#oc: gronn

[doddsmountain]

Gronn, another OC

[sullustangin]

Maybe Frank has some outfits to share (for SWTOR Outfit Designer Meme)? And if not, then just share any outfit that you're really proud of or haven't shown before :)

Thank you for asking!!!

A surprising number of OCs never make it to character creator. Eva's parents did because I had clear vision of what SHE looks like.

Fria (Consular) is technically one of them, because fic-Fria is very different from in-game Fria. As a character, she's formed, but as a visual, I don't have one for her. I mean, I made her look like a Miralan in game for variety's sake, but in my head, she's very ambiguous as to how she looks. In my fics, I don't describe Fria, beyond being young and very Temple (with an undying sense of curiosity and a slightly perverse sense of humor to pair with it). There's no indication of her weight or size or features, minus the fact she needs to do squats (inside joke if you've read the Yavin fic). She does pick up scars in the 5 year interim. But generally, she's meant to be whatever the reader wants her to be. What species is she? Skin tone? Hair length? Other than being "good-person shaped" in general, Fria is left up to the reader.

Frank is another. Frank actually hasn't deigned to tell me everything about themselves. Frank also is not an action hero. They don't do the weapons thing, so it would be a stretch for me to pick a class for them in character creator. There also aren't clothes that Frank would wear in the game, too. Frank just appeared in my fic chapter this week as someone who has purple eyes, wears glasses, wears three-piece suits, has immaculate manicures done every 2 weeks with fresh polish, and (this week) has hair that falls in ringlets. Frank is described as someone who might have diverse heritage, so maybe part Cathar? Maybe part Rodian a few generations ago? Who knows? The reader. Frank is also "good-person shaped."

The same goes with Gary from Analytics. Gary...kinda looks like he's the "friends" add-on pack for the SIS office playset. Generic guy. With matching husband. I do imagine Gary as human, but that's about it. Colton the husband also is human. Val'tem the SysAdmin is a cyborg. Juli the Bith from Accounting is what she says on the tin.

Cipher Nine's appearance was also left to the reader's imagination for the most part. He's "not Chiss." By the end (?), he was more mechanical than biological in some parts of his body, thanks to a few encounters with Gronn and Eva. Unlike the others, he is definitely not 'good person shaped' but there is a certain... sympathy? Pity? Commiseration? ... that readers have had with him.

~~

So I do have an outfit I made recently that I've only shown to guildees so far. This is Theron's post-Nathema outfit, as he is becoming the Master of Spies. He starts training students to act as operatives for the Alliance. He starts doing less field work (though he never entirely stops). I've imagined this before using the Carth Onasi outfit dyed black, buuuut the Nathema Zealot jacket spoke to me.

[bludunes]

☀️, 🏡 and ❤️ for Eryuk (and whoever else!)

U fool… 

☀️- what makes your OC genuinely happy? A person, an item, their hobby? Where is the place they’re happiest, or most at home? What is the happiest they’ve ever been?

Eryuk’s always been at his happiest when he’s not fighting. He loves anything social - drinking, feasting, festivities and contests. It doesn’t matter if he’s surrounded by strangers; he can move fluidly through a crowd and will offer his company to anyone who needs it. Naturally, the best places to do this are cities and towns, but he’s made many happy memories out on the wild road.

Draenor was the place he was happiest, surrounded by family, by his people and their culture. His best memories were spent in Shadowmoon Valley and Talador, minding the herds on his family’s homelands, and the years where he trained to become a Vindicator. Azeroth doesn’t quite feel like home yet, but it’s fast becoming the world he loves most again. His favourite places are Night Elf lands such as Teldrassil and Ashenvale, along with much of Pandaria and even Northrend, despite its bitter cold.

But in the end, Eryuk cherishes the little things, no matter where they happen. The crackle of a blazing hearth, looking down on the world from the back of a soaring drake, good music being played proudly, the smell of sizzling meat, Haendra’s smile, drunken duelling, dousing himself in a river under a blazing sun, the laughter of hundreds of people at a celebratory feast, teasing his sister Añaris (and being teased in return), the briny smell of the ocean from the deck of a ship as he sails towards some new adventure. It’s all good.

🏡 - Describe your OC’s ideal house! Give us a tour around! What’s their garden like? Their bedroom? Kitchen? Where is it and how many people live there?

If let loose, Eryuk would design himself something akin to a mead hall. The design would be a strange hybrid of Vry’kul and Draenic styles with an emphasis on pragmatism and spaciousness, built with stone for the foundations but mostly made of wood. It couldn’t have been made with the exact same materials as original Draenei buildings. It would be almost metaphorical, embodying older Eredar styles but also representing his acceptance of Azeroth and its role as his new home.

He’d want a long, rectangular central room with enough tables and space to fit dozens of guests (whether or not they’d actually visit is another matter entirely), with at least two fire pits and a high, raised ceiling with rafters and pillars. Good acoustics are a priority. It would be sparingly decorated, mostly with furs and fabrics ready for use, but filled with imagery reminiscent of Draenor’s fauna. Carved into the woodworks would be botani, arakkoa, genesaurs, magnarons, and gronns. Splayed alongside them would be clefthooves, talbuks, elekks, riverbeasts and wolves. The Naaru, too, would be depicted here and there, along with sacred symbolisms of the Light. Each wall and pillar would convey a story, a glimpse into the world Eryuk had loved and left behind.

He’d have an arsenal both for personal use and for guests when their equipment is not needed. The pantry and cellars would always be full. There would be one or two guest rooms as well, always well maintained in case of unexpected visitors. The kitchen is generously-sized, almost designed to be used by multiple people at once, with herbs and plants hanging from the rafters and shelves covering all the walls.

As he had left Draenor with almost nothing, his possessions are scant. In his bedroom, he’d have several storage chests and shelves, mostly filled with miscellaneous items gathered across Azeroth. Memories are scattered about the place - a collection of Draenic crystals that belonged to his family, the horns of a talbuk from his father’s estate, a series of old tomes that he hasn’t read in decades, the collars and harnesses of old pets, and a rumpled banner covered in repairs, patterned with the original icon of Argus, hanging above his bed. There are no paintings, no sketches, nothing left to show what his family looked like, except for a small portrait of Añaris hanging on a wall, its wiry, ramshackle frame encrusted with tiny precious stones. The room would be lit by jewels embedded into the wall, but he still uses candles from time to time, and a Draenic-style crystal fireplace lies opposite his bed. A mannequin for his armour stands in a corner, with tabards collected over the years hanging behind it like a tapestry. And of course there’s a snuggly little nest of cushions and blankets made for his owlkitten, not that she ever uses it. She prefers his Draenei-sized bed.

The “garden” would be the natural grounds surrounding the house. He’d have a training area for sparring and workouts, and a stable for his larger animals, crafted with as much love and attention to detail as his own house.

Eryuk’s hall would be a place of refuge as well as celebration, situated either in Tiragarde Sound, Stormsong Valley, or somewhere equally as idyllic that is reasonably close to civilisation. Everyone would be welcome, everyone would be safe. The only thing that would improve the place any more is if all of his friends shared it with him. It’d be a bit big for one person.

❤️ - What would your OC’s ideal lover be like? Appearance, personality, voice? Would their family approve or would it be civil war?

Eryuk seeks someone attentive, kind, compassionate, and generous. He’d like her to be skilled and passionate, maybe even artistic, as long as she had focus and drive. He doesn’t have patience for pettiness or materialism. He doesn’t respect unkindness or dogmatism. A cynic would leave him bored and irritated. And she doesn’t need to be loud and brash to prove she’s brave and outspoken. But Eryuk would also love to be tied to someone as adventurous as him, who will accept that he can’t be idle and stand by when disaster happens. Eryuk is so unsettled in his lifestyle, always travelling, always following the shadow of war, that he can barely comprehend having a lasting romance with anybody. His relationships have not always been meaningful; additionally, his long life has meant that they’ve barely left an impression on him. Short, noncommittal encounters are what he prefers for the time being.

There is one friend of his that he has a true and selfless love for, and Eryuk has long grappled with whether or not they are still purely platonic. But recent wars have been keeping them apart, much to his unhappiness. And with no official declarations coming from either party, no physicality between them, and the constant presence of world-ending threats, Eryuk is hesitant to dare hope for something deeper.

Admittedly he used to be rather shallow when it came to appearances, but quickly grew out of it the older he became. He would even be open to a relationship with someone of another species. He’s had feeling of attraction towards non-Draenei before, and would be curious to pursue something with such a person. 

He still appreciates a good set of horns on a Draenei woman, though. And long legs are, to him, wonderful on any race. He might feel more comfortable with someone of his own kind, someone who has lost the same things as him, who was there when the Exodar crashed, and knew what it felt like to climb from the wreckage, just as lost as he was, and not know what the new world had in store for them.

[sullustangin]

Incorrect Quotes Generator: SWTOR edition

tagged by @a-muirehen ; tagging @vexa-legacy , @swtorpadawan, @rinskiroo, @grandninjamasterren, @storyknitter @queen-scribbles, @shabre-legacy AND anyone else who wants to join in on the chaos. 

On top of my own toons, I threw in Theron and Lana for giggles.

...strangely, this game loves Gronn and Fria and is really good at describing them.

Group Efforts

~~

Theron: Come to dinner tonight. I can’t cook, but I’ll bring plenty of free wine.

Eva: Marry me.

This one is canon, actually. xD

~~

Lana: Gronn is restricted to decaf for the rest of this adventure.

...also canon.

~~

Norwan: If you got arrested what would be the charges? Lana: Theft. Padneema: Disturbing the peace. Fria: Aggravated assault. Gronn: Arson. Theron: All of the above. In that order, probably.

~~ Fria: Why don't humans have a specific noise that means "there are bees here, let's leave immediately." Why are elephants more advanced than us. Padneema: We do have a specific noise for it. It sounds like this: Padneema: "There are bees here, let's leave immediately."

~~

Lana: Christmas lights? Fria: Check. Eva: Thermos of hot cocoa? Fria: Check. Theron: Santa suits? Fria: Check. Gronn: Shovel? Fria: Check. Padneema: Alibi and bail money? Fria: Check- wait, WHAT?!

~~

Fria, trying their first ever cup of coffee: I am ENERGY! Theron, an avid coffee drinker, on their twelfth cup of the day: Someone slap me awake or I am literally going to fall into a coma in ten seconds.

~~

Padneema: Uh, I think I got your lunch. *Holds up a note that reads: ‘I am very proud of you. Love, Theron’*

Eva: Oh yeah. I didn’t think this was for me. *Holds up a note that reads: ‘Be good. For the love of God, Please be good.’*

~~

Individual Hilarity

Gronn:  I’m gonna mix a can of Red Bull with seventeen shots of espresso in a fishbowl and then chug it while Kids by MGMT plays in the background so I can perceive twenty-three spatial dimensions and fight my own soul

~~

Theron: Dracula had it right, sleep all day, live alone in a castle, and explode into bats to get out of all social situations.

~~

Lana:

You seem familiar... have I threatened you before?

~~

Padneema: I’m the sexiest bitch in this therapy waiting room.

~~

Fria: I’ve never smoked marijuana. I ate a brownie once at a party. It was intense. It was kind of indescribable. I felt like I was floating. Turns out there was no pot in the brownie. It was just an insanely good brownie.

Fria: I tried to write ‘I'm a functional adult’ but my phone changed it to ‘fictional adult’ and i feel like that’s more accurate

~~

Eva: If I can't cause tiny bits of chaos every day, I think my body will shut down

Eva: If looking good was a crime, you’d be a law abiding citizen.

 (I might have to use this one)

[sullustangin]

Rating: E (T this chapter)

Pairing:  Theron Shan/Smuggler

Quick quote:  

Then Gronn switched tactics, entirely.  “Run down that Resol’nare jam again.  All things I’m screwing up – remind me?”

Torian smiled, shaking his head slightly. “You’re not doing as bad as you think – or at least as not as bad as your Mandalorian lessons.”

“Fair enough.  Humor the old man and gimme the list.”  

Torian adjusted his seat.  Didn’t know how long Gronn wanted to try to be devout today.  “Resol’nare.  The six actions. They are the core of Mandalorian life.  The first is the language –”

“Failing that one.  Go on.”

“Wearing the armor –”

“KILLING IT! Next.”

Torian laughed now, even as he continued the list.   “Heeding Mandalore’s call.”

“Whenever that happens, I’m in.”

“Teaching your children the ways of the Mandalo’ade.”  

No cutting comment there.  

“Contributing to the well-being of your clan�� or Mandalorians at large, if you are a clan of one.”

Again, silence

“Defending oneself and one’s family.”

“That’s it.  That’s the one I’m doing right… other than the armor one.”  Now Gronn looked at him through his helmet – the one he never took off, even though he was not Mando’ade from birth.   “You understand?”

Torian nodded.  

That was a lie.  He didn’t understand.

[sullustangin]

SWTOR Secret Santa 2021

This is a Secret Santa gift fic for @empire-at-war!  Request was for a fic with their OCs potentially with my OCs and/or a Christmas theme (and nothing like the old draft of your post going up before the polished one!)

Vic Greydon, Shavi, and Ayessha all belong to @empire-at-war

Eva and Gronn belong to @sullustangin (me).  

Rating: PG-13+ for lots of swearing and the ending. 

Makeb, 3638 BBY/14 ATC

“In or out, Greydon, what’s it gonna be?”  The lady called Risha demanded a response from him, the dealer’s deck in her hand.

The hulking man pointedly ignored her, snuck a peek at his cards again, and resumed his vigil over the cards face-up on the pazaak table.  Kriff.  Gronn had said he knew a girl with a game, but unlike other establishments, they weren’t cutting his alcohol off and the women running the game didn’t scare easy. 

This made it impossible end the game early because he couldn’t get kicked out of the bar or intimidate the other players.  It was impossible to win, because the liquor was seemingly never-ending.

The dealer tried to spur Vic onward – or at least stir some sort of response from the taciturn bounty hunter.  “Do they teach counting up to 20 where you’re from, or did you attend the same esteemed institutions as Corso?”

“Hey.” Corso sent a sharp glare Risha’s way.  “Dealer’s meant to be neutral – don’t go antagonizin’ players.”

The Captain scoffed, further down the table. “That’s a 23-point word, Riggs.  You must have a peach of a hand.”

Corso’s eyes went huge, and he hissed, “Aay-vaaaa, quiet.”

“Don’t need your help, lady,” Vic Greydon said, without an ounce of agitation.  Calmly, he tapped to signal Risha for a card.

A 3. He didn’t bust.  He stayed in.  The bug zapper went off over their heads as they lounged out the back of Virtue’s Thief, the name of the ship.  Vic thought it was funny when he first heard it, and now it was hilarious, four or five drinks in. 

Vic did feel he was like he was playing in a daycare, though.  These smugglers – kids.  He was … shit, over 40 now?  That was considered ancient for hunters and smugglers alike.  The captain – Eva some-weird-ass-last-name  -- looked like she was half his age.  Corso and Risha didn’t look much older.  Corso wasn’t too young for Vic, but he had waaaay too many hang-ups.  Vic didn’t have time for that nonsense.

The next card that Risha dealt to Eva put her over; she played her final card from her personal deck and hit 20 on the dot, no pause for counting required.  Her wrist comm buzzed as she sipped her gin and tonic.  Vic thought that was hilarious too – young kid drinking some old soak’s drink.  She checked the sender and kicked back from the table to send her response. 

It was half-way through the next round that a familiar jetpack flew overhead and then set itself down a safe distance from the ship.  Within thirty seconds, a shuttle set itself down. Vic, despite another drink down his gullet, tried to square himself up at the table.

The Grand Champion of the Great Hunt had arrived, and that fucker stood over seven foot tall in his armor.  He was one of the few humans or near-humans that was actually bigger than Vic. 

“Evita?” he called out in his raspy voice toward the ship captain.

“Don’t tell me you brought the problem with you.”  Eva got up from her seat and the game and went to meet Gronn a ways away from the ship.  “I swear on the entire planet of Corellia, Gronn –”

At that moment, Eva’s Mando – Akaavi of Clan Spar, she’d haughtily told him (as if he gave a shit) – came down the gangplank with her dinner: a large bowl of soup that… actually smelled fan-fucking-tastic to Vic, even with all the alcohol.  He’d have to talk to the Wookiee in the galley.  After this hand.  Or at least after this drink. 

Minus the soup, fresh script was the only reason Vic was happy to see Akaavi, especially when the fucking Grand Champion took a step back from her.  She was not to be messed with.  “I—ok, I’ll be blunt: I fucked up.”

Vic shotgunned the last of his liquor and rapped the table for another.  Corso supplied.

Akaavi glared at Gronn then sat herself down at the table on the far side of Corso.  She refocused her attention on her soup.  “He says this as if it’s news.”

Gronn sighed.  “You know Clan Dakari?”  Eva swiveled to look at Akaavi and her answer.

Akaavi’s spoon stopped in mid-motion.  “No, I have not hunted with them, but I am aware of their skills.  The finest Akk dogs in the galaxy are bred and raised by them.”  Akaavi put down her utensil. 

That distantly rang a bell in Vic’s mind.  That, or it was an over-tuned speeder.

Gronn’s helmet bobbed, its rill bouncing the lights from the ship off it.  “I’m friends with one of them – Ayessha.”

The bell?/speeder? got louder.  “Togruta.  Great akk dog breeder, right?” Vic dredged his memory. 

“Got two big beautiful animals with her right now, and I said to her, ‘the terrain on Makeb would make for a good training test.’   So she’s here right now.”  Gronn gestured over toward the shuttle, where a door was opening. 

Eva put her hands on her hips.  “This another hot broad in the galaxy that needs you to play hero?” 

Gronn shook his head, and Vic could practically hear the walnut rattling around in there.  “No.  It’s Shavi that needs my help this time, because he didn’t tell me he was coming to Makeb until fifteen minutes ago.”

“Your damsels in distress have diversified to include men?”  Eva eyed Gronn around her gin glass.  “Seriously, you’re a magnet for sob stories – ”

Gronn waved his hand.  “No, not a sob story this time.  This is a – meeting, a crossroads of three people’s bad luck right now, and it’s going to happen here.”

Eva’s jaw locked.  “Why here?” 

Gronn, completely encased in his armor, made no noise minus the rasp of his respirator.  He went still, like an Alderaanian deer caught in the headlights.

“ …because I’m getting the impression that you mean my ship.”  Eva turned to address Akaavi.  “Are you getting that impression?”

“Yes.  He needs to start talking about relevant, useful things.”  It was at that point that Akaavi shifted her grip on her eating utensil and got up from her dinner.

Since their first meeting a few weeks ago at the card game, Vic had started to wonder whether Akaavi could kill someone with a spoon, and it looked like he was about to find out.

Gronn seemed to have the same realization, and he started to speak, rapid-fire.  “Shavi is a … uh…  smug, I guess.  He’s running blasters right now, but he used to do bounty jobs with an old friend.  Miss her.  Anyway, he needed to offload, and I tipped him off about Makeb – Imps will buy them to make sure they have a supply to control the planet now that the Pubs are evaccing –”

A voice pierced the darkness on the far side of the ship, where the sunlight had already disappeared.  “Gronn, you didn’t tell the game was run by gorgeous ladies –”

“YOU!”  The voice was as a thunderclap, and if there were gods, Vic imagined they sounded like her when enraged. 

“You idiot, hide!”   Gronn charged toward the voice in the dark, smacking his forehead right into the underbelly of Virtue’s Thief.  His head snapped back, but his legs kept him moving “Kriff, she’s already here.”

Moving swiftly, the Togruta woman – over six feet tall in her armor – ran across the mesa as Makeb’s sun began its final descent.  At her side were two akks, long as speeders.  Their tails swished as they sensed their mistress’s ire. 

Vic’s pickled mind conjured up some sort of poetic idea of a moon-huntress with her companions, but what came out of his mouth was “I hate dogs.  But you’re awesome.” 

With a sharp cry, Ayessha let the akk dogs charge out into darkness.  For a split second they disappeared –

-- and then they came charging back through in hot pursuit of a male Chiss, who was cursing at them as he ran.  Gronn clanked back toward the card table to try to keep an eye this awful race. 

On the first pass in front of the pazaak table, Risha dryly commented, “I think the dogs are bigger than he is.”

“I heard that!  Where do you get off – when I’m running for my life – ”   His retort was pre-empted by a “Baay Shfat!” aimed the sky as he kept moving.

“What the hell did he do?”  Akaavi asked Gronn, crossing her arms. 

“He sold her a shit ship,” Gronn answered dejectedly. 

 “Oh, in that case, let him die.”  Eva rattled the ice in her now-empty glass and began to hike up the gangplank to the galley. 

“WHAT!” yelled Shavi.  “GRONN, YOU BROUGHT ME HERE TO DIE, YOU COCKSUCKER.”

“Dinner and a show.  Nice.  Get me some of that soup?”  Vic snared a piece of his Imp-issued script between his two fore-fingers and held it out to Eva.  She waved it off.

And here was the reason Vic played here – the free food.  Hell yeah, even with the iron-jawed broads running the show and the non-stop liquor --- wait, why did he ever think that was bad?

Vic put his script back into his pile and noticed it was smaller than when he started.  Oh, yeah, that’s why.

“Eva –”  Gronn stretched to his full wingspan to latch onto Eva’s arm and prevent her from going inside her ship. 

Vic shook his head, then he laugh-snorted.  “I want more alcohol and snacks to watch this.  Normally, they only put this kind of thing on pay-per-view.” 

Corso made a “pfffft” noise and got up from the table to address Gronn.  “The hell you thinking bringing trouble here?”

Gronn gestured helplessly – which was a hell of an achievement for a seven-foot-tall fucker.  “I thought I could get Shavi on and off the planet faster than Ayessha could figure out he was here.  I was gonna introduce her to Akaavi and Eva to distract her – she’s tight with her dad like they were with theirs, and reads novels like Eva does and –”

“You thought we could sit here and braid each other’s hair too?” Akaavi snapped.

Gronn tilted his head to the side.  “No, two of you don’t have hair.”

Eva facepalmed, and Vic cackled as Akaavi’s green eyes narrowed.  “You are so, so stupid,” spat the Zabrak.

“Don’t break your hand on his head.  I know, it’s tempting.  I’ve done things that hurt worse, but a fist off beskar ain’t a walk in the park either,” Vic said as he kicked up his feet on the table to watch Shavi make another mad dash across the mesa.  “Anyone want to bet how long he lasts?  Or which dog finally gets him?”

~~~~~

Gronn had awful taste in friends, herself included.  That was Eva’s conclusion on the matter.  

Risha gave Shavi a cursory glance as he ran past again. “Seven minutes.  The bitch.  The stud isn’t pacing himself.”  She laughed, darkly, at her double entendre as she turned to look up at Eva.  

Yeah, she had a point.  He was nice to look at, and he was in decent enough shape to survive to this point.  

“I’ll give him another five.  Also on the bitch.”  Risha and Vic slid script to the center of the table and watched Shavi run for the rest of his short, little life.

A low, rumbling noise drew Eva’s attention.  That wasn’t unusual on Makeb, honestly; the Imps were still putting effort into making the planet look like it was about to fall apart. …but there was something different about this earthly groan.

At that moment, Guss popped over the horizon.  Eva vaguely remembered him mentioning going out to do something, but the liquor and the card game made her forget why and what. Something had him excited – yelling and screaming and – oh, he was running to the ship – because --?

The akk dogs finally caught up to Shavi, and one had latched on to his arm, the other his leg, in a perfectly executed take-down maneuver.  

A near-deafening crack erupted, and a subteroth broke through the hill behind Guss, setting off the perimeter alarms of Virtue’s Thief.

“Ah SHIT.”   Vic, despite his size, was quick to his feet and reaching for the arms he’d checked at the door.

Eva froze for a second, staring at the gin glass in her hand before chucking it over the side of the gangplank, nearly hitting Corso (‘goddamn!’).  She skittered toward her own holster, which she’d left with her jacket on the back of her chair.  Corso had already turned up his chair and had dropped to his knees for cover.  She heard Bowdaar charging down the gangplank, his bowcaster in hand.  

Risha was on her feet and backpedalling up the gangplank as Gronn grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her behind him and out of Bowdaar’s way.  Then he set up position with his rifle.  Akaavi was already taking point, her soup forgotten --

“No!  Don’t fire!”

Ayessha let out a sharp whistle, but her dogs didn’t heed her.

The akks had already changed course and were headed straight for the subteroth.  

Ayessha unholstered her blaster, trying to wait for her shot.

Akk dogs were good hunters and great companions, but subteroths were decidedly out of their typical prey category.  (Hell, Eva didn’t even know if their exoskeleton was permeable by teeth; she’d always aimed for the red, fleshy bits that poked out in between the plates.)

The stud akk leapt at the subteroth, even as Ayessha desperately commanded him not to.  Eva’s hand instinctively went up, silently ordering her crew to hold fire.  Crew or not, everyone near the ship did as she directed.

With one heavy swing of the subteroth’s jagged arm, the poor animal was sent flying, his belly slit open.  

Just as the creature turned around to grab at the bitch, before anyone near the ship could fire, a single bolt arced through the air and hit the subteroth right through the narrow slot that exposed the electromagnetic crest of the creature.  

With a horrific shriek, the subteroth was effectively blinded, and the bitch was smart enough to finally heed her mistress.  Once the remaining akk dog was out of range, the bombardment of fire began.  Blasters, rifles, bowcasters, and one incendiary grenade Guss had “just in case.”

By the end of it all, the subteroth was a burned-out shell, smoldering from within as it hit the ground.

Vic lowered his blaster, then gave the thing one last shot before approaching.  “This place has enough weird creepy crawlies without that kriffing thing coming up out of the dirt.”  Vic nudged the creature with his boot, then used the long muzzle of his blaster to take a good look at the back of its head.  He let out a low whistle.  “Nice shot.”

Gronn shouldered his rifle and walked toward him.  “Wasn’t you?”

“Nah.”

“Me.  I did it. I’m the man of the hour.”  Shavi shoved himself to his feet, and Eva could see his blaster’s barrel still orange-hot from his contribution to the night.  As she replayed the critical shot in her head, his was the only angle it could have come from.

“Wait.  You were armed the entire time.  Why didn’t you shoot at the dogs?”  Eva asked as she holstered her blaster.

Shavi blew a few strands of his blue-black hair up out of his face.  “I kill a dog, she kills me.  Or if I kill her, Clan Dakari kills me.  Shit quality of life either way.  Figured I could do or say … something.  Not that.” He gestured at the dead creature. “But something.”  He flashed an exceptionally charming smile at her. “What can I say?  I know how to deliver.”

Before Eva could volley back with an “I hope you do,” Ayessha knelt by her injured companion, shushing him as she started triage.  “He’ll live.  May I use your medical bay?”

Eva nodded.  “Yeah.” Gronn gave her a nudge from behind, and she glared at him.  “My associate wants to know if you can call it even for Shavi – you don’t kill him if you cross paths again.”

Shavi’s heavy breathing stopped, immediately, probably biting his tongue hard in order to keep his yap shut.  

Ayessha glared at Shavi, but the whimper of her akk dog stole her attention away.  “Yes. Fine.”  

In the trace light from Virtue’s Thief, Eva could see the worry etched into the Togruta’s face. “Uh… listen.  I get that they’re like your kids…  stay on the ship with them.  Akaavi can set you up with some reading material while you wait for the kolto and stuff to its job….”  Eva gave Shavi a once-over.  “You got basic medical facilities on your ship?”

“Yeah.  I’m not dumb enough to go in there with her, so yeah, I’m heading back to my ship.” Shavi’s gaze shifted slightly from Eva to Risha, who had decided to insert herself into the situation. “Would … one of you like to help me get some of those bite marks on my back?  Or both of you?”

Eva and Risha exchanged a look and they decided to settle this the usual way:  lizard-toad-snake, best of out of three.

Eva won.  

Gronn grunted, disapprovingly.

Eva shook a finger at him.  “Hey, you brought trouble to my ship – I’m taking it away.”

As Ayessha moved up the gangplank with Akaavi, Bowwdar carefully picked up the injured akk and huffed at him, telling him he was a good, brave warrior.  He just had to be wiser next time.  But he was still a good boy.

The remaing akk dog paced around the bottom of the ship, impatient for her lady’s return already. Ayessha  hushed her as she moved away, reassuring the bitch that she would return with her mate.  She just had to be good.  

Eva grabbed her jacket from her chair, stole and swallowed down the rest of Vic’s drink, and placed the empty glass on the table.  “Let’s go.”

Vic realized the game was over.  “Ok, she gets her puppy fixed, he gets you.  What do I get?”

Corso gave Eva a whistle, and she took the hint and activated a switch on her comm link. “You and Corso and Guss can console yourself with one of the hidden caches on Virtue’s Thief.  Think there’s a bottle of twelve-year-old scotch with your name on.  Corso knows where it is.”

Shavi’s red eyes blinked a few times.  “You’re coming with,” he said, almost in disbelief.  His bravado only lapsed for a second before that mouth picked up speed again. “I’m glad you could see that –”

Eva wheeled around and grabbed him by his coat collar.  “You’re a piece of drekk, but you’re a great shot and cute when you’re quiet.  Move.”

Eva only looked back toward her ship once.  She saw Gronn standing alone there.  She turned and continued the walk with Shavi.  Gronn would be here when she got back.

The Chiss inevitably started to run his mouth once they got off his speeder.  He probably didn’t want to compete with the volume.  “So, captain of your own ship.  Just bought this one on my own.  All paid off, all mine.  Not big like yours – little jump job.  Works for my type of business, plus I can take care of myself and a couple of friends in there – as you’ll see.”

When they reached the doors of the smaller freighter, Eva grabbed the hatch and blocked his path in. “We may not be on my ship, but I still got rules.”

Shavi’s eyebrows rose slightly.  “Oh?” He watched, intrigued, as Eva knelt down to untied her boots.  

“I come first.  You wrap it.  You don’t darken my doorstep with your problems, ever again.”  

As her boots hit the earth, Shavi’s hand popped the hatch open.  “And what concession do I get?”

Eva checked a laugh, a tight ‘heh’ emerging into the dusk.  “You’re not the only one who wears lifts around here… I’ll let you keep your boots on.”

Eva rose to her full, natural height… and she still had to look up at Shavi.  

He liked that.

~~~~~

Hope this was in-character and up to your standards, @empire-at-war.  Let me know if you want any changes/corrections/etc -- it’s your gift, so you call the shots! :)  Happy Holidays!

@chokit-pyrus

[sullustangin]

Vic basically grew up in space. He doesn't like animals, plants or "nature" in general. The worst thing in his eyes are desert planets. You know what they say about sand...

I think all of my characters have a distaste for Tatooine. And yet the universe seems to revolve around that planet...

Eva likes weather -- not nature so much. Precipitation is interesting; changing temperatures are not, nor are bugs, dust, humidity... She's probably spent the least amount of time on a planet out of my OCs. She (and her mother Athene) actually has spacer glow -- a combination of cosmic radiation, iodine meds, and vitamins that substitute for sun exposure. It's part of the reason why she appears pale; when she spends a few months on Rishi and Yavin, Eva looks less 'ethereal' than when she landed. Eva prefers droids to animals. Unless it's a cat.

Fria as a Jedi consular has been the most terrestrial. She's most nature-inclined and embracing of the way things are...she's also the least irritable of the bunch. Fria has the whole Snow White 'animals come out of the woods to greet her' type vibes going on.

Gronn lives in a tin can. Unless he is on a ship, life sucks a little. The smallest living thing he likes is Blizz. He loves Blizz like a witch loves their familiar.

[sullustangin]

Sleep and art for the headcanon asks?

It seems like all of my OCs have sleeping problems, haha. I'm currently working on a piece with Eva and Gronn in it, so here they are.

Eva (smuggler) doesn't sleep well again after the events of Chapter 3. At least not until after Nathema, when she and Theron are reconciled and everything is quiet for the first time in about 15 years for her (5 of which are in carbonite and ... that wasn't really sleeping).

Gronn (bounty hunter) is a simple man in a complex galaxy. He also has no sense of self preservation, so he sleeps only when a) he feels like it; b) he's not being shot at. Often, B overrides A.

When they are in the same place, Eva and Gronn have no concept of curfew or 'calling it a night.' It goes until one of them drops or Eva pulls a man at the local watering hole. They don't sleep around each other -- there is no vulnerability there.

In terms of art, Eva knows what she likes. She never had a formal education, so she doesn't know artists are 'good' or 'genius'. She knows what a name is worth -- there's a demand, she'll supply it. Eva can and does walk through museums with Risha to see art for art's sake. Eva can appreciate things, but she doesn't want to have or hold them for too long. She doesn't have room in her ship, and art should be seen, not hoarded.

Gronn, in a museum? More like bull in a china shop. He did have an education, and he thinks some of those guys are mighty talented, but it's not his interest.

Of both crews, the only people that have talents in art are, ironically, the full-fledged Mandalorians. Torian draws, and Akaavi knits. Both insist it is to keep their hands nimble in times of peace.

[sullustangin]

😩 🍍 🤔

Does your muse like memes? Do they like the dankest, or do they only know dead memes?

There is a fairly open meme exchange on Virtue's Thief and on the Ash Angel; the smuggler and bounty hunter crews love sending memes within their crews. However, given how busy they are, they are mostly dead by the time they actually get popular aboard. That doesn't deter them from being modified to hyperspecific inside jokes for both.

Examples: Socially Awkward Penguin has become Guss, in different outfits. Everyone prays to Ceiling Cat (who looks suspiciously like Hylo). Everyone' soul is endangered by Basement Cat (who looks suspiciously like Hylo, but with a twirlable mustache). Things Mako and Torian have said to each other end up as Derpina and Derp comics on the BH crew. "You guys are getting paid?" guy is Corso, universally, on both crews.

Does your muse like pineapple on pizza? If not, what’s the weirdest topping they like?

Crew policy on the smuggler ship is that if you don't like a topping, pick it off. Eva picks off pineapple (if Akaavi is in the mood to order it). Eva likes pizza in the broadest possible definition of the word: a flat piece of dough spread with savory toppings.However, some of her toppings are.. questionable. The most bizarre combo was essentially peanut sauce with chicken and stir fried veggies -- the Thief was out of rice. Bowdaar likes culinary adventures, so he's into this 'pizza yet not pizza' concept.

There has been outright war over the pineapple on pizza issue on the Ash Angel. An apostate to both sides is Gault, who supposedly hates pizza (but only says so to stir things). Gronn would probably eat bolts if the bread dough was nice enough.

What does your muse’s Google search history look like?

Eva's is mostly practical stuff, such as going rates for products, wiki pages for how-tos or even just basic knowledge on certain topics that normally aren't relevant to her life. ...on a private browser, she does look up relationship advice, because apparently, she's not great at it, given her track record.

Gronn has Mako do the computer stuff, so it's a mix of pertinent bounty hunting supplies/targets, home decorating, and clothes. And wedding planning.

[sullustangin]

Favorite Sweets/Treats

Tagged by @starknstarwars​ -- thank you!!

Tagging @vexa-legacy​, @shabre-legacy​, @walk-ng-d-saster​, @starlightcleric​

So, what do my OCs eat as treats?

Eva Corolastor (smuggler) - Eva’s favorite treat is a Naboo rolling hill.  It is a crisp meringue stuffed with seasonal fruit and covered in a “weird green sauce.”  No idea what it is, but the green stuff is awesome.  Corso always got some for her whenever he noticed they were close to running out.  It’s the first thing she’s able to stomach entirely after carbonite, much to Theron’s relief. (Naboo rolling hills are my own invention; I guess they’re a relative of pavlova)

Gronn (bounty hunter) -  Gronn is a simple man who will eat anything placed in front of him.  He wasn’t born to Mandalore or in the community, so he eats in private (no zealot like a convert). 

Fria Whitcord (consular)-  Fria loves a good baklava.  Thin crispy layers of pastry, stuffed with nuts and cinnamon, covered in Tythonese honey.  Bonus points if the honey is infused with rosewater.  Guh....

Padneema (trooper)  -- Padneema loves horehound candy.  The variety she likes is coated in a crumbly cookie-like bar, almost like brown sugar.  The candy itself is a hard candy, meant to be sucked on and held in the mouth while doing work.  It’s a weird mix of licorice and bitter mint.  Padneema’s favorite brand infuses some vanilla into it to soften the bitterness. 

[sullustangin]

Hello, dear! You've been visited by the random character question fairy! :D ~☆

Who did your character last say 'I love you' to? Did they mean it? Did the other person say it back?

Greetings, benevolent fae creature!

I thought back to the last bit of plot in SWTOR 6.2 and decided to do something a little different.

TL;DR -- Torian; Smug OC means it as an auntie to the companion of her kinda ex but not really, kinda dead but not really BH.  He does, in his own way.

**

"Torian, you know I love you. I'm not saying this lightly -- let Mandalore spearhead the hunt, and let the Ordos be her right hand. Last thing I need is you disappearing into the night."

Eva Corolastor dangled her feet over the edge of the scaffold she'd found Torian brooding on. She'd clipped his wings, and he wasn't happy.

"Ba'vodu, don't take this the wrong way. But you are aruetyc. My place is not here at your negotiating tables." Torian pressed his chin into his knee.

"That's the job Shae has given you, Torian. You keep an ear to the ground and keep me informed as to what the hell the Mandalorians are doing for the Pub. For the Empire. For the Alliance. Hell, even the Hutts, if you have some fools." She gestured toward the rest of the Odessen fortress. "I'll do what I can to keep your clans independent of any of those governments, regardless of whatever propaganda Shae's rivals put out."

Torian's lips twisted slightly. "I should be fighting. I should be hunting. Sitting here.... I don't like it. It feels wrong." Torian's slow and measured speech belied how upset he was at her.

Eva swung her feet out after thinking it through. "It's the fact they took the banner, right?"

Torian nodded. "I had thought my father's shame was over. I thought that I had done enough to silence his memory and return honor to Clan Cadera." The young man -- no, Eva couldn't think of him like that anymore -- the man frowned. "I am the only member of Clan Cadera. That makes my feelings for the clan selfish by nature... but I thought I had done enough to regain the honor taken from me as child."

"Some people will never be satisfied." Eva leaned back on one of the supports. "Voidhound has been gone for... three years now. Still got people gunning for me and running from me. You know, we still had Imp recruits that called me 'Pollaran's prostitute,' almost fifteen years after that whole thing happened?"

Torian's eyes sparked, furious. "Who?"

Eva smirked. "Aygo got wind of it, and he made them run suicide sprints until they puked. For each offense. That at least made them be less obvious about it." Eva pulled herself to her feet. "My point is, your place is here, and the people who care about you know you for the man you are, not your father. If it helps, I don't remember his name." She paused. "You're still Gronn's kid to me."

That made Torian smile.

Eva felt the breeze run through her hair. "Don't know if you should call ba'vodu anymore honestly. You gained a couple of years on me due to the carbonite. And you are your own man, Chief of Clan Cadera."

"Gronn was my ba'vodu -- not my father, but of even greater respect and honor. He considered himself your man, so you are ba'vodu. Even if it has been over ten years since we found his helmet. Even if I am older than you now." Torian stood up. "Is your new man still game for the camping excursion next week?"

"My new -- Torian!" Eva made a face at him, and for a moment, he was that cheeky, clever 20-year-old he had been when she first met him at Corellia.  “I’ll avoid the math headache and just say we’ve been married for over two years -- 'my new man.’  Bah!  And no matter what you or your hunting buddy say, I'm sending the Wookiee with you. That should increase your life expectancy by 300%."

“Yes, Ba’vodu.”

[sullustangin]

SWTOR Characters Meme

Tagged by @swtorpadawan​, tagging:  @walk-ng-d-saster​, @shanfamilydrama​  @mimabeann​ @reliciron​ @starknstarwars​ @kyber-heart​  @starlightjedi​ @thebreadtree​ @lyrishadow​​ @blueburds-but-swtor​​

No pressure to do this!  If you choose to, try to pick 10 folks.

Do you have more Imperial or Republic characters?

I play more Pubs than Imps, since I’m not into the Sith culture/hierarchy.  I also play more non-Force Users than I do Force Users.

My toons:

-- 3 smugs:  Dyo (LS5), Not!Eva (DS2ish and is a little kill happy), and Eva canon version (eventually DS 2 who goes LS mostly to piss off Valkorion) who already has 7 clothing slots at level 10 because I discovered Collections late

-- 1 BH: Gronn, pictured above as I imagine him on Rishi -- that’s a crafted Armormech set

-- 1 Trooper: Padneema

-- 1 Sith Inq: Illya -- I’m finally taking @shabre-legacy​​ ‘s advice from last year! (you can consider this an unofficial tag :D)

...Pirate cannibals...ugh.

Which class do you play as the most?

Smug Life, baby.  I’m not a huge Jedi/Sith fan -- never have been.  I like the underworld and the civilian world of Star Wars.  Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian were the characters I liked in the original trilogy from being a kid; the princess and the Jedi didn’t do it for me. 

As I’ve said elsewhere, the best thing about the smuggler is that you can choose to play it as Wile E Coyote and fail upward.  Or you can be Don  Corleone and be something ferocious.  Or you could be some experiment in interplanetary sexuality. 

Which race to you play as the most?

Human, but not by a large margin. 

Dyo - Cathar

Eva and Not!Eva and Gronn -- human

Padneema -- Torguta

Illya -- Sith

How many have completed KotFE/KotET?

Just Dyo and Not!Eva right now.  This is partially because I’m going with the suggestion that the other 7 heroes are dead by this point.  That said, I do plan on running Gronn through to the point of encountering his companions because they know Eva, and they would react to her as if they knew her. 

How many have completed up to Secrets of the Enclave?

Only Dyo so far.  I’ll run Not!Eva soon, and eventually I’ll run Eva who is the canon version for my fic.  Dyo is a clown, so the above shot is how she dressed to get rid of the ‘space pirates’ again.

Who stayed loyal to their class romance? Who didn't?

I don’t like the start point of the Corso romance, so all three smugs sent him to bed alone after they caught him drinking.  Padneema is with Aric, though I might consider a fling with Lana later.  Gronn was loyal to Mako until she posted their marriage publicly.... mostly because they aren’t married.  So that gave him pause.  He has flirted with Lana through Rishi, though the "throw Theron to the Revanites” thing is going to put a damper on his affection for her.  I’m planning to romance Andronikos with Illya. 

Be nice...

Who started a romance with Lana, Theron, or Koth?

lol.  All of the smugs ended up with Theron.  Gronn and Padneema may or may not do something with Lana -- haven’t decided.  I personally ship Koth with Lana in my headcanon, so I have trouble thinking up a romance for either of them. 

Who is your oldest (having played the longest)?

Dyo was the smug I started back in... 2017? And then I didn’t play until Christmas 2019 and totally forgot who that bitch in my engine room was (sorry, Risha).

Who is your newest?

Illya.  So far, she’s playing like I would imagine a young Lana would -- very much in favor of outfoxing rather than frying everyone with Force Lightning (though that can be a valid option too).

[sullustangin]

You've been visited by the random OC question fairy! :D ~☆

How does your character view other people? Why do they hold these views? How do these views affect how they interact with other people? 

Greetings, benevolent fae creature!

Eva Corolastor (smuggler OC) views most people as a potential good thing -- whether it’s a friendship or source of money or a partner in business, Eva tends to be pretty optimistic about her prospects.  She’s a prudent enough businesswoman to know that not everyone is her friend, but until their true colors are out, it’s better to err on the side of ‘not being a jerk’ when dealing with people.  In her experience, most people in the galaxy really don’t give a kriff about other people; they’re more likely to avoid contact or ‘live and let live’ rather than get involved with other people and their drama.  If you’re nice to them -- or at least not hostile -- they’re more likely not to get in your way.  Smugglers thrive on people looking the other way or just being self-interested enough to give a little help in return for product or a good line of information from off-planet.

Gronn (BH OC) has been transformed by his experience in the Great Hunt.  Someone was always out to get him and screw him over.  Hell, even the Pub Chancellor got in on the act.  As a result, he’s more cagey and paranoid than he was before. By the time he meets Eva and the smuggler crew, Gronn needs to see proof a person is ‘ok’ before engaging with them in any positive manner; he’d rather screw them over before getting screwed over himself.  His dealings with others is quite checkered, as a result; he’s either your best friend or your biggest pain in the ass.  He witnesses Eva save a Selonian kid on Corellia, and he immediately likes her as a result, for example.  To top it off, Gronn is the type of guy who has a set amount of affection that’s divided up among a limited number of people -- the fewer people alive that he can direct that affection toward, the more intense he gets about those remaining.  That fixation can get more than a little obsessive/creepy. 

[sullustangin]

Rating: M

Pairing:  Theron Shan/Smuggler

Summary:  Trying to find and disarm a bomb with smugglers = fast-paced chapter with a lot of strange extracurriculars.

[sullustangin]

Rating: M

Pairing: Theron Shan x Smuggler

Summary: Theron and Eva in bed together.  It's everything and nothing that you think. 

Quick Quote: “So you take me upstairs in a state of undress and then you make me sleep on the couch?”

[sullustangin]

New chapter (finally) up

Rating:  M

Pairing:  Theron Shan x Smuggler;  Smuggler x Bounty Hunter (in a way)

Summary:  Eva's past comes back around again, but in far more benevolent (and far less intelligent) form.  Theron deals one more time with Marcus Trant and his other agents.

Note: Sorry about the delay  in posting -- I had medical issues to deal with.  Enjoy the new chapter.