#post-kotet spoilers

[rainofaugustsith]

It's weird, since walking away from SWTOR I've more or less fallen out of love with Star Wars in general. I think part of the frustration is that unlike Star Trek and other space stories where they actually strive for peace and progress - Star Wars is always just that. Nothing gets better, no matter what the characters do. It gets depressing. And the more you see the lore, the more you realize they've been on this same hamster wheel for millennia.

In SWTOR, the fact that your character just went back to being a faction lackey and mindlessly killing the other side after working so hard for peace, grey areas of understanding, etc. was depressing. What the fuck was the point, even? I do think the original three films still stand alone because you get a really good story on atonement, the Little Guy winning and the Power of Friendship, without the fucked up lore. I'll always like SWTOR pre-Onslaught and the EU. The rest of it? I think Disney's: - complete abandonment of the far better EU, lore and characters,

- insistence that the people who deliberately estrange kids from their families and press them into military service for life, and look the other way about slavery are the Good Guys! - what they did with the sequels (ie. abandoning Rose's character; being too weak to go for the Finn/Poe romance and claiming a two second kiss in the background was "LGBT rep," what they did to Luke, and don't get me started on how much I hate K**o Re*) have been enough. I've had no desire to see anything beyond the first season of The Mandalorian.

[a-master-procrastinator]

So, I have a headcanon regarding Outlander and Valkorion

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

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

Explanations offered in the game:

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

Arcann and Vaylin helped defeat him;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So, to sum it up:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[knamil]

Spoilers for the Jedi Knight story.

Filter if you don't want to see this ever again: #knamil stasis comic

This story takes place not long after the main Jedi Knight story ends. This is an AU Comic because nothing that was released after initial story launch (Makeb onward and esp not KOTFE KOTET are considered "true" for this universe.)

Notes and captions below the cut.

I wrote the story for this in 2014 and I'm using it as a basis to follow along with an art class I'm auditing. It's inspired by companion content that was originally cut from the game, but was datamined and posted online. If you've never seen it, there was supposed to be a quest where you can help Lord Scourge get his feelings back.

I don't know how to write captions for a comic so I'm including the script as a caption.

If there is a standard way to caption comics for screen readers, msg me and I will do my best.

Conventions used

IM: stands for Internal Monologue. Scourge’s internal monologue appears in black boxes with red text and red outline.

Speech bubbles are rounded white bubbles with black text and black outline.

Setting descriptions/general captions are blue boxes with black outline and black text.

The script labels each image as a page. Each panel will have a short description of the picture then the dialog within the panel.

Begin script

Page 1 Scourge kneeling in a cell meditating. Red forcefields surround him. Title: Stasis Part I (by knamil)

Page 2 Caption: Coruscant Holding Cells - 86 Days After the Emperor’s Defeat (A.E.D.)

Panel 1 Scourge is kneeling in his cell meditating. The frame shows a partial profile of his face. One of his eyes are open. A figure is shown walking toward him. Behind the figure are closed doors.

SCOURGE IM: The Medic. Interesting.

Panel 2 A head portrait of Doc

Caption: Archiban “Doc” Kimble

DOC Hey Scourge. How’s it going?

Panel 3 Scourge is kneeling in his cell looking at the floor. He says nothing. Doc stands in front of the cell facing Scourge

DOC Just seein’ if you need anything. Maybe you want to chat? Have a little heart to heart. You know?

Panel 4 Scourge looks up.

Panel 5 Doc is looking down at Scourge. The back wall of the holding facility can be seen behind him.

Panel 6 Closer focus on Scourge.

SCOURGE Tell me, Doctor… has the Jedi stopped screaming yet?

Page 3 Panel 1 Doc looks angry

Panel 2 Doc looks sad

Panel 3 Doc looks resigned

DOC I don’t know.

Panel 4 The Jedi is on a surgery table. Machinery and tubes cover her abdomen. A breathing mask covers her mouth. Her eyes are squeezed shut in an expression of pain.

DOC They kicked me out two days ago. Her wounds won’t close. The bleeding won’t stop.

They’re rerouting half her organs with cybernetics just to keep her alive.

Panel 5 Doc leans over to sit on the floor.

DOC I heard they put you in here because you wouldn’t talk when you brought her in.

I don’t understand why you won’t tell us what’s happening to her.

Panel 6 Scourge still kneels in his cell.

SCOURGE Because there is nothing in your limited understanding of the Force and its potential that can help her.

Panel 7 Doc is sitting on the floor on the other side of the force field facing Scourge.

DOC Can you?

SCOURGE No.

Panel 8 Close up view of Scourge. He looks down.

SCOURGE The ritual may not be undone.

IM: It would mean the end of everything.

End Script

[howdoipost]

Post kotfe/kotet spoiler alert

Finally got my inquisitor through all expansions, as ls saboteur. Since i chose Republic on Iokath, Acina got killed and Vowrawn became the Emperor...and i need to say it feels A LOT more intense. Where Acina seemed to be quick to dismiss any comments related to my character actions, Darth Vow is very very much not. I cant remember actual lines and maybe is all is just general impression and voice acting (all business no nonsense Acina vs Evil Grandpa who watches you).

Second thing i noticed how creepy Major Anri is from LS point of view. Ouch.

[passionesolja]

Thoughts on Swtor: KoTFE and KoTET Upon My Second Playthrough As An Imperial Agent

This will be in-depth and contain spoilers for both a full darkside, sith inquisitor run and a “lightside” imperial agent run.

The first time I completed the KoTFE and KoTET Expansions I was a sith assassin tank class. My SQ has no sense, no morality, and basically is just a harbinger of chaos and destruction. All dude wants is his dark council seat—basically.

However, my main—and all time favorite—class will always be the Imperial Agent. I love the class. I love dude’s voice. I love the story. I love not having to worry about light and dark and just playing as a normal (in comparison) person.

No magic. No lightsabers. No cosmic morality bullshit. It’s way more grounded and that means it’s flexible.

It’s nice and to me is more fun to play than both the Sith and Jedi classes. There’s far more room for grey—even in comparison to the Trooper, imo.

Gameplay wise, being a DPS Concealment Operative made combat encounters way less of a slog than being a Tank Darkness Sith Assassin. So yeah all I can say is that I breezed through encounters that took me way longer as a defense, close range class. Even some of the bosses took me half the time as an Agent (granted, I made wildly different story decisions)

But the way the story is handled is more important.

I’ll be honest, if KoTFE and KoTET weren’t so nearly essential expansions to the story, I would recommend that non-force user classes just skip them.

Keep in mind, that everything you do in these two expansions become useless anyways because they’re like “fuck, our bad for forcing you to be emperor of this random civilization you don’t care about. We’ll bring you back to your respective side in the galactic war. Oops.”

These two expansion packs are absolutely not made for anyone who isn’t a Jedi. They’re barely made for Sith—in certain areas.

Shit becomes painfully obvious when you get to the Visions in the Dark chapter.

When I was playing as Sith, it made me aggravated because literally the game had been “hell yeah, be sith. You choose this class to pretend to be one, have fun” but you get to that chapter and suddenly, the writers are like “oh damn well what about being a force radical centrist? Here’s a weapon you’ll never use”.

Meanwhile, when I played as an Imp Agent it was hilarious because they’re talking to me about the Force and my character don’t even know what the fuck that is. They’re like “sith code this. Jedi code that.” Dawg, the character don’t even know what that it.

It’s even more hilarious when Darth Marr shows up trying to be friendly with me as if I wasn’t some subordinate intelligence agent he would have killed in a heartbeat. Dawg, you my boss. Not my friend or colleague

It’s so out of place and tacked on that it’s funny.

They should have either made something that accommodated for the other four classes in the game, or just let us skip.

Luckily, you don’t have to be a force fence sitter but I don’t know why—outside of it being the easiest to write—that they tried to push this.

They also give you a weak ass, one-battle only ass weapon that you get so late in the game you don’t even wanna invest the resources in to make better.

On both runs, I never once used them. I put them in storage and forgot about them. It didn’t even hinder me in my fight with the final boss.

As a SQ, I just ended up fist fighting dude then realizing after that it was because I didn’t use the weak ass lightsaber.

As a Imp Agent, I never clicked the force-side prompt so I never got disarmed. Dawg, I’m playing against super human level force users as a regular ass man I can’t afford to be disarmed lmao

The real issue I had was the wasted potential with the entire plot of KoTET that occurs when you play as a Imp Agent.

If you don’t know, the Imp Agent has an entire arc in the main storyline where you’re brainwashed by SIS agents.

It’s one of the best arcs I’ve played in SWToR and—imo—one of the reasons why the Imp Agent is the best class.

This would have been a perfect chance for us to be given some Imp Agent-centric dialogue choices with Vaylin.

Maybe an opportunity to choose not to use her programming word in certain scenes.

Like you can literally tell Valkorion straight up “no I don’t want to do that because I wouldn’t wish that fate on my worst enemy.”

All Valkorion says is: “oh well what happened to you was barbaric but it’s cool when it happens to Vaylin because she’s dangerous”.

It’s an extreme lack of awareness that’s never able to be called out because that’s literally why the Imp Agent was given a reprogramming word in the first place. Like did none of the writers for this actually play the storyline for this character?

Dawg, after you defeat Darth Jadus, the Dark Council feels youre a threat and gives/activates the reprogramming word that gets leaked.

But the game don’t acknowledge this and just runs with it.

The game makes my character do something that I was literally given the dialogue choice to be adamantly against. It’s jarring.

So now, I’m here, being told “Vaylin is bad. Vaylin is dangerous” as if I wasn’t on a mad, bloodthirsty rampage to kill every SIS Agent involved.

Like, dawg, I was literally Vaylin for a good 25% of the Imp Agent base story.

This made me really sympathize with her character and near the end I ain’t even wanna kill her, I wanted her to get free of the mind control and be able to live some kind of happy existence.

I sadly wasn’t able to do that and I wish that I was.

Like I can understand for any other class not understanding/having an issue with mind control but the Imp Agent should have had some tangible and concrete choices to be against using it.

Every time I used it, it was the game forcing my character to in non-interactive cutscenes.

The bag was fumbled so hard it’s sad

Outside of that, it was no different than my SQ playthrough except I couldn’t tell people to shut the fuck up when they dissed my companions.

Fr though seriously, Kaliyo and Scorpio are treated like punching bags by the companions and you can’t say shit to them. Like in the baseline game, I choose to marry Kaliyo (which I choose to get back with her after)

It’s like “why can’t I tell people to know they place when they disrespect my baseline companions? Like all I can do is be evenhanded or say I trust my companion.” I couldn’t g check no one.

Other than that, there was no real differences.

Imo, both these expansions are a waste of time and I’ll never play them for any other class but my two main classes.

Thanks for reading lmao

[lavampira]

“this was never about you.”

“you made it about me when you imprisoned me, stole years from my life, then tried to kill me on asylum.”

[jarael]

I think I or someone else have talked about this before, but I noticed something odd regarding the choice of lightsaber colors for Zakuulans.

First, if Zakuul is cut off from the galaxy at large, how did they acquire the technology to build lightsabers and lightsaber pikes?  Did Valkorion teach them how to build the weapons?  This would make the most sense, but it is never discussed in-game or by the writers.

Now, Senya’s lightsaber blade is blue.  Blue is usually associated with light side Force users: Obi-Wan has a blue blade, as do Anakin(before he becomes Darth Vader, of course), Satele, Tau, and it is the default crystal of a light side Jedi Knight when they craft their first weapon on Tython.  Calphayus had a bright blue blade, despite not being benevolent at all until he was defeated in the Dread Palace operation.  Senya is relatively light side: she is more compassionate than her friend Lana, but she does assault a bartender to get information from him.  So overall, the color does fit her.

But when the Knights of Zakuul appear, they are wielding blue blades as well.  Valkorion--himself truly the worst person in SWTOR--claims that his Knights are “beyond light and dark” and just do what is asked of them.  Now, this is not necessarily malevolent, but it is far from the light side and the Jedi Code.  Therefore, one might think that yellow or orange is a more fitting color for their blades.  Yellow and orange are usually neutral colors for a lightsaber wielder; it is usually the default crystal when a player buys a cartel market lightsaber.

Yet yellow is given to Arcann and Vaylin, two people who the game tries its damnedest to make the player hate.  Arcann is shown to be perpetually angry and a warmonger, unless he is allowed to be “redeemed”(a rant that I’ve gone on way too many times, and which doesn’t pertain to this discussion).  Vaylin, a victim of extreme abuse, is portrayed as cruel and unstable.  Were the game to stick to its narrative, you would think that these two would be wielding red lightsabers.  Red crystals, of course, are almost always seen wielded by dark siders and Sith.

Now not all lightsaber crystals make sense.  Calphayus was mentioned before, but his comrade Tyrans wielded a white crystal in his weapon.  White is usually associated with purity, as in many portrayals in art and of the Blessed Mother in Catholicism; however, Queen Victoria started the trend of white wedding dresses to show off her wealth, not her purity.  Seeing one of the most awful Sith in the game wielding a white crystal seems to hardly make sense.

So it seems that once again, the devs dropped the ball.

[brightephemera]

SWTOR, KotET spoilers. Optional on-click convos for your companions after you secure the temple on Iokath (in War For Iokath). It is possible to trigger two at once, leading to some really surreal voice overlaps.

“Five by five” is a radio operator term indicating top quality signal strength and clarity - so all’s well.

Transcripts below cut.

Theron Shan: “Leave the home improvements to me. You should find Vette.”

Koth Vortena: “Now that you’re here, I feel a lot better. We all do.” Ruth: “You seem to have done all right on your own.” Koth: “This planet’s no place to fly solo, I can tell you that. Something happened on my way here. I met a Zakuulian naval officer from the Eternal Fleet. He wanted to surrender.” Ruth: “I don’t see him. What happened?” Koth: “Crazy droids attacked us. He tried to run, but they got him. I felt bad for the guy. He told me everyone in the fleet is terrified of Vaylin. I don’t think it’ll take much to turn them against her.”

Torian: “I’ll secure this entrance while you check on the others.”

Lana Beniko: “Commander, I”m glad you’re safe. Theron thinks we’re in a sanctuary, but I’m not convinced.” Ruth: “It’s better than what’s outside.” Lana: “Exactly. The other structures were destroyed long ago, but this one’s perfectly preserved - almost as if we’re meant to take shelter in it.” Ruth: “Someone brought us into this world. Until we know why, we can’t take anything for granted.” Lana: “I never do.”

Kaliyo Djannis: “Welcome to your home away from home, Commander. Theron says you’ve been busy. So...how many Zakuulians did you get out there?” Ruth: “I forgot to count.” Kaliyo: “I bagged twenty-six and a half. Wonder if whoever dumped us here noticed.” Ruth: “Maybe they’re seeing who’s stronger before they pick a side.” Kaliyo: “Or they just enjoy the show, like me.”

Aric Jorgan: “We’re all five by five, Commander. It’s no Havoc Squad, but your people are good soldiers.” Ruth: “I imagine you had it easiest out there, with your experience.” Jorgan: “It’s not the first hostile landing zone I’ve been dropped in, but it’s definitely the strangest. Something about this place reminds me of training camp. The random drop zones, scattered resources, progressive enemy patrols...” Ruth: “You think we’re in some kind of simulation.” Jorgan: “This weird little remote patched me up a couple of times. Everything else wanted me dead. Like I said...strange.”

[badsithnocookie]

Virmire versus Odessen

Why Virmire Works

by the point in time of the Virmire mission in ME1, Ash and Kaidan have been with Shepherd for almost the entire game - Kaidan starts on your crew, and you pick Ash up during your first mission. They are fellow soldiers - they are possibly friends. Yall have been through hell together.

They are both soldiers - iirc Kaidan outranks Ash, but they are both damn good at their jobs. They are both incredibly brave, capable people. They are both allowed to die as incredibly brave, capable people.

There is a high probability that there is some level of emotional investment both on the part of Shepherd and the player. The Bioware formula was set by this point - talk to your party members after each mission to unlock more backstory. Be nice to them and you might get to smooch. As potential love interests, there is a high probability of further emotional investment from both Shepherd and the player (especially since Bioware seem incapable of grasping that people might talk to each other without wanting to bang)

Even if there is not a positive relationship/association, there is still something by virtue of the fact that it’s a small crew and ME1 actually has interactions within that crew. Kaidan’s overeagerness to investigate the Beacon, Ash’s potential clash with Wrex on the beach. The player has some level of opinion on and emotional investment in these characters.

The player is allowed to react, not just in ME1, but all the way down the line. That decision sticks with you. Other people react, too - again, all the way down the line. Their name is one of the first, if not the first, one ME3′s memorial wall. A constant reminder that carries emotional weight, without going overboard.

Why the End TImes choice does not work

There is a 7/8 chance that any given Outlander will not, on their recruitment, know Vette or Torian from a hole in the ground. The emotional attachments are entirely meta-textual, requiring player familiarity with and investment in the characters, but unless the Outlander is a romanced partner of a returning NPC, there will be no reinforcement of this attachment by the game/the interactions of Vette/Torian with the Outlander.

There is little to no interaction with recruited former comps outside of their recruitment missions - not so much as shitty Alliance-alert style sidequests. This means that new Outlanders (and players) meeting them have no chance to build a relationship with the NPC, and returning ones do not have that relationship acknowledged and/or reinforced.

Only romanced NPCs have any sort of recognition of previous relationships (again, only in their recruitment missions) - an SW who was bffs with Vette gets a greeting barely warmer than those who abused her, and... well, I’ve not run any BHs through kotfetet, but experience tells me that it’s unlikely Torian is treated much better.

Torian and Vette are not treated by the narrative itself as equals. All the way through kotfetet, the narrative pushes Torian as a hardened Mando soldier oorah, and Vette as a delicate little girl who needs protecting. Even the dialogue leading up to The Choice rubs this in, painting Torian as someone who can defend himself but Vette as someone who needs a hero to swoop in and save the day. Not only is this incredibly sexist, it also pushes the player and player character both to save the damsel in distress, and chides them for not doing so if they opt instead to protect Torian.

The post-choice narrative does not recognise in the slightest any relationship that the Outlander may have had with either the deceased or the survivor - there is nothing in the cutscenes where the PC is allowed to express grief (or relief), and the mails that the Outlander recieves are a) no substitute for voice acting, get thy shit together bwa and b) extremely generic (again, see an SW who was bffs with Vette recieve a mail saying that Vette doesn’t understand why they saved her - bwuh?) (or, as defira noted, that a romanced BH who loses their husband gets only a generic letter from Shae - salt in the wound, to say the least!)

[sullustangin]

Happy Birthday, Eva

Well, I’m done!  I wrote something every day for the entire month of February.  I avoided some burnout by a) letting my weekly fic chapters count (unlike Fictober, where I was doing a prompt AND a 5k word chapter) and b) serendipity; February is a short month, and it’s not leap year.  I’ll add this to the pinned post soon(ish) with the AO3 links and all that jazz.

Here’s what I wrote/created over the last month. 

1.  The Corellian Whiskey and Sullustan Gin Timeline is a slight variation on the current official one; in sum, it avoids all the retcons made post-KotET.  It also includes some headcanon characters and ideas to help me plot the series. 

2.  Like Champagne -- a fan fic about two of Eva’s birthdays with two very different men.  Darmas/Smuggler and Theron/Smuggler

3. Fractured Alliances and the Taste for Spies -- @sarpndo asked about the series’ anticipated trajectory during the Traitor Arc, and I give a big answer!  Some spoilers abound.

4.  Efficiency -- a fan fic about the choice to spare Theron on Nathema.  This was for @thebreadtree.

5.  Domestic Bliss is the first weekly prompt for Fluffy February.  Essentially, Eva and Theron start to establish their private life after his arrival on Odessen. 

6.  Regularly scheduled chapter of The Planter of Trees and Other Tales from Yavin 4.

7.  Becoming -- a fan fic when @empire-at-war‘s Tal became the first person to meet Eva after she became the Captain of Virtue’s Thief.

8.  Home -- Corso meets Eva.  And Hylo Visz the Cat.

9. Name -- Darmas Pollaran will never tell her his name. A fan fic about the smuggler’s favorite bastard. 

10.  Make This Work -- a sort of sequel to #5, this is slightly less fluffy and deals with the headcanon I have that the Outlander didn’t come out of carbonite unscathed.  Fortunately, Theron Shan is a highly competent operations manger.  And a good boyfriend.

11.  Midnight in the Garden  -- six months after defrost, Eva disappears with Satele and Marr for a very strange camping trip.  Theron admittedly didn’t cope well.  When other changes come along, he does better.  Fluffy February prompt fill

12.  A dear Anon asked about Theron Shan’s reaction to Eva being lost at Eternal Fleet.  I provide his character’s trajectory until the point that Lana Beniko reveals intel that proves that Eva Corolastor is not dead. 

13.  Regularly scheduled chapter of The Planter of Trees and Other Tales from Yavin 4.

14.  "For When You Wake Up” is a fic that reveals Theron’s reasons for not being there at defrost for Eva. 

15.  @ayresis asked about one of my new characters, Kyllfria Whitcord.  I develop her biography here.

16. Death, Yet the Force --   The adventures of Fria Whitcord and her joining the Alliance... but she brings more than herself to Odessen.

17.  Brigs and Balyegs -- Eva Corolastor and Talos Drellik are undercover on date night in order to pull off a heist at the Sith Museum.  Date night?  You’ll see.

18.  A dear Anon asked about what makes Eva happy.  Theron clocking 1500 hours on her ship is one of those things.

19.  World Building for Corellian Whiskey and Sullustan Gin -- a post that concentrates all of the headcanon and also general analysis posts I make that aren’t fic, exactly.  This has been added to the menu.

20.  Regularly scheduled chapter of The Planter of Trees and Other Tales from Yavin 4. 

21.  Spite -- a fan fic explanation as to why Eva lets Arcann live.

22.  A dear Anon asked about the adventures of Hylo Visz the Cat, Eva’s pet.  I provide the overview of the cat’s life.

23.  The Death of Hylo Visz -- the joke that’s been slow burning in my head since the first fic of this series...

24.  Who is the Voidhound?  - a headcanon post about the character ‘the Voidhound’ and its manifestation in my series.

25.  Weather -- the week 4 Fluffy February Prompt, about the early days of Theron and Eva on a work-date in Coruscant

26.  Pictures at an Exhibition -- the Art  of Corellian Whiskey and Sullustan Gin has been compiled into a master post of art, artists, and their comm info

27.  Regularly scheduled chapter of The Planter of Trees and Other Tales from Yavin 4. 

28.  One More Birthday -- Eva celebrates one more birthday than her mother did....

[cinlat]

Guide to my Fics

I’m going to make this a pinned post as I’ve received several tentative requests over the years of “Where the hell do I start?!?!” while gesturing vaguely at the chaos on my Ao3 account. Fear not, this will hopefully bring light to the method to my madness. (Okay, there isn’t any, but we here are blessed with bountiful imagination.)

You can find me on Ao3 or FFN

Commissions Info (closed)

If you like my work, consider buying me a KoFi?

Main Fics: My pride and joys and the bane of my fanfic existence more often than not. These are the stories that I’ve been writing since 2015 that tie together to make an epic tale of reckless idiocy. These will all be focused (mostly but not exclusively) around my main OC Fynta Wolfe (Mandalorian Trooper) as she stumbles through the galaxy on blind luck and plenty of swear words. Minor Character Deaths in all main fics.

Focal Pairing: F!Trooper/Aric Jorgan

Secondary Pairings: M!Trooper (Balic Cormac)/Elara Dorne | OT3: Theron Shan/F!Imp Agent/Vector Hyllus (With the possible addition of Malavai Quinn waaaay down the road) | Lana Beniko/F!Barsen’thor | Koth Vortena/F!Smuggler | Emperor’s Wrath/Hero of Tython | F!Bounty Hunter/M!Bounty Hunter

Series: Meet Me on the Battlefield (Main Labor of Hate Love) 

All Rated M unless otherwise specified.

Wolfe Pups: The Prologue, if you will

The Art of Being Invisible: Secondary Prologue? The Prequel? A collections of stories from Fynta’s time in the Republic SIS (WIP) Rated E

Family is more than Blood: Havoc Squad through Shadow of Revan

Heart on a Trigger: Kotfe

Blood in the Breeze: Kotet (Current WIP)

SWtOR AU Fics: 

Whiskey and Tihaar: Sith Fynta and Jedi Jorgan forced to work together to deal with a common threat. (Current WIP)

FFXIV Fics:

Echo of Evil: A Final Fantasy XIV fic that follows the Red Mage job class. (I fell in love with X’rhun Tia, not going to lie.)

The Versatility of War:  A collection of prompts and challenges featuring my Au Ra Warrior of Light, Isashi Tosho. And probably some shenanigans by side characters that I’ve made along the way.

Deleted or Extra Scenes from Battlefield series:

Wrecking Havoc: Takes place during the Vanilla - SoR timeline

Odessen Files: All Expansions

Fynta/Jorgan Specific One Shots and Drabbles:

Comfort: Dealing with mild PTSD and rehab after a severe injury. (SPOILERS for Family is more than Blood)

Creatively Satisfied: Basically what is sounds like. This one is Rated E. (SPOILERS for Family is more than Blood)

30 Days of Domestic Fluff: All the fluff you can handle by two soldiers who are terrible about feelings. So, maybe all the fluff they can handle...

Holocall: Jorgan tries to take a call from an old friend, but Fynta has other ideas. Rated E.

Primal Appetites: PwP, there is no excuse for this. Rated E

Stand Alone Stories:

Shenanigans: Still one of my favorites. While Jorgan, Yuun, and Elara are off doing adult things, Fynta, Vik, Cormac, and Jaxo go out on the town. Chaos ensues, cops are called, and clothing is lost.

Soul of the Bes’bev: Jek Kardan swore that he’d get even if Fynta killed any of his soldiers. It always annoyed be that the game never dealt with that. So this is my version. Warnings for torture.

The Lost Medallion: Cross/Faction Romance between F!Smuggler/Torian Cadera. Rated E.

Aay'han: Final moments between lovers. Rated E (SPOILERS for FAmily is more than Blood) 

Escapades in Security: Inoc Ramol owns a security company...and his job sucks sometimes.

Temporary Bliss: Andronikos Revel/F!Sith Inquisitor. He’s finally met someone who can match his brand of crazy. Rated E.

Our Own: Aric Jorgan/F!Trooper(Cathar) find themselves expecting a litter of kii that they aren’t prepared for.

Seemingly Unrelated Things That Sounded Like Fun:

It Could Happen: A collection of Cross-Faction romances that I wanted to have a go at. So far that list includes: Felix Iresso/F! Sith Inquisitor |  Pierce/F! Republic Trooper | M!Emperor’s Wrath/F!Hero of Tython

A Matter of Perspective: An early collection of the various classes that I dabbled with to find where they fit in the rest of the galaxy.

2019 Tumblr Prompts & Micro-drabbles: All the things I did for Tumblr for that year in one place (unless they belonged to another)

Meeting of the Minds: A character study back before I fully understood how I wanted to write Elara Dorne and Vector Hyllus.

Inverted Identities: Another character study where I jumbled up the Havoc Squad personalities to see what happened. 

Seasonal Fics: 

Life Day:  (2016) My first Life Day fic, interweaving the various classes and how they might celebrate

Howl In The Night (Halloween Fic): Rakghouls overrun the Odessen Base. Major Character Death

December Writing Challenge 2017: Another daily challenge involving anyone I could think of. Each Chapter has it’s own rating.

Fictober18: A “Fic a day” challenge revolving mostly around romance and involving various OCs

Chance Encounters: Life Day Edition: A fun filled meeting of Havoc Squad, Ume’s Noara Starspark/Torian Cadera duo, and @dingoat​ Ahuska

May Drabble Challenge ‘19: Exactly that. I wrote 30 days of drabbles involving all of my OCs at least once. Or attempted to. 

Life Day ‘19: Jedi Knight, Hero of Tython, Intergalactic Playboy Trev Brawlin trying to figure out this thing called family life and fatherhood.

Halloween 2020: 100% Family Friendly Fluff and Shenanigans

Co-authored Stories and One Shots:

Tongue-in-Cheek: Naruto/Swtor Crossover with @dimigex​ involving Fynta Wolfe and Genma Shiranui (For those who don’t know, he shares Torian’s VA)

Rules of Engagement: Co-authored bar brawl and meetings between @tishinada​ Warrior Ucevi and Fynta. 

Jedi Sitters: Collection of AUdrabbles involving Havoc Squad being sent to look after @kunoichi-ume​ Jedi Noara when she’s released back into active duty after her time with the Sith Emperor. This series also segueys into the new commander of Havoc Squad Jurr Jinn (Also Ume’s) and her Retired Barsen’thor Jedi Healer, Kadu Jadon.

Space Punks: A collection of drabbles about Ume’s Jurr Jinn and her adopted brother Trev Brawlin as they work to heal from the wounds that brought them together and create a lifelong bond.

Sithy Bunch: Collection of Drabbles about a poly Sith family featuring F!Sith Inquisitor Ma’at Stasmas and her Wrath husband Tuathal Techtmar (Who also belongs to @kunoichi-ume​) and their lovers, children, and overall growing family life. Don’t tell us Sith can’t be fluffy. 

Thunder & Scars: A painful “What if” story co-authored with @kunoichi-ume​ about having to choose between Torian and Vette when Vaylin attacked, and the characters various responses to that decision. (Based off the song Disaster Hearts by I Fight Dragons)

Commissioned Fics:

Whispers of the Past: Written for the lovely @chaosandwonder​ about her Bounty Hunter’s meeting with Gault Rennow. 

[a-master-procrastinator]

War of Heirs is the single best track in this game, change my mind

[rainofaugustsith]

Marlena is wending her way through the expansions - I realize none of my smugglers have finished them. She was really funny flubbing her interview with the Galactic News Network, and the voiceover actress really nailed it.

SPOILERS FOR SMUGGLER CLASS STORY AND POST-KOTET REUNION WITH CORSO AND RISHA. MINOR SPOILER FOR CONTINUING 6.0 STORY. I played through the Risha and Corso reunion and oh. my. God. It was awful. I'd only played it once before and I guess I forgot it, but it was so bad. The little scavenger hunt to find them was cute but after that, not so much. I did reject Corso but even that was strange. 1. Risha calmly and unemotionally tells you her ally on Dubrillion was assassinated and Vaylin glassed the planet. And then says "I've had enough of planet politics." Um. This was her planet. The one she was working so hard to return to. She mentions it and goes on and WTF. 2. Risha and Corso apparently have survived by identity thefting Skavak's name. Er. WTF. Skavak was a known figure. Everyone knows he died. I can't imagine a "somehow, Skavak survived" thing actually being plausible. 3. Back to point #2. Risha is written in the class story as being incredibly wordly, intelligent, skilled at a wide variety of engineering and underworld talents, and in possession of a large number of connections. She upgrades the smuggler's ship to survive a trip near a black hole. Oh, and the daughter of Nok Fucking Drayen. You're telling me the only way she survived was to impersonate Skavak? For real?! 4. Oh and Risha had to hide all along from those on Dubrillion who didn't want the Drayens to return to power. But didn't you just tell me the planet was devastated so who is she hiding from now? 5. I don't like Corso but if I did, I likely would have wondered why he only had like two lines of dialogue. He doesn't say much for himself; he's like, 'errr, I went with Risha when she hid.' Given the ridiculous disasters that he got into in the class story (cannibals and spice runners, anyone?) he should have had some completely absurd story from the years away from the Smuggler. I get the feeling they were rushing to get the rest of the companions back, so instead of writing an actual reunion for Corso they just shrugged it off and tacked him onto the Risha reunion. 6. I was glad you could choose to take one companion if you didn't want both, but the bit about rejecting Corso was weird. He's literally just like "I understand. Bye" and leaves without another word. Risha doesn't particularly seem to care that he leaves either and doesn't even say goodbye to him. And yet they supposedly spent the last five or more years on the run together. In a way it makes me really annoyed. Along with the consular, the smuggler really got the short end of the stick in terms of companions. Every single one is an Alliance Alert and three were gone until well after KOTET. Three of those companions didn't even get their own reunions - I think Akaavi's is actually really GOOD but she shares it with Mako; and of course Corso and Risha here. Bowdaar is also locked behind the Eternal Championships AA, which is one of the most irritating Alliance Alerts to complete (you never have to complete the Eternal Championships, just play enough rounds to get the points for Bowdaar, but still). It makes me more grateful they found a place for Akaavi in the main story now. I still maintain she should have been in the Mandalorians chapter in KOTFE along with Torian but at least she's back now.

[swtorpadawan]

for the journal questions (congrats on filling it up too!! :D) -- 9, 44, and 101? :D

‘Bad Ideas’ - My Writing Journal - Is Dead Thanks for the ask, @itstheelvenjedi !

I can actually post page nine! "Interventions" featured Corellan Halcyon - post-KOTET - and was written as a lead-in to Kira's return. It was titled "Interventions" because on the one hand, the Alliance members are intervening on Corellan's rescue mission, and on the other hand, its sort of like an intervention in that they are say "Hey - you don't need to go it alone just because this isn't an 'Alliance' mission." I rarely talk about it much, because its execution was SO flawed. Turns out having a dozen characters or more in a room is a bad setup when everyone should be trying to speak. If you want to read the finished product, here's the address on AO3. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14902523/chapters/34516040

Page 44 … yeah, I can post that one, two! The top includes some material I was adding to my "Perspective" story. You can read that one on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16241420/chapters/46208005#workskin (It was fun writing from the perspective of a Flesh Raider mob!) The bottom is some world-building stuff I was working on. The fates of many of the Masters of the Jedi council were left unresolved at the time I was writing this. (Some still are.) So the idea was I'd make a list of all the Masters named to the council in SWTOR works, and establish what happened to them. (This was specific to my Halcyon Legacy) You may certainly recognize some of the names there - there's Ulannium, my Barsen'thor!

Most of it isn't "canon" in my story yet ... but there are some spoilers.

Page 101… I cannot show you... Just in case I ever do turn it into a proper WIP. But - the story was titled "Student", and its sort of a before and after piece with Corellan meeting Satele for the first time on Tython as a padawan. Then flash forward eleven years later, and he's talking to her on Odessen. Needless to say, the contrast is significant. Corellan was different, and so was Satele. That one… I've struggled to turn into a proper story. Its just notes at the moment. There's also some world-building bio notes near the bottom of the page about Belea Kaur, who I still hope to do something with someday.

Thanks again for the asks!

[greyias]

Time to go Full Gravedrog

Hey guys. You know what we haven’t done in a while? That’s right! Put on our tinfoil hats, get tangled up in an entire spool of red string, and do a ridiculous deep dive on lore and make up wild insane theories about the upcoming story drop!

That’s right we’ve got some--

First up. If you haven’t watched it already, here’s the trailer for the 6.2 story drop, specifically for the storyline we’ll be doing our deep dive on, Echoes of Oblivion.

Are you pumped? I’M PUMPED. Let’s do this!

Okay, so there’s a lot to unpack here, and I’m going to state outright, that the chances of this being on the money like Gravedrog is... well. I’ve got no lottery numbers for you this time around. I can’t believe no one took me up on that offer.  There’s always the possibility the storyline has absolutely nothing to do with any previously established lore, and they create something wholly new. And hey, if that’s the case, this is just free fanfic fodder for the masses.

But Charles did mention, I believe on the forums(?), that he’s seen one person guess what’s going on. The real question is... WHO GUESSED IT. HMM.

So I’ve been wanting to actually do a post on this a while, at least since Arcann’s voice actor accidentally made the slip up about Thexan being in this story drop. A large part of this theory/discovery goes to the lovely @confettininjabean​​, who found this piece of lore when we were getting tangled up in red string back in the Gravedrog days, pre-Nathema Conspiracy. Let’s just say, there was a... certain interaction on Twitter that had us thinking this had something to do with NC, and when it didn’t pan out we were like “Oh, weird, guess that wasn’t on the right track” and forgot about it.

Well, sort of. Because we were like, “that really seemed significant considering”, but hey, sometimes you hit upon a Gravedrog, sometimes you think Indo Zal is an evil mastermind playing 4D chess. In other words, when it comes to red string theories, you win some. You lose some.

Anyway. I forget why, but I went perusing on Wookieepedia a few months ago, looking back up this sort of obscure piece of lore for some reason. And something about it was.... FAMILIAR.

The article in question: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Thought_bomb

May I direct your attention, to this part:

Hey. Where have I heard that before?

Aw. Aw shit. Well I mean, that can’t be right though, right? Because it’s Satele and a bunch of Jedi/like-minded Force users that are being possessed right? And besides this is an an ancient Sith ritual thought to be created by... 

Oh.

Oh wait.

But that’s a plague right? Not the same thing as a thought bomb. I mean it’s not like anyone in SWTOR has dealt with a Force plague--

Oh. huh. But you might say, “But Grey, that plague was invented by Terrak Morrhage, not Vitiate.” And you would be right! What I can’t seem to find confirmation of, thus far, is exactly when Terrak Morrhage lived, but by me and Jayde’s current reckoning, it seems like he may have been around possibly during the Great Hyperspace War, the end of which Vitiate used in his mad grab for immortality and power, manipulating what was probably a majority of the remaining Sith Lords into his brand spanking new ritual that he just needed a little help with.

Okay, and this is where we leave lore land, and enter into speculation land. I, um, just got sidetracked on Jedipedia (I’ll get to that), trying to find a codex entry regarding Vitiate I know I’ve read but I lost at some point. So, we’re going off memory here, but I’m fairly certain it’s stated in canon somewhere that prior to his ascension, Vitiate was obsessed with Sith alchemy and ancient Sith rituals. So if Morrhage pre-dated him, or was a peer, it’s possible Vitiate was able to learn about his plague, and adapt it to some of his other experiments.

Okay, back to the thought bomb for a moment. Full disclosure, I haven’t read the Darth Bane novels, so I’m going off of Wookiepeedia here instead of the source material (which is always a dicey affair), it says Bane adapted the thought bomb from notes on the ritual Vitiate performed. So, it’s possible the thought bomb is not a 100% Vitiate original, just a bastardization of it. But it’s interesting that the ritual itself gathers up and shreds the Force essence/soul of everyone in its path. Well, I mean, horrifying. But in this theory’s perspective, interesting in that when Vitiate used Zildrog as part of his ritual--where did all of the Force go exactly?

Because as you wander around Nathema, you hear the tortured whispers of every soul obliterated during that ritual.

This is talked about a little in the Revan novel, and it’s been a few years since I read it so I’m kind of going off memory again, but he basically created a void in the Force there. And remember... in the KOTET chapter we went to Nathema, he was actually visibly afraid a few times. Hmm... now why would that be? Was it Vaylin he was afraid of? Was it something else?

If memory serves, there wasn’t an actual explosion like as described with the thought bomb--because he wasn’t using the ritual as a weapon. He was using it to gather power, to shuffle off this mortal coil and live eternal as an annoying spirit who you just can’t quite squash out no matter how many mind mazes you build to keep him locked up. So, and again, this is speculation land, but all of that swirling Force and dead energy had to go somewhere right? I mean, Zildrog had his snack and went omnomnom, but where did the Force power go? And why was there a Void that constantly pulled at him and sapped away his power on Nathema?

Is it because the Force didn’t explode? Is it because he bound it up in his old disgusting decaying old man flesh? And the only reason he was alive because he basically made himself a little flesh horcrux that was destroyed at the exact moment we sent him off to the Void that he feared so much?

Hmm. Interesting.

Wait. Wait a second... I think there was something else he mentioned. Now, what was it?

You know, I had always assumed he was talking about Gravedrog being unleashed, since the whole reason he went to Zakuul was likely to find the Gravestone so he could pair it with Zildrog back on Nathema, and enact his galaxy-wide extinction event.

And maybe he was.

Or was he talking about his failsafe.

The one he knew would happen if someone destroyed his old, withered, icky body?

So... if the ritual/plague is some take on the thought bomb, and it infects any Force user like some prescient, who could have realized this is what 2020 held in store for us pandemic that spread rapidly and consumed everyone who touched it, until it made manifest what was once just thought...

Is the whole entire point of this to bring Valky back from the dead? Or is it just his last revenge? And what on earth would that last revenge be? Well... and just hear me out. Say there was this guy. Kind of an asshole. And he had this whole schtick about killing every single living thing in the galaxy and liked to consume whole planets in a single gulp just for funsies. Wouldn’t it be so funny if he, say, in the unlikely event he possessed some Outlander who happened to go “get out and get a job loser!” and booted him off to the beyond, and at the same time his old indentured servant and that chick he once possessed found his horcrux and destroyed that, wouldn’t it be a kick if that somehow kicked off a plague that consumed every single Force user in the entire galaxy until it had enough power and then exploded and completely wiped out all life in the galaxy, so that if the asshole who’s name totally isn’t Valkorion couldn’t live forever then neither could any. single. thing. in. the. galaxy.

I mean, that or it’s just a ploy to get him into one final boss fight.

But i dunno... I kind of just found the entire cast list of who’s in the Echoes of Oblivion storyline (warning, major spoilers and datamining on that link, and yes, that’s what distracted me on Jedipedia) and I’m kind of thinking. Having to keep the entire galaxy from being consumed by a sociopath’s final revenge kind of sounds like a pretty epic finale, don’t you?

And hey, if not. Free fanfic idea for anyone who wants it.

Oh yeah, also predicting the following:

We’re going on another mindscape adventure like in KOTET Chapter 9, but it’s Satele’s mind we’re in

It’s not actually Valkorion/Vitiate/Tenebrae, but a remnant/essence of him that’s made manifest by the ritual. Also he needs a combo nickname because I’m tired of having to pick one of three names. I shall call you Valkiatebrae. It’s a beautiful name. I know he’ll love it.

Vaylin and Thexan who we see in the trailer are probably also manifestations conjured by the quasi- Valkiatebrae

We’re going to Ossus? Or Ossus in Satele’s mind?

The Knight and crew missed a few of the death cult back in the storyline, and that’s who was either watching Tenebrae’s body, or who hijacked Satele’s ship OR they have some part in the ritual (perhaps the part to physically manifest  Valkiatebrae). We see them in the trailer above.

Regardless if any single one of these predictions is right I’m going to die of feels

Because I think Satele and Theron may have a scene together????? OMG

I’m screaming again

I’ll stop now

I’m sorry Charles I hope I didn’t do it to you again I couldn’t help myself, but hey at least I kept it in this long

EDITED TO ADD: Okay guys, I’ve been looking more at Jedipedia. I think I can safely hazard a guess that a LOT of fans of different characters are going to be super happy with this update. Just saying.

[lavampira]

local jedi enjoying the opportunity to pilot a colossal war droid entirely too much