Beyond - Legends Friends No More [Jag and Shawnkyr] - COMPLETE - Replies, 2/13/05!!!

Part 1

I won't tell anyone where you got those steroids from...though you are running up quite a tab...

And then Sticks disappeared...

I'm glad you liked Thevan - I wanted a parent for Kyrn that would help explain her renegade behavior. I figured that one of her parents was more open minded for Shawnkyr to be Jag's friend.

I hope so, too. I like the fact that Soontir might have Chiss friends. Certainly, he needs supporters, or he wouldn't be the Assistant Syndic. And I don't think the Chiss dislike them as much as many people would like...

I agree!

Maybe weekly ice fishing trips on Csilla!

I'm trying to break the habit

Jag and Kyrn will need the assassin squad more than they'd like to think, too. I imagine they have quite a few enemies, inside and outside the CEDF. *puts down Jags_gurl on top of list*

I want a boyfriend like Jag too! He's so And you're right...he does want to be incriminated.

I'm glad you noticed this! Keeping things parallel helps me keep their characterization even no matter what story I'm writing.

More than Jag wants to admit.

 

I'm not a liar I am not a liar!

I just want to make sure you're aware that I'm still around. And eventually I will get back into detailed responses. The same thing goes for AHP--just give me a little time to figure some stuff out.

Besides, I'm also trying to write my own stuff... it cuts down on my gushing response time.

 

I was just kidding!! Don't worry about the line by line responses - I know you still love me. And you're also in school - I didn't write fanfic until I was out of college, so I know what it is to be swamped by work.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! This I am very excited for. Will it be featuring some Jella?

 

I was intending to go into this in depth, but I think all of the telling and most favorite lines have already been quoted.

I spent my weekend trying to think of a reply to this wonderfully emotional and revealing chapter.

And I came up with...



Dad's getting along, Jag and Shawnie agreeing to something, but not really asking, and then the Athan/Jag scene...


Oh, speaking of that, put Jag's sister together with Athan, I think they'd make a splendid pair He's just what she needs to calm down - I really would read this *hint hint* and it would make me feel better for not feeling bad about Athan not getting the girl lol! Please? I'll let you plan my next fic!


Kinda like Jag was just what Shawnie needed to see what she was missing *laughs*

Overall, I'm disappointed I didn't see a Jag/Shawnkyr reunion scene, just an "Athan's gone" scene... but I'm not disappointed with the whole scene in general. I really enjoyed it and I, like others, have noted how you've not used the words "I love you" at all... Which I think just adds to the depth of this. Kinda like they're both scared the other wouldn't be able to respond in kind, even though they've admitted it with their actions.

Very cool...

I'm headed for bed, then to add to my own stories...

and...

CONGRADS ON THE NOMS! WHOHOO!!!!

You deserve em

 

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! This I am very excited for. Will it be featuring some Jella?

Actually, I hadn't considered using TreatMeLikeAnAdultHotHornyJysella in a story, but now that you mention it, I could probably jot down a few ideas for future use. Hmmm...

But I should just grit my teeth and force myself to finish the various half-'fics I've got in my notebook.

Hmm. Jella... I'll have to think about that more. Actually, I'll just have to think about her more--it'll be more enjoyable.

 

Making people speechless is a good sign...right? Shawnkyr and Jag are good at that.

It's all coming together now. Of course, nothing will ever be perfect...

*wards off evil plot bunny*

Well, I have always intended to do a fic on Wyn. She's a great character and deserves more than to be pushed into the role of Jag's whiny little sister. I'd really like to see her develop and come into her own.

As for Athan...he's quite the popular man I've grown attached to him enough that I will be using him in upcoming works, you can be sure of that. And who says he's going to be lonely forever....

Exactly. Jag didn't change Shawnie, he only allowed her to express what was already there, in my opinion.

I was debating on whether to put that one in or not, but the chapter was getting too long. But you can be assured that their meeting was a happy one.

Just wait.

Thanks!! You too!

Finally!!! You promised a fic ages ago.

 

Last Chapter! It's extra long, filled with lurv, and it includes a teaser for another story at the very end!


~ Chapter 18 ~


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As long as a single mind remembers, as long as a single heart still beats with passion, how can a dream die?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Csalpar ? Fel Family Estate


Csilla, Shawnkyr had decided, was terrible in its beauty. At dawn, the sunlight crept slowly over the horizon, the frozen ocean of ice stretching for kilometers in every direction. This was no soft sunlight, but a light that pierced the hardest surfaces and left everything exposed.

But although it was well past dawn, the morning rays did not reach Shawnkyr, who stood on one of the outside verandas that surrounded the Baron?s home. Jamming her fists into the pockets of her parka, she watched her breath crystallize in front of her eyes. In the distance, she could see the distant figures of Soontir, Jag and Cem walk across the snowy fields. They had left several hours ago to go ice fishing and were just now returning before the expected snowstorm would hit northern Csalpar.

Syal and Wyn had declined to accompany them, and Shawnkyr had decided to stay behind as well. Having remembered childhood ice fishing trips with her father and brother, she had no wish to sit on a frozen lake and wait for hours to catch a handful of fish.

"Even from this distance, I can tell how smug they look." Syal?s melodic voice jolted Shawnkyr out of her reverie. "They feel very proud that they have escaped from the house to do manly things in peace." Syal moved to stand next to Shawnkyr. "Little do they know how much more peaceful this house is in their absence."

Shawnkyr eyed the former holostar from the corner of her eye. "My house is always calm?but never quite peaceful."

Syal chuckled. "Having known Marel for many years, I cannot say I am surprised." Her blue eyes softened slightly in concern. "And have you spoken with your mother?"

"Not since my last leave." Shawnkyr breathed in deeply the air that smelled sweet despite its biting cold. "Though my father did tell me that she asked about my status after the Battle of Tenupe." Her voice was quiet, not bitter. She had accepted her mother?s feelings on this matter, and she, more than any other, knew how intractable Marel could be.

"Do you think that she will come tonight?"

Now that the war was over, all troops, besides a small picket force, had withdrawn from the buffer zone to return to Chiss space. In celebration of that, as well as the upcoming nuptials between Jag and Shawnkyr, the Fels had invited Shawnkyr?s parents for the evening.

Thevan had agreed to come, but he had been unable to make any promises regarding his wife.

"No," murmured Shawnkyr. "My mother has made her position quite clear." She took a deep breath, as if debating something. Then: "Baroness," said Shawnkyr. "I have been meaning to ask you?you know that most of my own family does not accept Jag. They may never accept him. But from what I understand, Imperials tend not to accept such marriages either."

Syal silently considered the woman next to her. Shawnkyr?s presence at the Fel estate was nothing new; over the years, she had come often enough to warrant her own guest bedroom, and she was certainly their most frequent visitor. But today was the first time Shawnkyr was here as something more than Jag?s friend.

Shawnkyr was here as a daughter ? who needed a mother though she would never admit it even to herself. It had nothing to do with being human or being Chiss, being independent or being needy. Children, more often than not, looked to their mothers when they needed guidance, especially during trying times. And no matter how much she reasoned with herself, Shawnkyr would always seek maternal approval.

She would probably never get it from Marel. So Syal resolved to give it to her.

Part of Syal would always be uneasy with Jag?s choice. It was hard to shed a lifetime of prejudices, and even th

 

AUTHOR and END OF STORY NOTES



First of all, I?d like to thank all of my readers, both posters and lurkers alike, who have shared this journey with me to the end. Friends No More started as a response to a challenge, with only three intended posts, but somehow it grew into a much longer and detailed story. I can?t express enough how much the support of my readers played a part in writing Friends No More. The reviews, PMs, and chat sessions that resulted from this story not only gave me more great ideas but also brought me a lot closer to many of my readers.

This story dealt with interspecies romance, and it was a way for me to bring up a very under-explored topic in profic. I hope that I have been at least a little successful in opening up this topic for more discussion and exploration. And hopefully, I?ve succeeded in shining the spotlight not only on Shawnkyr but her fellow Chiss as well. Shawnkyr is an interesting character who deserved more screen time than to be relegated to the role of Jag?s wingmate, and the Chiss have the distinction of being one of the most common aliens in Star Wars while still being one of the most mysterious.

Some of you have asked for a sequel, but I must regretfully say that I will not be considering one. Friends No More is not so much about a Jag and Shawnkyr romance as it is about how they could possibly get together. Now that they have, I feel I have accomplished what I set out to do.

However, I am fond of this pairing, so you can expect to see them reappear, either in vignettes or part of other stories I will write. In fact, Friends No More is the first story in a connected series. The second story is Besieged, which chronicles the background of Soontir and Syal, from when they met to how they fared at the end of SsW. I have included a small tidbit at the end of this post, so stay tuned for the story!

And for those Athan lovers out there, rest assured, he will be appearing again sometime soon.

Lastly, I want to thank those who have taken the time to review. I?ve appreciated every one of them!


annabella79
AvenKiel
BigFatty
CarrKicksDoor
cheersweetie27
Chimpo_the_Sith
Csillan_girl
danish_head
Elena
FelsGoddess
Gloria
ImperialSpy
Jade_Max
JadeSolo
jags_gurl
Jaya Solo
JediTristan
Lola64
MaraJade1225
Master_Jaina1011
PregnantPadme
Rebel-at-Heart
RenegadeEwok
Stickster
Summerdaisy
TheCrazyRodian
Thrawn3333
Tkeira_lea
Trepidation
TrillianTk
Uriden
VaderLVR64
WynssaStarflare
Zettazofia


In addition to those listed above, I?d like to especially thank PregnantPadme, who has held my hand through much of this story, has listened to me rant when I was stalled for ideas, and has even betaed several chapters. Also, I?d like to thank Summer, whose challenge it was that got me started on this in the first place. If it weren?t for her and Mini, Friends No More would Never Have Been. And of course to my very own dark nest ? all those wonderful people who have offered me so much encouragement.

Thank you so very much.


Sincerely, Inara




And for any of you interested, here is a short excerpt from my upcoming story, Besieged:


~~~~~~~


She moved through the crowds, recognizing and greeting many of her friends in an elegant, casual manner. She felt confident and beautiful as she stepped through the throng, moving delicately since her new dancing slippers pinched her feet a little. She had fashioned her own dress in deep blue velvet, embroidered with golden thread that matched her hair. Drifting with no real purpose from one side of the hall to the other, Syal watched the swirling bodies and smiled in enjoyment.

Pausing for a moment by one of the many tables laden with wine and appetizers, she wondered where her escort, Major Arden, had disappeared to.

?Are you not dancing, my lady?? asked a deep, clear voice behind her.

S

 

Having remembered childhood ice fishing trips with her father and brother, she had no wish to sit on a frozen lake and wait for hours to catch a handful of fish. LOL, good choice, Shawnie. I always hated fishing?

"Even from this distance, I can tell how smug they look." Syal?s melodic voice jolted Shawnkyr out of her reverie. "They feel very proud that they have escaped from the house to do manly things in peace." ?manly things in peace?, rotf! It?s so true though?

In celebration of that, as well as the upcoming nuptials between Jag and Shawnkyr, the Fels had invited Shawnkyr?s parents for the evening. Nuptials? I love nuptials? drinks all around!

Shawnkyr?s presence at the Fel estate was nothing new; over the years, she had come often enough to warrant her own guest bedroom, and she was certainly their most frequent visitor. But today was the first time Shawnkyr was here as something more than Jag?s friend. I LOVE that she has her own bedroom!

Shawnkyr was here as a daughter ? who needed a mother though she would never admit it even to herself. It had nothing to do with being human or being Chiss, being independent or being needy. Children, more often than not, looked to their mothers when they needed guidance, especially during trying times. And no matter how much she reasoned with herself, Shawnkyr would always seek maternal approval.

She would probably never get it from Marel. So Syal resolved to give it to her. I like your Syal characterization. And I like that Kyrn?s searching for maternal approval ? it?s too bad that her mom has to be a villain in your story, but it really works very well. (Hey, someone had to be the villain)

Part of Syal would always be uneasy with Jag?s choice. It was hard to shed a lifetime of prejudices, and even though she knew it was wrong, Shawnkyr?s very alien nature caused her to recoil on a fundamental level. It was fine when she was just Jag?s friend, but as his lover?

Yet she also knew that Jag?s happiness was intertwined with this woman, and the happiness of her children went a long way in eradicating personal feelings. It?s nice to see that it?s not the Chiss struggling with a prejudice, and I?m very relieved to see Syal be able to put aside any bias she may feel.

"Jag always reminded me of my father in many ways ? except when he was not completing baffling. Serious, quiet, and stubborn right from the beginning. He could hold a complete standoff at the age of three, but then, so could Soontir and I. We made him stubborn in the first place, so it is not fair to be angry at him for it, for having a mind of his own and not being afraid to make it up and hold to it, for being his own person and not being just like the two of us." @ picturing a 3 yr old Jag scowling up at his parents?

"And expectations do not always work out either. I expected that Jag was going to be a girl for the first sixth months I was pregnant with him."

Her comment did the trick. The stiffness left Shawnkyr?s slender frame, and her mouth relaxed into a small smile. "That is ammunition for another day." !!!! That?s fabulous!!

Aristocra Formbi wanted Jag as part of the Chiss delegation because he wanted a Chiss-raised human to thumb his nose at the other humans." I totally busted out laughing at that line. Not even kidding !

"Jag wants you to accompany him...as his intended." Awwwww, meeting the family!!

"We knew that we would face censure. But I worry that if I go with Jag to Alliance space, he will face censure among his people. He should not have to deal with this in two places." The price of love. He will deal with it and love every minute of it, Kyrn, because he loves you.

Syal's mouth tightened. "His family." I would love for you to explore the relationship between Wedge and Syal that she alludes to! You would write it so well, I?m sure. [face_begging]

"I am today's winner," he announced smugly. "I have caught four fish

 

Psh.
Well, as the first person to read the whole thing and reply afterward, I just have to say that I loved it. You're brilliant and stop being so paranoid!

Will come back for uber-long review later though.

 

Oh my goodness. Wow. Simply wonderful! I will do a line-by-line soon, of this last (brilliant, awesome, powerful) post. I need to make some major long distance phone calls now, though. Until a little later,

me

 

Well, I've lurked through this fic for a long time and am finally commenting. WOW!!! is about all I can say. I absolutely loved it. I think Jag and Shawnkyr are perfect for each other. In fact, I alude to marriage between them in my own fic. I really like Shawnkyr as a character and when she is paired with Jag I can even like him slightly (only kidding but then as you can see from my signature I'm a diehard K/J 'Shipper ) I actually, can not see him paired with anyone else. I know alot of my fellow cohorts (K/Jers) like to pair him with Tahiri but I honestly can not see that relationship. They have even less in common then Jag and Jaina. The only one that seems logical is with Shawnkyr.

But anywho, just wanted to let you know that I loved this and respect all of the great research you did to pull this off. Keep up the great work.....

FL

 

This space is reserved for future comments and gushing....

O my god. The contrast between Syal and Marel was great, love that Syal took responsibility.

Again, I love Syal's reasoning and her retrospective of raising Jag. You know that I made a wierd connection to Rebel Dream and the line "we raised her that way, Han", but it does work. It connects Jag and the whole 'being changed by Jaina' thing. Hahah, that makes it awesome!!

I was a mite confused by the j/s tension, but I guess that's wedding jitters?

I LOVE JAINA IN THIS POST. Wow, tragic, sword jaina. That's the way I envisioned her long ago (see old fics...) and how she still seems to be, way down inside. O wow. That was so great! No, not great; more fascinating, amazing, subtle, right, and totally tragic. You do know Jaiina, in all her facets.

To say nothing of Jag and Shawnie.

You and this are so amazing, Inara....I have lots to say but I have to go to class!!

 

Very beautiful and bittersweet. There definately will be compromises between Shawnkyr and Jag but I think they are both willing and prepared to make them.

I found the last couple of paragraphs from Jaina's perspective very heart-breaking. She gave up everything to do what she thought was right and now she dwells in the ruins of her life.

I also found Wedge's acknowledgement that his sister wants nothing to do with him or his family very sad. Syal's decision to cut herself off from him was very Chiss-like. I am definately looking forward to your Syal/Soontir story.


Great job! I have absolutely loved this story and am somewhat sad to see it end.

 

Dahhhhl.....

Do you hear that?

That is the sound of me weeping in the corner...no, no, no...this time it's because Friends No More is over!

Thank you for the kind words of gratitiude...it's so nice to see that the Mutual Admiration Society is earning it's keep this week. You were easy to Beta for all three chapters I think I actually looked at and I have enjoyed little recently as much as sitting up late and 'talking' plot points foreshadowing and character development with you over copious amounts of alcohol, so much so in fact that I actually got my rear in gear enough to start posting Fear and Love...so you are to blame! And, I appreciate you letting me stay spoiler free for this last update.

I don't have time to do a line by line now (sithly children haven't given me a moments peace all day) but I wanted to take a second to tell you how much I loved the story and how incredibly impressed I am with the whole. You did a great job and so heartley deserve all the accolades and nominations. Your characters are vibrant, real people and their trials and tribulations were a pleasure to read. I never had any real feelings on Shawnie before hooking up with you and now, seeing her through your eyes has made me adore her.

I really loved everything about this post and will give you more detailed comments later, but the kriffing dsl is showing me no love today, AIM is up it's own **s and I'm still knee deep in trying to get this website built so I figured I'd laud you the old fashion way!

Fee

 

Ack!! Sputter Sputter ~

Wow. I'll have to get back to you on that...

 

Inara...

Sooo much love for you and this story and this completely perfect ending.

And (I think I've said this at LEAST three times on this thread) I really will review it later... :\

Haha.

But, seriously, this was amazing. I still can't believe that I support a Jag/Shawnkyr romance...but hey, if it were anything like this, absolutely.

 

*faints*

What an ending, Inara! Just when I thought this story couldn't get any better, you write a chapter like this.

I think the reason I like this story so much is because it's old fasioned. There are rules to courtship, traditions to follow - and it has the distinction of not being a cliched, Americanized story. All the characters are in character.

And there is something about the feelings Jag brings out in Shawnkyr that simply makes me curl my toes. With them, it's the anticipation, the moments right before and after, sensual without being sexual. Bravo

I'll return with more thoughts later. I know everyone has been saying that, but when a story like this, good responses take time to formulate. I've been bad with them, but I'll do my best to be articulate on this last post.

And I too am VERY excited for your Syal/Soontir epic!!

 

Okay, so I just read this WHOLE thing today--not sure how long it took, as it was broken up--and all I can say is wow.

Wow.

Wow.

Incredible. This is fiction, fanfic or otherwise, as it was meant to be written. Jag and Shawnkyr will now always be my pairing of choice for those two characters--which is a nice thing, as I recently fell in love with Jag but hate putting him with Jaina (being the diehard Jaina/Zekk shipper that I am). I honestly don't think the relationship was healthy, and I hate what Jaina did to Jag. Which is strange, because it means that my three favorite EU male characters are all Jaina's love interests (Kyp, Jag, and Zekk), but I adore them completely apart from Jaina herself. Jag is (tries mightily to think of some word, any word, that can describe the genius that is Jag's characterization in this) so human in this, and so completely real. He is adorable, and completely himself--anyone who does not like Jag obviously needs their head examined or has not yet read this story. Shawnkyr is also incredible--you give her depth and strength to be proud of, and I am thrilled by the depth of your characterization. She certainly deserves it. And, personally, I adore the Chiss, so I was thrilled you gave them so much depth in this fic.

Cem and Athan were simply the icing on the cake . Honestly, I'm so jealous. Not only is your characterization of the canon characters spot on, not only is this fic canon-compatible, but do your original characters really have to be so utterly brilliant as well? I'm kidding, of course. Brilliant job.

I love the Anaxes-based Citadel by the way. When I started reading about the area where only the officers given their ranks there could walk, I started thinking, "hey, this reminds of something . . . ."

Something I started thinking about while reading this fic, mostly because of the effort you put into developing Chiss culture, was how much the Chiss remind me of the Japanese. I think that the Chiss were deliberately modeled on them--the similarities are too striking to be otherwise. First of all, for over two hundred years, the Japanese, who were ruled by a bureaucratic military dictatorship that the Chiss would have adored at the time, were completely isolationistic. They were also incredibly xenophobic at the time, and they still have a definite arrogance about their own superiority (actually, it's so ingrained that most Japanese don't even realize they have it). They have a similar build to the Chiss--slight but strong, with the same black hair. Though, of course, the skin and eye colors are different . The Japanese are traditionally culturally obsessed with honor and duty and view love as a great misfortune. They are also extremely formal, polite, and courteous, and have a thing about bowing, as well as a definite sense of emotional distance. And their ruthlessness in military matters is renowned. Just an interesting thought I ended up having.

Great job on this. Really. Incredible.

 

A couple general comments first...

This was a high-class fic that took a departure from the standard soup du jour ships/plots/ and tired old phrases. And, while the premise on paper would have been cringe worthy to many, I believe you were able to take such an "outlandish" plotline and make it believable. That is attributed to more items than I can list...but here are a few.

--you dealt with more than just the surface relationship...by adding in third party prejudice, political ramifications, and social tribulations.

--you made cross-species union a serious matter and did not do so as an after thought like (Rogue pilots and Twi'leks)

--You showed a natural progression in a number of characters (none more so that Shawnkyr)... even though there was minimal action or settings, the change in her mindset and values drove the story forward

--you, quite simply, made it believable....which was no easy fete. I bought it...and even found myself hoping that the bug hugger wouldn't spoil the party.

Like many, I am disappointed to see this fic end (and I get the impression you hold the same sentiments as the author. That's the sign of a good one in my opinion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the final post:

A nice ending. It leaves the reader craving a bit more, and shows that both Jag and Shawnkyr are still feeling out the new frontier. In other words, the story shows a progression beyond the last word...especially on the continued development of Shawnkyr. My favorite portion of this last post was, surprisingly, Syal's honesty. I have been programmed on this forum to receive the simplistic and convenient...and every once in a while come across the realistic. Syal was not entirely happy with the J/S union. She said as much. But, she, also, prioritized to place her son's happiness before her own misgivings. Arguably, that was an honesty that Shawnkyr could understand easier than accepting that she was all for the relationship.

Also, I like that Jag was still strugging with the issues when they arrived on Bastion. The difficulties did not just disappear over night. Again, realism rules the day. It isn't always a happy go lucky world...and that is reflected in your fic. Additionally, and on a lighter note...Shawnkyr is still progressing right through the last post. Her booty call was a highlight of allowing her personal wants and needs to gain more importance. Her ability to tell Jag she loved him while feeling like she was balancing on a beam fifty meters above some ravenous gundarks...was another example.

Jaina's presence on Bastion added color...but let's face it...she is a bit character in the story, and you kept it honest by keeping her there to the very end. She still seems to be carrying the qualities of a bug hugger to some extent. You reap what you sow....more power to her and her continued larvae of malcontent.

Jag paused. "The love I had with her was the love of my youth. Passionate, idealistic ? a fantasy. But it was not adult love. It was not responsible love." He reached over and took her hands. "What I learned later is that adult love is not about me being willing to sacrifice everything for her. Adult love is about compromise. Adult love can be painful. And adult love is certainly not perfect."

He squeezed her hands. "What I share with you is that kind of love. And let me tell you, it is not very fun. Not easy, at any rate." His gaze softened. "But I would not want anything else to replace it."

Immensely comforted by his reassurance, she moved to sit closer to him. He immediately wrapped an arm around her and held her close. "I am sorry for doubting you," she said after a few minutes.

"I am sorry that I did not reassure you earlier," he said in return. "Sometimes I forget how much more difficult this situation is for you."

"For both of us," she corrected, and, in a rare display of affection, placed her head against his.

In closing, I just wanted to reitterate a portion of this last post

 

I have to go to the store, but when I come back, I have a whole essay planned for this beautiful conclusion to a beautiful story.

 

Okay. Wowza!

First off, I love how you say Lurv, because that's exactly how I say it, and it's great to know I'm not the only one!!

It's so great to see Shawnkyr starting to be affectionate, and get in tune with Jag. Humans are such a touchy feely lot! ^_^ I especially liked seeing her seek comfort from Jag, when she snuck into his room and climbed into bed with him. It's nice to see her really depending on Jag, making him feel needed.

I can understand why Shawnie would be apprehensive about having children. When I think about it, I'd like to have my own biological children, but if it isn't possible I wonder how I'd feel? Would I be totally disappointed, or would I just go out and adopt children? How would my hubbie take it? (Have to find a hubbie first )

 

I have a massive reply to all the wonderful responses in the process of being written, but I wanted to respond to this one comment in particular:

That's exactly right! When I first started doing research into the Chiss, I noticed that there were similarities, and I think that Zahn might have had them in mind when he was modeling Thrawn's culture.

Zahn loves inflating his own creations (but he' still my favorite profic writer ), and I can buy that he idealized Chiss culture in many ways. The non-agression law, societal structure, political structure, etc. are similar to the Japanese. It's an interesting thought, at the vert least.

Thanks for noticing!

 

You know, I thought that same thing. Being a former social studies teacher, I saw the similarity when I read Zahn's novels. I'm glad someone else saw it too.

FL

 

I haven't replied to this yet?

Hmm, probably because I'm so short for time *makes a face*

So I'll have to keep it quick - but I did want to touch on two things.

Shawnkyr's reaction to Jag's "I love you." - Inara, that was exactly the way I saw her reacting. It's so... alien to her culture to express their emotions and let go of that control... and to admit to a feeling she's not ever experienced, the level of fear I was just... blown away.

I adored her reaction, thank you so much for writing it this way, it really made my day and added to the scene. Even if it made Jag uncomfortable enough to leave when she didn't respond in kind - but that should have been expected too I do adore how you waited until the last post for them to express what they were feeling, almost as if they were just -waiting- to be certain it's what they were feeling.



Second part: The idea of doing a Fel Family saga is just daunting but so incredibly irresistable! I love where you're going with it, and I can't wait to see where you take all of us on this ride.

You deserve lots and lots of these:
(ack! I used this smiley's limit!)

For what you've done with this. So breath-taking and incredible. Thanks for the wild ride!


I would write a longer reply, but I'm headed off to work and my weekend off is going to be busy *sighs* If I get time to reply more in-depth, I will. Sorry!