must have been true, then. Zenith set a hand on his blaster for comfort and thought. He was a kid. He was a Sith. He was a Jedi. Lot of contradictions there, but taken together he could see how maybe he was just a Jedi who genuinely believed what he spouted.  Maybe he was someone Zenith could trust to get the job done, even if he wasn’t really here for Balmorra. Nobody was ever here for Balmorra.

And he could hand it to the kid. He was decisive. Didn’t wring his hands over his choices, even if he wasn’t willing to get those hands dirty. Zenith suggested a plan, the Jedi said he’d make it happen. Hard to say if the confidence was earned yet, but he hadn’t gone wrong so far.

They didn’t get to talk again, not about anything but the mission, until the Balmorran Arms Factory. Zenith almost didn’t care to talk then. Not with Lachris’ death so close.

He wanted to get a few things clear, though.

“You’re really a kid?” he asked.

The Jedi’s jaw tightened. Almost a pout, really. He threw several Imperial guards against the outer wall of the factory with a wave of his hand and gestured for Zenith to follow him inside.

“I am sixteen, yes,” he said tightly. “I am no child.”

Sounded like the kind of thing a child would say, all right. Still, Zenith knew how this one went. No true kids in war. No time for childhood. He’d had more than a few teenagers in his ranks. Seen more than a few of them die, too. They didn't usually look like he did, though.

“All Sith grow up as fast as you?”

“If you have a problem with my leadership, perhaps a better place and time to discuss it would have been in a safehouse before now,” the Jedi said.

“I’m not saying I don’t trust you,” Zenith said. He didn’t, not quite. But it was the Jedi thing, not the Sith thing. “I think you’re a little too nice for your own good. It’s not an accusation. Just trying to understand.”

“It is a long story,” the Jedi said grudgingly. He stopped Zenith with a raised hand, peering ahead like he saw something. The hallway turned. There was nothing to see.

Then the Jedi turned on his lightsabre, slicing around the corner, and Zenith heard a droid’s warbling death cry. Zenith sprang around the corner after him, taking down two more of the guard droid patrol.

“Guess we haven’t got much time,” Zenith said grudgingly. “But if you give me a hint…”

“I overtaxed myself in the Force,” said the Jedi. “I had always wanted people to treat me as an adult. Now I experience nothing but.”

Zenith hummed consideringly. He didn’t think he owed the Jedi an apology or anything. He also didn’t think he needed to keep pushing. He’d continue to take the Jedi at his word, until he gave Zenith a reason to do otherwise.

[wolfynsong]

because my goblin brain can’t put this game down even while i wake up, i spent this morning planning characters i want to make for the other storylines.

the tentative plans are:

chiss sniper agent, aiming for full dark side but we’ll see

twilek powertech trooper, big boy in big armor, determined to make a BT4 male work here

droid gunslinger smuggler, when i can afford the cybernetic pieces...

cathar shadow or sentinel, eventually both. torn between consular or knight, i really like the idea of a stealthy jedi rooting out darkness, but neither of the stories seem to actually suit that

maybe a pureblood sith lightning inquisitor? gf is currently playing her inquisitor alongside Vex, so that’ll be on the backburner while i run through the others. alsooo it feels sorta contrived, so idk lmao

i do feel like i should focus on completing the BH story before making new characters, but that doesn’t stop them from rattling around in my head