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starsinmylatte · 3 years

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A Song Among the Stars Ch 3

Pairing: Grand Admiral Thrawn x Original Female Character

Rating: Mature/Explicit (18+)

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings/tags:

Slow Burn

Slow Romance

Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con (never by Thrawn)

Sexual Tension

Mix of Legends and Canon

Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo is protective of his muse

Ballroom Dancing

Imperial Officers (Star Wars)

Angst and Romance

Canon-Typical Violence

Masquerade

Imperial style

Phantom of the Opera AU if you squint

Thrawn finds his muse

Summary: Lyra's life was turned upside down the day the Empire took her. Once a renowned singer and performer on the Outer Rim, she is now little more than a songbird trapped in a gilded cage. Forced to perform and used as Imperial propaganda for years, she grew to despise her life until one fateful night and a chance encounter with a certain Grand Admiral.

Author's note: Hi everyone! Please let me know if you enjoy chapter 3 of A Song Among the Stars. I'll have a masterlist soon with all of the chapter links, but here's the link for the first 2 chapters on Tumblr and AO3 here. Tumblr likes to hide my writing, so please consider reblogging if you enjoyed it!

A big thank you to @pala-din-djarin for formatting advice!! 💙💙

AO3 link here for chapter 3 if you'd prefer!

Song Suggestions At the beginning: Thrawn - AtinPiano The dance: Masquerade Ballet Suite: 1. Waltz - Aram Khachaturian

“I am Grand Admiral Thrawn of the Seventh Fleet. I trust you will have no further issues with me asking you to leave.”

The edge in the Grand Admiral’s voice glittered with dark promise, and a tense silence fell. Even in my current state, I could tell that he was definitely not asking; his statement was little more than a scarcely veiled command. Bost stood incredibly still as the oppressive atmosphere continued. I could tell he was carefully considering his options, but there couldn’t have been many, as Thrawn’s commanding body language clearly showed he had no intention of backing down.

Suddenly, the sound of frantic footsteps broke the silence. All my muscles involuntarily tensed as my instincts screamed danger. Three more shadowy figures came running around the corner of the maze behind Bost. Fearing the absolute worst, I physically and mentally prepared to defend myself again. I dropped my weight evenly between my legs and shifted into what I assumed was a passable fighting stance. Apparently, the change in my posture did not escape my new friend even though I was still completely behind him.

“There will be no need for that,” Thrawn’s voice had returned to its original soft, dulcet tone, “excellent timing, Commander Vanto.”

How did he recognize him? It’s kriffing pitch-black out here!

I quickly decided it was a question for another time and relaxed ever-so-slightly as Thrawn acknowledged the newcomers. If he knew them, considering the present situation, it was currently good enough for me. Thrawn gestured back towards me and spoke again in an infuriatingly calm tone for the situation, “Please escort her back towards the ballroom. I will join you momentarily; the Commodore and I have something to discuss.”

I had no idea what Thrawn needed to discuss with Bost, but anything was better than me being chased down.

The three shadowy figures stepped into a patch of starlight. Any relief I felt earlier was amplified tenfold because Dreycolt and Arkmad were instantly recognizable. They stood slightly behind the third man, who I assumed was Vanto. All three of them looked ready for a fight, and their facial expressions flickered between worry and relief. Vanto gave Thrawn a curt nod before pushing past Bost and offering me his hand.

I don’t know him, but I don’t have much of a choice here, and there’s not really any time to think…. I have to trust my instincts.

Tentatively, I reached out and placed my hand in his; he gave it a reassuring squeeze. Vanto’s hands were noticeably calloused, which gave me another sensation to focus on. However, even with those feelings grounding me to reality, my frazzled emotions swooped in like carrion birds as the adrenaline started to wear off. Intrusive thoughts started to slip through every mental wall I had in place as he led me away from the maze and back through the garden.

Stars, what do they even think about this situation… How is this going to be handled? Is the Empire going to somehow blame me for causing a scene? Am I going to be the one punished??

Before I realized it, we had walked about half of the way back to the ballroom. Vanto led me to a nearby bench; I gratefully sat down and stared back in the direction of the ballroom. The flickering lights, laughter, and faint music indicated that the party was still in full swing and would be for some time. There was zero chance of me leaving early because the second part of my job tonight hadn’t even started.

Vanto took a seat on the bench directly across from mine, and I didn’t even have time to open my mouth before words came tumbling out of his, “Are you alright?”

I immediately recognized the accent, and it momentarily drew me out of my melancholy state. “Commander Vanto, you’re from the Outer Rim too,” I noted with as much of a smile as I could manage.

He returned the smile, but his deep brown eyes and creased eyebrows still showed unease, “Yes, I’m from Lysatra, but please call me Eli.”

It was obvious that Eli wanted to discuss the incident, but it was so very rare to meet another person from a world near mine on Coruscant that I actually felt slightly relieved. It was like having a small piece of home nearby.

Another pleasant change was that the starlight shone bright enough for me to fully see in this area of the garden. Eli’s tanned face seemed kind, even though half of it was hidden by a black mask, and his dark hair and eyes were a welcome contrast to Bost’s icy complexion. Maybe it’s a sign that everything will be ok.

I could tell that Eli was trying to find the right words to continue, but he only managed to gesture around like he was trying to pull them out of the air. That alone told me all I needed to know; he had a rather good idea of what Bost tried to do.

Deep breaths, I reminded myself as I nodded with all of the confidence I could muster. You must be strong. “It’s happened before. I didn’t have anyone to rescue me, but I survived then, and I will survive now.” I was reminding myself just as much as I was informing Eli.

His face paled. “This isn’t the first time?” He trailed off before nervously running his fingers through his dark hair. I heard him muttering something under his breath that sounded like a long string of swearing in another language.

Any chance of further conversation was stopped by the sound of footsteps and the arrival of Dreycolt. He was out of breath from running through the garden, but he still managed to get the words out, “I cannot apologize enough for what happened. We tried to get help, but….”

The apology is nice but pointless.

I raised a hand to cut him off. “I’m assuming you don’t know Bost like I do. That conniving bastard would have found a way to dispose of you both so he could get me alone. However, you getting help likely saved me; the Grand Admiral arrived at a very timely moment.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but a pointed look from Eli cut him off. I raised an eyebrow at the two men.

Eli rushed to speak first. “I was the contact if there was trouble, but we weren’t expecting anything like this.

Something doesn’t quite add up here…..

At that point, I noticed both Dreycolt and Eli had the same insignia on the shoulder of their uniform: an extremely stylized black tribal design with three heads. It was emblazoned on a grey circle, and the whole thing was ringed in red. They had to be from the same fleet, and if Thrawn knew them immediately….

Suddenly, everything clicked into place as I locked eyes with Eli. “You’re all from the Seventh Fleet, and Grand Admiral Thrawn is your commanding officer.”

“Quite perceptive.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden reappearance of Thrawn’s smooth voice behind me. Unlike with Dreycolt, there had been no footsteps or any other warning of his arrival.

Kriffing hell, why is this man so silent? He may have helped me, but that doesn’t give him the right to scare me out of my mind a few minutes later.

Concern flashed across Eli’s face as he wordlessly reached out to make sure I wasn’t too rattled by the shock. I took a deep breath and nodded slightly in reassurance. My thoughts raced through my previous mantras. You are fine. You are safe now. Eli shot an annoyed look at the man behind me as I composed myself and turned to face Thrawn so I could properly thank him.

It was still dark but I immediately realized that he was tall. Very tall. Even though I was looking up, my small stature combined with my seated position meant my gaze fell on his broad shoulders. I instantly noticed the crisp, white hue of his close-fitting dress uniform and the shining rank bar he wore confirmed his earlier claim. He was absolutely a Grand Admiral.

He smoothly stepped backward and acknowledged me, “My apologies, it was not my intent to frighten you.”

Any words coming out of my mouth died at the tip of my tongue as I finally saw Grand Admiral Thrawn fully illuminated in a patch of shifting starlight. All thoughts of this rank or thanking him abruptly left my mind as one thing became abundantly clear: he was not human.

Where the neck of his pristine uniform ended, his skin was blue. Not merely tinted with blue, but it was truly the beautiful color of a deep pool of water that had frosted over in winter. My gaze continued its path upwards and traveled to his face, which was partially obscured by an ornate mask resting atop high, regal cheekbones and an aquiline nose. From beneath the mask, his ruby eyes seemed to burn into mine like red-hot coals.

Trying desperately not to make a fool out of myself, I did my best to snap out of the shock. Grand Admiral Thrawn was the only non-human Imperial of any significant rank I had ever met, and I severely doubted any others existed. Every Imperial gathering I attended before this one had been filled with countless human guests, but I had only ever seen non-humans used as servers or entertainers. Talle, Kaia, and Ahni had never served a non-human Imperial, but almost all of the other handmaidens were non-humans taken from their worlds.

Why is he working for the Empire in this high of a position?

I fervently hoped the dim lighting hid any sign of my surprise. After all, no matter the reason why, this man was still a Grand Admiral. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t request some kind of a favor in return for saving me earlier. I knew enough legends about the types of favors high-ranking Imperials often pulled or traded, and I was already way more indebted to Thrawn than I was comfortable with. His appearance may have surprised me, but I refused to let my lack of knowledge show. I fully realized that lack of knowledge was a weapon the Empire had firmly pressed against my throat, and it was marking me as prey like blood in the water.

I took a deep breath, straightened my posture, and mentally berated myself. This was all my fault. I had gotten too complacent and comfortable with the Imperials. I had no idea Bost was even here, but I let down my guard and accidentally gave him an opportunity. Dreycolt, Arkmad, Eli, and now Thrawn…… There was absolutely no guarantee that I could trust any of them.

Think, Ly, you have to think. These people prey on the weak, so you have to seem strong, at least for now. At the very least, use caution. Just get through this night.

It was like flipping a switch mentally; all of my walls flew back up, and my emotions dulled until everything was just numb. The sparkling, faultless personality I used in Imperial society clicked back into place. I inclined my head respectfully and addressed Thrawn, “Grand Admiral, I cannot thank you enough for your help tonight; your quick response to the situation likely saved me.”

“There is no need,” his voice was still impossibly soft as he regarded me. I lifted my head and met his eyes for the second time; the heat of his gaze sent a shiver down my spine. “From the state of his hand, I would say you were defending yourself admirably.”

My face flushed, “Still, I do not know what would have come of the encounter. If it came to a case of my word versus his, especially since I injured an Imperial officer, I doubt anyone would take my side.”

As a “guest” of the Empire, I had everything to lose based on my reputation. If I angered the wrong person or fell from social favor, I would no longer be useful as propaganda……. The weight behind my previous words went unspoken but was understood by all.

An indecipherable expression crossed Thrawn’s face. Krayt spit, he’s hard to read. Most people had tells that let me read their expressions like an open book, but the Grand Admiral seemed to be very different.

“However, I do have one question. What happened to Commodore Bost?” I couldn’t help the tiny falter in my voice when saying his name, but it was small enough to be excusable.

Thrawn’s eyes narrowed and seemed to burn brighter, “I sent him to be treated for his injury. However, I made it perfectly clear that you were a guest and asset of the Empire, so his behavior towards you would not be tolerated.”

I mentally scoffed. So that’s what upset him. Not the injustice committed against me, but the mistreatment of Imperial property. I wasn’t foolish enough to ignore the protection he had provided, but my blood absolutely boiled at his words. However, I gritted my teeth and smiled at him, “Again, I do not know how I could possibly ever thank you enough for this.”

I wasn’t worried about the medics treating Bost; they knew enough about Imperial society to keep their mouths shut on what and who they treated. Most likely, they assumed he was one of the many starting an after-party early. The rumors of the extreme tastes of some officers and politicians often spread like wildfire among the servants and handmaidens. Talle had been unofficially requested at an after-party once before, and she told me stories that made my stomach turn.

Thrawn inclined his head towards me in acknowledgment of my thanks, and I continued speaking, “However, I do need to return to the ballroom. The orchestra will be the main entertainment for the rest of the night, but I was requested to be available as an escort. I’m sure my dance card is already quite full, and I don’t want to keep anyone waiting.”

After all, what good is propaganda if it isn’t thoroughly used, I thought dryly. It honestly did not matter to me if I kept anyone waiting; in my opinion, they could wait for all eternity. Unfortunately, it would matter a lot to my handler if they complained.

“Don’t worry, Captain Dreycolt and Lieutenant Arkmad will still be accompanying you. Both of them are already on your card,” Eli reassured me as I turned around to face him again. “I also took the liberty of placing myself on your card so that I will be close by too.” He pulled out a small datapad and continued, “We are all spaced evenly throughout the remaining time so that you will have someone checking on you often.”

Now that was reassuring. As much as I wanted to be wary of Eli, he seemed to be very kind and it was making it hard to keep my guard fully up.

I thanked him with another smile and reached up to check my hair. Thankfully, all of Kaia’s hard work seemed to have paid off. Not a single pin or gem felt out of place, and I chalked it up to a minor miracle. After a brief inspection, my dress was still pristine, and my shoes were fine too.

I stood up from the bench and turned to address Thrawn once more, but he had stepped off to the side and seemed to be in deep conversation with one of the medics. His current expression was much easier to infer because the poor medic looked terrified. I quickly decided that I didn’t want to know, and it was better that I didn’t ask.

When I glanced back towards the ballroom, Eli offered me his arm, and I accepted the gesture. He signaled to Dreycolt, and the three of us began the short walk back through the garden. Thankfully, it was uninterrupted and uneventful.

Arkmad was waiting for us at the same side door he and Dreycolt had helped me exit from earlier. He was fixated on the small datapad he was holding and muttering under his breath. The datapad looked very similar to Eli’s, but this one was exceedingly familiar.

I peered down at the list displayed on it, “So, who’s on the card tonight?”

“Oh, just the usual mix of the usual senators and high officers. You actually seem to be in higher demand tonight; the performance earlier must have really impressed some important people,” he responded with a sympathetic look. “It looks like your card is completely full for every dance tonight.”

Oh, joy. Sometimes I was lucky enough to escape the last few dances, but, of course, tonight couldn’t be that convenient. I sighed inaudibly and shifted my feet. At least these shoes are comfortable.

Arkmad tapped me lightly on the shoulder and gestured to the far side of the ballroom, “Your first partner will be waiting for you near that column. The next song is about to begin, so I suggest you get started.”

The first thing I did when I stepped inside was signal the nearest server. I took a glass of sparkling wine, quickly glanced around to make sure nobody was staring at me and downed it. I felt the effects of the strong alcohol almost immediately; one glass was nowhere enough to make me drunk, but I hoped it would further dull any remaining nerves. I returned the glass to the tray and ventured off in search of my partner.

The first few songs passed by quickly. The slight buzz from the alcohol lightened my mood and made it easier to tune out any faults of my partners. Some were heavy-handed with flattery or praise, intent on trying to steal me away for the night. Others had already indulged in too much alcohol to the point where their breath smelled of the wine and their steps faltered. At least they all seemed to be decent dancers, and I was skilled enough in social etiquette to politely refuse or divert the conversation.

I truly had no problems dancing; most of the time I rather enjoyed it. My education at the conservatory had included many lessons on the classical styles and different regional dances in addition to my more intensive singing lessons. We were all supposed to be well-rounded performers, so the education contained much more than just singing, even though it was my main focus. When I was taken to Coruscant, it was vaguely easy to learn any dances I didn’t already know. Most of my partners here were higher class, so they had some kind of dance instruction at least once; they weren’t always graceful, but almost all of them were bearable partners that only sometimes stepped on my feet.

As the orchestra played on, the long list on my dance card grew shorter. Some faces were new, but many were the same senators and officers that often requested me. Before I knew it, I had danced with both Arkmad and Dreycolt, and less than half of my list remained.

I told both men the same thing when they checked on me: the rest of the night was going well. They each seemed satisfied with that answer and moved to the balcony overlooking the dance floor. As Eli’s lively dance was finishing, he pushed his stray hair back into place with a gloved hand, “Miss Lyra, it was a pleasure.” He gave me a small bow as an excuse to lean in close and whisper, “Are you doing alright?”

I responded with a curtsy and an almost imperceptible nod. “The pleasure was all mine, Commander.”

He seemed satisfied with my answer as he walked off to join the other men on the balcony. I had turned to grab another glass of wine before my next partner found me when an all-too-familiar voice turned my blood to ice.

“I do believe that I have the pleasure of claiming the next dance. It seems the man on your card….. won’t be able to make it.”

I whipped my head around and stared directly into the cold, glacial eyes of Commodore Bost. Somewhat vindictively, I noted that his injured hand was bandaged and slung across his chest. He had also donned a plain, white half-mask that covered the scarred side of his face since our last encounter.

My heart raced in my chest; I scanned the upper balcony for Eli, but he was nowhere to be seen. I caught Dreycolt’s eye and he raced off with a panicked expression at the sight of Bost standing in front of me. Even though my heart was racing and panic rose in my throat, I knew that as long as I stood inside the ballroom he couldn’t harm me; even Imperials dew the line somewhere.

Bost reached out to seize my hand and I snatched it away from his grasp. “I refuse to dance with you. You aren’t the name on my card and I have no reason to accept your request.”

He clicked his tongue at me mockingly, “So defiant…” He leaned in to whisper in my ear, “However, I am a very patient man. I can be here all night if that’s what it takes.”

Another shiver ran through me at Bost’s chilling words. I closed my eyes and winced at the foul feeling of his breath on my neck. Suddenly, a looming presence appeared behind me and Bost quickly stepped backward. Assuming Eli came to my rescue, I turned around and gave a low curtsy in greeting, but I instantly realized my assumption was profoundly incorrect; the figure standing in front of me was dressed in white.

Still in my low curtsy, I raised my head and stared directly into the smoldering gaze of Grand Admiral Thrawn. His red eyes remained fixed on mine as he bowed and offered me his hand. “May I have this dance?”

Thrawn’s request rang in my ears. Did he actually want to dance with me, or was he just guarding an Imperial asset? Either way, I was incredibly grateful for his second timely arrival of the night. There was no other choice for me but to take his hand.

Before I could, Bost made a small noise of protest behind me. Thrawn rose from his bow and silenced him with a single look. The Grand Admiral’s voice had the same dark, commanding edge as it had in the garden, “Commodore Bost, your presence here is not required. I will be claiming the rest of Miss Lyra’s dance card tonight.”

My thoughts raced again at his statement. Sometimes a particularly wealthy or powerful person would request multiple dances a night, but someone claiming the rest of my dance card was absolutely unheard of. However, I highly doubted anyone would be willing to argue about it with Grand Admiral Thrawn if he was serious.

Bost must have realized the futility of his position; he glowered at me, turned away with a flourish, and exited the ballroom. I sighed audibly, “Thank you for stepping in again. However, I don’t wish to be a burden on you for the rest of the night.”

The corner of Thrawn’s mouth twitched into a smile, “Not at all. I believe it will provide an enlightening distraction.” He offered me his hand again, “May I?”

Kriffing hell, he was serious then. I gently placed my right hand in his left, and he wrapped his long, elegant fingers around mine. The orchestra played the beginning notes of the next song, a waltz, and he seemed to recognize the dance immediately. Thrawn murmured appreciatively, “ah, an excellent choice,” as he pulled me in until our chests were almost touching.

My cheeks colored slightly and I prayed he couldn’t tell. The familiarity with which he moved me was almost seductive when combined with his velvety soft voice and the lingering effects of the wine.

The dance began and we glided across the ballroom floor to the music. This was one of the more difficult dances of the night, so many stepped off to the side and watched the braver couples attempt it. I knew it by heart, but Thrawn led us with an intensity that told me he did too.

Some of my previous partners could dance very well, but none moved with the same warrior’s grace that he exemplified in every step. The feeling of his broad chest against mine and his strong arms firmly around me made my mind spin. He was so unlike anyone I’d ever danced with; he seemed to move with the same strength and confidence with which he commanded.

No, no, no... you are not doing this. It’s just the wine and your overcharged emotions running all over.

I distracted myself from the dance and his burning touch by studying the intricate pattern on his mask. It was white, but under each eye a thin strip of red in a slightly darker shade outlined the openings and made his gaze even more intimidating. An intricate pattern of entwining, golden snakes bearing their fangs delicately wove their way around the mask’s rim.

In the back of my mind, I came to a sudden realization: Thrawn was testing me. As the song progressed, he began using more and more complex movements. It was as if he was trying to see if I could keep up with his brutal pace.

Kriffing blue bastard. I’m not some little thing for you to toy with.

Well, two could play that game. I locked eyes with Thrawn, gave him the most stubborn look I thought I could get away with, and switched my step pattern up. If his gaze was smoldering before, now it was blazing. He flashed me a grin that was absolutely feral and twirled me out on his arm. As he brought me back in, he pressed me against his chest and dipped me low. He murmured in my ear and his breath smelled faintly of the sweet wine, “Very enlightening, thank you.”

The rest of the night passed in a similar fashion. Thrawn led and I matched his pace step for step, challenging him the entire time. By the time the final note on the last song rang out, we were both breathing noticeably harder. A single strand of his neat, dark hair had fallen into his face and I knew some pins had fallen out of mine. This was the first time a dance partner had made me break a sweat since I was at the conservatory.

He released me from his arms, and the loss of contact was more disappointing than I cared to admit. The Grand Admiral bowed one last time as Eli, Dreycolt, and Arkmad appeared behind him. His voice seemed to have the slight accent from the garden as he addressed me, “You dance quite artistically; thank you for indulging me.”

Thrawn turned away and shared a quick word with Eli, who had an expression of shock on his face. Their conversation lasted for a few minutes before he addressed me again. However, this time his accent was gone. “I’m afraid I must take my leave now, but Commander Vanto will see you safely home.” He reached up to push the stray lock of hair back into place and walked off the dance floor and out of the building. Dreycolt and Arkmad shared a look before following closely behind him.

Eli still seemed to be in a state of surprise. He shook his head like he was clearing out his confusion and offered me his arm, “Miss, if you’re ready, we can head outside. I have a speeder waiting for us.” I smiled at him as we walked out of the ballroom and into the crisp Coruscanti night.

Tags: @mittheresabosen @pretty-with-andorian-shingles @handbaskethell

#grand admiral thrawn #thrawn x oc #thrawn fanfic #thrawn #mitth'raw'nuruodo #star wars rebels fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #please tumblr stop hiding my work #original character #original female character #my oc character #thrawn fanfiction

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lurkingleighbee · 3 years

Text

Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good Chapter 19 - Chapter 22

Chapter 19

the Springhawk jumps into yet another battle

they are able to help a vessel that just so happen to know where the Vagaari pirate base is

sure you do, bub

Fsir, the guy (alien?) who runs the Saltbarrel (a ha ha, take his story with a grain of salt) is all for attacking the base directly but Thrawn urges patience, wanting to collect information first

There is some back and forth with Thrawn asking for a tour of the vessel and Fsir being hesitant. Thrawn hits him up with this proposition

“Perhaps your superiors could be persuaded to look upon it as payment for our rescue of their people and secrets,” Thrawn suggested. “In addition, a visit would give you the opportunity to see if your legends of the Chiss are accurate.” “Who suggested we even have legends of the Chiss?” Thrawn smiled. “Come now, Captain. Everyone in the near reaches of the Chaos has legends of the Chiss.” Fsir sighed. “Very well, Senior Captain.”

this will pay off later, I am sure

anyway, back to Senior Aide Lakjiip, who is really surprised to see Lakinda arrive

and Lakinda is immediately suspicious that though the call came from a Patriel, it was “a mere Councilor’s senior aide passing out the duty assignments.”

Lakinda asks where Patriel Lakooni is and Lakjiip feeds her a b.s. line about the Patriel “talking” with Councilor Lakuviv in his office

When Lakjiip reveals the Agbui story, Lakinda calls it “unbelievable” and feels the possibilities are both tremendous and ominous

Lakinda feels that Lakjiip really wants the Xoldak family back in high status

as does Lakinda, but she isn’t a fool about it

Memories VII

Qilori thinks to himself that Jixtus - with him covered head to toe in a black robe - that he looks like “any other biped alien. Or for that matter, a statue, a mannequin, or even one of the mechanical robotics of lesser space legends.”

I am really looking forward to the day when C3PO meets Thrawn

Qilori tries to explain why he was (by his count, at least six hours) late and there is this great exchange: “I was on a job, and I thought abandoning it would bring attention you probably wouldn’t want.” “As well as damaging your professional reputation?” Jixtus suggested. “My reputation is important,” Qilori said. “Not just to me, but to you as well. Any future job you want me to do-” “Any future jobs will depend on how well you complete this one,” Jixtus interrupted calmly. “So will any future. You understand?” Qilori’s cheek winglets twitched. “I would very much like to have a future,” he managed. “Good,” Jixtus said. “Then we shall have no problem with motivation.”

Qilori - always looking out for his skin and winglets - doesn’t want to be anywhere near any battle and especially does not want to be tangeled up with Thrawn

Jixtus promises to make his “own arrangements for this Thrawn. Hints and rumors in the right ears should remove him a sufficient distance from Haplif’s web.”

Jixtus, through an almost casual questioning of Qilori, figures out that “either the Chiss have their own group of navigators, some aliens hidden on an obscure world of the Ascendancy...” He paused. “Or they have a means of finding their way through the Chaos without navigator assistance.”

He is awfully close to the truth

also the Sith Wars from Legends is back in canon baby!!!

this just makes me want a Revan movie series so bad

Turns out Qilori was pretty earlier and Jixtus let him stew in his own fear

Jixtus is a petty d i c k SPOILERS FROM HERE ON

Chapter 20

Lakuviv on his foolish and likely fatal errand: “From this moment forward your performance will either bring honor and glory to the family, or send it reeling into disaster”

massive Lord Farquaad energy here

Lakinda has a bad memory names

unlike Ar’alani, who makes it “a point to known and user her officer’s names”

Ar’alani is a good leader

Lakinda is already feeling suspicious about this “endeavor”

Lakooni - the Patriel - hasn’t shown up at all

Lakuviv instructed the comm officers to “ignore any and all transmission except those originating from this office and carrying this protocol”

Lakinda immediately tells her crew to ignore these orders and heads off into space

Thrawn comes in asking a bunch of questions about the Magys’s clothing and Thalias (justifiably, her roommate being an alien preserved in a coma) asks to know what the heck is going on

and tells him that the Patriarch asked her to look after him

Thrawn seems tickled by this, that he needs looking after

well you do, you lovable blockhead

also this reminds me, we have not seen the Patriarch at all

Thrawn thinks Fsir’s story is b.s. and that the Springhawk is being lured into a trap. Thrawn decides to:

Chapter 21

turns out going jump by jump is long and tedious

Laknym seems excited, with Thalias its his chance “to prove himself in the eyes of Thrawn and Kharill, his chance to show that he was indeed worthy of...fleet advancement”

the Grayshrike appears just as Thrawn gives the order to attack the Saltbarrel

there are a bunch of gunboats that make it seem like there are individual pilots inside

but its all remote controlled

this will be very helpful later on

Wutroow mentions filling up a zigzig card

the Chiss version of bingo?

Ar’alani and the Vigilant have been investigating the planet Sunrise for two weeks

there are definitely survivors putting their society back together

real shame we don’t get to meet and learn form them

they went through a horrifying ideal and they are barely mentioned and are literally overlooked

What the heck is borjorysauce?

Yopring is looking at a mine that look suspiciously functional when he is jumped and being chased by armed and armored skycars

Ar’alani employs a very neat maneuver and trick with water and grants Yopring his opportunity to escape

I do like how good of a tactician and clever thinker Ar’alani is

Ar’alani notices that the skycar’s design “was radically different from ant of the hundreds of wrecked air vehicles” seen on the ground

invaders!!!

Chapter 22

Apros is able to pass on what little information he knows about Lakinda and the other Xoldak family/military personnel being pulled away for a “family emergency”

Apros reveals two other families - the Erighal and the Pommrio - also sent emergency summons

they are also part of the Forty Families

and these planets just happen to be on the southwest vectors

And he is able to pass on the brooch to Thrawn

this brooch has been on a real frigging journey

in an interrogation with Fsir, it is revealed he received instructions from a certain “robed and hooded” alien

Thrawn wants to go investigate what’s going on in the Ascendancy’s southeast sectors. Samakro decides to get a bit snippy, pointing out: “It doesn’t sound like the Expansionary Defense Fleet was invited.” “Do you care?” Thrawn asked. “...Not really.” “Neither do I.”

Thrawn finally gets the jewelry piece!!

And Thrawn finally decides to wake up the Magys and have a real sit down and talk session

where have other aliens been stored??

surely they would ask where their leader is??

Thrawn had given the Magys’s outfit a good look over and notices that the brooch and her outfit have many similarities

when the Magys wakes up, she is JUSTIFIABLY pissed that she was forced into hibernation

Thalias bluffs her way through the conversation, claiming (with zero evidence) that people are indeed alive and well on Sunrise

and as proof she shows her the brooch

the Magys recognizes it immediately

and actually agrees to go back into hibernation!

once Samakro and Thrawn leave, Thalias realizes Che’ri had somehow convinced her!

Che’ri playing mindgames

kind of very much creepy

Che’ri be like: Imma invite myself in thanks

#timothy zahn #star wars #book review #grand admiral thrawn #thrawn #mitthrawnurodo #mitth'raw'nurodo #ar'alani #chiss ascendancy #thrawn ascendancy #thrawn ascendancy: greater good #battles #space opera #summation #second act

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gffa · 4 years

Text

@grim-on-the-darkside replied:

I just recently saw the Rise of Skywalker, I didn't want to give Disney my money so I decided I'd wait til I could stream it for free.- This is just a personal opinion, nothing more, but I thought it was absolutely terrible. I knew I wouldn't like it, but I never thought it would be so awful. It may sound funny, and I don't mean it that way but, it literally made me sad. I suppose as a life long hardcore SW fan, as a Lucas Canonist, I knew it wouldn't be what I might have hoped for, but I never thought it would be like that. The worst SW movie I have ever seen by a wide margin. To see how far Star Wars has fallen, it has made me feel totally hopeless for the future of Star Wars. I'm not knocking anyone else for liking it, these kinds of things are totally subjective, that's the nature of art and no one is wrong for liking or disliking anything of an artistic nature. I actually envy those who do like Disney, because they get to still have Star Wars. For me, Star Wars is dead. It only exists in a place and time for me. Only Filoni can bring it back to life.

As always, I am not here to change anyone’s minds and I don’t think you’re here to change my mind, either, that both of us will be entirely fine if we don’t move an inch from where we started! It’s just a good chance to jump on one of my favorite subjects: navel-gazing about why, despite that I’m pretty hardcore about loving George Lucas’ Star Wars, why I enjoy the Disney era so much. It’s not that I think there’s anyone who can ever really live up to George Lucas, not even Dave Filoni, there’s plenty I disagree with him on or think he didn’t do as well as I wished he would have. I greatly, greatly admire how much he strives to stay true to George’s SW as much as he can and that he is clearly very passionate and very in love with SW and that I like the vast majority of things he creates and certainly I trust him more than most. But, for me, there are three distinct areas of “canon” and I’m fine with enjoying any given one of them for their own sake: - George Lucas’ Star Wars (the six movies + TCW) - Legends’ Star Wars (anything produced before mid-2014 + some after that) - Lucasfilm’s Star Wars (the Skywalker Saga + TCW + everything post-2014) Each one of those is completely separate in my mind, despite that they occasionally overlap with what they include as part of their continuity. Therefore, my love of George Lucas’ Star Wars does not infringe on my love of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars or Legends’ Star Wars. But the other thing is that, honestly, I don’t care that much about the movies in contrast to how much I care about the bigger everything that LFL is doing. Oh, I like the movies fine! But I got just as excited about Jedi: Fallen Order or Dooku: Jedi Lost or the amazing Age of Republic comics or the Dark Lord of the Sith comic. Seriously, I was just as excited about those as I was about the movie! (The movies take up more space, so I wind up talking about them more than any other individual project, but my excitement for every new issue of Dark Lord of the Sith eclipsed whatever I felt for the movies.) So, when I look at Lucasfilm Star Wars (or “Disney Star Wars” if one wants), my first thought isn’t always the movies. Which means there’s a hell of a lot less pressure on the movies for me, they don’t have to be All Things to me, and thus they’re just one part of a bigger continuity/canon that I really love. And I do think that a lot of the current comics have been fantastic. The main Star Wars ongoing comics, the main Darth Vader comics, they’ve all been telling stories that I’ve found to really sing to me, I’ve found that the bigger picture LFL canon has done better with George Lucas’ themes than I expected. I thought Rebels was really great. I’ve been enjoying the spectacle of The Mandalorian. Jedi: Fallen Order was so satisfying for me. If I only had just the ST movies, who knows, maybe I would be feeling similarly, that SW just had no future for me. But when I think of “future of SW”, I’m thinking, oh, I’m really curious about those High Republic books, I’m thinking, oh, I really want to see what a second JFO game might do, I’m thinking that I’m curious to see what ILMxLAB will come out with after how much I enjoyed Vader Immortal, I’m curious to see what the new Vader and SW comics are going to do, I’m curious to see what the new Thrawn books are going to be like, I’m curious to see if we’ll get follow up on all the stuff that happened after Rebels. I enjoy the stuff around the ST movies, the novelizations always have fun little snippets for me and, yeah, TROS is my favorite of the sequel movies, because I can at least grab hold of what they were trying to do and I’m willing to give the novels and comics and whatever comes in the future time to fill in the gaps. Some people are always going to hate the ST movies, a lot of people are always going to hate TROS and can’t see how it’s anything other than a pile of garbage, and while I’m sad that we won’t be able to share joy together, I get that people see things differently and that everyone genuinely brings their own stuff to the table and the reasons they don’t like it or reasons they do like it are valid for every one of us. If you want (and there is precisely zero pressure to do this, if it’s not your thing, I won’t think twice about it), maybe try some of the comics around the OT or the PT, have you watched the other TV shows? Or is Star Wars always going to be the movies for you? (And there’s nothing wrong with that, if that’s how it is for you!) That’s always my offer--try out some of the other stuff (especially the longer running comics or the TV shows), see if that hits the vibe for you re: what you’re looking for out of SW, because even if you don’t like one part of SW, there’s still those whole huge other area for you to try out. (Assuming you haven’t already, of course!)

#lumi.txt

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jadedjo · 4 years

Text

2019 End of Year Fic Review

I am happy to say that I achieved 3 of my goals from last year. Compete Return to Endor and Crossing A Line and find a beta/alpha/cheerleader: The Fic Whining Circle helped me achieve all of this! I LOVE you guys!

But despite having written more last year than this year I take this year as a more creative journey. With the support and encouragement of people I look up to, I was able to broaden my horizons and stretch my creativity. But this also had its drawbacks. Namely, in the form of the White Rabbit (plot bunnies multiply when other creatives pass theirs on to you unintentionally)

2 White Rabbits that I chased this year were Apocalypse Yavin and the WIP Admiral Luke Au. They were not my ideas. They started as discussions from others that I ran with (with permission). So new goals for 2020 are to leave plot bunnies alone. I have more than enough projects that I do want to finish.

If any come across my path, I shall appreciate them but shall not fall down the rabbit hole. There was a post that came across my dash that said something along the lines of, you need to start x projects to find the 1 that will get done. So, if I need to drabble something to get it out of my head so be it but not let it balloon into the 50k or more that the Admiral Luke Au is turning into.

If anyone sees me chasing the White Rabbit be sure to pull me out of the Matrix STAT.

Goals for 2020:

I’m not sure what I want to accomplish next year. I have WIPs that I need to decide if I’m going to continue or let go of. Many of them I like and would like to finish someday, but they also pressure me with their very presence.

Right now, the Admiral Luke AU is first and foremost in my mind. The basics came out of a what-if discussion about what-if Luke never left military service. While he was a General in Shadows of Mindor we all agreed that a man in Admiral Whites was HAWT so he was switched from General to Admiral Skywalker. Then Mara was added to the mix. Luke would dislike her fringe neutrality and she would think him just another stuck up military leader who was given a position based on his name only. The premise was so she and Luke could have angry sex in his office.

That idea quickly morphed into an elaborate back story with both nu!canon and Legends mixed together to explain the current state of affairs and a re-write of The Thrawn Trilogy to include Hera Syndula, Ezra Bridger, Ahsoka Tano, Thrawn from both TTT and nu!canon, and why Luke is still in the military. But I think I overwhelmed myself with the scope and now have to take this is small chunks so as not to hide in terror of the massive fic it wants to be.

As for the WIPs ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ We’ll see.

Some interesting stats for this year:

1. favorite fic you wrote this year

Apocalypse Yavin

2. least favorite fic you wrote this year

Drabble: Corellian Checkers (nothing wrong with it, but of my mini fics I like it the least)

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

From Twilight: Time stopped and in the instant between day and night their lips met.

4. total number of words you wrote this year

For Posted Fics its 35,937

For WIPs its 28,574

Total: 64,511 (last year’s total was 79,028, but I admit I had a 20k sprint last year.)

5. most popular fic this year

I Get Off (ya’ll love that PWP)

6. least popular fic this year

Return To Endor

This was a self-indulgent fic for long-forgotten made for TV Star Wars films. I’m not surprised this is the least popular fic

7. longest completed fic you wrote this year

Apocalypse Yavin (12792)

8. shortest completed fic you wrote this year

Spin The Bottle (376)

9. favorite character to write about this year

I was going to say Luke Skywalker or Mara Jade but… Cindel was a surprise and interesting to write about so I shall name Cindel Towani as my favorite this year.

10. favorite writing song/artist/album of this year

According to Spotify, it was Blade Runner 2049. Its mellow and easy to have as background music that will drown out other noises without making me want to actively listen to it.

11. a fic you didn’t expect to write

I Get Off

12. fic(s) you completed this year

In reverse posting order:

Apocalypse Yavin Reeling from the revelations that Vader is his father, needing to get used to a malfunctioning new right hand, and having to save his friend from carbonite, Luke is sent on a quest to find a kyber crystal for a new lightsaber. Unfortunately for him, Yavin IV is where he can find one. The moon is now a hellscape from the death throes of the Death Star and he has the eerie feeling that something in the Force is there, in pain, crying out for release.

Return Luke returns to Tatooine. But what kind of welcome will he find there? Owen Lives AU Flash Fic Crossing A Line (Getting To Know You Series) With a new Force bond firmly in place, Luke and Mara must now navigate this unexpected turn in their relationship. How do you go from friends to lovers because the Force wills it? Post-Nirauan story.

Not Just Another Day (Flash Fic) Luke gives Mara a gift on his birthday.

Comfort (drabble) Han finds Jaina at the end of the Vong War. Prompts: “War’s End” kiss & “You’re strong, baby. You have to be.” Reveal (drabble) Luke returns home to find Mara in an unusual situation. Prompts: “I do” kiss & “Frost the damn cupcakes.”

Spin The Bottle (drabble) Prompt: Spin the bottle & "Come over here and make me"

Corellian Checkers (drabble) Han hears Leia say something to Wedge Antilles he'd never thought she'd ever say to anyone.Prompts: “We’re playing checkers. If you don’t like it, leave.” & A Hoarse Whisper “Kiss Me”

Twilight (drabble) When Luke and Mara are forced to trek through the wilderness once again they find more than just pretty scenery.Prompts: Staring At The Other’s Lips, Trying Not To Kiss Them, Before Giving In & “You can scream if you want.”

Return To Endor Cindel Towani is alone in the galaxy. She returns to the one place where she felt at home. The forest moon of Endor. She just prays that the one person she most wants to see is still there.

I Get Off “He could have called you ‘Master.’ Like I do sometimes.” Mara's voice was a smoky purr in his ear. Her arms slipped around Luke’s waist from behind. Luke smiled. “I don’t think it would be the same as when you do it.” “It better not be … Skywalker.” Luke jumped as one of her hands gave his stomach a slap. — Destiny’s Way, Chapter 3. by Walter Jon WilliamsJust how does Mara call Luke 'Master'? In the sexiest way possible.

4 Times Mara Noticed Luke's Feet and 1 Time Luke Noticed Mara's Mara never thought of herself as finding feet attractive. Until she spotted the toes of one Luke Skywalker. ~~~ Luke never paid much attention to Mara's feet. But they'd never been encased in shiny black leather before.

Written for the fetish/Trope roulette

13. fics you’ll continue next year

I assume this means fics posted but not completed this year. Since its technically 0 I’ll say: The next installment of the Getting To Know You Series

14. current number of wips

7 which is too many. I’ll be paring down this year and trying to keep the white rabbit in check.

15. number of comments you haven’t read

ZERO. I LIVE for comments.

16. most memorable comment/review

Anything from the Fic Whining Circle!

17. events you participated in this year

Fetish/Trope Roulette which resulted in 4 Times Mara Noticed Luke's Feet and 1 Time Luke Noticed Mara's and its spin-off I Get Off

18. fics you wanted to write but didn’t

This years Halloween fic was supposed to be a Cyberpunk Halloween fic featuring Shirlee Faughn, Mara Jade, and my OC Starry Ice crew. I never finalized the plot so it got pushed to 2020 in favor of Apocalypse Yavin.

#year in review #jade writes #2019 fan fiction

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systemic-dreams · 7 years

Text

Star Wars Swearing and Expletives

Look what I found at Thought Co

Can we all just appreciate how many swear words Timothy Zahn gave Star Wars? That man is a kriffin’ legend.

F-WORD SUBSTITUTES IN STAR WARS

In general, words that start with a "K" or hard "C" sound take the place of the F-word and similar sounding euphemisms in English.

Crink/crinking was a common swear for pirates in the Outer Rim. It first appears in "Allegiance" by Timothy Zahn.

Farkled is an adjectival F-word euphemism, used in such contexts as "the engine's farkled" or "we got farkled in that deal."

Kark/karking, a Huttese expletive, appears frequently in "Star Wars: Legacy."

Kriff/kriffing has a similar meaning, although from context it does not appear to be quite as strong a curse. It first appears in Timothy Zahn's "Hand of Thrawn" duology, and probably comes from a simple rearrangement of the letters in "fricking," a euphemism for the F-word.

Krong is another swear from the Outer Rim pirates. It doesn't appear to have an adjectival form, but the verb is used in such sentences as "don't krong things up."

Skrog/skrogging appears in "Star Wars: Legacy" and appears to be of human origin.

Snark/snarking was used by bounty hunters in the Legacy era.

It has no relation to the English word "snarky," meaning "snide" or "sarcastic."

S-WORD SUBSTITUTES

Druk is an alien word for excrement and seems roughly equivalent to the S-word. It appears in phrases such as "a drukload of problems."

Dwang is a euphemism for excrement used by Clone Troopers during the Clone Wars. It appears in "Republic Commando: Triple Zero" by Karen Traviss.

Holy Sith! is used humorously as a euphemism for its English anagram. (It also appears in a "Futurama" episode.)

Shab is a Mandalorian word for excrement which appears in "Republic Commando: Order 66" by Karen Traviss. Shabuir is an insult derived from the word "shab."

Shavit originates on the planet Pakrik Minor and first appears in "Vision of the Future" by Timothy Zahn. While its exact definition is not stated, we can infer from the similarity to the S-word that it has a similar meaning.

INSULTS IN THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE

Bantha poodoo, a Huttese phrase meaning "Bantha fodder," first appears in "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" as an insult spoken by Jabba the Hutt. While the word "poodoo" sounds like it should translate to a similar-sounding word in English, the EU clarifies the phrase's meaning: Bantha fodder (i.e., food for Banthas) looks and smells disgusting.

E chu ta is another Huttese expletive. It first appears in "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back;" although its meaning is not defined, C-3PO exclaims, "How rude!" upon hearing it. It appears to be a particularly insulting and vulgar expression and is commonly used in "Star Wars: Legacy."

Hutt-spawn is an insulting phrase for everyone except Hutts, of course. It appears in "Knights of the Old Republic."

Laserbrain suggests that someone is stupid, crazy, or delusional, as in "I don't know where you get your delusions, laser brain" (Princess Leia to Han Solo in "The Empire Strikes Back"). Blaster-brained has a similar meaning.

Lurdo is a childish Ewokese insult, roughly equivalent to "dummy." It appears in the "Ewoks" animated series.

Nerf herder is an insult because shepherds who raised nerfs - buffalo-like animals native to Alderaan and raised for their meat - were generally scruffy-looking and smelled bad.

Leia throws this insult at Han in "The Empire Strikes Back."

Schutta is a Twi'lek insult referring to women, roughly equivalent to "slut." Its name derives from a weasel-like creature native to Ryloth, the Twi'lek home planet.

Sculag is a Chiss term referring to someone who is weak-minded. It appears in "Legacy of the Force: Inferno" by Troy Denning.

Sleemo is a Huttese insult which sounds like its English equivalent, "slimeball." It appears several times in "Episode I: The Phantom Menace."

Son of a blaster is a rather silly-sounding Star Wars substitute for "son of a gun," which is itself a euphemism for a more explicit insult.

Stoopa (sometimes spelled stupa) is a Huttese noun for a foolish or stupid person.

Vong is a grave insult among the Yuuzhan Vong, implying that someone has lost the favor of Yun-Yuuzhan, the creator god.

GENERAL EXPLETIVES

Chuba (sometimes spelled chubba) is the Huttese word for "you" or "your." When used as an expletive, however, it can express surprise ("What the chubba is that?") or imply that someone is untrustworthy.

Frizz/frizzled was a common swear among smugglers in the Old Republic. It first appears in "Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader" by James Luceno.

Shebs is a Mandalorian swear meaning "buttocks." It appears in "Republic Commando: Hard Contact" by Karen Traviss.

Sithspit is a common curse in all eras of the Star Wars universe, used to express surprise, anger, or other strong emotions. A related curse, sithspawn, refers to creatures genetically engineered by the Sith. Both swears originated on Corellia.

Vape/vaping is a mild expletive originating from Alderaan, roughly equivalent to "damn." Varp is probably a related expletive, used in phrases such as "What the varp!"

#swearing #expletives #swears #star wars #reference #thoughtco

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orlofsky · 7 years

Note

1, 2, 4, 27

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*20 years since I’ve read the Thrawn trilogy and I still don’t get Luke/Mara. WHERE IS THE CHEMISTRY. WHERE IS THE OTHER 90% OF MARA’S PERSONALITY. IS THERE SOME COMIC OR OBSCURE LEGENDS SHORT STORY THAT WILL MAGICALLY MAKE ME CARE ABOUT LUKE/MARA? WHY DID ALL MY 1990S NERD FRIENDS CARE SO HARD ABOUT THIS RELATIONSHIP. WHY.

2.Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?* Jyn/Cassian I think. I have zero interest in reading about a romantic relationship between them but I would for sure read 100k words about them recovering from their fucked up lives and learning to be friends with another human being. But I found the lack of romantic tension in Rogue One really refreshing, sooooo I’ve pretty much been avoiding its fandom for the most part

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?*I don’t know if it’s really a popular OTP anymore but Obi-wan/Anakin trips just about every squick I have on its way to vomit town

27. Least shippable character? Goddammit. I was going to say Yoda, then I remembered that scene from some book where he’s like OOOOOH COUNT DOOKU TURN ME TO THE DARK SIDE. Then I was going to say Palpatine but I remembered that one paragraph from the ROTJ novelization about Vader’s secret lusts and wild submission and I just don’t know anymore. Maybe something objectively gross like Droopy McCool, but then again I thought Yoda and Palpatine were also objectively gross and look at what happened there, god save us all.

maybe it’s every character in rogue one since they all apparently had to DIE because GOD FORBID we explain that the rebellion is maybe more than like twenty dudes and half a dozen x wings. Like maybe Admiral Radduss could have been halfway across the galaxy doing other shit when the time came to attack the death star? ISN’T THE DEATH STAR ATTACK NOT THE KIND OF MISSION YOU WOULD WANT TO FLING YOUR ENTIRE FLEET AT ANYWAY WHEN YOUR ONLY HOPE AT BLOWING IT UP IS A ONE MAN FIGHTER SNEAKING UNDERNEATH ITS DEFENSES??? SO WHY NOT LIKE nahhh that’s too hard to explain. death star everyone right in the face

the least shippable ship in star wars is me/satisfaction with star wars

#Anonymous

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verziehenone · 7 years

Photo

It’s that time again. That time for TV shows to bow out for a few months, go into hibernation, and then feverishly work to convince to return to their worlds for more.

Having watched a number of shows hit their finales in recent months, here is my subjective and biased ranking:

Agents of SHIELD

The 100

Z Nation

The Good Place

Arrow

Legion

Supergirl

The Flash

Supernatural

The Legends of Tomorrow

The Vampire Diaries

Superstore

Last Man on Earth

The Walking Dead

Suits

Star Wars: Rebels

Channel Zero

This isn’t a ranking from Good to Bad, but rather in order of ‘I liked it a lot!’ to ‘I could have liked it more’ to ‘It was a finale’. I don’t think I watched any shows in recent days that I really thought were awful finales, but some were definitely better than others.

SHIELD was fantastic this season and I can’t even really think of a true ‘lull’ in the action. First Ghost Rider, then LMDs, then the Framework (’Hydra’) stuff. Excellent way of divvying up a 23-24 episode season and keeping it fresh and exciting. Other shows would do well to learn from this example.

The 100 was terrific. That show keeps blowing me away. The stories are interesting, the acting and sets and effects are really great, and it’s full of great moments! The last two seasons have been up and down, but man, those ‘ups’ are really up!

Z Nation is an oddball to see on here but this show is so ridiculously fun that I have to mention it. Every episode has some insane ridiculous stupid zombie moment where insane ridiculously stupid things happen to zombies, and then a bad guy says something dumb and then probably dies an episode later and then more stupid ridiculously fun zombie action happens. So many fun and enjoyable moments of over the top action and effects.

Odd to see a comedy like this so high? The Good Place snuck up on me for being a very well written comedy with clever and laugh out loud moments, good acting and special effects, and a very very good finale. If you haven’t given it a shot, I really really think you should, it’s so surprisingly entertaining.

Arrow did a great job of concluding the present storyline in a BIG way, and also the flashback storyline. Very interested to see what will happen next season, as the finale left the writers with basically a blank slate regarding ... well ... everything.

Legion. Wow. I mean, Noah Hawley is just in a world of his own with directing. Fargo was instantly a classic (especially season 1) and Legion just proves it wasn’t a fluke. I loved seeing Dan Stevens break out of his Downton Abbey role in a big way, and obviously Aubrey Plaza was a treat (like always). The visuals, the music, everything. And obvs I loved seeing Jemaine Clement. Because I love seeing him in basically everything.

Supergirl did a great job of being the finale everyone kind of expected and hoped for at the same time. Big effects, big fights, conclusions to stories, teases for the next season, all of it. It had more ambition in it than some movies, and did a great job with maximizing the TV budget it had. And honestly, it’s crazy that this is a TV show. A decade ago, many of these episodes would have been a movie, for their budget and characters. And Melissa Benoist is just a treat.

Flash ... well, I love the Flash, but this season wasn’t great, and last wasn’t either. This was better, but still up and down, very uneven. The finale was fine, but it had a few things that could have made it much better. And naturally Barry did a Barry thing in the finale, and despite it actually making sense this time around, it still feels like a pointless cliffhanger. One of those: Is the main character really dead? Well, all signs point to Maybe! (Unless the show got renewed and isn’t Game of Thrones).

Supernatural was pretty solid considering it is in season 10,000. Sad that Mark Sheppard (Crowley) said he’s not coming back for next year, but maybe it’s a cop out like Ian Somerhalder (Damien) on Vampire Diaries, where it’s really just to ‘sell’ a finale. I really have enjoyed the last 4 seasons quite a lot and have every intention of tuning in again and again to watch the boys raise havoc and save people (and hunt things) as long as the CW will renew it.

Legends added dinosaurs in the finale, in a city, doing dinosaur things. This covers a lot of ‘meh’ parts in the finale, though it was pretty solid overall. I mean, when a season is about getting the Spear of Destiny and then needing to use the Blood of Christ that is buried in a battlefield (that you retrieve during a battle) so that 3 baddies don’t destroy all the things ... well, it’s an insane premise that was well delivered, just not incredibly well. More Captain Cold is always a good thing though!

Vampire Diaries finally ended, and it ended in (some) ways that people expected, and others that were still (somewhat) surprising. It smartly left teases to storylines unexplored that will likely payoff in The Originals, and allow us to continue visiting some characters again, but it didn’t feel like a cheap finale for a show that over and over surprised me with how fun and insane it was.

Both Superstore and Last Man on Earth had finales that reset the status quo and will get me back. Partly because they’re both terrific in different ways, and partly because both could use a bit of a shakeup in ‘the formula’. They were fine finales but not ‘OH MY GOSH HAVE YOU SEEN’ finales.

A simple summary of The Walking Dead finale: from literally the first 2 minutes I could have told you how at least part of it would end. But some parts were still very entertaining, while other were ... predictably dumb. This was a very up and down season with a lot of flaws that hopefully will be corrected and some story problems that seemed so simple to resolve.

Suits teased a change that seemed like it took an eternity to get here, despite being eminently enjoyable to watch it come to fruition, still took a thousand years to happen. It was renewed, so it will be neat to see how it changes things going forward. And, considering the upcoming spinoff, I wonder if Suits is coming to a close?

Rebels ... next season is your last. I have mixed feelings about this. Where was Ahsoka this last season? I guess that was the answer to season 2′s finale... but come on. That better not be the answer. I’m excited for some of the teases for next season, hopeful Thrawn keeps being menacing, and intrigued about how they end it. And mostly I’m interested to see when Disney will announce the next animated show, hopefully set in another interesting era where we can see big names do big stuff (ala Clone Wars). Still hopeful that Ezra goes darkside. We’ll see.

Channel Zero surprised me with how incredibly slow burning the entire show was, taking its sweet old time to add in the scares and the dread. I enjoyed every episode and thought the finale ended it sufficiently, but it wasn’t as good as the prior episodes. Here’s hoping that season 2 ends up with a similar slow burn feel.

And the following are ones that have aired but I haven’t yet watched:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Modern Family

Jane the Virgin

Bobs Burgers

Elementary

Samurai Jack

12 Monkeys

The Expanse

Into the Badlands

Yeah, I’ll get there. I watch a few of these with my wife, so it’s a ‘when we get to it’ kind of thing (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Modern Family, Jane the Virgin, Bobs Burgers), and a few (Samurai Jack, 12 Monkeys) I haven’t watched any of this season. And Elementary, while I really really enjoy it, I am at least 2-3 seasons out. The Expanse is the sci-fi show everyone should be watching but not enough are and I think it’s going to end up cancelled before it really hits its stride (and as far as I understand, it got terrifically better in season 2 after a very strong season 1). Into the Badlands is the show (frankly) that Iron Fist wishes it was and I really need to watch season 2, but its one of those shows you have to watch without doing other things (which tends to be what I do).

And there’s ones that are a still a ways out:

The Originals

The Leftovers

Better Call Saul

Doctor Who

Steven Universe

Adventure Time

Gotham

Fargo

American Gods

Prison Break

Twin Peaks

So much excellent TV in this! The Originals has been good, The Leftovers is on its way out (and seems to be maintaining its quality and momentum), and what I say that hasn’t been said about Better Call Saul? Doctor Who has been completely amazing this season, easily the best Capaldi season, and up there with the best ‘Nu Who’ seasons, in my opinion (and many others’). Steven Universe is so much fun and I know Adventure Time is on the way out ... sad sad sad. Can’t wait to share that with my son when he’s older. Gotham is insane and campy and stupid and I’ll absolutely tune in in the fall. Fargo has been good this season after a kind of ‘meh’ season 2. American Gods is a great adaptation of the book, and a great show really in every respect. Blown away by the quality! And I haven’t actually started Prison Break but I fully expect to enjoy it (and be sad since apparently it isn’t getting renewed again). Um and Twin Peaks is a show that I don’t understand but am watching season 2 so I can watch season 3.

And ones that are about to start:

Dark Matter

Killjoys

Fear the Walking Dead

Rick and Morty

Orphan Black

Preacher

Dark Matter isn’t amazing but it’s serviceable, while Killjoys is so so so much fun. Fear is still figuring itself out but season 2 was much better than season 1 (where they totally abandoned their premise about 2 episodes in). Rick and frickin’ Morty. When are we getting more, Dan Harmon??!??! And lastly, Orphan Black, I can’t believe it’s almost time to say goodbye. Tatiana Maslany better get some killer roles after this because she is a stellar actress and this show is so good, I hope the finale does it justice. And Preacher is just insane in the best way.

That’s all for my TV thoughts for now. I didn’t include Netflix-type binge shows but I watched a lot of those too (Iron Fist, 3%, The OA, Between, Travelers, Santa Clarita Diet, The Crown). Or shows I might want to watch but haven’t yet (Riverdale, Underground). And I probably forgot other shows too. And I probably watch too much TV, but if it’s any consolation or explanation, it heavily influences and inspires my writing. (And most of it I watch while video gaming anyway).

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