Saga Career Exploration (with Gungans)|2023 Summer Fanfiction Olympics Decathlon

Career Exploration (with Gungans)​

Author: Seldes Katne

Time Frame: The early events of these stories take about four years after the Empire’s ascendence and span about a 10-year period.

Cast: Vestri Dain (OC), Adrick Fel (OC), various staff members of Sanbra University, and the Fel-Dain family children. (Buckle up, folks! )

Summary: Vestri Dain has been formally adopted into the Muudabok Clan of the Gungan people, and is starting a family with her spouse Adrick Fel. Most adults in Gungan society are expected to help raise the clan's children. Vestri and Adrick plan to follow Gungan culture by adopting youngsters into their family, with all the joys, headaches, and surprises that entails.

Note: At various points, characters will be speaking in a language other than the mainstream language of that story. Those quotes will be bracketed by << and >> instead of quotation marks.

Spoiler: For readers unfamiliar with Vestri Dain and her background:

Vestri Dain is first introduced in The Mythologist, when she is a graduate student at Coruscant University in the Anthropology/Sentientology program. One of her favorite haunts is Dex’s Diner, where she meets a variety of beings and begins collecting myths, legends and stories from various (mostly) non-human cultures.

The first post in The Mythologist thread includes links to most of her other stories, including specific pieces written for the 2022 Kessel Run Challenge and Notes from the Field, written for the 2021 Fanfic Summer Olympics Challenge, in which Vestri and her friends are travelling to do graduate work and gaining experience in their respective fields. She and some of my other OCs also appear in "Season of Sharing," which takes place while Vestri is a professor at Sanbra University.

Index of Stories:​

“Think of the Children”: Rugby 7's: Write a story of 7x 7 sentences. Part I, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7.

“Ground Rules”: 110 Word Hurdle: 110 words in which the name or names of your character, couple, family, or friendship aren’t mentioned.

Reezel -- Future Lawyer. 1500 Word Dash: A 1500 word story about your character, family, friendship or couple with any theme.

Gritsi -- Future Librarian: 400 Word Cross Country: 400 words about your character or couple with any theme. Crafting: 100 Word Sprint: A 100 word drabble about your character, family, friendship or couple using any theme. Inner Child: Single Sentence Shot Put: A story told in a single sentence about your character, family, friendship or couple.

Chance Meeting: Prime Time Coverage: Minimum 500 words of action, adventure, or excitement with your chosen character, friendship, family or couple as the star.

Adjustments: 4x100 Relay: 4x100 word drabbles of exactly 100 words each on the four types of love (affection, intimacy, friendship, and charity) as experienced by your character, family, friendship or couple in one post.

Parental Discretion Advised: Tennis Match: Write a story of 100 or more words that is dialogue-only to create a true volley of words.

As it Might Have Been: AU Archery: A story of at least 100 words set in an alternate universe with your character, family, friendship, or couple.

"Draff -- Future Engineer." Fantastical Fencing: A story of at least 100 words involving your character, family, friendship or couple in which something fantastical happens.

"Winter Comes to Sanbra." Water Polo Poetry: A piece of poetry written about your character, couple, family, friendship, etc., in any style.

Director's Cut Bonus Material:
"Hent Eck -- Future Chef (Maybe)". 200 Freestyle: An exactly 200-word story about your character, family, friendship or couple with a free choice of any theme.
"Heart to Heart". 200 Freestyle: An exactly 200-word story about your character, family, friendship or couple with a free choice of any theme.
Untitled. Also unfinished.

 

"Think of the Children," Part 1:
Rugby 7's: Write a story of 7x 7 sentences.​

I never expected to have children. (Of course, I hadn’t really thought about getting married, either, yet here I am with a Gungan spouse, officially adopted into the Muudabok Clan, so… yes.) Adrick and I chose to adopt three youngsters, spacing them at least two or three years apart. We ended up with… well, that would be telling. Let’s say we planned on three, and that’s where we were when the kids first came to Sanbra University on a two-week visit. Young Gungans mature more quickly than Human children, so that meant they were relatively independent. It also meant they could get into more trouble if not watched closely.

Ground Rules
110 Word Hurdle: 110 words in which the name or names of your character, couple, family, or friendship aren’t mentioned. ​

The Human woman turned to face her gaggle of Gungan followers. “All right, everyone. You are at Sanbra University for two weeks. I have classes to teach and meetings to attend, so you will be on your own occasionally. Now, repeat the ground rules.”

The eldest child said in High Gungan, <<Don’t bother the staff.>>

<<Stay with you or Dad at all times,>> said the next child.

The third continued, <<Ask a grownup before eating anything.>>

<<Keep Dad out of the library art section. And any art museums.>>

The adult male Gungan pretended to sulk.

“Good. Remember, we don’t want anyone sent to the infirmary or security office this trip….”

 

Love to see more about the Gungans. Fun read

 

It's here, it's here! I've wanted to know more about Vestri's marriage and family since I read that disagreement she had with her mother in your Kessel Run thread, and this promises to be everything I was wishing for. So, three children for now, but there's also Adrick, and...

Why do I sense that he's more likely to get in trouble than his children?

Somehow, I'm sure we'll get to visit both before the Olympics are over

Tiny note: you have a typo in the big title in the opening post. Your Gungans are dancing Gangnam-style.

 

Thank you! I hope you enjoy the rest of the stories, although I fear some will be less fun than others...

We will, for better or worse, be seeing a bit more of Vestri's mother this time around. After writing that one, I'm surprised Vestri's as well adjusted as she is.

Adrick's a surprisingly good parent (the quintessential stay-at-home dad, since he's an artist and crafter), he just gets distracted. Sometimes a lot.

Well, security office, anyway, but not at Sanbra.

Gaaahh! I thought I caught that last night. [facepalm]

Thank you -- corrected. Really shouldn't be posting things at 1:30 a.m.

Next installment coming next Wednesday.

 

Ooh, these OCs are intriguing! I'm looking forward to reading more about Gungan society and how this couple adjusts to their new way of life.

I'm also imagining these kids yoinking french fries from strangers' plates when they're not looking.

What did you do, Dad?

This storyline is shaping up to be a lot of fun! I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone fares... great start to the challenge!

 

This sounds like a very fun family. Loved the first entry being an introduction of sorts, and Ground Rules was hilarious and showed me who these characters were perfectly despite it's short length.

Keep up the good work!

 

So glad to see your Gungan stories continuing! And also a unique take on what family means (outside of the conventional "family" humans may think of!) and further exploration of Gungan culture, which you are always awesome at expanding and making interesting.

LOL Gold right here

 

Yay, I've been looking forward to this! I can't wait to learn more about Vestri's and Adrick's family and how they work together to raise the youngsters. From the first part of "Think of the Children," it sounds like we've got some adventures in store for us.

I see I'm far from the first person to quote this line here, but I love the implication in the words this trip. This apparently isn't Vestri's first rodeo.

Looking forward to the next installment!

 

I always thought this was perfect spacing. too. Looking forward to more Gungans' particular POV.

 

Next installment will be posted tomorrow, when we'll meet the oldest of the children. In the meantime:

We'll see more of that in the fourth installment -- the next two will take place on Sanbra and be more about Gungan children interacting with the folks there.

Well, they do have that long tongue that just scoops up food from a distance, so yeah. Thanks for reading, UltramassiveUbersue.

Thank you for hosting and for reading, devilinthedetails. Several of these pieces surprised me as I was writing them, so it's been a voyage of exploration all the way around.

I really liked the Rugby 7's prompt -- thank you to whoever thought of that one! I ended up using it in two of my three groupings.

Thank you. Sadly, Gungans also have a shorter lifespan that Humans, on average, but that has zero impact on these stories.

I too have done camp counselor (and activity leader) work, and breaking the rules was apparently a formally accepted pastime.

Wait until we meet Gritsi next week.

Thank you. And thank you for reading!

Thank you for reading and commenting, whiskers. We'll be putting names to faces in the next couple of weeks.

Thank you, gizkaspice! The fourth installment of this decathlon will take place in Vestri's and Adrick's chosen home city, where will get a look more of the culture. Thanks for reading.

It's certainly not the first rodeo (or circus, whichever fits better), as Vestri and Adrick have three youngsters at this point. Thanks for commenting -- I hope you enjoy the rest of the ride.

Well, that was the spacing in my family (my brother was born about three years after I was), so that's my benchmark. Thank you for reading -- hope you enjoy the rest of the events.

 

"Think of the Children, Part 2:
Rugby 7's: Write a story of 7x 7 sentences.​

Reezel is our oldest, and of course was expected to help with the younger siblings from time to time. But she also became her own person early on. Adrick and I took her to a few of my Human family gatherings, and for some reason, she attached herself to my mother. (Kind of the way a tooka will attach itself to someone who is allergic to fur, or who is Definitely Not a Cat Person.) I think my mother tolerated her because Reezel was convinced she wanted to be a lawyer (or a Speaker of Law, in Gungan society). Reezel even had Adrick make a “lawyer’s briefcase” for her out of leather, to carry her legal padd and other items. I have no doubt Reezel will become a perfectly good Speaker of Law; after this incident, however, she will definitely be getting a different mentor.

Reezel – Future Lawyer
1500 Word Dash: A 1500 word story about your character, family, friendship or couple with any theme.​

“All rise!” the court’s protocol droid ordered. “The honorable Shafwi Kipo presiding over this morning’s trial.”

The elderly Mon Calamari female entered with a stately stride, climbed the three steps to the bench, and turned to face the assembly. “This court is now in session. Please be seated.” She stopped, blinking at the Prosecution’s table. “Solicitor Dain, I see you have added a new member to your legal team. Who is this?”

Lydiya Dain replied, “Your Honor, this is Reezel; she is one of my daughter’s adopted children. She is a Gungan, from the planet Naboo. Reezel has indicated that she’s interested in becoming a lawyer.”

The judge tilted her head and studied Reezel, seated beside Lydiya. “I see. Reezel, please stand and step in front of the bench.”

Reezel’s eyes widened; she glanced at Lidiya, who nodded solemnly. Reezel gulped, then slid out of the chair and walked around the table to stand before the judge. Kipo nodded. “Do you know where you are, Reezel?”

“The Penatt’ah courtroom on Sanbra. “ Behind her, Lidiya cleared her throat. Reezel added, “Yo’ah Honor.”

“And do you know what happens in a courtroom?”

“Yes, Yo’ah Honor. When pipple brekk the law, theysan go to court. The Speakers of Law ‘splain what the rules are. Then the good pipple are set free, and the bad pipple go to jail.”

Kipo clasped her flipper-like hands in front of her. “In a perfect universe, that would be true. Sadly, it does not always work that way. Still, that is the basic idea. Do you know what behavior is expected in a courtroom, Reezel?”

“Yes, Yo’ah Honor. Be quiet, stay seated, listen to the person talking, and don’t bite anyone.” A chuckle ran through the courtroom. Reezel’s haillu drooped a bit.

Kipo tilted her head again. “That certainly sounds like a good and acceptable list of behaviors.” She glanced to one side. “Perhaps we should add ‘don’t bite anyone’ to the expected actions of all our courtroom attendees, R-128.”

“I shall make a note of it, Your Honor,” replied the RQ unit.

The judge turned back to Reezel. “Very well, Reezel. You may stay and observe. Please be seated.” Reezel sketched a bow and scurried back to her seat.

Lidiya leaned over and murmured, “Very good. Here’s your padd, and a stylus.” She placed an electronic handheld and stylus in front of Reezel.

“Thank yous.” Reezel ducked under the table and picked up her own “lawyer briefcase” – a leather courier bag her Clan Father had made for her – and withdrew a set of colored pencils and a flimsi pad. She laid them out on the table.

“Present the docket, R-128,” Kipo ordered.

“First case this morning: Plaintiff Srestollo Tiff vs. Sanbra Capitol Police Force, specifically individuals Officer Mutado, Officer Brill, and Security Personnel Fang.” Reezel stared – “Fang” was an anooba, wearing a “uniform” designed for a canine.

Reezel knew about trained animals: her people had domesticated the kaadu, the falumpaset, and the blarth (similar to the anooba). Many of these creatures could follow commands and perform tricks. But as much as they loved and respected their animals, the Gungans knew the difference between themselves and non-sentients.

Reezel listened to the trial proceedings: Lydiya Dain’s client had broken into a business competitor’s office, stolen files, and been caught. He had fled and refused to surrender to authorities, so the officer had sent Fang after him. The anooba had caught him by the arm and thrown him to the ground, holding him until officers arrived.

During the testimonies, Lydiya Dain would occasionally say, “Objection!” and explain the rule or reasoning behind it. Often Kipo would reply, “Sustained!”, which meant she agreed with Lydiya’s reasoning; twice she said,” Overruled,” which meant she disagreed.

At last Lydiya called her client to testify. Three minutes into the session, the client shrieked, pointing at Fang, “That animal needs to be put down!”

Reezel knew what the phrase “put down” meant. “Objection!” she shouted.

Silence. Everyone froze. Then Lydiya Dain turned her head, a furious expression on her face. “What are you --!” But Reezel was focused on the judge.

At last Kipo said, “On what grounds are you objecting?”

“Your Honor –” Lydiya began.

Reezel pointed to Fang. “Diss’n an h’animal, Yo’ah Honor. Hesa can’t spikk for himse’f. Hesa can’t ask for a Speaker of Law. Hesa can’t be a witness. Trained h’animals follow commands. Theysa don’t act on dere own. Iss not fair to punish hims!”

Before the judge could reply, Lydiya rounded on Reezel. “How dare you! Get up! Outside, now!” She snapped at her legal colleague, “Take over here!” and marched Reezel out the courtroom door.

Reezel was aware of Lydiya on a comm channel to someone, but she was too miserable to care. What would her Clan Mother say?

“What were you thinking?!” Lydiya shouted, once they were outside the courthouse. “You were told to sit and observe, and instead you interrupted the proceedings and embarrassed me!” Reezel shrank in on herself. “You clearly can’t follow simple instructions –”

“Calm down, lady – you’ll pop a blood vessel,” said a female voice. Daggeri Hekoth strolled up to the pair, followed by the Gamorrean, Trognu. “Stop screaming at the kid; she doesn’t deserve it.”

“You have no idea what happened just now!”

“Don’t care. You don’t scream at a nine-year-old, no matter what she did. “

“I won’t take grief from you, you little gutter snipe! Vestri obviously needs better taste in friends.”

Trognu squealed and grunted in her own language, and Lydiya drawled, “She can’t even keep company with someone who can speak Basic.”

“The lady Gamorrean said that your daughter is willing to learn from those different from herself, and is a better person for it,” said R-128 from behind her. Before Lydiya could respond, the droid added, “Your pardon, Solicitor Dain, but I believe Judge Kipo wishes to consult with you.”

Lydiya’s voice was ice. “I’ll just bet she does.” She glared at the trio. Then without another word, she turned on her heel and stalked away.

“Tough day in court,” Daggeri remarked, kneeling before Reezel. “You want a hug, kid?” Reezel nodded, and put both arms around the Togruta’s neck. Daggeri hugged her back; after a moment, Trognu joined the huddle. Finally, Reezel let go.

“Solicitor Reezel, if I may have a moment of your time?” R-128 asked. Startled, Reezel looked up at him. “It appears Judge Kipo agreed with your outburst. She has declared that your objection was sustained. All charges against your client ‘Fang’ are dismissed.”

Daggeri grinned. “Wait – you had a client? I thought you were just observing.”

“Solicitor Reezel brought a valid concern to the court’s attention,” R-128 said. “Thus, a service animal is now free.” The droid addressed Reezel. “If I might make an observation: there are many areas of law, Ms. Reezel. You spoke on behalf of an animal with no legal standing; others have done the same. Still other lawyers represent children’s interests in court. The Ithorians have a battalion of lawyers who argue on behalf of planetary ecosystems, which of course cannot speak for themselves.

“When I first came to this court, I was property. I had no say in the hours I worked, the jobs I did, or who gave me orders. Then one day a lawyer asked to represent me in court, to establish a precedent for droid rights. I agreed, and he argued my case. Now I have the same rights as the biological court employees. But only because someone was willing to speak up for me.”

“Same here,” Daggeri said. “My parents died on Coruscant, and I ended up in the foster care system.” She grimaced. “I joined a street gang and ended up in juvie court. One person decided that my life was more valuable than a broken system, and got me placed in a program where I could go back to school and get an education. Probably saved my life.”

“Despite what Solicitor Dain might think, I believe you have the makings of, what did you call them? ‘Speakers of Law’?” R-128 told Reezel. The droid held out her “lawyer briefcase”. “I took the liberty of packing this up for you.” Trognu spoke again, and R-128 translated, “She said to use Lydiya Dain as an example of the person you don’t become.”

Daggeri stood up. “Congratulations, kid. You just joined the biggest club in the known galaxy – people Lydiya Dain disapproves of.”

“I expect I will soon join that club as well,” R-128 remarked. “Judge Kipo didn’t ask to consult with Solicitor Dain – that was merely a ruse to get her out of the way.” The droid bowed to Reezel. “I wish you well, Ms. Reezel, in whatever endeavor you choose. Ladies?” R-128 turned and re-entered the courthouse.

Daggeri held out a hand. “Your mom’s teaching a class, so we came to pick you up for lunch. Let’s get some food. We’ll meet up with everyone else later this afternoon. You can tell them about your big day in court.”

Spoiler: Notes and links

RQ Units are, in fact, a Thing:

The trial presented in this story is based on an actual case heard in the state of Georgia, USA: a man robbed his ex-girlfriend’s house; the police pursued, and, when the man refused to surrender, sent a police dog after him. The dog bit him in the course of the chase, and two years later, the man sued the police department and named the dog as one of the defendants, along with the human officers. The court ruled the dog could not be sued, as the dog was not a “person;” among other things, the dog could not hire an attorney, receive a subpoena, or pay damages.

For more information, articles are here and here (you'll need to scroll down to #8).[/quote]

A follow-up story, created for the Star Wars One Sentence Challenge:

Countersuit
Set about a year after the events of "Reezel -- Future Lawyer"​

Docket Case #4: Security canine “Fang” sues accuser Srestollo Tiff for character defamation.

 

Love Reezel and her famous day in court. She is honest and to the point.

 

So many evocative visuals in this!

And the note re the doggy in RL seems self-evident. Finely fun story!

 

Reez is certainly right about the police anooba, and the image of it in a little cop uniform is both adorable and kinda funny.

Love to see more of Reez.

 

okay, I'll try to keep that in mind the next time I'm in a court briefing

Alright, Reezel, you know what your career should be now: an animal welfare lawyer working in animal justice, protecting those who do not have a voice!

I appreciate how much this entry parallels so many issues in our world and what a great opportunity for a child (an alien one at that) to have a voice in an "adult" world and not be a quiet observer.

 

This is an absolutely fantastic story, on par with the poetry jam (and that's saying something!). So, so much to unpack...

I had a bad feeling for poor little Reezel after reading this. I didn't have the best impression of Lydiya Dain in my (so far) only encounter with her, and I fully expected her to not be very nice to her adopted grandchild, but this particular sentence had ominous written all over it.

This is such a fantastic way of summarising things for a child! And the judge was – unlike Lydiya – wonderful in her interactions with Reezel, understanding that a child's interest must be nurtured, not taken for granted.

Go Reezel!

She's such a clever, articulate little Gungan girl. This is a really good argument, and I suspect that one reason Lydiya got so upset wasn't only that Reezel had spoken out of turn, it was that she was undermining her case.

Lydiya Classist, specisist, the works. Ugh. As you said, it's a miracle Vestri came out as adjusted as she is. Now I want to see more of her father; I suspect that's who she got it from.

This whole sequence with Vestri's friends and the droid was brilliant. They all see tha Reezel did good, and it says something about Lydiya that a droid was able to understand her grandchild and the importance of her intervention better than she did. Reezel has a bright future ahead of her as a Speaker of Law!

Lastly I want to note how much I like your Gungan dialect. It's not easy to put this sort of twist on the language in writing without it being tedious for the reader, but you manage it perfectly!

 

She is, yes. As you probably know, young children are pretty up-front about their opinions. We'll see how Reezel has developed as a solicitor in a couple of weeks.

Thank you! The only time I've ever been in a courtroom was when touring Abraham Lincoln's law offices in Illinois, and the courtroom was part of the tour. (Of course, no one was being tried for anything there.) So I had to look for real-life cases that could be adapted. I guess it worked!

Well, I thought it made sense to have some way to identify "Fang" as a service animal, as opposed to a stray, and a uniform seemed reasonable. I wonder if there's a little cap to go with it... In the meantime, we'll see Reezel again in a couple of weeks. Thanks for commenting!

"Not biting" should be a standard rule of behavior in any court. (And lots of other places, too.)

Several of the stories for this Olympics have drawn from real life, in large part because a lot of this is outside my personal experience, so, you know, research! But one of the great advantages of fiction in general is to explore issues in a different context, so here we are. Thank you for commenting!

I honestly don't even know where the poetry jam idea came from for that particular prompt, but it has become a favorite of mine, too.

Lidyia Dain is made up of whole cloth, as the saying goes -- I assure you that my real-life mother is nothing like this, she's always been quite supportive. Not everyone is that lucky, unfortunately.

I didn't even notice that until after I finished writing. Ooops....

We'll actually meet him near the end of the decathlon.

R-128 was a delightful surprise at the end of this story-- I wasn't expecting that. I wonder if he and Reezel continue to correspond as she continues her career.

Thank you. Over the past 25 years I've racked up a list of grammar and spelling rules for "Gunganese" in my stories, which I break from time to time. A note on background -- Vestri shares teaching duties with other clan members at a communal school, and one of her subjects is language. She's teaching the Gungans to speak Standard Basic instead of the "Gunganese" we heard in the movies. It's possible that that dialect will disappear in a few more generations -- one of the reasons her father is recording it as much as possible.

As usual, thank you to everyone who reads and comments. The next installment (which will actually use three of the Olympic writing prompts) will be posted this Wednesday, and we'll meet younger daughter Gritsi. And find out why Dad Adrick is not allowed in libraries.

 

"Think of the Children, Part 3:​

Rugby 7's: Write a story of 7x 7 sentences.​

Gritsi is a child after my own heart. She loves stories, written or spoken, and seems to pick up languages with ease. She can currently read and understand three languages: Basic, High Gungan, and Twi’lek. That’s pretty impressive for a four-year-old. She may also be picking up some Zygerrian, as she and Irina Suval are about the same age and often play together when she visits me on Sanbra. I have to keep reminding her that Professor Krull and Library Director Tren have actual jobs outside of reading to her or listening to her tell stories. But it’s possible that both of them will be adding copies of her writings to their collections in the future.

Gritsi – Future Librarian
400 Word Cross Country: 400 words about your character or couple with any theme. ​

Clap. Clap. Clap, clap, clap. Several students, including the two assistants at the reference desk, glanced up in surprise at the small being standing on a table. The being clapped again. “Excuse-a mees!” she shouted. “Wesa now ready for storytime! My name iss Gritsi, and I is being the librarian today!”

The students seated in the Sanbra University library stared at Gritsi; several laughed. Gritsi clapped again. “Your ‘ttention here, please! Wees ready for our first book!” Another of the small beings handed up a slim book entitled Basic Hyperspace Navigation. “Our first story is ‘Da T’ree Little Tookas’!” Gritsi continued. “Once upon a time, dere was t’ree little tookas, who lived wit’ dere Momma –”

One of the reference assistants stood up. “Look, kids, we told you, this isn’t a public library –”

The Assistant Library Director’s door flew open and an irate Ishi Tib emerged. “What’s all this noise? What is going on here?”

“Wees havin’ storytime!” one of the children said.

The Ishi Tibb glared at her, then rounded on the library assistants. “Is this a joke?”

“No!” Gritsi replied. “My name is Gritsi and I is being the librarian!”

“An’ yousan needs t’be quiet when the lib’arian is reading!” another child exclaimed.

A second door opened and the Library Director, Izaluu Tren stepped out, followed by Vestri Dain, who took one look at the situation and asked, “Where is your father?” As one, all three children pointed to a section of shelving. Vestri rolled her eyes. “Art books. Of course. Excuse me.” She strode off.

Tren placed a placating hand on Assistant Director Vickle’s arm and smiled. “I hear we are having storytime.”

Gritsi nodded.

“Well, I fear we have no suitable picture books for that.”

Gritsi wilted.

“However,” Tren continued, “before most species wrote stories, they told stories instead. Why don’t you tell the tale of the three little tookas, and we’ll just imagine what they look like.”

So Gritsi told her story, followed by Tren relating a Kessurian tale from his homeworld, and finishing with Vestri telling the Gungan story of how the peko-peko got its shocking blue plumage. When they had finished, several of the students applauded (to Vickle’s mortification).

“Well done, Librarian Gritsi,” Tren complimented her. “I believe you are ready for public library storytime work.”

“I’ll say. Best class I’ve had all semester,” a Gotal murmured to his Mon Calamari companion.

Crafting
100 Word Sprint: A 100 word drabble about your character, family, friendship or couple using any theme.​

“Wee’s still needin’ a craft for storytime,” Gritsi said.

Izaluu Tren responded, “Well, I’m afraid we don’t –”

“Director Tren? We have those flimsi ‘zines we’re discarding,” a reference assistant suggested. “They have pictures. We used to do collages in storytimes at home.”

“Do we have scissors?”

The assistant looked thoughtful. “Not that I’d give a child….”

“Torn flimsi it is, then. Do we have cardstock and glue?”

A few minutes later, three small Gungans, the reference assistants, and several college students were busily creating collages at two tables, the students carefully tearing pictures for the younger children to use.

Inner Child
Single Sentence Shot Put: A story told in a single sentence about your character, family, friendship or couple.​

During the storytime craft session, Assistant Library Director Vickle surreptitiously completed his own torn flimsi collage and spirited it into his office, his dignity still intact.

 

These are lovely. Gritsi a loving child, curious and eager to teach. Gritsi lecturing the adults and telling stories. And the adult discovering his inner child

 

I'd love to hear her version of a Kipling-esque story like this.

This must have been relaxing moments for him, and so easy to do in the company of children's enthusiasm.

 

Oh. My. Heart. This must be my fifth read-through of the story since you posted it, and I like it better every time.

The opening visual, for starters: a "small being standing on a table." Before I even read any further, I knew that this was going to be an amazing story. And then:

Yes, yes, YES! This is so typical of the child who has no "filter." Anything goes, and when you're Vestri's child, that means storytime!

The contrast between the book she's holding and the story... I wonder what Professor Harch would have to say.

Yes, Assistant Director, where are your manners? Seriously though, that poor Ishi Tibb didn't stand a chance if the kids were ganging up on him. Neither did the reference assistant who was being grumpy.

I just loved the sequence of storytelling, first Gritsi, then Tren, then Vestri. I'm imagining this interspersed with scholarly commentary, including about the Three Little Tookas. Gritsi got her storytime, and the students working in the library got to learn something.

I miss my student years now. Not that we had storytime in the faculty of law here, but the unexpected learning experiences were always the best.

I wonder if this is the same reference assistant who was telling Gritsi that this isn't a public library. Somehow I suspect that, like Assistant Library Director Vickle, that particular assistant also participated in the craft session.

I certainly hope so!

This series is such a treat!

 

I really enjoyed the introductions to Reezel and Gritsi. The whole family dynamic is shaping up to be quite fascinating!

I remember that Vestri's mother wasn't very happy when Vestri was going to marry Adrick, and then the beginning of "Think of the Children" Part 2 made me wonder what kind of relationship Lydiya would have with the grandchildren. When I first read the quote above, I'd hoped the incident referred to a more enthusiastic (if initially unexpected) bonding experience, something like Lydiya showing Reezel how to go all-out-lawyer for fun and Reezel then presiding over family dinners as if they were a courtroom or something. As I kept reading, though, I saw that I didn't give enough weight to the word "tolerated" that preceded that quote.

These were the first lines that made me think things weren't going to turn out like I'd hoped. It struck me as odd that Lydiya didn't say Reezel was her grandchild-- she kept a degree of separation between them by saying Reezel was her daughter's adopted child. Then I didn't expect Lydiya to say that Reezel was a Gungan when Judge Kipo could see that, though I'm less sure if this was putting more distance between herself and Reezel or if it was a reflection on what Lydiya thinks about the Mon Calamari judge's abilities (or both, I suppose).

Reezel did a very good job of behaving and following along during the trial. And good for her for standing up for an animal who has no voice and defending it in a setting-appropriate way with sound reasoning. The galaxy (theirs and ours) needs more people like her.

Heh, how's that saying go? No one's completely useless because they can always serve as a bad example, or something like that. I see it holds true there as well.

I'm glad Daggeri, Trognu, and R-128 were there to support Reezel afterward, and I hope Reezel remembers R-128's guidance.

Gristi is adorable, and she's got such wonderful enthusiasm and imagination. I admit I winced a little when she was clapping and speaking loudly in a library, but at least it was for a good cause, heh. And it had a beneficial outcome for several others who needed it, so... maybe Adrick can be allowed in libraries occasionally...?

I loved this line. Great entry for the Single Sentence Shot Put. Every word in this one sentence tells a lot.

Great work all around! Looking forward to more!

 

Lovin' these recent librarian stories....now maybe I should rethink my career path and reconsider becoming a librarian again

Jocasta Nu would be proud of this adorable librarian's authority

Where can I sign up?? I want to hear these stories, too!

Ah yes, telling a story about a book while holding a completely different book title just exactly like I do like many children may do.

These Gungan career stories are so imaginative! I'll be here for more!