#ziost spoilers

[rainofaugustsith]

These lines right here sum up why I feel FFXIV has much more superior, nuanced writing than the Star Wars franchise.

Star Wars has you believe that one side is right regardless of what they do, and the other side is so evil, rotten to the core in every way that their entire people, planets. culture, language, religion - everything - should be permanently erased if they can't be converted to an entirely different culture, language, and creed (And don't get me started on how they conveniently made the Sith alphabet - again considered terrabad - virtually identical to the Hebrew alphabet). It's a very black and white, dogmatic view that IMHO hearkens back to the evangelical belief that only one point of view gets to go to heaven, and if you don't believe that, resist converting and want to hang onto your identity, you're going to hell. And you're certainly going to hell if you point out anything questionable the other side has done.

What you discover in FFXIV is nuance.

Every single job can be used for good; every single job can be used for evil. The heroes of one story are the villains of another. Every heroic gesture comes with a very real price. Nobody is beyond reproach, and that includes the player character. Actions one person takes for the greater good can lead to devastating damage for others.

The "get back to nature" white mages rule a city-state where xenophobia rules the day and the elementals run a reign of terror. White magic executed without proper training can be fatal.

The black mages who congregate in a hall for the gods of the dead have an alliance among the marginalized tribes that spans all three city-states and saves Eorzea from calamity. Black magic executed without proper training can be fatal.

The Dark Knights dedicate themselves to protecting those who need their help, and teach that one's dark side isn't something to vanquish, but something to hear, acknowledge and make peace with.

The Dragoon story shows that one's archenemy can become one's ally - or consume them.

The fearsome reapers who treat with the dead are actually helping the downtrodden.

The community working hard to keep the peace and move forward in a productive way are ex-pirates.

And so on. Nobody is expected to forgive those who have wronged them. Atonement is seen as something that involves work on the part of the perpetrator, not the participation of the survivors. But atonement is there and in several cases characters do better.

Any thoughts that any group in Eorzea needs to be eliminated are eventually dispelled completely. Marginalization of various groups is something that eventually does need to be answered for, and is presented as a problem, not a necessity. When Eorzea finally marches on their nemesis, the Garlean Empire, it is on an aid mission, not conquest. There are no attempts to convert. Just to help.

Both Garlemald in Endwalker and Ziost in SWTOR deal with the issue of murderous possessed people. In SWTOR, the Republic - remember, our "good guys" - response with Saresh is to send an invading army to increase the hurt. In FFXIV, the Alliance's response is to send an army to help, with Scions striking out into the snow and into the smoldering ruins to rescue anyone they can.

If you asked me if I would live anywhere in a Star Wars universe, it would be an emphatic HELL NO. But FFXIV? I feel like they are at least striving for better, with common ground and peaceful co-existence, and everything is nuanced.

[theshijlegacy]

Kreye finds out what the Jedi was doing on Ziost - turns out everyone's favorite disaster spy is to blame.

[tiredassmage]

They had to be taken care of. You know that.

[AUTO-SEND-PROTOCOL] Mentally composing this message in case I meet an untimely end on Ziost, which I now see is even more of a distinct possibility than when Vitiate first surfaced. The Republic has gone to war, possessed combatants line the streets of New Adasta, and you may very well like to kill me yourself. If my service here is cut short, know that it was ultimately life that I served. My own life, yes, but also Agent Shan's, Minister Beniko's, the Supreme Chancellor's, those of the millions in New Adasta and the countless masses across the entire galaxy-- even yours. If Vitiate wins, no one wins. Farewell. Agt. Rane Kovach.

[parseolegacy]

Day seven of @jdiknight's SWTOR-tober prompt list! The day seven prompt is The Force: So I wanted to draw Thada and Zilei- which are the characters who's story is most centered around or impacted by the Force itself in my legacy. Also nobody ask me why I decided to use watercolours (the traditional medium I'm the worst at/least experienced with) when I'm already a day late for the challenge. Had to step in with some paint markers anyway to get proper values in at least on Thada's side, but Zilei's not quite the right shade 😭 I really need to learn how to layer and blend watercolours properly HE IS TOO PALE BUT I DON'T HAVE TIME TO FIX IT- I already went into detail about Zilei's relationship to the light side of the Force in Day 2- so I'll mostly talk a little bit about Thada's relationship to the Force. Swtor spoilers up to Echoes of Oblivion under the cut.

As a Chiss (who generally lose their force-sensitivity,) one of her two main goals throughout her story (or at least what she sees as a crucial building block to her main goal), is to do whatever she can to retain her fleeting connection to the Force which include, but are not limited to, finding a place in a Dathomirian coven under a slightly dubious master before reaching the Sith. It gets more complicated after Ziost where she technically becomes part of the Force as a victim of Vitiate; however all of her essence is not consumed and she continues to exist as a Force ghost (possibly in the world between worlds,) learning more about the Force, the past, present and future, as well as changing the course of and intervening in hopeless situations- before being brought back in Echoes of Oblivion. (Stole your body reformation ritual, sucker! Eat dirt Tenebrae-) In being reformed she mostly takes energy/life force from a single, willing person, my consular Akk'rai, and the two become one in the Force through the process- forming a Force Dyad. Probably could've drawn them for this too but the Force itself isn't as present of a story element in Akk'rai's case, so I felt Zilei and Thada were more relevant to the prompt.

Previous days: Day 1 + Introduction post Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6

[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.

[sullustangin]

the urge to reread The Planter Of Trees because you've tagged Keeper as one of the characters and I haven't noticed him before is winning

First, give into the urge :D

Second, Keeper's behind the scenes in The Planter of Trees is really interesting on my end. It changed a lot from what I had scrapped out vs what I ultimately wrote.

Spoilers ahoy for people who have not read the fic.

So, Keeper is the person that buys the Revan intel from Eva. He wanted to see the Voidhound herself -- and yes, he knows that the "I'm just a smuggler and part of Voidfleet" act is bull. He wants to lay eyes on her for himself. Any good spymaster would. So he meets her in the Nexus room in the security holo footage in disguise. He eventually passes the information off to Lana Beniko who is the Sith Intel liaison during the transition. That's in the fic itself.

Originally, I had planned for Keeper to carry out the Agent SoR plotline himself -- save Shara Jenn, then show up on Yavin 4 to put down Cipher Nine. He feels to blame for the Agent losing his way and his mind. He was the one that got him tangled up with the Revanites in the first place. It is his responsibility. I never got far enough in development with the idea to determine how I would handle his and Marr's interactions (because there inevitably would be a confrontation).

Originally, the sniper showdown that we eventually see in the Taste of Ashes between Theron and Cipher was supposed to be between Cipher, Keeper, and Gronn, with Aric and Theron trying to determine who they should shoot. However, that got too chaotic too quickly with everyone else I had already introduced in the fic, plus it just too up waaaay too much time. So initially, I reduced it to Gronn and Cipher, which results in Cipher getting his jaw blasted off, while Theron and Eva disable the artillery.

Then I decided to let Cipher live at the end of The Planter of Trees, and the sniper duel on Ziost takes place. But yeah, Keeper was meant to have one final duty to perform on Yavin for Cipher Nine -- in memory of the man he was before.

[rinskiroo]

I posted 765 times in 2022

That's 620 more posts than 2021!

50 posts created (7%)

715 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@virtie333

@alexsrandomramblings

@fluffynexu

@starlight-and-seafire

@systemic-dreams

I tagged 178 of my posts in 2022

#swtor - 11 posts

#omg - 6 posts

#xd - 6 posts

#i'm dying artoo - 5 posts

#ask - 5 posts

#cats - 5 posts

#pickles the cat - 5 posts

#moon knight - 5 posts

#jasati - 5 posts

#butts - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#her name is sao'la and she is so pretty and kind and tries to talk to everyone even if they don't want to and wants to destroy baras so bad

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

17 notes - Posted April 14, 2022

#4

Pickles and her fancy Halloween bandana 🎃

19 notes - Posted October 30, 2022

#3

Hey look at me posting fic again?? I started writing this years ago, and hopefully I will finish it?? Anyway, it's a fic about Ziost, and what happens after. Spoiler: it will be domesticity on Tython with LOTS OF ANGST. And maybe some smut, I haven't decided yet.

Theron/Jas (Jedi Knight), currently rated T, but knowing me it will probably change. 😏 And it's a WIP so I guess dive in at your own peril.

It feels good to write and share again. :) I have some Damerey in the pipeline too... but that I do think I want to finish before I toss it out there. 😀

23 notes - Posted February 18, 2022

#2

26 notes - Posted July 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

tumblr gives me things “in your orbit” and it’s literally tags that I’ve blocked

33 notes - Posted September 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[justiceforc3po]

Ok this is going under the cut because of spoilers for Ziost - but I have more to say on this lmao

So. Playing a trooper on Ziost sure is interesting. Because well - while Lana and Theron are both trained in shielding their mind, and are therefore realistically unaffected (so far at least, i‘m not done yet) by Vitiate, there is absolutely no reason he shouldn’t be able to posess a tech class character. Why is he not trying to posess Vada? He‘s posessing Jedi Masters. It should be easy. Maybe he can’t actually kill the people he‘s posessing? I wonder if they‘re gonna explain this one. In the meantime, it‘s very, very funny. Including that now canonically, Vitiate just cannot seem to kill Havoc Squad. Somehow, even incorporeal extremely powerful sith spirits can be defeated by the power of gun. (and what i‘m gonna call a really big taser. i think you should also be able to stop his control of someone by shaking their hand with one of those prank shock rings)

Now yes, the expansions may be awkward to do with a tech class. Technically, it’s weird. But I raise you: I think it is incredibly hilarious and very fitting for a republic trooper specifically to be the person doing all that stuff.

I‘m always 100% down for the trooper anyways so this isn‘t surprising, but I‘m just saying. Taking down Malgus, defeating Revan, dealing with the Emperor - all places within the story that Havoc Squad is perfectly fitted for, to be honest. Ilum and SoR start with what is just usual spec-ops/SIS work that turns into force-users going insane - and by that point Havoc will just be in too deep to stop.

[lavampira]

ziost is so buggy for me tonight wtf

the door refused to glow so I could click it, then heavy weapons launcher did the same thing, and finally getting the door to blow only glitched so the door was off to the side and also still in place so I couldn’t get through???

[scionprotector]

He had failed.

The entire mission on Ziost had been a disaster from the start, but surely none of them could have anticipated this. 

As the planet transformed before his eyes, he could feel its death. Nausea rose up in him, but he stood transfixed, staring out at the planet he had been on just moments before. 

The emperor had told him that he would be letting him live. He should have waited longer, let more people evacuate.

“No one could have anticipated this,” came the fairly unfamiliar voice of the tall Sith behind him. Vamien didn’t acknowledge, far too taken aback by it all to voice anything aloud. “The Emperor is cunning; he planned for this. Planned for your guilt, as well. You must not let it happen. You have managed to get under his skin. You must do your best to remain there.”

It was odd, taking words of comfort from a Sith. But if there was anything he had learned from all this, it was that Scourge respected his ability, if not his actual message. They still held the same goal, after all. The Emperor was not dead. 

Yet.

His fingers curled into a fist, as his guilt became leaden in his gut. The next time, he would not fail.

[rainofaugustsith]

Captions 1. Master Surro: There is no...contemplation...there is only...duty... 2. Viridana Dragoi: Sith do not beg for rescue. Through passion I gain strength.

Something else I never noticed: Here's Master Surro on Ziost, reciting the Jedi Code to get Vitiate out of her head for a moment. Here's Viri in the Ziost nightmare-scape in her mind, refusing Valkorion's offer of "control" by reciting the Sith Code, in much the same physical position. Hi, my name is foreshadowing, what's yours? For what it's worth, I always thought the thing at the beginning of the Sith Warrior story must either be a) a writing lapse or b) the Warrior being deliberately obnoxious and refusing to answer Darth Baras. I mean, Baras has spent the last five minutes ranting at the Warrior and belittling their accomplishments on Korriban, asking them if they even know the Sith Code is an insult. Canonically the Sith Warrior comes from an Imperial family, they live in Imperial space, and they seem to have been training somewhere else. As much of a natural talent as they might be, I don't think they could do what they do without some understanding of the Sith Code. And I don't think they could be a Force sensitive Imperial kid and not know it. So I always headcanon that moment with Baras as Viri totally screwing with him. She never tips her hand entirely and at this point in the story she's either about to completely play him, or she just has (I can't remember if this is before or after Tremel), so she canonically would have the savvy to do that. Anyway, though, this moment of Jedi and Sith both calling on the very fundamental beliefs they have to guide them, to try to protect themselves from the literal monster that is haunting them...it's poignant.

[theshijlegacy]

TBT: After the Ziost disaster, Takeshi and Lana get philosophical. (Jul 2015)

[tiredassmage]

🖊️ for whoever you’re having the most brainworms about right now :) (-justiceforc3po from main)

Send me a “🖊+an OC“ and I will talk about that OC!

Thank you so much! Going to take this open invitation to be a little unwell about the au for Rhyst that is making the brain worms really dance and jiggle lately.

First, a brief touch on Rhyst as he is in 'canon' - my main Jedi Knight, a Shadow, someone who does not enjoy that the Republic and the Order forge him more and more into a warrior and who quickly finds some strain in seeing so first-hand several of the Republic's failures. The mantle of 'hero' hangs heavy and he never asked for it, never sought such high stakes or praise. He struggles in the end to hold fast to his own advice (to use a few lines from my ever beast under the floorboards Ziost fic that I could not top if I tried to summarize him): "...It won’t be easy. But nothing about this ever was.” He offered her a hand. “We would not be Jedi if we did not continue to try. Will you come with us?”

Rhyst tickles my brain because he struggles far more than I think he ever lets on, or even his story lets on. And part of it is his support network; the very people he relies on, that hold him up, also, unfortunately, play an unintentional hand in some of his burdens. Generally, I list these people in his main story as Kira and Savosta. To be clear, they mean perfectly well. In short, though, a lot of the people Rhyst is close to are also people that share in some level of the idolization of him as the Hero of Tython. They've seen his strengths and it's inspired them, so when they speak of that inspiration, Rhyst tends to listen and offer gentle smiles. He has a very difficult time naming that as part of what worries him and wears on him because he knows of their intentions and he values that it helped them, even if he doesn't necessarily believe as they do that all of his deeds are worthy of such praise as tends to be given to him. He is no model of the Jedi, he thinks, but so many have placed similar accolades upon his shoulders.

[This is already getting really long and there's more specific Knight spoilers I'd like to get into, so throwing in a cut here. Spoilers for mainly the transition between Chapters 2 & 3 of the Knight origin and what follows, essentially.]

Rhyst does keep fighting for the Republic and the Jedi for a very long time; he becomes... a bit resigned to this role as a warrior that isn't exactly what he wanted out of his duties, nor does he feel he is their strongest. But it's what they need him to be, where they say he can help, so he dutifully accepts their pleas for aid and their askance of him to fight among the troops. More and more does he find himself suffocated in the armor of a trooper and less and less in the robes so common among the Order - particularly their scholars, diplomats, and learners.

Which is. already a lot. I do not talk about him enough, but he's such an interesting character to me, actually. There's a lot about him that's hidden that I didn't quite notice on first pass either. I do have to thank @hyrohkaah for a lot of that, hehe, essentially my #1 fanclub member, I say, of Rhyst and Savosta, so I got to actually dig through how they tick when talking about them.

So. The AU. Shorthand SithAU, but more an exploration of like... the conceptual premise that what if the Warrior storyline as what happens to the Knight during Vitiate's control of them in Chapter Two [which, brief side note, I cannot remember for the life of me where I first encountered this idea, if it was another post or if it was trigged by just... a series of posts and discussions etc, or if it just... stumbled out of the woods of my brain one day and now I'm finally doing something with it], and then I got running with myself and it grew sort of into its own beast.

If the original events as they play out more canon to the Knight story is what it looks like when Rhyst can reconnect with and rely, somewhat, on his main support network in his crew, his former Masters Maltaf Orathuse and Satia Lerann, then the ~Sith AU is sort of... what happens when that initial reconnect, even, isn't there. Because not that Rhyst is ever given a whole lot of time to really figure himself out in the wake of everything, considering the war on and the urgency of thwarting Vitiate's plans, but... what if less of that.

Because Rhyst does have a lot of uncertainties about his place in the Order, the direction the Republic is taking given all the weapons projects he watched fail, etc... and that's always a very large part of what Vitiate uses against him there.

So, what if, eventually, Vitiate's control stuck long enough, and the Sith re-training to focus on emotions as a source of power, to moreso feed into them and stew with them rather than sit with them to understand and find new takeaways for learning stuck... And with Scourge absent, what more fun a ploy against the Jedi than to turn one of their poster Knights into his own right hand, perhaps even a new Wrath?

After a bit of a kolto soak and some... repairing of the damage from that ill-fated Strike Team visit to the Fortress, of course.

And that, in short, is the premise which we work off of! As a Sith then, Rhyst settles first as something of a hunting dog, an efficient warrior Vitiate can assign to strike against his enemies, to taunt the Republic in an idle gesture to support the Empire's war - except his latest project is and isn't ever particularly recognized as part of the Empire's forces, given Vitiate's secrecy [and, as we learn later, his interest in other projects]. Ultimately, Rhyst becomes the keeper of Vitiate's secrets - a guardian of artifacts and ritual knowledge as well as an assassin for the Emperor in seclusion.

Kira takes over the hunt for the rest of the Jedi Strike Team and a way to stop Vitiate's plans with Lord Scourge in the meantime, but, eventually, the one to strike at Vitiate is still Rhyst - with Caolan!!! Who is. a whole other ramble, blorbo from friend's brain, etc etc belonging to enabler @hyrohkaah again and simply I'm in love w/Caolan but. but. that's liable to get me off topic. But, in an attempt to keep it short, Caolan has similar 'Vitiate's project a little off the leash and slightly to the left' syndrome and they become 'do not separate' about it.

The interlude years then are spent with Caolan on the hunt for lingering specters of Vitiate's influence in the galaxy. Rhyst is... unclaimed by either major power in the aftermath. While his style is not entirely Sith, it definitely more heavily and openly relies upon dark side tendencies somewhat informed by his previous Jedi training. He'd self-identify as a Dark Side user, but not particularly affiliated with the Sith. He's still too much of an ex-Jedi to be claimed by the Empire and, of course, the suspicion that he struck at their former Emperor does little to win him potential favor (not that he seeks it) on that side of the metaphorical galactic fence.

And then his reasons for avoiding return to the Jedi Order are somewhat two-fold; Rhyst is still driven deeply by a sense of duty. Vitiate became so certain of his control over him - and, eventually, Rhyst's genuine give to servitude to this master - that he's one of the few in the galaxy to know some of the former Emperor's trickier secrets. He knows just enough to be dangerous - even if only as a nuisance in the grand scheme of matters (to speak to the retreat to Wild Space and Zakuul), enough to make Vitiate seek his other avenues as Valkorian. That sense of duty drives him to act on this knowledge. Returning to the Jedi would delay this, he thinks. They would offer something like redemption and Rhyst has... again, essentially, resigned himself to his fate, his new purpose, this new flavor of his life. He is not exactly happy with what he has become, but it is... serviceable. And eventually accepting that with Caolan, helping each other through their own struggles with Vitiate's mark upon their lives, is... its own kind of freedom. It's their truth. It's honest to who they are and who they aim to be. It... accepts what was outside of their control and is permission to continue to be - that survival has no inherent moral value. And Rhyst will not tolerate either of them to be chained to dispassionate leaders again - not Vitiate as a manipulator and crafter of tools, and not the Jedi Council and Republic Senate as even well-meaning commanders of change and bickering definitions of "justice." He cannot abide by handing them over to shackles - literal or figurative - when they have a duty to stop Vitiate in his entirety to complete.

So, in a way... he comes to a lot more of an honest conclusion of self in this whole ordeal. In fighting alongside Caolan for their own directives, without that constant need to perform to a mold or an image that weighs upon them in the Jedi, Rhyst has a far easier time determining what's important to him and carving out those boundaries of what he is and isn't fighting for, what's important to him.

Which, of course, I can't leave well enough alone, so... naturally, when Lana Beniko and Theron Shan team up to investigate the Revanites and turn to investigating Imperial and Republic ghost stories alike about potentially a fallen Jedi or rogue Sith agents when they're short on allies among their own people... the narrative just has to catch back up to them and wrest away some of that little sliver of control over their own lives, and Rhyst may just have to reckon with both sides' expectations of him again after all. :3

[jarael]

“Guess who has two thumbs and is a moron?” Anyone you like.

Spoilers for Ziost, though I figure only newbies will be concerned.  Also some vulgar language and innuendo because Adira. 

Am I a hypocrite?  No, it’s the Emperor who’s wrong.

Aayes nodded and reassured herself.  She couldn’t help but worry about Ziost; she and Xenli had grown up here.  But the Empire was a mess.  She hoped Xenli would stay in touch with that nice spy they had met on Manaan.  Shan, was his name?  He was very good looking, and Jaesa vouched for him.  

Maybe there will be a miracle, and Vitiate won’t hurt my home.  She doubted it, for the Emperor couldn’t comprehend mercy.  She told Corvax to stay away, but also to keep his comm handy in case of emergency.  She was stirred out of her thoughts by laughter.  Her half-sister Adira was laughing, while a tall, buff, surly looking Zabrak Mandalorian facepalmed.

“One day, Captain,” Akaavi Spar muttered, “you’re going to get your shebs handed to you.”

“Maybe.  It’ll be worth it though.”  The smuggler could barely contain her laughter.  “Aayes!  Guess what?”

“...what?” the younger Twi’lek inquired apprehensively.

“So...Beniko decided, ‘let’s piss Vitiate off and see if we can make him focus on one place so we can kick his ass’, yeah?  She let me do it, because I’m the best at insults.  The Chevas will probably be shitting the Jedi Code for the rest of their lives, and that’s nice.  And Lehusa threatened to arrest him, but you know what I did?  I told him he had a tiny, little, miniscule cock.”

Aayes didn’t know whether to coldcock her or start laughing.  “You told the Emperor he isn’t...gifted?”

“Well, he has to be eating entire planets for a reason!”

“Have you thought it’s because he’s evil?”

“Good luck talking sense into her,” Akaavi sighed, “if me, Risha, Corso and Bowdaar can’t, and Cassie doesn’t help, nothing will.”

Aayes realized Ziost was in grave danger.  

[oolathurman]

“I respect Lana Beniko, but the Empire enslaves and slaughters innocent people every day, and I respect common decency—“ “Kovach. I was a slave of the Empire. You don’t need to justify yourself.” “Wait what—“ “How did you not read my file before you started in Imp Intel????”

[vespertine-legacy]

Eleison had some adventures on Ziost, and she mostly hated it.

“You’re far from stupid. I know that much. Overly ambitious, perhaps. Well, regardless. I do hope you find your time on Ziost enlightening.” 

Fuck off, Vitiate. Eleison probably only would have come here for some sort of ancient knowledge (maybe I’ll fistfight canon again and decide that even though Eleison kept the Seeds for herself/Brontes, Acina somehow managed to steal them back, and she’s on Ziost to try to retrieve them before All Hell Breaks Loose, but it is Entirely Too Late)

“If it’s a challenge you want, then try possessing me, Vitiate.”

This is meant, I’m sure, to be a taunt specific to the Inquisitor for the fact that they eat ghosts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and kept at least one Very Annoying Ghost), so possessing them would be an Adventure, to say the least. But I’d like to think that for Eleison, it’s more that she’s let Brontes into her head on the regular, so if you want in there, you’d better buckle up, buttercup, because there’s very little she’s scared of anymore.

“You conveniently avoid the true challenge. The one you cannot match wills with. The one you cannot hope to strike down. Come--and be tested.”

I don’t really care for any of the class’s “come and get me” taunts at Vitiate, but after falling into the rabbit hole I’ve been in, the last line smacks of a Dread Master, and I love it.

“My intellect is beyond you and every other Dark Council member combined. I know more than you could learn in a thousand lifetimes.”

This would probably burn Eleison a bit, because in some ways, knowledge is who she is (and also, I think she would feel quite strongly that the Emperor didn’t come by a lot of his knowledge honestly--that people like the Dread Masters are responsible for the bulk of his knowledge).

GINX, NO, RUN!

But I’m gonna be honest with you, quiet horror at the death of a planet is kind of a good look for her.