main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends We Still See Embers (AU, Skydaughters, 2025 Kessel Run Challenge)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by ViariSkywalker, Jan 17, 2025.

  1. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    Title: We Still See Embers
    Author: ViariSkywalker

    Timeframe: probably in the 15-40 ABY range
    Characters: Eleri Skywalker (OC), Nidia Skywalker (OC), Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Ben Skywalker, Jacen Solo, other OCs, and more
    Genre: AU and everything else (except maybe not horror, this is a happy AU after all)

    Summary: In a happier reality, two Skywalker daughters live.

    Notes: This collection is my response to the 2025 Kessel Run challenge, featuring stories that take place in my Happy AU (the one that branches off at the end of Enter the Foreign), with a special focus on my OCs Nidia and Eleri Skywalker (daughters of Luke and Mara and older sisters of Ben). This is a ‘verse where Anakin Skywalker never turned to the dark side, the Jedi Order still stands, and lots of your favorites are probably alive. (Unless your favorite is Palpatine, in which case… yeah, he’s super dead. o_O :p)

    It’s my hope that these stories will stand on their own, but if you want to read more from the happy branch of the Enter!verse, here are a few relevant links:
    • A Strange and Dazzling Array – Anakin Skywalker makes a different choice, and his family flourishes in a world unmarred by the atrocities of the Sith (aka, the Decathlon of Delight)
    For more background on the main 'verse and links to the stories that take place in it, check out my Enter!verse Readers' Guide!

    Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Wars, but the words and OCs are mine. The title for this collection comes from “Joy” by Sleeping At Last.

    Enjoy! [face_batting]




    Index:


    Week 1: Supernova | 46 years post-RotS (27.5 ABY) | Even the brightest of stars eventually goes out
    Eleri Skywalker (OC) & Anakin Skywalker

    Week 2: Sparks | 51 years post-RotS (32.5 ABY) | When your eyes are closed, you still see embers
    Nidia Skywalker (OC)

    Week 3: Family Time | 49 years post-RotS (30.5 ABY) | The Skywalkers take a family trip
    Eleri Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Ben Skywalker, Nidia Skywalker

    Week 4: Over the Moons | 51 years post-RotS (32.5 ABY) | An ordinary day on Zonama Sekot
    Jacen Solo, Leif Sivren (OC), Nidia Skywalker

    Week 5: Go Ahead and Pull the Pin | 51 years post-RotS (32.5 ABY) | All it takes is one spark
    Nidia Skywalker/Leif Sivren


    ~~
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2025 at 10:29 PM
  2. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    Notes: Here I am with my first entry for this year’s Kessel Run! Many thanks to @Mira_Jade for once again providing me with my own set of secret prompts so that I can join in the fun! [:D]

    My prompt for Week 1 was to write a story between 100 and 1,000 words that ends with this sentence: “She would never hide in the shadows again.”

    Overall this is a happy AU, but as Ben once noted in In a Galaxy Far, Far Away, not everything is perfect, and not everything is peace…




    Supernova | 46 years post-RotS (27.5 ABY)


    Eleri Skywalker was sitting in a cold, duracrete bunker many light-years from the front lines, on a planet whose name she wasn’t allowed to know, the day her grandfather died.

    She’d heard stories about how the pain of a loved one’s death would ripple through the Force in violent waves, inflicting enough mental torment on those closest to the deceased to render them practically catatonic – but that wasn’t what happened to Eleri.

    What happened was this:

    She was sitting on the floor of her room, playing a dice game she and Nidia had made up as little kids (they never had gotten around to giving it a proper name), when a hard weight settled in her gut – but not like when she ate too much or caught a nasty stomach bug. It was more like being kicked without warning, or at least how she imagined it would feel to be kicked without warning, when every defense was down. The dice fell from her fingers and scattered across the gray floor, and when she could finally draw a breath, she looked up to see Nidia staring at those dice, tears welling in her eyes.

    What’s wrong? Eleri stupidly uttered, for in that moment she truly, genuinely believed the problem was the stupid dice, and not the fact that somewhere, somehow, their grandpa had breathed his last and vanished from the Force as if he’d never existed at all. She didn’t know that, though – she couldn’t know it, and neither could Nidia – and yet… and yet the hard lump stayed all day, lodged way down deep in her gut, and Nidia kept staring off into space, more so than usual, and little Ben grew so fussy that even his sisters couldn’t console him. And when word finally reached the place where the Jedi Order hid its children, Eleri wondered if maybe she had known all along, if maybe she had known before it even happened. If maybe she should have grabbed hold of Grandpa Anakin that last day on Naboo and begged him to hide away with them, instead of teasing him about being too old to fight, or any of the other stupid, meaningless things she’d said to him.

    Did she tell him she loved him before he left? She couldn’t remember saying the words exactly. What she did remember was: See you, Gramps. Don’t crash any ships this time.

    Oh, don’t worry, he replied with a wink. I leave the ship-crashing to your dad these days.

    He couldn’t be gone. He just couldn’t. It didn’t make sense that he could be gone. He was the protector of their family, the force that bound them together. How could he be gone when the war wasn’t over, when there were still battles left to fight? How could he be gone when there was still so much they hadn’t gotten to do together?

    How could he leave her behind?

    There was no funeral – not for Grandpa Anakin or Uncle Obi-Wan or any of the other Jedi lost on the secret mission behind enemy lines – for there were no bodies to burn. A memorial was arranged, and Eleri finally left the safe confines of her duracrete hideaway and traveled with her parents to Coruscant. The gathering was a restrained affair by Core standards, but still grander than she expected, what with the war raging on. As many Jedi and galactic leaders as could be spared attended, as well as the entire Skywalker family. Nidia explained that it was to keep up morale, to reassure the people of the Republic that even with one of their brightest stars extinguished, the light would live on. His light would live on.

    Like the glow of a supernova, Eleri said to no one, still visible eons after its death.

    She wondered if her grandfather’s legacy would carry that far into the future, if he would be remembered as fondly as he was now, if anyone would know or care how much his family and friends had loved him. How much she had loved him. Or would he become the stuff of fairy stories like the ones he used to tell her when she was little, about the star-dragons and the angels and the world of white lying between the worlds? Or worse still, what if he was forgotten completely, ground out of public memory by the oppression of their strange, brutal invaders?

    She couldn’t bear that thought. It would be like losing him all over again, and she refused to let that happen. She was too young to go to war, and for the sake of the galaxy, she hoped it would end long before she came of age – but she would be ready nonetheless. She would work hard and be diligent in every aspect of her training. She wouldn’t settle for convention either, but would seek out new methods and new techniques, just like her grandpa had done. She would make him proud, no matter what.

    And one day, when she no longer needed protecting, she would show the galaxy that Anakin Skywalker’s light still burned, and would for as long as she lived.

    She would never hide in the shadows again.


    ~~
     
  3. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    [​IMG]

    MIIIIIIIIINE!

    (I will be back with more coherent thoughts asap, but I just had to squee at you first. ;) :* [face_love])
     
    Kahara, Vek Talis and ViariSkywalker like this.
  4. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Host: Finish the story, Anagrams & Scattegories. star 8 VIP - Game Winner VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Marvelous mixture of resolve and grief over the loss of Grandpa. [face_love] A fantabulous beginning. @};-
     
  5. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Intriguing to see grandpa as a loved one by his grandchild Eleri. As a supernova who's light is still shining.
     
  6. ConservativeJedi321

    ConservativeJedi321 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 19, 2016
    Powerful statement about losing such a precious family member, especially one who burned so bright!
     
  7. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Okay, I found the rest of my words. ;) :*


    Right in the feels, already! [face_love]

    [face_rofl]

    You know, this is a fair disclaimer in many ways, as far as Palpatine is concerned. [face_whistling]

    *squee*

    This lyric is so fitting, and the entire song too! I love that it at once feels warm and cozy - like campfire cozy, and the sense of stories that automatically conveys. Then, it very much fits an AU, especially a happy AU, cast from a not so happy universe. There may have been fires in the first world, but they are just embers now, shadows of the flames they once were.

    . . . to try to put a very thinky-thought into words, you know, for an emotion that doesn't really have a matching name. I'm not sure how successful I was. 8-}

    I love that you really mean it this time. [face_batting]

    Gaaaaah, what a first line! [face_hypnotized] My heart is already flayed open and ready for the angst.

    (Yes, I promise that "enjoy [face_batting]" absolutely still applies though. ;))

    Excellent framing is excellent. :cool:

    This was a visceral description - especially from the POV of a 14-year-old character. =D=

    Oh . . . she thought it was the dice. =((

    (And Anakin! I will never be over his death in this AU, I tell you; never.)

    This struck me too. Especially after the bond Ben and Anakin forged in EtF. :_|

    This too reached out and grabbed me for being all too relatable: that feeling of stolen time and lost opportunities and regret and even self-blame, as one emotion blurs together with another in an attempt to process a far larger emotion. =((

    It really is like a star has gone out - a sun. :(

    (I need my uber!heartbreak emoji again.)

    This felt very fitting, too, and powerful for being so. Every word of this story was just so well written and put together with only 1k words. =D=

    [face_hypnotized] :_| =(( [face_love] =(( :_| [face_hypnotized]

    THIS IMAGERY IS PERFECTION, VI

    I love how you played a bit with Stover, and all around with a very intense, very fitting celestial metaphor, and made it your own. This was just so, so well done. =D=

    Speaking of stars, here we have one just glowing from her nebula. [face_hypnotized] [face_love] [face_hypnotized]

    I had goosebumps by this point. Eleri's determination and certainty was absolutely breathtaking.

    [​IMG]

    I do not doubt her in the slightest. What a way to use your closing sentence! *salutes*

    This was such a success, not only in kicking your Run off with a bang as regards a beautiful piece of writing, but to (re)introduce Eleri, too. This really felt like the core of her character, illuminated for us all to see, and I can't wait to read more about her - and Nidia too. [face_love] =D=

    [:D]
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2025
  8. Gabri_Jade

    Gabri_Jade Fanfic Archive Editor Emeritus star 5 VIP

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2002
    Such a good opening [face_love] =((

    And it still cracks me up that even in a happy AU-dedicated thread, you opened with angst. You are irrepressible :p

    I love this framing!

    This feels so authentic, I love it

    :_|

    This is a fascinating turn of phrase - is Nidia just a dreamy, thoughtful introvert, or is this a recent thing, an effect of their being separated from their family and hidden away during wartime?

    Ben [face_love] =((

    I also really love that we both wound up with a pair of happy AU Skydaughters; I can't wait to see more of yours [face_love]

    But honestly, Anakin would (and did!) love that as a final exchange. I understand how Eleri wouldn't think of it that way, but you just know Anakin adored it.

    I love the progression of these thoughts, going from galactic and family concerns to the intensely personal =((

    I love this, the fact that the light of dead stars still shines is one of my favorite things ever, and it's both an excellent simile and an excellent riff off of Stover's "even stars burn out"; so well done

    Thank you; I understand the whole trying to pass the torch to the next generation thing that the NJO was doing, but they were all too young (at least at the start. How long did the Vong war last? [face_thinking] ). Child soldiers are always a bad thing.

    He already is [face_love] =((

    Excellent use conclusion and use of the prompt [face_love] (Although I think Mira was knowingly poking the angst bear with this one :p )
     
  9. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    [​IMG]

    Who, me? [face_batting]

    *looks at script* Not guilty, your honor. I wish I could claim being such a devious mastermind. In truth, I was trying to parallel the potential angst of our own prompt, and left Vi in her natural habitat to interpret that as she would. */script*

    [face_mischief] :*
     
  10. DarthIshtar

    DarthIshtar Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2001
    Lovely stuff. I’ll be reading the fics associated with this now.
     
  11. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha
    Thank you very much, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! :D




    @earlybird-obi-wan
    I'm glad it was intriguing! The supernova imagery has always felt incredibly fitting for the death of a Skywalker, especially Anakin or Luke, and it's made even better by the fact that the light continues to be visible thousands of years after the star is gone. Thanks so much for reading! :D




    @ConservativeJedi321
    Thank you, I'm really pleased that you enjoyed it! It felt like a fitting end for the Anakin we knew from EtF, and it was interesting shifting the perspective to one of his grandchildren, who has no idea about that other reality where things were so much worse for the galaxy, or how Anakin averted that here, but who will miss her beloved grandpa nonetheless. :_|




    @Mira_Jade
    [face_laugh] [face_love] [face_batting]

    And I love them all [:D]

    ngl, it took me a few tries to settle on a suitable summary :p

    [​IMG]

    ...said no one in this 'verse [face_whistling] o_O

    I love all your thinky-thoughts, Mira! [:D] They're very much in line with my own as I went about naming this collection. (As soon as I listened to the song, I was like yep, that's my Skydaughter KR theme song right there. [face_love])

    I always mean it! [face_laugh] :p

    (People enjoy having their heart torn to shreds, don't they? [face_whistling])

    Well I'm happy to hear that! [face_laugh] :*

    Why thank you *curtsies*

    I'm glad this worked well as a kid's POV; I wanted to take into account the effects of distance and the differing bonds Anakin had with all his family when writing this section, to show that not everyone is going to have the reaction that Luke and Leia likely had in this moment, but it doesn't mean Eleri and her siblings don't sense what's going on in their own way, in accordance with their own less-developed abilities. (Also, Eleri is actually about 12 years old here and Nidia is the one who's 14, if I'm remembering my timeline right. :p With how much has changed in this AU, I wonder if it might be a good idea for me to add part of that timeline to the index. [face_thinking])

    This was inspired by, of all things, an experience I had at 15 when I had my wisdom teeth removed under general anesthesia. When they brought me out of it, I didn't realize they were done, and I thought something had gone wrong and that was why they hadn't started. My mouth was full of gauze, I couldn't talk right, and I honestly thought I'd done something wrong. It's kind of a leap from that to this, but that was the sort of disorientation I tried to bring to Eleri's experience here. 8-}

    :_|

    Right? =((

    I daresay we've all had an experience like this, whether the loss was a permanent one or not, so I'm glad this part felt authentic to that experience. You've said it all perfectly. =((

    I have to imagine losing any light side version of Anakin would feel that way. :(

    I'm so relieved that this ficlet worked for you as a whole, even with the word limit. I was a bit worried I would run too long with it, but I ended up getting it down to 865, if you can believe it! :p [face_dancing]

    I nearly went with a more direct Stover reference, with the "even stars burn out" line, but ultimately I was inspired to focus on the supernova imagery, and I'm glad it paid off because I really love it. [face_love] (Supernovas are so fascinating, everything in space is so fascinating, Mira [face_hypnotized])

    [face_love]

    I'm absolutely thrilled to hear this. Thrilled. [face_blush] :D

    I had a great line to work with. ;) (And yay! I don't doubt her either. This girl's going to go far. [face_love] [face_mischief])

    I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Mira! The Great Temple Lightsaber Tournament was such a fun story to write, and really helped me get to know Eleri as a character, and I wanted her reintroduction in Supernova to have echoes of what we saw from her in that first story, while also foreshadowing further developments. I can't wait to share more with you! Thank you so much for this lovely review! [face_love] [:D]




    @Gabri_Jade
    [face_mischief]

    I try not to overdo it with framing such as this, but it did feel appropriate for a 12yo character in this instance. :p

    My kids have so many made-up games without names, I figured it must be some kind of universal constant. :p

    Yep :(

    I'd say it's very possibly a bit of both. [face_thinking] (Look at all my little introverts, aww [face_love])

    BEN! [face_love] :_|

    Me tooooo, clearly there was a gaping daughter-sized hole in Luke and Mara's family that needed filling, and being intrepid fanfic writers, we rushed to fill that need in abundance. [face_batting]

    He absolutely did. [face_love]

    Because that's really what's most important to her, when she gets right down to it. =((

    I am always and forever flattered by any comparison to Stover. [face_blush] It really does mesh pretty well with that thread in his work, while still having its own hopeful, happy AU spin. [face_thinking]

    So I think TPTB retconned the length of the Vong war at some point. [face_thinking] Pretty sure it originally lasted roughly five years, with VP taking place in 25 ABY and TUF taking place in 30 ABY, which would have made Jacen and Jaina both 21yo by the end of it. (Not taking into account timeline weirdness and inconsistencies that I've seen mentioned more than once over in Lit, which may or may not make Jacen and Jaina older than that, idk. But I'm just going to go with the numbers as they were given on the Wook fifteen years ago. :p) Anyway, at some point, they retconned TUF as having occurred during 29 ABY, which makes the war a little shorter. Either way, Jacen and Jaina were 16 when it started, and Anakin was probably 15, which is too young to be fighting, but by the time we get to SbS, the twins are said to be 19, which would make Anakin 17 or maybe closer to 17 1/2 when he dies? idk man, the official timelines are messy.

    But yeah, child soldiers are bad. I try to avoid that in this 'verse. :p

    Darn right he is [face_love]

    Aw, thanks, babe! [:D] Mira's line really ended up being perfect for this, didn't it? [face_love]




    @Mira_Jade
    [face_rofl] [face_rofl]

    Perfect gif is perfect, btw. I totally buy your innocence here. [face_whistling] :*

    (Not that I'm complaining either. [face_batting])




    @DarthIshtar
    Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the rest! :D



    Week 2 will be up in a few!
     
  12. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    Notes: My prompt for Week 2 was to write a story between 400 and 800 words using second-person POV in which a character describes something to another character. I ended up finishing at exactly 800 words. [face_relieved]

    This week we’re jumping forward about five years and focusing on something a little happier. My girl Nidia hasn’t had much screentime in this ‘verse, but that’s about to change… [face_batting]




    Sparks | 51 years post-RotS (32.5 ABY)


    Even with your eyes closed, you can tell he’s staring at you.

    “What is it?” you say with a laugh, cracking one eye open.

    “Nothing,” he replies quietly. “I’ve just never meditated before.”

    He sits across from you at the center of the clearing, legs folded under him and wrists resting across his knees in imitation of your own pose. The tempasi is especially vibrant today, bathing happily in the light of Zonama Sekot’s chosen star. A perfect day to touch the universe.

    “Try closing your eyes and breathing. Like this.” You straighten your back and shut your eyes, and the air around you changes as his breath joins yours, rhythms matching. You search for something meaningful to say next, some profound scrap of Jedi wisdom, but the only words that come to you are the ones you heard Jacen use with his students only yesterday morning – hardly the vaunted proverbs of millennia past. And yet…

    “Feel,” you murmur, “don’t think.”

    There’s hesitance in your sense of him, and for the tiniest fraction of a second, you wonder if he’ll say he doesn’t understand, or he doesn’t know how to do what you’re asking, or that you’re not giving him enough to work with. But you release those worries into the air as quickly and easily as you release a breath, because worrying won’t change the outcome, and if you’re meant to guide him in this, the path will reveal itself.

    And besides, it’s a gorgeous morning, abundant with life and sunlight, and you’re meditating in your favorite place on this whole planet, where you’ve never not felt totally at peace. In fact, this might be the happiest you’ve ever been, with the pulse of flora and fauna thrumming alongside your own, and the breeze whispering across your face, and the sun warming your skin, and beneath it all, that ancient, encompassing sense of wisdom and wonder that you know to be Sekot, both a distant horizon and a safe, familiar embrace.

    You smile, then, as it occurs to you that distant, familiar, and safe could all be used to describe the soldier seated across from you. What words would he use to describe you in this moment, you wonder?

    Now there’s a silly thought, you chide yourself – affectionately, of course. You’ve always been prone to daydream; it’s just part of who you are, and you accept that.

    “Can I ask a question?” His voice is steady and serious, as it always is. You’ve seen the others tease him for it, but it’s one of the things you like most about about him.

    “Of course,” you answer with another smile. Your eyes are still closed, but you can well imagine the earnest set of his mouth, and the shine of sunlight in his close-cropped hair.

    “What do you feel?” he asks.

    The wind rustles the branches overhead; shadows flicker across your eyelids.

    “I feel warm, content… like there’s sunlight under my skin, holding me close. When I listen to the tempasi, I hear it answer inside my heart, like it’s echoing my pulse and filling me with all the life around me, and if I focus my thoughts on any one part of it, I become part of it, too. A vine, a cicada, one of the people back at camp… anything.”

    “Me?”

    Sunlight under your skin, impossibly warm and impossibly bright. “You.”

    “How do I feel? To you, I mean?”

    Safe.

    You breathe in and back out again, focusing on the eddies of energy that define him to your senses. He doesn’t burn the way so many of the others do, eager to prove themselves, ready to charge into the fray, into any fray if given the chance; but he isn’t the glacial stillness of ice and rock, or the bone-deep chill of an arctic wind either. There is heat there, you can feel it. An image comes to mind, and you wonder if you should say it out loud, or if it will embarrass him. Not that he seems the type to embarrass easily.

    “You feel like… like a hearth fire that’s gone cold, embers covered over with ashes and earth, but all it would take is one spark, in just the right place…”

    As the words fall off your tongue, you sense movement. His. A deeply drawn breath, held and then exhaled. The hands in his lap suddenly restless, wanting to reach out—

    You bridge the gap without thinking, taking his hands in yours as you lift your face toward the sun. His grip is strong, his fingers worn and calloused. There’s a flicker of heat in your sense of him, the warmth of embers. “I’m glad it was you who came looking for me,” you tell him.

    His hold tightens almost imperceptibly. Almost. “Me too, Nidia.”


    ~~
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2025
  13. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Host: Finish the story, Anagrams & Scattegories. star 8 VIP - Game Winner VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Perhaps it is because I first became immersed with the second person POV with Mira_Jade and her amazing talent, but this feels like something she would write with the gorgeous lyricalness of the introspection and the scenery. =D=

    Second person POV is so intimate and so exquisite! I love it to bits!

    [face_dancing]

    This is particularly lovely:
    the pulse of flora and fauna thrumming alongside your own,
    and the breeze whispering across your face, and the sun warming your skin, and beneath it all, that ancient, encompassing sense of wisdom and wonder that
    you know to be Sekot, both a distant horizon and a safe, familiar embrace.


    The following exchange just is too delightful.
    “What do you feel?” he asks.
    The wind rustles the branches overhead; shadows flicker across your eyelids.
    “I feel warm, content… like there’s sunlight under my skin, holding me close. When I listen to the tempasi, I hear it answer inside my heart, like it’s
    echoing my pulse and filling me with all the life around me, and if I focus my thoughts on any one part of it, I become part of it, too. A vine, a cicada,
    one of the people back at camp… anything.”
    “Me?”
    Sunlight under your skin, impossibly warm and impossibly bright. “You.”
    “How do I feel? To you, I mean?”
    Safe.
    You breathe in and back out again, focusing on the eddies of energy that define him to your senses. He doesn’t burn the way so many of the others do, eager
    to prove themselves, ready to charge into the fray, into any fray if given the chance; but he isn’t the glacial stillness of ice and rock, or the bone-deep
    chill of an arctic wind either. There is heat there, you can feel it. An image comes to mind, and you wonder if you should say it out loud, or if it will
    embarrass him. Not that he seems the type to embarrass easily.
    “You feel like… like a hearth fire that’s gone cold, embers covered over with ashes and earth, but all it would take is one spark, in just the right place…”


    Melts!
    [face_love]

    =D=
     
  14. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    The description of the scenery. The energy of the light. With him sitting there and Nidia feeling all the heat and light.
    A beautiful piece
     
  15. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    *happy squee*

    And gosh, but what a glimpse you gave us! I was already sold on your Skydaughters going into this, but now I just want to know everything more there is to know. [face_love]

    Okay, but this fic is going to tug at my shipping strings like that.

    . . . I say with absolutely no regret, of course. ;)

    This clenched right at my heart for all of the beautiful words - which is a sense that really didn't stop from here on out. I love the imagery of Zonama Sekot's chosen star - because it can choose - and a perfect day to touch the universe was just so . . . so ethereal yet perfect for a Jedi about to meditate, all at once. [face_love]

    This was a quintessentially Jedi thought, too - all of Nidia's reflections on how to teach were, really. Because, I mean . . . how else can you possibly explain what's otherwise so inexplicable?

    That's where second-person really paid off in this story too! It's perfect for communicating these kinds of emotions and scenes. [face_love]

    Vi, this scene setting - you know that this kind of stuff gets me right where I live, and this entire fic was no exception. [face_hypnotized] [face_love]

    [face_love] [face_love]!!

    I love that we have a Skydaughter that is prone to daydream, and so in touch with the intangible of the Force. There's precedent in her family for that - thinking about young Anakin and Luke and even Padmé's romanticism - but never in a way that has ever been a cornerstone of their personality, and that fascinates me. [face_thinking]

    All of this: [face_love] [face_love] [face_love]!!!

    Such perfect descriptions, continued, and even put into spoken word . . . [face_hypnotized]

    VI, I SHIP THEM LIKE FEDEX ALREADY

    Like.

    Fedex.

    Next.

    Day.

    Delivery.


    [​IMG]

    How are these words all so brilliant and so beautiful???

    I don't have enough feedback to do justice how much I loved this section, in particular. =D=

    The warmth of embers!!!

    (I need more coherent feedback, but all I have to give are squees at this point, I must apologize. :p)

    [face_love] [face_love] [face_love]!!!


    . . . in short: yes, I definitely need more. [face_mischief] Thank goodness we still have an entire Kessel Run yet to go, then. [face_batting]

    This was another fantastic answer to the prompt! Well done; I can't wait to read more! =D= [:D]
     
  16. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    I’m down to the wire, so I’ll have to do replies later. :oops: [:D]

    Notes: My prompt for Week 3 was to write a story between 500 and 1,200 words that takes place while travelling and features at least one EC and one OC in speaking roles. I couldn’t quite find my writing groove this week, so this might be kinda rough. 8-}

    This is something of a follow-up to The Great Temple Lightsaber Tournament, occurring fairly soon after.




    Family Time | 49 years post-RotS (30.5 ABY)


    “I can’t wait to show Jacen my Holopets!”

    Eleri looked up from her datapad at her little brother, who was sitting across the cabin next to Nidia on one of the Skyhopper’s long bench seats, swinging his legs back and forth hard enough to make him bounce. Normally she didn’t mind his excitement too much, even on longer trips like this one, but he’d been going on and on about his beloved Holopets for the last half hour at least, and just when she thought he was finally winding down…

    “Eleri! You’ll like the Grays, they live in a tundra! You wanna see?”

    Eleri eyed her brother skeptically. “Where’d you learn about tundras? You’re only four.”

    Ben’s brow furrowed as his legs stopped swinging. “I learned about it from Holopets Adventure.” He held the datapad up, where Eleri glimpsed several colorful bubbles floating across the screen. “There’s the tundra and the magma pools and the rainforest— that’s where the Greens live, Jacen will like them, they’re—”

    “Jacen likes real animals, Ben. Don’t be upset if he’s not into Holopets like you are.”

    Mom’s voice cut in before Ben could respond. “Eleri…”

    “What? I’m just saying.”

    Mom held her gaze; this time there was a trace of warning in her tone. “I know what you were ‘just saying.’”

    Eleri was about to protest when Nidia leaned in close to Ben and smiled. “I’m sure Jacen would love to meet your Holopets.”

    Ben beamed at her and did a squirmy dance in his seat. “I’m gonna show him all my Greens, they love plants and nature and bugs and stuff, just like him.” He held the screen up to Nidia’s face. “See?”

    Eleri scowled at her sister, but Nidia wasn’t paying attention, too absorbed with whatever Ben was telling her about his game.

    “Hey.” Her dad entered the cabin and touched a hand to Mom’s shoulder, then leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Everything okay?”

    Mom crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “Someone is a little out of sorts, apparently.”

    “I’m fine,” Eleri said quickly, turning her attention back to her datapad. From the corner of one eye, she saw Mom and Dad exchange one of their looks, which meant a talk was probably coming next. She tried to read her screen more aggressively, but the words had ceased to hold any meaning. Another voice interrupted her agitated thoughts, but it wasn’t Mom or Dad.

    “She’s upset because she had to miss the special class with Master Enwandung-Esterhazy,” Nidia was saying softly. Eleri gripped the pad harder and shot a glare at her sister, who offered only a baffled look in return.

    Dad turned back to her. “Special class…?”

    Eleri couldn’t take her father’s uncomprehending stare. She bit the inside of her lip and looked away. “It doesn’t matter, I told her I couldn’t go.”

    “What kind of class was it?”

    “Dad, I told you, it doesn’t matter.”

    He arched one eyebrow, that frustratingly patient and all-knowing dad look on his face. He was going to keep awkwardly staring at her until she gave in, because of course he was.

    “Fine,” she relented, tilting her head back against the headrest before turning to face him. “Master Scout invited me and a few other Padawans to a special dueling class. She said she was impressed by my performance in the tournament. Happy?”

    Dad and Mom exchanged another look – relieved, amused, still confused… she couldn’t really tell.

    “Of course we’re happy, Eleri,” Dad said. “That’s wonderful news.”

    “Not really, because I told her I couldn’t go. Because I have to go to the other side of the galaxy to look at plants and bugs.”

    “To see your cousin,” Mom corrected.

    “Speaking of which,” Dad continued, as if nothing at all was amiss. “Jacen says he’s looking forward to a sparring match with the Padawan who almost beat the Temple champ.”

    Eleri rolled her eyes, though this time she couldn’t muster up the proper annoyance to back that move. “I didn’t almost beat him, Dad. He cleaned my chrono.”

    “Well, I thought it was a great match. And Padawan Bron is nearly eighteen, and he had the advantage over you in height, weight, strength, agility—”

    Okay, Dad, I get it.” Eleri rolled her eyes again and sank lower in her seat. “You don’t have to remind me of all the ways I’m lacking.”

    “Lacking? Is that what you think?” Dad’s gaze softened, which, weirdly enough, made her want to melt into the chair. “Kiddo, you took on one of the best duelists I’ve seen in years, whose victory was all but assured from the minute he stepped into that circle, and you made him work for it.”

    She tried not to look too pleased. “I did?”

    “Yeah.” Mom stood and sat next to her, draping an arm around her shoulders. “You did.”

    Eleri swallowed hard, recalling the disappointment she’d felt as she lay there on the ground after the final match, defeated, all her wild, impossible hopes swiftly and suddenly dashed. How embarrassed she’d been, how she wished she could run away and not have to stand there in the spotlight with the victor while the whole crowd whispered about what a failure she was. She remembered how that disappointment had melted away when she looked into her opponent’s face and saw him – the gloomy prodigy, the humorless champion, the boy who never so much as grinned – actually smiling back at her. Sure, it wasn’t much of a smile, more like the ghost of one, really – but it wasn’t mocking or smug or worst of all, pitying. It was real, and it was because of her, because of how she’d fought him. For the briefest moment, it felt almost like winning.

    “She invited him, too,” Eleri said slowly, searching for the right words. “I thought if I trained alongside him, maybe I could learn… maybe I could get even better, and—and show him…” She exhaled and bit her lip. “I don’t know, it sounds stupid when I say it out loud.”

    “Not stupid at all,” Dad said gently. “But there will be more opportunities for special training, Eleri.”

    “You think so?”

    “I know so.”

    Mom squeezed her shoulders. “Next time, tell us about these things. Even if you don’t think it matters.”

    Across the cabin, Ben bounced up on his knees, shoving the datapad in Nidia’s face.

    “Look!” he whisper-shouted. “Nidia, look! My Cyan bubble is about to burst!”

    Eleri caught her dad’s eyes, and the tension broke as they all laughed at her brother’s excitement.

    “Cyan?” Dad crossed the cabin and leaned over Ben’s shoulder. “Where did you learn that word?”

    Da-aad.” Ben heaved a great sigh, in perfect imitation of their mother. “I learned it from Holopets Adventure!”

    “Is that so?” Dad winked at Eleri as he sat next to Ben. “That looks pretty wizard. I might have to start playing Holopets, too.”

    Mom hugged her close and smirked at Dad. “Uh-oh. Hide your datapads, kids.”

    Eleri laughed and leaned into the hug. Maybe Dad was right. There would be time for training later. For now, she would enjoy her family… and all the Holopets that came with them.


    ~~
     
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2025
  17. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Kids at play, always delightful to read about them. But training? Not yet. All should enjoy the Holopeds.
    A fun story.
     
  18. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Host: Finish the story, Anagrams & Scattegories. star 8 VIP - Game Winner VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    SQUEE! Lovely reading about Ben's enthusiasm over Holopets. Eleri's feeling upset over missing a special class is understandable, her feelings about the sparring match - very relatable. Any time you match up against a stronger more skilled opponent and make them work for their victory it shows tenacity and talent that's there to blossom. =D= I love Luke and Mara in this as loving indulgent and wise parents. [face_love]
     
  19. Findswoman

    Findswoman Fanfic and Pancakes and Waffles Mod (in Pink) star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2014
    Your series is off to a rip-roaring start, ma'am! And of course you are doing an equally rip-roaring job administering this challenge, as you always do. :cool: I see I need to do some major catch-up here, so let me take care of that…

    1: A very believable description of a child’s (especially a Force-sensitive child’s) response to grief, which I hope isn’t (too much) based on personal experience! And man, that feeling of what I should have said, what I should have done, the time I should have spent is so believable for any age at all; we wonder the same when we lose someone. =(( Of course, the fact that all of this is happening during wartime compounds it all indescribably. But who knows but Grandpa Ani may have been fondly remembering that little quip from his granddaughter in his last moments, or close to them. Eleri need not worry that her grandfather will be forgotten; as long as she and her siblings and her family are there, and as long as his comrades continue the fight, his memory will continue to shine like that supernova. @};-

    2: Ooh, now, I admit to not knowing these particular characters very well, but I am very intrigued by what's happening here! Nidia seems to be grown up now, and in a position of authority with respect to the Force—perhaps even what we might call a Jedi Master—and she seems to have... a student? Or at least a close comrade with whom she might develop an even closer relationship. [face_batting] That at least is my guess given the trust, warmth, and the home-like feeling that they both are describing as feeling from each other. Just the fact that the soldier asks Nidia what she feels, too, shows that there is sincere trust and interest there: it's hidden, like those potential embers in the extinguished fireplace (which is an absolutely amazing image). Add to that the beauty of a sunny Zonama and the nurturing presence of dear old Sekot, and that completes a truly beautiful and serene tableau. I'm very curious now to find out more about Nidia's relationship to this young soldier! Mind if I say "[face_batting]" again? ;)

    3: What fun to see the SkySibs all together! Each is so different and so, shall I say, age-appropriate (you would know! :D ), and we see clearly who's excited about what and who's bummed out about what in a mix of very relatable emotions—there's nothing like traveling to bring those emotions out. I smiled to see Scout E.-E. mentioned; it's been a long time! :D I am sure she would completely understand about Eleri's having to travel with her family, even if it's "to look at plants and bugs," :p and there will no doubt be other special dueling classes in the future. Sounds like Eleri has a real talent in that area if she made that older champion dueler work so hard for his victory; not at all shabby and nothing at all to feel bad about, though I can see where it's something a teen (right that she's a teen now?) would feel eminently self-conscious about. But once Eleri takes a moment to reflect on it for a bit, she sees that the respect she gained from Bron after that match is in a way better long-term than an outright win. Plus, hey, looks like she'll get a sparring match with Cousin Jacen after all, so hopefully that will make up for some of the present disappointment. (How close is this universe's Jacen to the regular universe's Jacen, though? Because from what I know of the latter Jacen, if he's like that, things could get rough. [face_thinking] And can I just say how adorable the idea of Luke being into a game like Holopets is? I can totally imagine that, and hey, the game does seem to have been genuinely educational for Ben, in some ways! Thanks for sharing this fun, sweet family tableau. =D=
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2025
  20. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha
    I do love me some good second person POV, it's true. :p And I take any comparison to Mira's writing as a great compliment, because she's wonderful. [face_love]

    Thank you! :)

    I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

    It ended up being a lot of fun writing this little slice-of-life moment with the family. That was definitely one of my goals, to make everyone relatable and understandable, even with so many different personalities. Thank you for all your kind words! [face_love]




    @earlybird-obi-wan
    Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! [face_love]

    Thank you! :D




    @Mira_Jade
    Yay!! I knew you were already fully on board anyway, but it's still so good to hear this! :D

    [face_whistling] [face_mischief]

    Oh I'm so glad the scene setting felt that way to you! I wanted to give the environment a sort of understated but still otherworldly sense of wonder, because it's a planet with its own sentience, but it's also comfortable and familiar to Nidia. It's like home. [face_love]

    It was a good challenge trying to flesh Nidia for this piece, and the second person really helped me get into her head and figure out more of who she is and how she thinks. So thank you for that! [face_batting] :*

    I had a picture of a rainforest stream, with sunlight spilling through the trees behind it, as my background while I was writing, which I think helped me get immersed in the scene and made the descriptions flow better. :p It can be challenging coming up with ways to describe things like the Force, but I think it helps when I anchor it in something real and tangible, something any of us could experience in the right circumstances.

    [face_batting]

    I wanted Nidia to be a little different from the rest of her family without making her too different (and without making her sound like any of my other OCs in the process 8-}), so I'm glad that stood out to you and that you could see connections to Anakin and Luke and Padmé. [face_love] I picture Nidia as being really into the natural, meditative aspects of her Jedi upbringing, more so than the martial or diplomatic ones, which has been interesting to envision and now write.

    [face_batting] [face_batting]

    Aw, thank you [face_blush]

    I had a feeling you might [face_tee_hee]

    [face_rofl]

    [face_blush] I had to think a little bit about how to word this, and what feeling I was even trying to express in regards to this character (who has appeared in the Enter!verse before, but probably hasn't made much impact on readers, if any :p). I ended up being pretty pleased with this passage, so I'm glad you love it, too. [face_love]

    No apology necessary, I love the squees! :p And wouldn't it be interesting to see this scene from his POV? [face_whistling] [face_batting]

    I'm going to wear out this emoji, but: [face_batting] [face_batting] [face_batting]

    I guess it's a good thing we're revisiting Nidia and her soldier friend for Week 4... [face_whistling] [face_batting] (And thank you so much for your lovely review!! I'm so, so pleased that you enjoyed it! [face_love] [:D])




    @Findswoman
    Aw, thanks, Finds! You're off to an impressive start as well, and I need to get over there soon to tell you so properly. ;) [:D]

    I didn't consciously pull from specific experiences (I've had a few such losses, as I'm sure we all have :(), but I have been thinking a lot about death and memory and legacy lately, especially after the loss of a dear friend I hadn't spoken to in a few years, and I think some of that probably seeped into my writing without me realizing it. I'm very glad it was believable and that it felt right for a Force-sensitive child, too. That's always a trick, trying to capture that sort of intangible connection the characters have with the Force, but I try to ground it in very real feelings and reactions.

    Oh I think Anakin was definitely remembering that quip fondly, you're right! And like I said, I've been thinking about what the people we lose leave behind, and how they're remembered, and I like to think Anakin will live a long time through the love and memories of his family. [face_love]

    This was my first time really writing Nidia in any depth - I think she's only really appeared in drabbles or very short ficlets before now, and I was eager to get to know her better. :p She's still only a student herself here (sort of... I haven't pinned down exactly where she is on the apprentice-knight spectrum, but she's about nineteen here, and is on what is essentially a work-study trip). The soldier is part of a Republic detachment on Zonama Sekot; "close comrade with whom she might develop an even closer relationship" is right on, and I'll have a little more of that story coming up in my week 4 fic! [face_batting] [face_batting]

    I have a lot of memories of traveling with my parents and my younger brother and sister, spending hours in the family minivan, and have also made a lot of similar trips with my husband and our kids, so I'm sure this was very much a product of my own experiences. :p I enjoyed getting to write Luke and Mara and their family on their own, apart from the rest of the Sky/Solos; this KR collection really is shaping up to be a bunch of "firsts" for me in this particular 'verse. [face_thinking]

    Yay, I'm glad you liked the Scout mention! :D I forgot to add this note when I first posted my week 3, but this story was a follow-up of sorts to another fic, The Great Temple Lightsaber Tournament, which I wrote for the 2023 Olympics. It was also my first time writing Eleri in any depth, and it gives a little background about her duel with Padawan Bron. She's about fifteen here, and performed very well for her age, but when you have someone as driven as she is, it can be hard to pump the brakes and realize you're not going to fall behind just because you miss a certain class or training trip or whatever. :p (Also, I think you might enjoy the rest of the fics in my Olympics thread as well! They all take place in this happier 'verse and may provide further context for the stories in this thread, and they were all written to be happy fics without any angst. :p There's even an appearance from our favorite murder droid! [face_mischief])

    Fortunately this universe's Jacen is going to get to be the Jacen we should have gotten in profic (imo, that is), or as close to it as I can come without fully replicating all the things that happened to him in the actual NJO. Which is to say that he's going to be a compassionate, empathetic, deeply principled Jedi Knight who asks lots of questions and may not always walk the same path as others in the Order... and I'm still figuring out what that will look like for him, but I hope it's satisfying, and I hope that you'll still be able to see shades of Enter!verse Jacen in him, even though he's a good guy here. [face_love] Thank you so much for reading and for this lovely review! [:D]



    All right, my week 4 is done, and I should have that up shortly! :D
     
  21. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    Notes: For my Week 4, I had to write a story between 100 and 1,200 words using the classic fanfic Outsider POV, using one (or both) of the following additional prompts:
    • climb up, come clean, clear back the smokescreen
    • [​IMG]

    We're returning to Zonama Sekot this week in a follow-up of sorts to Sparks...




    Over the Moons | 51 years post-RotS (32.5 ABY)


    Puffy gray-white clouds gathered in a brilliant blue sky as Jacen Solo watched his cousin dig another hole in the damp earth.

    “Looks like rain,” he said, observing the telltale changes above.

    “Mmm,” came his companion’s distracted reply. From their spot under the eaves of the rec hall, they had an unimpeded view of the entire Republic camp, including Nidia’s would-be garden; but instead of enjoying their downtime, Corporal Sivren sat ramrod straight in his chair, eyes fixed on the datascreen he held in one hand.

    Jacen decided to try another tack.

    “What do you think of Tierney there?” He nodded to indicate the young private who had eagerly volunteered to assist Nidia with her planting and who moved around her as though tethered to her. “Do you think he’s got a shot?”

    The corporal didn’t bother looking up as he tapped away on his screen. “You’d know better than I would, sir.”

    “You don’t have to ‘sir’ me when no one’s around, Leif.”

    “By your leave, Jedi Solo.”

    Jacen turned just enough to see his friend focused on his device, the smallest hint of a smirk around his mouth. “You’re impossible,” Jacen said with a grin. “You know that, right?”

    Leif shrugged and continued on with his work, undeterred. Not even a peal of laughter from Tierney or the soft cadence of Nidia’s voice were enough to jar him from his duty.

    A self-imposed duty, Jacen thought wryly. Unless checking the inventory for the third time in one day was part of some Republic-mandated procedure he had yet to hear about.

    Despite the abundant sunshine, the clouds continued to accumulate overhead, these ones full to bursting with rain. Jacen straightened up in his seat, about to shout a warning to his cousin, when those clouds opened up and poured themselves out – directly on top of her and her garden.

    “Sekot!” Nidia laughed, tipping her head back to address the air. Rainwater streamed down her face, glistening in the sunlight. “You couldn’t have given us some warning?”

    Jacen heard a soft huff beside him, and glanced over to find Leif watching Nidia through rain and sunbeams, transfixed.

    “Credit for your thoughts, Corporal?”

    Leif didn’t startle. He drew a slow breath, a look of quiet contemplation overtaking his features. “The way she talks to the planet sometimes, not all philosophical like you, but like it’s on her level, like it’s her friend. It’s…”

    Jacen chose to ignore the somewhat reductive description of his own interactions with Sekot, and instead eyed his friend expectantly. “Yeah?”

    Leif dropped his gaze to the inventory screen. “Forget it.”

    “Come on, don’t make me read your mind.”

    “We both know you can’t.”

    “How do you know? Maybe I’m doing it right now.”

    “I’ve been around you long enough to know that’s not how it works.”

    He shouldn’t have been surprised that Leif was so skilled at evasive maneuvers; he was a soldier, after all. “Stop dodging and spit it out. The way Nidia talks to Sekot is… what? Sweet? Whimsical? Otherworldly?”

    “I was going to say ‘cute.’”

    “Cute?” Jacen leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “Cute is for little sisters, Leif. Or so I’ve heard.”

    “Well, she isn’t my little sister.”

    “I know.”

    A startled cry and another peal of laughter interrupted the soft patter of rain. Jacen looked up to see Nidia helping Private Tierney to his feet, mud splattered across her tunic and neck. The young soldier had fared even worse – his entire backside was caked in sludge. He appeared to be in good humor, at least. Though maybe that was because Nidia was still holding one hand on his arm to steady him.

    “I never have been very coordinated,” Tierney was saying, a big grin plastered on his face. “Still not sure why they even let me in, to be honest.”

    “I like to think we end up where we’re supposed to be,” Nidia said thoughtfully.

    “Yeah,” Tierney said, shifting closer, close enough to touch, close enough to wipe the flecks of mud from her cheek. “Me too.”

    Private.” Leif’s voice carried across the camp and through the rain without effort, clipped and clear and precise. Tierney drew his hand back and snapped to attention.

    “Sir!”

    “Go clean yourself up.”

    Private Tierney flushed scarlet all the way to his ears. “Yes, sir.” He turned to Nidia. “I’ll see you tonight?”

    Nidia nodded, though Jacen sensed hesitance underneath. “Yes, of course,” she said a little too brightly. “See you at the festival.”

    Tierney ran off, leaving Nidia in the midst of the muddy garden, her demeanor dampened from something other than the rain. She finally noticed Jacen and Leif sitting under the rec hall’s overhang, and after wiping her neck with her sleeve, walked over to join them. Leif stood as she approached, and Jacen slowly followed his lead. Nidia offered them a distracted smile.

    “Everything okay?” Jacen asked.

    Nidia pursed her lips as she glanced toward the barracks. “I’m not sure. It was nice of Private Tierney to help, but I… I think maybe he got the wrong idea? Or maybe I’m just imagining things.”

    Jacen shook his head, stifling a laugh. “No, you read him right. He couldn’t have been more obvious if he tried.”

    Even under the brilliant sunlight, Nidia paled. “I didn’t mean to… I mean, he’s very nice, but I don’t…”

    “You didn’t do anything,” Leif said evenly, one eyebrow arched as he, too, glanced at the barracks. “Tierney is young and eager, and he tends to rush headlong into things, especially when it involves a pretty girl. You could have asked him for the time and he would have been over the moons for you.”

    Nidia clapped a hand to her mouth and let out a mortified giggle. “I did ask him for the time yesterday.”

    Leif’s expression softened as a smile tugged at his lips. “There you go.” He tucked his datapad under one arm and nodded at them both. “I’d better get back. Jedi Solo. Jedi Skywalker.”

    Jacen rolled his eyes as the corporal walked away. “It’s Jacen!” he called after him.

    “And Nidia!” his cousin added, her voice warm and bubbling with laughter.

    Leif spun around to regard them, eyes alight with a mischief that was usually banked in the presence of others, and Jacen thought wryly that the staid, steady corporal looked just as young and eager in that moment as any of the soldiers under him. He didn’t say a word, just threw a casual salute before resuming his walk to the barracks.

    Jacen chuckled softly and shook his head at his friend’s hasty retreat. “Over the moons.”

    Nidia either didn’t hear him or didn’t grasp his meaning; she turned to him with a disappointed sigh. “Blast, I meant to ask if he was going to the festival as well.”

    Jacen smiled at his cousin. “Oh, he’ll be there. I can’t imagine he’d miss it.”


    ~~
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2025 at 11:52 AM
  22. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Host: Finish the story, Anagrams & Scattegories. star 8 VIP - Game Winner VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Loved Nidia's interaction with Sekot, it's indeed whimsical and otherworldly, but cute? [face_laugh] I was tickled at her inadvertent encouraging of the Private's interest. Leif is a wonderful friend to Jacen, teasing him relentlessly. Eager to read more of Leif and Nidia in future entries, since I think he is "over the moons" over Nidia. [face_batting]

    [face_dancing]
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2025
  23. Findswoman

    Findswoman Fanfic and Pancakes and Waffles Mod (in Pink) star 6 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2014
    OK, confession time: when I first read through this and started typing out the first draft of my comment, I got the completely wrong end of the stick. There are clearly two men here are Over the Moons for Nidia, and even if the private meant well by trying to help out, it’s clear she hasn’t got the same kind of interest in him as he has in her; I hope that won’t cause awkwardness at the festival later on! [face_worried] Then, on the other hand, there’s Corporal Leif Sivren, who clearly not only takes a close interest in Nidia but is friendly enough with Jacen to, well, not hide it from him, even if he isn’t saying it so many words. Was Leif the soldier sitting across from Nidia in “Sparks”? He certainly could have been; his calm, stolid demeanor fits that situation better than Tierney’s hasty eagerness. Either way, of course, there’s also Nidia’s Very Powerful and Perceptive Jedi Cousin right there in the middle of it all, too, and I don’t know if that will make things easier or harder down the line! :p As always, I love the snark and banter you give your characters, and I adore the idea of Nidia being on those friendly, familiar terms with Sekot—and that her relationship to Sekot would be different from her cousin’s relationship to it. I also am really liking the Jacen you’ve got here, and I very much believe Leif when he says he’s spent enough time around him to know how Force-based mental communication does and doesn’t work; that shows how deep their friendship is, and is a good omen for his being able to understand Nidia down the line, if things go that route. [face_batting] Very eager to see how things will transpire as this series and this universe go on; keep up the fantastic work! =D=
     
  24. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    A sweet scene on Sekot. Nidia knowing all about the sentient planet with her friends helping. Leif being interested in Nidia and Tierney too. But who will get her?
    Jacen is adorable in his banter with Leif.
     
  25. ViariSkywalker

    ViariSkywalker Kessel Run Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha
    I'm so glad you enjoyed the interactions between Nidia and Leif, and Leif and Jacen! I've really enjoyed gradually fleshing out those relationships. And if you're eager for more of Nidia and Leif, you'll be pleased with the next entry... [face_batting]




    @Findswoman
    lol I did wonder if I was being too veiled with my writing in this one, so I'm glad it ultimately made sense! [face_laugh] We'll get a tiny glimpse of the festival in the next entry, and if there's any awkwardness, hopefully Private Tierney will get over it soon enough. :p

    This, too, will be answered in one of the upcoming drabbles! [face_batting]

    Hopefully not harder, but I guess we'll have to see how events unfold! (And I do mean "we", because I'm very much feeling my way through a lot of the finer details each time I sit down to write in this 'verse. :p)

    It's been a long time since I've done anything more than skim any of the books in which Sekot appears, but it was really cool writing its appearance in EtF, and I think it could be a lot of fun to have some Sekot cameos in the happier 'verse, too. So this sets that up a little bit! :D

    Glad to hear you're liking Jacen in this! The profic did him so dirty, and I'm eager to undo that in any way I can. (Even if I do still enjoy writing my own dark version of him, oops. 8-}) Also, there's an element of Leif's character that I meant to elaborate on more in this next entry, one that might be another good omen for his being able to understand Nidia, but I ran out of time to include it properly. :oops: I'll probably come back to it in a KR pit stop of some kind, hopefully sooner rather than later!

    Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this next entry as we return for some more of Nidia and Leif... [face_batting] ;)




    @earlybird-obi-wan
    Aw, I'm very pleased that you enjoyed all of those elements! As for who Nidia prefers, read on for more of that story... [face_batting]
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2025 at 9:37 PM