#not perfection but completeness

[ergomaria]

Miles To Go Before I Sleep - Epilogue

Several months after cleansing the Telos Academy, Meetra Surik and her loved ones reflect on all that has happened and what the future holds. Once broken and blind to the Force, she now sees herself as an individual who holds endless potential. Vann has finally accepted his past as Revan and embraces that identity as he forges his new place in the galaxy. Alek, who caused the Republic so much pain now walks the slow road to redemption. And through it all, their friends and allies help them pave the path to a better, and Lighter, new day.

"Speaking of Atris…"

Glaring venomously at Alek, Vann hissed, "Can we… not?"

But the former Supreme Commander ignored his friend as he mused, "I'm a bit surprised she didn't end up here with the rest of us. I'm also shocked that the Council has been so forgiving of her transgressions. After all, she's the reason Master Lestin was killed…"

A wave of anger roiled around both men and Meetra was suddenly reminded of how close they were to the Twi'lek Master during their time as Padawans. There was nothing she could say to ease the pain of that loss other than to explain what little she knew. "Atris always viewed herself as a Jedi, even after her fall. For now, she'd rather beg forgiveness from the remaining Council, though… I'm not sure if she'll find the absolution she's looking for."

"So, you do think she'll end up here?"

"No. At least, not anytime soon." Smiling wistfully, Meetra glanced knowingly at Alek. "But there's a whole galaxy out there where she can finally find the answers she needs."

"For now, the Council continues to be cowards who'd rather keep Atris around as a probationary Jedi than go through the trouble of training a new archivist. I'm glad some things never change." Snorting in disgust at the Jedi's continuing weakness, Vann seemed content to leave them behind. But then he noted the former Consular's lingering sadness. "Well, at least Kavar finally seems to have learned real compassion and forgiveness thanks to you."

"I hope they all have… for the Order's sake."

Alek nodded, even as he dismissively snorted, "Well, if they kark-up again, at least there's another academy where Force-sensitive sentients can seek training for generations to come."

Phrasing it like that suddenly made the importance of Telos's academy feel impossibly monumental. Swallowing to hide her discomfort, Meeta hastily asked, "Speaking of generations… how's Dustil? He and Carth seem to be getting along lately."

"They are! Dustil is old enough to see his dad as a real person and not a looming parental figure he needs to rebel against on principle." Humming thoughtfully, Vann admitted, "The fact that Carth spends half of his time on Coruscant with me also helps their relationship. 'Absence makes you less likely to Force-choke your father', or whatever the old saying is."

"And how does Onasi like being a politician's husband?"

"I already told you, I'm not a politician! Thank the Force, because Carth can't stand Coruscant. The traffic alone is enough to give him a migraine. He's looking forward to these negotiations finally ending so that he can put in a transfer to be moved to Telos full-time. I keep telling him to retire from the Navy and join the… wait." The moment that Vann's mind caught up to the rest of the conversation was only made funnier by his flustered indignation. "What did you call him?! We're not…! He's not…!"

"I can guarantee that Onasi has been considering the prospect for months now, even if he hasn't said anything out loud. I can also guarantee that you would have found some way to ruin whatever plans he has in mind, likely in the most dramatic way possible." Fixing his gaze on his still-sputtering friend, Alek told the other man, "Consider this a warning to sit back and let someone else strategize this aspect of your life."

"You…!"

"Relax. I'm sure that whatever Carth has planned will be very sweet." Meetra nodded to the reformed Sith, confirming that they shared suspicions regarding Carth's impending proposal and Vann's inexplicable ability to kriff up his personal life. "So, please do your best to not ruin it."

"I…!"

Sighing as panic overtook the prodigy, Alek chose to talk around him rather than fight the growing wave of anxiety. "I assume that your previous comment was going to reference the Telos Restoration Project." He turned to Meetra. "One of your students is currently heading the efforts, correct?"

"Yes!" Another flush of pride filled the former Consular's presence. "Bao-Dur is back to working with the Ithorians to terraform the landscape in the wake of the fires. He's actually using the Force to connect with the native flora and fauna to better understand the needs of the planet. It's really beautiful."

"I admittedly didn't know that was possible."

Meetra grinned at Alek as she declared, "Neither did I! Either way, it's incredible and I'm so happy for him. This project is finally letting him heal after the Mass Shadow Generator."

"And how are you… healing?"

Noting her friend's concern, the blonde attempted to shrug off the question. The truth was that she would never return to the person she was before Malachor, something she'd finally accepted. "I am what I am. Some may sense a void, but I prefer to see my own potential."

"That's… a good way to view things." Alek's sorrow was fading, replaced by a sense of hope that he hadn't carried for a long time. His expression remained somber as he warned, "You'll need that type of optimism as this academy grows. While it's not surprising that most of your students are older than the average Initiate, it certainly makes for a more… rambunctious population."

It seemed that Vann had finally found his voice again, his tone growing thoughtful. "With a lot more older students and none of the Jedi's objections to romantic attachment, it wouldn't be surprising if you see some younglings born here. And, if they turn out to be Force-sensitive, their parents will probably want them trained as well."

The possibility hadn't occurred to Meetra and she suddenly felt light-headed at the idea. "That would certainly lower the average age of the student population…"

"It's an event worth preparing for even if nobody is planning to be in that situation any time soon."

Meeting Alek's contemplative expression with a scowl, Vann snapped, "Don't look at me! Dustil is the closest thing I'll ever have to a child of my own. Need I remind you of some very specific biological reasons why Carth and I can't reproduce together?"

"There are ways around that." Waving away her friend's excuses, Meetra assured him, "But don't feel like you need to have children just because you agreed to train generations of Force users. At this point, the two of us have practically adopted an entire orphanage and I'm sure someone you know will have plenty of younglings for you to train."

"On that note, you and Rand have significantly fewer obstacles than Vann and Carth."

"Technically true, but that doesn't matter." Offering Alek a soft smile, Meetra admitted, "I think we're both a little too scarred by the war and everything that came after to make good parents. But who knows? Ask us again in five years."

"Can I add that it's deeply unfair that you're purposely excluding yourself from this kriffing conversation?"

Alek was unmoved by Vann's disapproval. "I understand your criticism but will continue to recuse myself from the subject."

But the prodigy wasn't willing to accept that answer. For an instant his gaze grew distant, a sure sign of returning memories, only for his focus to sharpen into an accusatory glare. "Hey, you're the only one here who ever wanted children! Or, at least you had strong feelings about the Jedi's non-attachment policies. You once told me that the children of Jedi are often strong with the Force, so the Order should be practical about the whole thing."

Turning bright red, Alek muttered, "And you always find the worst moment to remember these things!"

"It's alright, we understand." Meetra placed a comforting hand on her friend's arm even as she noted Vann's continued amusement. "You were twelve when you lost your entire family to the Mandalorians and it makes sense that you would want to reclaim some aspect of that life. And you can have it, at least when you feel ready."

"I doubt it." Tapping his prosthetic, Alek told the blonde, "You're not the only one scarred by war."

"Well, what a delightfully depressing conversation! I guess the best we can hope for is that one of our adopted students decides to make us the fun aunt and uncles."

That idea honestly warmed Meetra's heart, dragging her from her emotional slump. As images of her friends' potential children filled her mind, round-faced and calling her 'Auntie Meetra', she couldn't help but blurt, "My credits are on Bastila."

"It would be fitting if the Republic had to deal with generations of Shans influencing major events for the next several generations."

Nodding to Alek, the former Consular raised a mock toast. "May they all share her conviction and fortitude."

"Perhaps with less sass."

Vann could only snort at the notion, declaring, "I think the sass might be a genetic trait."

Read the whole chapter on FF.net or AO3!

[aurumacadicus]

I don't have the words for this but. Art and science are always hand in hand.

The perfectionism of artists has them researching stuff in a way that only scientists can compare. Some artists become experts in biology or anatomy. Other special interests have them going down rabbit holes to make them better at their art.

Disney animators said "we are perfecting the code for this snow if it kills us" and researched and invented code until it acted like real snow in Frozen and snow scientists were like hey. Did we just fucking solve the Dyatlov Pass mystery. And the animators answered no. We made snow. YOU applied the knowledge and did the experiments to solve what could have happened at Dyatlov Pass.

And it was a team effort because of course it was. You can't have art without science. And you can't have science without art.

[hurricanes-art]

Presenting King Hubert, the saddest guy I've ever made~💖

I saw this c. 1616 wine cup that has a tiny engraving of 3 lions with sad old man faces wearing crowns. They bewitched me so thoroughly I had to make one I can hold in my hands

[little-pup-pip]

Cosy day in!!

[vaxxildamn]

finally…… the legendary Level 20 Scissor Gal-adin

[gale-force-storm]

Thinking about the fact that, to pull Gale from the stone and get him in the game at all, you have to decide to try to touch an extremely dangerous looking swirling mass of unstable magic. Something that is, objectively, a terrible idea

Like, the options it gives you are to either touch the sigil or leave, and if you leave you just... don't get Gale in the party

You have to take the risk. You have to let your curiosity override your common sense. You have to look at this unstable, possibly dangerous malfunctioning magic sigil and go "...Ok, but what if I poke it?"

In short, to get Gale in your party, you have to do exactly what he would in that situation, and indulge in a moment of reckless curiosity. And I just think that's delightful

[imaginariumwanderer]

Them kitties be up to no good

[doctorsiren]

Day 19 of Sirentober / Doctober

Cracked / Parallel

creature of habit

Available as a print on my Etsy Shop

[maareyas]

I was planning on waiting until I finish the whole thing, but these illustrations kinda came out too nice to not post so soon ✨ especially the 2nd one. I really like how all the blues came out

infinite's mask gave me so much trouble that I actually just went and traced it from a screencap

[ergomaria]

Miles To Go Before I Sleep - Ch. 15

Atris's obsession with understanding the dark side has ultimately led to the archivist's downfall. In a perfect galaxy, Meetra would be the bastion of light her friend needs to find a path out of that darkness and seek redemption. But the galaxy is far from perfect and Meetra is unsure if she can help Atris... or if she even wants to. As the Jedi Exile confronts this final part of her past, can she find new meaning in everything that she left behind?

Fueled by a fresh burst of rage, the Echani charged forward with renewed vigor as she jabbed her blade toward Meetra's face, trying to make her foe flinch before she whirled around and struck at the other woman's shoulder. The first strike was easily sidestepped and the second parried before the former General used that momentum to lunge forward and slash her opponent's hip. The hit drew a low hiss of pain as the surrounding Force roiled with seething resentment. Shrieks and howls filled the air as the holocrons voiced their approval, causing both duelists to fall back and refocus amid the tempting cacophony of voices. As Meetra caught her breath she examined her foe, noting that the archivist was sweating hard from exertion and favoring the wounds she'd received. Hope surged through the former Consular as she realized that she had the upper hand and could finish the duel before either of them was seriously injured.

Atris also recognized her disadvantage and positioned herself defensively even as her gaze brimmed with aggression. Sensing an opportunity to end the fight quickly, Meetra surged forward and prepared to kick out the Echani's legs, hoping to knock the other woman down and pin her in place with a lightsaber blade to the throat. Just as her boot left the ground she tasted the familiar tang of ozone in the air. Immediately abandoning her attack, she dodged to the side and stretched out one hand to summon the incoming Force lightning into her own body. As the electricity struck her palm she absorbed the full might of the attack, allowing it to surge through her for several seconds before harmlessly redirecting it into the floor.

Sparks still danced along Meetra's fingertips as she pleaded, "Atris, stop. This darkness isn't you!"

"It's what I've become!" Desperation crept into the Echani's voice as darkness coiled around her, the Force growing mind-numbingly cold. Extending her arm, she curled her fingers into a fist and smirked as she wrapped invisible pressure around her opponent's throat, using it to try and drag the other woman to her knees.

Resisting the urge to grasp at her neck in a useless attempt to pry the Force from her airway, Meetra held her breath as she concentrated on remaining upright and taking a single, arduous step forward. When it worked, she took another. Every movement made her feel like she was back on Dxun, trudging through mud that sucked down her boots and made her use twice the energy to move half the distance. At least the effort of putting one foot in front of the other gave her something to focus on as the oxygen deprivation made it increasingly difficult to think. As the former Consular trudged along Atton cursed colorfully, his desperation to help his friend flowing through the bond. It took most of the former General's strength to wave him away even as her gaze remained locked on Atris. For the first time since the confrontation began, she could see a flicker of fear in her former friend's eyes, put there by the sheer power of Meetra's will.

The grasp on the blonde's body lessened as the Echani's focus waned and the black spots swimming through her vision faded when she drew some thin breaths. Despite this relief, her arm still felt as though it weighed a hundred kilos as she reached up with leaden fingers and grasped Atris's wrist.

"Stop," Meetra rasped. "Atris, please."

The genuine, plaintive tone somehow reached the Echani and her mental grip on the other woman finally released, much to the holocrons' displeasure. Sucking in lungfuls of air, the former Consular sighed in relief as she regain full control of her limbs. But the peace didn't last as the darkness coalesced thicker and colder than ever before. Eyes narrowing, Atris glared at the hand grasping her wrist before jerking her own arm back and using her opponent's hold to her advantage. The brawling maneuver was wholly out of character for the esteemed archivist and it caught Meetra off-guard, effectively causing her to strike her own face. Distracted by the pain of a split lip she released her grip and stumbled back, instinctively bringing her lightsaber up to guard her vitals. An instant later the Echani descended on her foe from midair.

Wiping away the fresh blood, Meetra deflected the overhead strike with practiced ease. The strong block surprised Atris and she landed awkwardly, her boots skidding inelegantly even as she lunged forward for another hit. This was also knocked away and the sheer frustration of failure caused the Echani to lash out in a blind rage with a flurry of swings that lacked finesse but compensated with sheer ferocity. The number of blows raining down was almost enough to overwhelm the former General but she stood firm, parrying what she could and dodging the rest. As a particularly wicked slash nicked her forearm she grunted, rolling to the ground and springing to her feet just behind her opponent. Delivering a swift kick to the back of the other woman's knee, she made the joint buckle right before she swung her lightsaber around and held the burning plasma millimeters from Atris's throat.

"I said enough!" The Force permeated Meetra's voice, adding to the durasteel authority of an experienced battlefield commander.

From her position kneeling on the floor Atris glowered, the holocrons hissing and screeching in displeasure. She stared resolutely at her collection as she growled, "You lack the conviction to kill me."

"It's not conviction I lack," Meetra admitted. "I just don't want to see you dead."

Sympathy stayed the former General's hand in a show of mercy that the Jedi would have appreciated. But Atris was no longer a Jedi. Narrowing her eyes the archivist capitalized on her opponent's perceived weakness and dodged beneath the silvery blade the moment it wavered. Keeping her body low, she slid across the smooth floor with Force-enhanced speed until she was positioned directly behind Meetra. With a sneer of triumph, she leaped to her feet at the same moment that she stabbed her lightsaber directly at her former friend's back. Tone mocking she chided, "It's a pity I don't share your sentimentality."

"Meetra, no!"

For the longest instant, the room seemed to move in slow motion. Meetra sensed someone using the Force to sprint to her position even as she was paralyzed by the shock of this betrayal. The plasma of Atris's blade was uncomfortably hot against her skin and she braced herself for the inevitable agony of being impaled… yet the pain never came. Instead, she felt a bright swell of energy surround her body as it pushed her beyond the Echani's range. The holocrons howled and the air grew impossibly colder as Atris snarled her dissatisfaction and chased after her prey, her lightsaber humming as she aimed it at the other woman's heart. Before it could make contact another figure leaped between the pair, his own weapons raised to deflect the blow. But he never got the opportunity. Spotting a new target, the archivist grinned cruelly as she shifted her trajectory and plunged her blade directly into Atton's chest.

Read the whole chapter on FF.net and AO3!

[xamag-draws]

[Perfect Blue] "who are you..?"

[saturdaysky]

we'll be alright, love. we'll make it through, you'll see.

just a doodle of my gnome tav, mayhew, and gale sometime in the long, dark night of the soul that is act 2

line version:

used a photo ref for the general pose. refs are amazing ✌

[raphaerolo]

Saw a screencap from Perfect Blue and I wanted to draw it with Obi-Wan

Smth about bloody feral obi-wan contrasted with the in-universe propaganda of him...

Ref under the cut

[proxythe]

sorry im really obsessed with this pair … 🧚 u guys must understand… i have a rare pair addiction …

[pidgydraws]

IMO

i make a lot of very fluffy, sentimental, art~ but i need everyone to know just how much i fucking hate these two (adoringly. with all my heart.)

[axxio-sriracha]

NEW JEGULUS AMORTENTIA FIC IDEA!!

Sirius and James being potions partners and James smelling SIRIUS' COLOGNE???

And Sirius (who's been in a committed relationship with Remus for over three years) PANICKS THE FUCK OUT AND TRIES TO KEEP IT A SECRET FROM REMUS BECAUSE HE DOESNT WANT TO RUIN ALL OF THEIR FRIENDSHIPS

And REMUS KNOWS BECAUSE HE OVERHEARD THEM AND IS HIGHKEY VERY UPSET

And the whole time PETER IS REMUS' PARTNER SO HE KNOWS THAT REMUS KNOWS.

So they all go to dinner afterwards and it's just AWKWARD SILENCE and everyone is LITERALLY SHAKING IN FEAR

Just as Remus finally tells them he heard what happened Regulus walks up behind Sirius.

AND SIRIUS STARTS TO TALK TO HIM BEFORE HE REALISES REGULUS IS WEARING THE EXACT SAME COLOGNE THEY BOTH GOT WHEN THEY WERE KIDS

SO NOW SIRIUS KNOWS JAMES IS IN LOVE WITH REGULUS

AND REMUS THINKS SIRIUS AND JAMES ARE HAVING AN AFFAIR (BECAUSE WHY ELSE WOULD SIRIUS HIDE IT)

AND PETER THINKS REMUS IS GOING TO KILL THEM BOTH BECAUSE HES SLOWLY BECOMING MORE AGGRESSIVE THE LONGER HE WAITS FOR AN ANSWER

AND FINALLY JAMES GETS SO OVERWHELMED BY IT ALL HE TURNS AROUND AND TELLS REGULUS HES IN LOVE WITH HIM IN FRONT OF EVERYONE

AND EVERYONE IS S H O O K

AND THEN REGULUS SAYS "I HOPE SO, WEVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR A YEAR NOW"

BWHAHAHAHA IM SO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS

Edit: Here's the link!!! <3