#look at how sw e et they are

[thirdfavoritemom]

messy hair’d, freckley beans ready for class!!

i need more midorio in my life, pronto.

[battlestar-royco]

here is part 2 of my sci fi recs masterlist! again, i could’ve gone on with even more recs but i decided to draw the line here. this set for the most part errs on the darker side, thematically, visually, conceptually etc. i personally find it super thought-provoking and intriguing but that’s just me. i highly recommend reading the tw under the cut if you’re thinking of watching, especially the matrix and space gothic slides. please view at your discretion <3

part 1/2

If you like WLW (um idk why I only made this slide based on identity; it just kinda happened lmao but I think it works):

Siren: (tw: parent loss, grief, thalassophobia) a mermaid surfaces in a cove town looking for her lost sister. Polyamorous relationship between a man, a black/indigenous woman, and the mermaid!!!! Environmentalism! As a person who has thalassophobia, I didn’t find this too hard to watch. There aren’t that many underwater scenes, thankfully.

Black Mirror: San Junipero: (tw: grief, but otherwise none that I recall; it’s pretty lighthearted) two women meet in a beach resort in the 80s and fall in love. Interracial wlw!

Orphan Black: (tw: suicide, infertility, rape implication, VB, language, drug use) a woman realizes she is one of several clones and uncovers an elaborate corporate conspiracy. This is one of my personal favorites with great rep of complex women of all ages and bodily autonomy. Several central queer characters and a black male secondary character!

Starfish: (tw: grief, a few jump scares and brief monstrous imagery, blood) after the death of her best friend, a young woman breaks into the deceased’s apartment and discovers a chain of music tapes that could save the world. Weird, subtle, and experimental. Not to sound like a surfer but you kinda have to allow yourself to be in the vibe. The main character and her friend were definitely a thing imo.

Annihilation: (tw: body horror, VB, disturbing imagery) a team of women scientists explore an anomaly that rapidly mutates genes. There are canonical and coded wlw and multiple (light-skinned) POC in this but the rep is short-lived. I put it on because although it should’ve been more ambitious with the casting, I think it breaks *some* ground for Hollywood sci fi with the all-woman team and more than one WOC. Wack ending though.

Mad Max: Fury Road: (tw: rape implication, violence) I think everyone knows about this one but: in the apocalypse, a woman breaks 4 younger women out of a harem. A badass car chase across the desert ensues. A bit light on plot/worldbuilding, but sooooo cool-looking and very thematic!!!!

If you liked STRANGER THINGS:

It: (tw: VB) don’t actually watch this lmao I’m serious. It’s really stupid, and not in a funny way. But I do think Stranger Things was inspired by this story overall. The modern It films are better but they’re also really kjslsklskls stupid? Stephen King in general is obsolete imo.

The Thing: (tw: VB) an alien that can take the form of others wreaks havoc on a scientific facility in Antarctica. It’s dark and vibey, but I feel like it’s just Alien in Antarctica with truly terrible special effects tbh?? Others feel differently. It’s also classified as sci fi/horror, so stay away if you’re easily scared! Not too good on representation.

Super 8: (tw: some language) a group of preteens witnesses an alien-caused train crash as they’re filming a home movie. Not diverse but I definitely think it inspired a lot of sci fi for the 2010s, ESPECIALLY Stranger Things. Not too scary either!

ET: (tw: it’s been a really long time since I watched so I don’t remember but it’s rated PG) I think everyone knows what this is about!

Alien: (tw: VB) truckers in space discover a deadly evolving alien. One of my favorite movies of all time! I love the aesthetic and the mood and worldbuilding so much. Ellen Ripley is one of the first Final Girls in the horror genre. I personally found this more of a sci fi than a horror movie but I’d say stay away if you’re nervous!!

Terminator: (tw: VB) a deadly android is sent to kill a woman who’s destined to birth the man who saves the world. Terminator 2 is way better imo because it centers on Sarah rather than the dudes saving her and trying to kill her. But it’s still worth a watch, you know, for the culture.

If you liked CONTAGION:

War of the Worlds: (tw: blood) pretty straightforward aliens come to Earth to take over. Sorry to rec another T*m Cruise movie but I really like the alien design and the apocalypsey feel of this one. Baby Dakota Fanning is in it too!

Falling Skies: (tw: VB, body horror, rape) alien invasion yada yada but the alien lore gets more interesting as it goes on. It’s kind of cheesy and yeah maybe I did discover it by looking up the iCarly boyfriend (and what about it??) but it’s nice to have on in the downtime. An Asian woman co-stars.

Knowing: (tw: blood) school students unearth a time capsule that contains a sheet from a girl who predicted all the tragic world events between 1959-2009. This is NOT a good movie but it’s SO hilarious to me because of the acting and contrivances. Fun to group-watch!!!!

10 Cloverfield Lane: (tw: VB, emotional abuse) a woman wakes up in a bunker to a captor who tells her that the world has fallen to alien apocalypse. I think this movie elevates the original Cloverfield in pretty much every way. Again, super tense and moody. The conflict revolves around whether or not the captor is being truthful.

Train to Busan: (tw: extreme VB and disturbing imagery) a man and his daughter are on a train when a zombie hops on at the last minute. It’s Korean with an all-Asian cast; Choi Woo-shik co-stars. I definitely wouldn’t watch if you’re scared of blood and gore. It’s very gross and violent.

12 Monkeys: (tw: ableism, violence) a man from the 2030s is sent back to the 1990s to prevent the plague that will end the world. I think the aesthetics of this are really cool but otherwise it’s not a favorite. But I think it appeals to people who like apocalypse and time travel stuff!

If you liked THE MATRIX:

Strange Days: (tw: rape, sex, nudity, VB, racism, police brutality) memories can be saved to hard-drives and sold on the black market for exorbitant prices. Very problematic and triggering presentation of rape, but young Angela Basset stars and there’s a condemnation of police brutality that’s still relevant 20+ years after its release.

Upgrade: (tw: ableism, VB, fridging) a disabled man installs an AI in his spine to help him move and investigate the murder of his wife. The premise is glaringly ableist and I feel weird even recommending it tbh but it’s got great visuals and a few good twists.

Altered Carbon: (tw: VB, weird interracial body switching, uhhh I haven’t finished this one IDK) in a society where human bodies are interchangeable, a man wakes up in a new body after 300 years of his mind being dormant. A Latina woman co-stars, two Asian characters in a subplot, a few other POC here and there as well. I think season 2 stars a black man.

eXistenZ: (tw: VB, anti-Asian racism, general weirdness? IDK it’s hard to describe. There are guns made out of bones and weirdly sexual visuals.) after someone tries to assassinate her, a video game designer and her bodyguard must play through her virtual reality game in order to save the only copy of the game.

Minority Report: (tw: VB, eye removal/insertion) all crimes are predicted and criminals reported before they are committed. The main character is preemptively accused of murder. This one is really white but it was one of the first movies that got me into sci fi. Early 2000s Colin Farrell <3.

If you liked WESTWORLD:

Humans: (tw: uncanny valley, objectification) androids are household helpers and public assistants throughout Britain until one day they start developing consciences. It hits a lot of the themes of Westworld without all the unnecessary pretentiousness, “edginess,” and “grittiness,” and it stars Gemma Chan and Colin Morgan!!

Blade Runner 2049: (^) an android is ordered to find and kill a human/android hybrid. It’s not without its issues but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, right up there with Alien. So beautiful, so thematic, so thought-provoking (to me, anyway. I know a lot of people thought it was way too slow).

Ex Machina: (^) a man is invited to a private estate to help test the intelligence of an android. It’s kind of predictable imo but you know Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno are in it so we have to stan, and so is Domhnall Gleeson, for the SW fans! I like how isolated and quiet it feels.

I Am Mother: (tw: blood, gaslighting) after an extinction event, a young woman is raised by a lone android in a human repopulation facility until one day a woman knocks. It starts off slow and a bit generic, but I’m obsessed with the 2nd and 3rd acts of this movie---good acting, dialogue, and fantastic visuals. It has that same isolated feel as Ex Machina with only three characters, all of which are women/woman-coded!!!

If you liked ALIEN (space gothic):

Battlestar Galactica (2004-2008 reboot): (tw: genocide, war, colonization, VB, uncanny valley, rape, infidelity) space opera that follows humanity as it fights the ever-evolving and powerful enemy of their own creation: androids named Cylons. Um? I  L O V E  THIS SHOW SO MUCH and I truly do think it’s everything sci fi should be. There is a really unfortunate Miss Saigon-esque romance plot in season 1 and a lazily-written love triangle involving a black woman in season 3, but otherwise it’s one of my all-time favorites and I highly recommend. It’ll spin your mind and tug your heartstrings for years.

Black Mirror: Men Against Fire: (tw: genocide, war, nudity) soldiers in the near future protect citizens from mutant zombies, but one soldier starts experiencing strange hallucinations in the field. This is such an underrated Black Mirror episode starring a black man. There’s brief objectification of a black woman but it’s very anti-military and it has an interesting sterile aesthetic that reminds me of Alien.

High Life: (tw: rape, black holes/space anxiety, very disturbing) prisoners are given the option to join a space expedition and serve as experimental subjects en route to a black hole. Please please stay away if you are triggered by sexual violence of any kind. There’s almost no physical violence in this movie but it’s psychologically haunting imo.

The Faculty: (tw; VB, drug use) high schoolers discover their teachers are being possessed by an invading alien race. I LOVE THIS MOVIE LMFAOOOO. The cast is SO wild---Elijah Wood, John Oliver, Usher, Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett??? And I’m probably forgetting more. The combination of the cast, the terrible dialogue, and shitty special effects is PEAK comedy imo. But bear in mind it’s bloody!!

Prometheus: (tw: body horror, VB, uncanny valley) a crew of scientists heads on a deep space mission to find the aliens who created the human race. A prequel to Alien, but I kind of view it as its own thing. Despite the plot holes, I love this movie too! It was one of my sci fi gateways and the visuals are stunning. It’s pretty gory though so if that’s not your thing stay away.

Life: (tw: extreme VB) a lesser Alien, but it provides all the space gothic tropes (jokey crew, shots of space, really pretty spaceship, everyone dies, creepy alien) with a well-known cast---Gyllenhaal, Reynolds, etc.

The X Files: (tw: a few episodes contain 90s racism, sexism, queerphobia etc but you can skip them) a lot of people have watched this so I barely have to explain, but it’s one of my favorites. Two FBI agents investigate multiple aliens and get involved in government conspiracies along the way. A good gateway!

A Quiet Place: (tw: child loss, VB, tension) I think most people know what this is about too. Alien apocalypse with aliens that hunt by sound. The daughter in the family is deaf, and so is the actress who portrays her. The representation of deafness was critically acclaimed.

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Tuesday 14 August 1838

6 50

11 35

very fine morning – up for ten minutes at 4 50 and had motion and again two hours afterwards A- came to me for a minute or 2 about six – Letter dated 6th instant from SW. about 7 this morning 1 1/2p. Mrs. Machans’ offer thro’ Mr. James Holt of her coal and wanting an immediate answer as Mr. Rawson had applied for the coal - £600 by instalments of £100 per annum and £100 paid down or £700 by instalments of £50 per annum and £100 paid down – very bad hay-weather still 12DW. out on the 6th instant – on our return from Cautertz [Cauterets] last night (after our Spanish journey) joint letter direct to A- her midsummer rent account but p. 3 to me from Mr. S. Washington of the 1st instant to which reached here on Saturday last the 11th instant – merely to tell me the hay-weather was bad – the draft for the engine chimney ‘nearly driven thro’, and the works progressing, but I could like the reasons to get on a little faster’ – very busy at the Northgate hotel with jury-cases ‘to settle the value of lands taken from the Manchester and Leeds railways’ – very fine morning – very hot but not so suffocatingly hot as at Cautertz [Cauterets] yesterday morning tho’ at 9 ¼ am there F73° and at 7 35 here this morning F74 ½° - settling my things – a little while with A- breakfast at 9 – sat eating Spanish black grapes (1st time of grapes this season) and reading the newspaper till 11 – then had A- ¾ hour in my room talking over our letters from SW. – then till 12 10 wrote the above of today – feel much better this morning – a good night has in some sort corrected the terrible raspberries of yesterdays’ breakfast but I still feel the effects of my jolting hot to Jaca and back on Friday – A- is all the better for it – her journey seems to have agreed with her marvellously – sometime with A- writing to SW. – at 1 50 had just written my own letter to SW. as under ‘St. Sauveur. Hautes Pyrénées. France. Tuesday 14 August 1838. Sir – I received your letter of the 1st instant last night, and your letter of the 6th instant this morning – I shall be obliged to you to tell Mr. Holt to be so good as inform Mrs. Machan that I decline giving any answer about her coal till my return home, which will be before Xmas; but if she can make better terms with anyone else, she is quite at liberty to do so – I am sorry there has been such bad hay-weather – the ponies must, at any rate, go to Shibden hall on the last day of next month, and have a little corn, and sleep in the stable from that time, but run out during the day at first – John Booth will do the best he can for them, and must take them from green to dry meat so gradually that they will do without physic – they had best exercise themselves, and may run out for a couple of hours in the middle of the day till further orders – you were right to order a wall against the Platform towards the new-bank – the masons must not have to be waited for – I hope there is no fear of Mr. Crosslands’ doing well at the Northgate hotel – we are very glad to hear so good an account of Mrs. Walker – I am, sir, etc. etc. A. Lister’ – had just written so far of today at 2 5 when the horses came – A- determined to leave her letter unwritten out – out at 2 ¾ to Gèdre – men [met] 3 Spaniards with a mule and 2 large paniers of grapes from Barbastro – we were near the maison Cabanious – returned there – bought 7lbs. grapes at ./75 and A- and I sat in the little garden while Charles saw the grapes weighed out – sat or stood in the garden eating them and gave a bunch to the 2 guides – Charles told us how Cazos had deceived the prince de la Moscowa – had told him that I had not gone to the top – was sick on the glacier, and could not get farther than the little pic – but the guides had gone to the top – that Charles himself was sick

SH:7/ML/E/21/0166

annoyed – would not pay Cazos till this was cleared – either I had gone to the top or not – if I had, it should be avowed – if not, I would not pay – sent Pierre home with the grapes and at 3 35 went slowly forwards towards Luz determined that Charles should see the prince de la M- whom I wished to be so good as give it me in writing that Cazos had said I had not been at the top – the price un gentilhomme would do what was right – Pierre overtook us before Luz, and Charles went to the prince – we off from Luz at 4 (by the Barèges road) and at the village of Viey at 5 40 – went into the little church for a minute or 2 then, leaving the horses at the church yard gate, sauntered up the hill thro’ the village and sat 1/4 hour enjoyed the fine view of the entre St. Sauveur and Cautertz [Cauterets] mountains, and the beautiful look down upon Luz – off home again from the church at Viey at 6 10 – walked down the hill – Charles waiting for us at the bottom – he had seen the prince and the letter Cazos had written him to say that I had not been at the top of the highest pic – that I had only reached the lower pic – Charles explained – said that Cazos had deceived the prince but this the prince did not seem inclined to believe – saying ‘Cazos lui avait donné le laurier – le qui est fait est fait’ – and seeming .:. to take this for enough, and to be determined to support Cazos, and to be faché contre Charles? – Pretty sort of a prince de la Moscowa! the littleness of the man contrasts with the sounding greatness of the title – he declined giving it in writing that Cazos had denied my getting to the top of the highest pic – In fact, he is determined to keep the palm – the Cazos-laurier, if he can – determined not to pay the man unless he owned I had been at the top, for it was on this condition that he was to have the 20/.+ something (gave a five franc piece) on the top – settled for Charles and Pierre to take the horses tomorrow morning to the Douane at Gèdre, and then to see Cazos – get him to sign a certificate of my having been at the top, and then pay him – home at soon after 7 – the prince had told Charles there was no bottle – no! said Charles but did not a Gèdre man go to the top before you, he passing along the glacier? – the princes’ guides told Charles this – the prince denied this saying he had called the man back and he had returned – but this according to the 3 guides from Luz was not the case, for the man seeming not to understand went forwards – got to the top, and removed the bottle, at least, the bottle was not found by the prince and his party – Cazos told them that he and his brother in law had raised the pile of stone that Charles and Pierre walled up around the bottle – one of M. Flamands’ [Vilordry] wine-bottles – Queer little business – wrote as follows on an English sheet of ½ sheet note paper

‘Moi Henri Cazos de Gèdre je certifie que j’ai conduit sur le pic culminant de Vignemale la Dame Anglaise Anne Liste de Shibden-hall avez ses deux guides Jean Pierre Charles de Luz, et Jean Pierre [Sangou] de Luz le mardi sept d’Août 1838 Donnée à Gèdre ce 15 d’Août de la même année.

Témoins     En présence de       Signé

gave this to Charles with 20/. to be paid to Cazos on his signing the certificate – but not to be paid if he refused to sign – it was Charles’ own proposal to see Cazos at Gèdre tomorrow at the auberge in the presence of witnesses and talk over the matter over a glass of wine, and get him to own my ascent publickly [publicly] – I proposed the certificate much to Charles’ approbation – he said the prince had ‘devenu rouge, rouge’ when he assured him I had been at the top, but said he had the note of Cazos to prove he (the prince) had been the 1st – ‘Cazos lui avait donné le laurier’! – the guides and horses to be here at 3 or 4 pm tomorrow if they could – but to wait to settle the matter with Cazos if they could on which account I should be satisfied if they did not get back till night – all this took up near an hour – dinner at 8 to 9 25 – then wrote a little journal – had Josephine at 10 ½ for ¼ hour having the short hair at the back of my head cut – I feel strangely out of sorts – perpetual vertiges, and sickness very often, particularly on horseback, all but vomiting – my head heavy – myself dull – assoupie – oppressed – I cannot breath in these profondeurs – these bottoms of deep valleys never did and never will suit me – I shall be at the utmost length of my tether before we get away to opener ground – very fine day F74 ½° now at 10 3/4 pm

[chaoticspacefam]

I stayed up way too late to answer these, it was worth it

Questions by @pauletta-00​ *dances* here we gooo, some cautions before reading the answers: 1) will contain spoilers for much much later in the fic so don’t read the answers if ya don’t want dem spoilers. I’m gonna try and keep ‘em vague enough that they don’t give everything away, cause I gotta make ya go read it, don’t I now? 😉 2) While I follow KOTFE/ET as a loose guideline it is just that. A guideline, in a lot of places we veer waaaaayyy off the established canon because *singing to the tune of a popular song* ✨it’s my fanfic and I do what I want to ✨ so don’t any of y’all yell at me because my headcanons are different pls? ok good :D

With that out of the way, the questionsss

1. Starting with basics. Who is your Outlander (which class, what their aligment)? How did they end up being frozen in carbonite for 5 years? Why did you make them the Outlander?

(my own art because losing an eye is not a scar option in-game and it’s one of her most defining features)

Vano Saal-Shenly - Canon Sith Warrior (alignment: Light IV in game, I class her as Neutral Good) and Empire’s Wrath. She got made the Outlander because it just made the most sense, also there are some parallels between her fate/whereabouts (including the amount of time they were “missing” to each other) in KOTFE/ET and that of her wife in earlier parts of the (class) story that I very very much did on purpose 😉 She was also the Wrath, so it made the most sense for her to end up on Marr’s ship when it went boom and led into KOTFE. Pretty much follows the canon there, Vano cuts her ship loose, tells her crew + wife to gtfo of there, she and Marr are taken prisoner and she gets frozen in carbonite after the dust up in the throne room. Becomes the Alliance Commander

2. Now, to the rest of classes. What happens to them during KotFE/ET? Did they know the Outlander? Were they allies, enemies, family? Do they join the Alliance or have something else to do? Do they play a major or a minor role in the story? Spare no detail (if you wish, of course).

Aria Saal-Shenly: Human, Major role. Vano’s wife, semi-canon Jedi Consular (alignment: Grey/Dark I, Chaotic Neutral) (follows the Consular story arc grey-Dark aligned, is in fact a Sith Inquisitor playing sleeper agent). Alias “The Wrath’s Shadow” (for obvious reasons) Joined back up officially with Vano during the SoR arc, they marry sometime in the interim between Rishii and killing Revan; on the other flagship with Lana, Theron and the others when Vano’s crew returns to give them the news. Inconsolable after her wife’s disappearance and refuses to accept that she’s dead (they share a Force Bond, so Aria knows and becomes increasingly frustrated when nobody will “listen to her telling them damn it!!”), drives Lana and the others crazy by continuing to try and look for her wife and putting herself in danger in doing so. Sticks with the Alliance, of course, her wife’s the Commander XD helps Vano to manage Odessen-side things of the Alliance, specialising in helping Ni’kasi and Sana-Rae at the Force Enclave of course.

Saarai Ahaszaai: Sith Pureblood, Major role. Niece to Vowrawn and twin sister to Ni’kasi (SI). Alt Sith Warrior in-game. Light I/II, Chaotic Good, but hiding out on Rishii to escape being convicted of a serious crime and exposing her family to Vitiate/Valkorion (who would absolutely kill them if he knew) picked up by Aria and Vano during their search for Lana and Theron during that part of the storyline. Joins up with the Alliance because she and her family have a personal vendetta (tm) against Vitiate/Valkorion and she wants to stab that dude too. Eventually becomes Empress alongside Vano who  remains as the Commander (I still need to work out the details but basically it’s like...coalition government style thing and Saarai and Vano are the joint “final decision” voice mm’kay? hopefully that makes sense), with Lana, Theron and Aria to watch as Marr’s ship go boom. Has to restrain Aria when she loses her shit when they try to tell her Vano’s dead, helps Lana and the others to track Vano down and formulate the rescue plan. Stays with Aria to make sure she stays put like she was told while Lana gets Vano out of carbonite.

Ni’kasi Ahaszaai: Sith Pureblood, semi-Major role. Niece to Vowrawn and twin sister to Saarai (alt SW). Semi-canon Sith Inquisitor/Darth Occulus (follows the canon Inquisitor storyline, but is not related to Kallig, instead related to Vowrawn and lurking in hiding under Vitiate’s nose. Ends up as a “slave” when she takes the fall for her twin’s “crime” in order to protect her.), Light I/Grey, Lawful Neutral. With Saarai and the others on the ship when the big bad happens, sticks with the Alliance (and her twin) to try and track down Vano. Tries to contact Vowrawn and the other Dark Councillors etc., but can’t reach them obviously.

Merak Shenly: Mirialan, Minor role. Younger brother to Vano and friend to Aria as they briefly worked together before Aria returned to being a plant in the Jedi Order, Smuggler, Grey/True Neutral (mostly non-canon as of yet, I need to fully play through the Smuggler story and see how much of it I can graft into the fic-verse if it works or not), takes Aria’s side and works tirelessly to help them track down his sister, is likely the one to find the lead that takes them to Zakuul. Joins the Alliance and works alongside Hylo to run ammo/supplies etc. to the Alliance as they need it.

I haven’t yet played the Bounty Hunter or Trooper storylines, and my only current Imperial Agent is Aria’s mother (Light V/Lawful Good); she runs semi-canon in that she defects to the Republic, but is instead found out by the DC and Aria is sent to kill her as part of her Sith trials, so she’s dead long before KOTFE/ET happens.

I have a Jedi Knight too, but I honestly couldn’t figure out how to put him into the plot so I just left him out for now, I guess he was recruited and is probably in the background somewhere idk sjhsdyuidg

3. What about companions? Do you follow their in-game story or have headcanons for them? Did they stay with your non-Outlander characters or not? Why?

Mainly managed to plan out for the Warrior/Consular companions, haven’t thought deep enough into the Inquisitor companions yet, though I imagine at least Andronikos, Khem Val, Talos and Xalek will likely return to join the Alliance or at least ally with them somehow, because I love them ;-;

Qyzen: Stung by Aria’s betrayal and “leaves” for a while, re-recruited to the Alliance as canon/in-game and the two eventually patch up their relationship (as best they can, but are not as close as before). Tharan/Holiday, Felix, Nadia and Zenith do not return in my fic-verse. They cut ties with Aria after they find out her true loyalties are to the Empire and not the Republic.

Vette: Stays with Aria, Saarai, Ni’kasi etc. initially, eventually goes missing during their searches for Vano and loses contact with the rest of them, ends up teaming up with Gault and returning canonically/as in-game.

Quinn: is court-martialled and thrown in prison after the Quinncident. Released sometime during the five-year carbonite shebang, becomes an officer/aide to Darth Vowrawn, later joins the Alliance along with Vowrawn on Iokath. He and Vano reconcile of sorts, though she no longer considers him a friend and simply a “tactical advisor”. Quinn knows he fucked up so he doesn’t dare complain about it, or Aria will absolutely E N D him.

Jaesa: stays with Aria and co,

4. If applicable: how your characters react if the Alliance joins the opposite faction on Iokath and after that? For example: how do Sith characters feel about joining the Republic? Will they stay or leave (if it’s too spoiler-ish, then feel free to skip this)?

Aria was never truly on the Republic’s side, so she very much supports joining the Empire. Saarai and Ni’kasi originally came from the Empire so of course they’re enthusiastic. Merak is skeptical, but trusts his sister (and sister-in-law) so doesn’t protest even though the Sith do scare him, a lot.

5. If applicable: if your Commander decides to be a saboteur, would they tell anyone (PC or companions)? Why/why not?

Haven’t got this far yet to be able to plan this out, lemme get back to you when I do lol

6. How would your characters react if one of their companions is exiled or dead because of Outlander’s choices? For example: sith warrior’s reaction if Commander doesn’t save Vette?

Aria pretty much only cared about Qyzen out of her companions, he comes back fine in the end so she’s a-okay. Other than that the only person she would be deeply affected by losing again is Vano herself. She will fucking kill as many someones as she can get to before Saarai stops her if they let her wife go bye bye again.

don’t have a bounty hunter to be upset about Torian. I don’t hate him, he’s a great guy and I really enjoyed his character, but I cannot bring myself to not save Vette ;-; Vette and Vano have a sisterly-like relationship and her lock-picking etc. skills are very important to the Alliance. That Twi’lek ain’t dying on nobody’s watch hahahaha

haven’t yet had a chance to plan out anybody else’s, don’t think there are any choices in game (or that I’ve planned out in the slightly-altered fic timeline) that would affect this. May change as I get that far ahead and add or change things to fit!

7. If you have something written about anything from the above (bc I know some people do), share the links to your works (again, if you feel like it)!

The only thing I have published out on the web atm is Aria’s part of the class story, “Creeping Shadows”, which is on AO3, go give it a read if you want (rated M for mature themes like mentions of drugs & alcohol and frequent swearing etc.):

Creeping Shadows on AO3

I have pretty much all of the rest planned out, I’m just a big dummy who likes to write chronologically and as of yet cannot manage to write multiple fics at once, I will get through every part of this fic if it kills me or takes me 20 years so help me god. If you wanna hear more about my dumb children you can also DM me I could literally yell stuff about them for hours on end 😆😆

[yosttravis]

Cash Poor

One of the worst kept secrets around the National Hockey League is that the Ottawa Senators are in a financial bind. To what degree is up for debate, but cash flows are a huge problem for the organization right now.

The organization is asset rich and cash poor. What they carry in PP&E is offset by a lack of liquidity. And what that means is a big piece of the organization’s net income is utilized to service loan payments -- loan payments with high interest rates.

I wrote about this in depth during the summer of 2013, where the Ottawa Senators were in a similar cash flow bind. Those series of posts have since been, uh, erased, but a quick Google search can turn up at least seven or eight posts on Ottawa’s bleak financial outlook from back then. 

The Ottawa Citizen covered it a few months later, and wrote in pertinent part:

The result was that last autumn the Senators faced a series of financial stresses, including ongoing losses on operations, higher-than-usual debt interest payments, and probably more than $10 million in additional costs related to the lockout and the resulting loss of ticket sales.

The financial squeeze affected every level of the Senators’ organization, from payroll to marketing. Loose talk, misplaced as it turned out, held there wouldn’t be enough cash on certain weeks to settle paycheques. “There is no truth to the rumour that we had a payroll issue at any time under Eugene’s leadership,” said Senators president Cyril Leeder during a recent interview.

It was only after the league returned to action, allowing the Senators to generate revenues from ticket sales, that Melnyk finally arranged $150 million in fresh financing — this, according to Davies, the law firm that helped to negotiate the deal. He signed a four-year deal in April 2013 with a pair of U.S. specialty funds. By this time, the mantra of conservative spending was even more firmly embedded in the Senators’ financial culture. This posture would be an important factor in the ill-fated contract negotiations involving the Senators’ long-serving captain, Daniel Alfredsson.

You will note that ownership arranged $150mm in fresh financing on a four-year deal in mid-2013. Depending on the terms of the agreement, it’s likely that loan lapsed or is close to lapsing. 

I provide this brief background because I think it provides important color behind this past weekend, where ownership used the biggest platform possible to complain about the team’s financial situation married with thinly-veiled threats to relocate the team. It didn’t go over well with anyone. But, it must be noted that much of what was said is either accurate in totality or accurate to a reasonable degree -- ticket sales are slow, the team’s hemorrhaging cash because of debt issues, et al. (SensChirp took a swing at building core financial statements based on publicly available financial data last week, if you are interested in further reading. It’s worth your time.) 

This story has been around for some time. But 2017 is different. Four years ago, Ottawa was struggling. Mightily. And it led to a painful level of discussion about team-imposed budgets and corner-cutting (it’s worth noting here that ownership and team executives individually have said that this has occurred). But with a re-pop through fresh financing, the team was allowed to ��punt’ on addressing core financial issues. For four years, anyway.

But those loans with high interest (perhaps bordering on predatory) rates have only served to cripple the team’s bottom-line in the long-run, as these loans tend to do in any industry. So when an owner comes out and says that he’s cut everything to the bone, he can probably be taken at his word. 

When money is tight, like it is in Ottawa right now, you hear a lot of stuff. And when you hear a lot of stuff, it’s difficult to differentiate between what’s real and what’s not. At aggregate, it’s clear that Ottawa’s corner-cutting on the cost side is having a real (and very negative) impact within the organization. But that doesn’t mean every single rumor about a potential investor or potential sale is real. 

I’ve spent the last few weeks talking to people and players around the league trying to differentiate between signal and noise. Some items of interest: 

1a. A story of significance that I don’t think has been written about enough? Daniel Alfredsson’s second-exit from the organization. As a quick refresher: Ottawa, some years ago, had Alfredsson extend on a team-friendly contract with a verbal guarantee of a true-up deal down the road. When Alfredsson’s deal expired, he hunted for that true-up deal, and Ottawa told him to kick rocks. Alfredsson ended up in Detroit for a little bit, then returned to the organization after reconciling most of what happened with most of the team executives. 

His second go-around with Ottawa had him working in an advisory role in hockey operations. From talking to people you get the sense Alfredsson liked his job and liked working for GM Pierre Dorion -- this was a pretty consistent refrain. Nevertheless, Alfredsson unexpectedly left Ottawa, again, in the summer of 2017. He vaguely cited family reasons as the driver of his exodus.

It’s worth revisiting a quote of his from the summer of 2016 regarding the position:

“This job has turned out to be exactly what I am looking for – the opportunity to be flexible and see so many of different requirements of working in an NHL front office.”

Is it possible that Alfredsson fatigued from the position in one year’s time? Surely. But many people seem to think that his exit was of the acrimonious variety. The prevailing theory was that money may have again driven Alfredsson from town.

I’m not entirely sure what that means. Did they not want to renew his contract? Did they low-ball him on an annual salary? Did they refuse to stipulate to his requests for clawbacks or equity in merchandise sales? Is Alfredsson running with another ownership group with an interest in acquiring the team? This is where the theories divide -- most people think it (a) ended on sour terms; and (b) had again to do with money; but (c) aren’t sure exactly what happened. 

To recap: I’m not entirely sure why Alfredsson left, even today. And I believe that Alfredsson does want to spend more time with his family. But I also believe that pay -- the contract, the structure, a potential non-offer, a refusal of a request for a piece of the margin on merchandise sales -- was a negative factor here. And I don’t think all of the relationships between Alfredsson and the team were truly repaired. 

1b.) On that Alfredsson rumor about his involvement in a potentially competing ownership group? I’m not sure I buy it. Not yet, anyway. 

2a.) I have extremely high confidence that we have only seen the beginning of Erik Karlsson vs. the Ottawa Senators.

First, some housekeeping: I genuinely believe Karlsson loves the city of Ottawa and wants to spend another decade there. And I believe the Ottawa Senators -- regardless of their financial situation -- recognize the importance of keeping a player of his magnitude around. That may mean cutting corners elsewhere, but Karlsson is just simply in a different stratosphere. If Hockey Ops had it their way, he’d probably be extended on the first possible day next summer.

But, this situation is much more complex than that. First, Erik Karlsson’s comments about hunting for a max contract a few weeks ago weren’t off the cuff -- they were extremely planned and have been brewing for some time. He’s not kidding when he’s saying he’s searching for top-dollar, and I have every reason to believe he’ll hold out until Ottawa or another team pays him. And if Ottawa doesn’t, about 28 other teams will be in-line to give him whatever he wants ... and then some.

You don’t even need to infer anything from Karlsson’s viewpoint to know that he understands how the organization is going to squeeze him. His best friend was pushed out of the team once (and perhaps twice) on financials. His other best friend was traded to Nashville and thinks that the owner didn’t want to sign him over money. And now the owner is publicly bragging about a “bare bones” hockey operation, with additional threats to cut SW&B from the roster in future years.

This cuts at Karlsson two ways. One, he is extremely pro-player (and, perhaps fair to say, extremely pro-union). The mere thought of a player taking a ‘hometown discount’ for a team that’s spent to the cap approximately zero times since he’s been drafted is surely unacceptable. Perhaps Karlsson would stipulate to a smaller contract if the team promised to re-invest that saved money in other players. (Then again, promises, like the Daniel Alfredsson v1 exit, haven’t been in the team’s wheelhouse.) 

Two, he is as passionate about winning as any superstar player in the league. You never know how much a player values pay vs. winning and how that seesaw balances, and that ratio historically changes over time. Karlsson, 28 next May, has played in zero Stanley Cup games.

And if Karlsson wasn’t happy with where things were a month ago, one only can wonder how he’s feeling today. 

2b.) In one of life’s biggest coincidences, Karlsson had to produce a list of teams on his limited no-trade clause just days after he mentioned he was hunting for a max contract. This would make all of the sense in the world if Ottawa was candid about their inability or sheer lack of desire to retain Karlsson in future periods. 

The justification provided was, well, neither of those:

Melnyk also weighed in on the increasingly interesting Erik Karlsson situation and his submission of a non-trade list, which, according to Melnyk, was all part of trying to balance the club's finances.

"This is where the (Karlsson) contract request emanated from," said Melnyk. "All material contracts are reviewed in a process called due diligence - from snow removal to food and beverage to players."

I have an impressively hard time believing this to be accurate. The biggest endorsement I received from anyone in the investment banking, corporate finance, or hockey media circles was that it was plausible, but unlikely. (Even if Karlsson provided this list as a result of a lender request in the summer, pre-dating his ‘max contract’ claims, the story doesn’t seem to hold up.) 

Let’s assume, arguendo, that Karlsson’s limited no-trade clause is material. Fine. i struggle with understanding why a lender would have any care in the world as to whether the league’s best defender would rather accept a trade to Tampa Bay and Arizona versus Montreal and Minnesota. No one in the industry is ever going to properly evaluate the marginal cost/benefit of that limited list -- I don’t even think it’s possible for someone in the industry with an incredible sense of the state of hockey and their fingers on the pulse of potential returns on investment. I have also never heard of this happening in any other sport, ever, but there’s always the possibility of it being the first time.

Oh, one other thing: Derick Brassard, eight days ago, said Ottawa hadn’t asked for his list of teams as it relates to his limited no-trade clause. Odd, that. 

2c.) People around the league feel quite certain that Karlsson has little intention of re-signing with the team under the current structure. I’m not as far down that road as others, but I do think that there is a strained relationship here in desperate need of immediate repair. Perhaps that was why team officials met with Karlsson last week -- though, if you take Elliotte Friedman at his word, that meeting was “tense”. 

One thing I will say -- a different ownership group and a different financial outlook would be big ‘good guys’ in terms of retaining Karlsson. That much is certain. But right now, the situation appears dire. 

3.) Hockey players have mostly been insulated from Ottawa’s cash issues. Team executives and lower-level employees, not so much.

Less than a year ago, longtime executive Peter O’Leary (story previously mentioned Cyril Leeder here) sued the Senators and cited, among other things ‘friction with Melnyk’. A series of severence agreements were reached with Senators executives this summer, but not O’Leary -- as far as I’m aware, that’s tied up in litigation. It’s a messy suit. 

The folks working on revenue-generating items have been at the brunt of much of the internal criticism. In one way, it’s been described as a “kill room”. This passes my smell test, since again, the owner is on-record with his frustration about how things are moving on this front. 

Ticket sales, or lack thereof, are the most prominent driver of organizational consternation. As just one example: I believe at least one team executive in Tom Anselmi was left behind from the Sweden trip as punishment for slow ticket sales. 

It’s also impacting the small-salary/waged employees. My (very high-level) understanding of how they manage their day-to-day work is through not your standard revenue software program, but a simple Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. This, as you might imagine, leads to an awful lot of litigation about what did or did not actually happen. 

There was plenty of separate reporting done this week by TSN regarding expense reports for scouts. The story was that these scouts were not being reimbursed for general travel expenses. Ownership shot that story down this weekend, for what it is worth. 

I will say this: if there’s any truth to it, you wonder if some scouts are going to start sitting home in lieu of traveling....

4.) The team does have a new CFO -- Brian Crombie has been ‘Acting CFO’ since Stephen Brooks, uh, resigned. Crombie’s background includes prior work for PurGenesis, Trimel, and Biovail. 

5.) Like you, I have heard a gazillion different stories about a sale. Ask ten people and you hear ten different versions. I’m not sure we are at a point where we can conclude anything on this particular item, though I will say it’s interesting that there’s so much speculation around this and that so few people who may or may not be involved refuse to answer questions or talk, generally, about potential interest in the team. But unfortunately, I haven’t heard anything outside of your garden variety rumor mill talk.

 And to that end, I’ll leave this one alone.