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

Touching piece with all the seasons mentioned. Winter for Sanbra with the empire coming.

 

I missed a lot of good things here so let's begin:

A Gungan engineer is the coolest thing ever--Does Draff know of Lob Dizz perhaps? I'm sure they would have loads to talk about!

NERD ALERT: how I love when authors reference the ancient aliens of SW's past

Yup, you got that classy engineer-y talk spot on right here.

Draff is practical! And theory is boring sometimes

Gaining some essential stakeholder coordination skills!

Smart!

These two last lines are very chilling (no pun intended, of course) as well as the seasons being metaphors for experiences and what is coming, the transition from happiness to darkness and uncertainty. It is pretty saddening what is to come.

 

Thank you, @earlybird-obi-wan. And thank you for reading all the way through my decathlon!

Entirely possible -- I would think any Gungan engineer would have at least heard of her, if not studied her work. (Speaking "out of universe," I find it puzzling that something in this game reveals her to be male, as well as the possible explanation that certain races aren't allowed to be designated female. Why wouldn't there be female Gungans? I mean, where do the game designers think baby Gungans come from? That Gungans reproduce by budding or fission or something? )

I confess I haven't read the source material for the Kwa or the Infinity Gates -- I was doing research on time travel and wandered off the path a little. But, yes, sometimes it's unfortunate that Vestri is an anthropologist and not an archaeologist. Some of those ancient races sound fascinating.

As someone who actually enjoys research, I will freely admit that sometimes theory can indeed be boring.

Networking is an excellent skill.

Yes. I'm honestly not sure where these characters are going from here. I have something different in mind for next year's Summer Fanfiction Olympics, but we'll see.

Thank you for commenting, and for reading through the entire decathlon+. I appreciate all the feedback!

 

Director’s Cut Bonus Material

Yes, I know I have 15 events listed in the Index. Yes, I know this was supposed to be a decathlon. But these pieces are also about Vestri’s family, so I’m including them here. During the writing process, either a reviewer’s comment or the characters themselves sparked an idea I wanted to pursue. I think of it as making up for all the writing I didn’t do last year Because Of Circumstances.

Originally I (kind of) had five children planned for the Fel-Dain family, but once I discovered Zodath’s backstory, a fifth child just seemed like too much. “Hent Eck – Future Chef (Maybe)” gave way to the final version of Zodath, who was originally a regular adoptee like his siblings. He was also first named Marshoo, but that sounded too much like “Neshu” and “Trognu,” so I went with something different.

This was written so early in the process that it took place at Dex’s Diner on Coruscant, which I later switched to Anthon’s on Sanbra, where it worked just as well. I eventually swapped it out for the “Heart to Heart” entry, which I wrote after the Summer Fanfic Olympics actually started. By that time, I had far too many events, so both of them are here as bonus material.

Hent Eck – Future Chef (Maybe)

200 Freestyle: A 200-word story about your character, family, friendship or couple with a free choice of any theme.
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Bang! Bang! Bang! The smallest Gungan child at Vestri Dain’s table pounded on the tabletop with a spoon, grinning.

“No!” Vestri grabbed the spoon. The youngster squawked in protest.

“Here, child, do not harm the table,” Anthon Suval said, setting out glasses of water. “Replacements are expensive.”

“Sorry, Anthon. Hent Eck will pound on anything. And he’ll keep it up for hours.”

“Really? Anything? Hold on.” Anthon disappeared into the kitchen and re-emerged with a cut of meat on a tray. He placed it on the table and handed the child a wooden mallet. “Here. Go ahead. Beat it.”

Hent Eck accepted the hammer and stared at Anthon, then at Vestri, who nodded. “You officially have permission to pound something.”

“Hee!” squealed the youngster, and proceeded to hammer the meat.

Anthon grinned. “Good! Hit it here next!” He turned the tray, and Hent Eck pounded the meat some more. “And here.” The Gungan hammered away.

“Why iss he doing that?” asked another of the children.

“This cut of meat is tough. Pounding softens it, makes it easier to chew,” Anthon explained. “Perhaps he should consider training as a chef.”

“Maybe. Not sure we want him playing with fire,” Vestri remarked.

Heart to Heart

200 Freestyle: An exactly 200-word story about your character, family, friendship or couple with a free choice of any theme. ​

“I have to say, Vestri, you’ve turned out to be a pretty good mother,” Parlin Dain told his daughter. “Especially with children of a different species. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad. I was terrified I was going to turn out like Mom, but I actually like having this family.”

“I never worried about you becoming your mother. You saw good parenting from your cousins and family friends. You studied and respected Gungan customs and traditions, and, the one thing your mother and agreed on, you traveled the larger galaxy and absorbed lessons there. I knew you’d do well.”

“I ended up teaching at Sanbra, which I never expected. Aren’t you disappointed that I didn’t come back here to work with you?”

“No. I have enough eager young people willing to work with me. You’re where you belong. Your children are among the few Gungans who have walked on an alien world. And your family gets to brag about their clan member who works on another planet at a prestigious university and who helped found a pair of off-world colonies.” Parlin grinned. “You did good, kid.”

“Well, it helps that between you and Adrick, I have a great support system.”





And finally, this was an early idea for Gritsi, until she decided to hold storytime at the University Library. It’s unfinished, and I don’t foresee ever using it for anything, but one never knows with this bunch….

Untitled​

Penald Krull reached for a stylus with his upper right hand, both lower elbows resting on his desk. The Besalisk’s head jerked up when someone gasped. A small being stood in his office doorway, staring at him with wide eyes and open mouth.

Suddenly the being’s mouth snapped shut and it grinned. “Eeeee!” it squealed, and scampered off down the hall. Krull waited a moment, then shook his head and turned back to grading.

A small herd of footsteps sounded out in the hall; Krull looked up to see five of the small beings in the doorway, one grinning and the others gaping. “See, I told yousan sos!” the original being squeaked.

“Can I… help you folks at all?” Krull asked carefully. Now all five were grinning at him, and he was forcibly reminded of fang-fish: small creatures with large teeth that killed prey by overwhelming it through sheer numbers and chewing it to death.

“’Scuse’n uss, but are you related to Ellix Bristin?” one of the beings asked.

“Ellix Briston…?” Krull’s voice trailed off.

All five beings chorused, “Axe and sword and shield and spear!”

“Uh….”

“You know – fighting Winter!” the original small being explained.

“There’s a whole story about it!” another insisted.

Another pair of footsteps sounded in the hallway. “What are you guys doing? Didn’t I tell you to stay out of everyone’s offices?”

One of the beings turned. “Wesan not in da office – wesan outside in da hall.”

“Urrrrgghh.” Vestri Dain stepped into sight behind the beings. “Literalists. I’m sorry, Professor. They’ve been told not to bother the staff.”

Krull rose. “It’s not a bother, really. I’ve been grading papers, and now’s a good time for a break. So. Who are you lot, and how do you know that story?”



Note: This conversation references the first story I wrote for Vestri Dain: Battling Winter.

*~*~*~*~*​

This formally concludes my decathlon+ for the Fel-Dain family. Thank you to everyone who's been reading and commenting!
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There is such profound hope in these words.

Well, that's the big question ... is enough enough? I hope it is. Annnnnd, congratulations on your involving set of tales!

 

Great tales with more of your likeable Gungans.
And those reactions to Penald Krull.

 

Ughh this is such a HUGE pet peeve of mine it warrants a separate discussion! In summary, it isn't female unless it has boobs, hair or some "feminine" features otherwise the default is male according to the game designers (who are mostly men usually) designing these aliens. And I absolutely get a kick out of some Wookieepedia entries that state "this is the first time we see a female member of this species..." despite seeing hundreds of them because it's just THAT ONE that makes all the babies, right!?

Anyways, sorry going on a tangent here!

Onto this entry!

Thank you for leading the way because I am sooo inspired to do a Director's cut bonus material now I'm so glad there is more to read!

Aww very heart-warming father-daughter conversation.

Oh this, a teacher's worst fears come true when little people come to your office looking like fang fish

This was a fun set of stories! I really enjoyed getting to know the Fel-Dain family. The Gungan-human family relationship was really interesting to explore and I loved reading about all their kids and their future career journeys! I hope to read more Gungan stories from you in the future--I'll be there!

 

Sorry for falling behind! I had a lot of stuff going on in real life (the good sort of stuff, like leaving on holiday) but I'm here at long last.

Your last "official" entry for the Olympics had ominous written all over it from the end of the mom-comm. It was nice to get a peek into what happens to this fantastic cast fo characters as the years go by, but yes, Sanbra would find itself on the Empire's radar at some point

As usual, I love the meta aspect here – I don't know anyone who does that quite like you – but that last line is chilling (no pun intended) and now I'm worried about Vestri's and her family and friends' future.

And then, the bonus material! This was a real treat! Hent Eck the maybe-future-chef definitely needs to be part of this family IMO, how are they going to survive without someone to cater to their daily needs? And Anthon certainly found a clever way to channel the li'l one's pounding energy into something useful. The Fel-Dains are certainly going to be eating very tender steaks with Hent Eck around!

I was lovely to see more of Parlin Dain in Heart to Heart. Vestri clearly took after him and not so much from her mother, which is a good thing. He comes across as such a kind, compassionate man. His marriage to Lydiya must have been an unhappy one indeed, I imagine that she ate him raw.

And the final entry, with the younglings and Penald Krull! I grinned such a goofy grin when I saw "Ellix Bristin" – of course the Fel-Dain kids would know the stories from The Mythologist, they heard them all as bedtime tales! And this:

Yeah, been there, done that. All kids interpret things literally when it suits them

Professor Krull probably didn't know just how many stories the children know when he asked how they'd heard about "Fighting Winter". He's in for the storytime of his life!

Thanks so much for writing and sharing these stories with us. It's been a real pleasure reading them over the past two months; I was looking forward to your next post with the same eagerness as Gritsi when faced with a library. I hope we'll get to read more about this family soon (and truth be told, I'm counting on the Autumn Bingo challenge to give you an incentive to write more!)

 

I'll admit that I've not read much more about Vestri Dain since the Mythologist (it's in my queue of works to continue with) but I have to say I didn't feel lost in the least with your helpful authors notes and the like. I'll also admit since I have a Gungan OC, reading this story is also a bit of research.

I really like this first paragraph because it shows me the surprises of life, like having children and getting married. And Vestri having a Gungan spouse is intriguing too.

The 'get into more trouble if not watched closely' line had me laughing aloud, great work with telling quite a charming story in seven sentences. That's some great work there.

The Ground Rules section does a heck of a job characterizing the family. I especially like the 'keep Dad out of art museums' line. It reminds me of Jar Jar Binks in the 'why he was banished' origin stoy.

I really like this last line because it also made me laugh and added some curiosity. I'll be eager to see her journey from Dex's diner to this point in time.

Excellent work.

Theodore Hawkwood