I genuinely can't believe I finished this BUT I DID.
The cover is .... there. It may need work.
Anyway - another Fated Mountain Lodge novella arrives for the holidays to answer the question everyone is asking: will the lodge's reservation system work any better this time than it has in the previous four books?
Download from Bookfunnel if you'd like a copy! It comes out on Dec. 7, so the link will stop working then.
A couple of years ago I did a series of movie reviews about the movies I enjoy rewatching — not the best movies of all time, or the most important movies, but the ones I’m happy to spend time with, and which I put on when I want to revisit that world, or the characters, or when that film has something about it that resonates for me.
Because I wrote the series in December, which is also the month I generally have time to schlump on the couch and actually watch a bunch of movies, I called the series “The December Comfort Watches,” one a day for the whole month. Now that it’s December again, and I still have a bunch of other movies I like watching that I want to write about, I thought I’d do a second run of the series: 31 new movies (not actually new movies, but new to the series) and what about them makes them so rewatchable.
And to start us off, let me pick the actual newest movie to this list: K-Pop Demon Hunters.
It’s safe to say no one expected K-Pop Demon Hunters. Certainly Sony Animation didn’t — rather than release the movie theatrically, they shunted it over to Netflix as part of a COVID-era distribution deal, which, while covering Sony’s production costs and adding a little extra for profit, meant that the movie’s financial upside would be capped for the studio. Not great for Sony, but great for Netflix… or it would have been, had Netflix done any actual thing to promote the movie. It really didn’t; there was no buzz whatsoever for the movie when it slipped onto the service on June 20, 2025. If I were the filmmakers, particularly directors Maggie Kang and Chris Applehans, I would have been tearing my hair out about this. Years of work, and then your baby is just sort of plopped out onto the streaming sidewalk, to live or die, whichever.
In this one case, however, this institutional if not neglect then at least indifference meant that K-Pop Demon Hunters could become a thing that is so rarely seen anymore as to be near-miraculous: An actual grassroots, word-of-mouth hit, the sort where the people who have found it sort of climb over each other to tell all their friends about it, and then they tell their friends, and so on, and so on. By August, K-Pop Demon Hunters was a sensation; by September, it was an actual phenomenon, becoming Netflix’s most watched movie ever, and ruling the Billboard and international single and album charts until Taylor Swift came along in October to ruin their fun.
By now, the story of the film is known to everyone not living under a literal rock: The K-Pop band Huntr/x (pronounced “Huntrix”) is a chart-topping girl group with a powerhouse belter (Rumi), a drop-dead sarcastic choreographer (Mira) and a bubbly, goofy lyricist (Zoey) with millions of fans and the sort of skyscraper penthouse apartment that would Tony Stark to shame. They also, in their spare time, keep the human world safe from an onslaught of underworldly demons, first by using their songs to strengthen a force field called the “Honmoon” that keeps most of the demons sealed off, and then by brutally (but bloodlessly, this is a family film) slaughtering any demons that do manage to slip through.
All of this is covered in the film’s frankly terrific first act, which has the group fighting a pack of demons on the airplane taking them to their final world tour show. The demons have taken over the plane, all the better to murder the band, but the band is having none of that. So then the demons tear up the plane, which again does not work the way they want it to. In a few short minutes, we understand the concept and the stakes, get acquainted with our heroes and get the broad strokes of their personalities, and then get a music video with a bangin’ “meet the band” tune that also doubles as a tightly choreographed fight scene — which is also funnier than I think anyone could have reasonably expected it to be.
All of this certainly took me by surprise when I say the movie for the first time in June. After having watched that introductory sequence and being knocked out by it, I was actually angry at Netflix and Sony for not banging the drum about this movie and leaving me to find out about it from Reddit, of all places. In retrospect, this ended up not being a problem for the movie. But at the time it seemed unfathomable that something this good, this smartly assembled and designed, would just be left for people to find, or not.
(If you want to argue with me that Netflix did know what it had on its hands, let me offer you the one piece of evidence they did not: For the first few months of the movie’s existence, there was close to zero actual licensed merchandise. Sure, you could get K-Pop Demon Hunters t-shirts and merch; it was just all unauthorized. Netflix is still catching up on this stuff. At least they were smart enough to release a sing-along version to theaters a couple months after release, which netted the streamer roughly $20 million in nearly pure profit.)
K-Pop Demon Hunters functions fabulously as an action-oriented animated musical, but what makes it rewatchable are the character interactions. First and most notably, the relationship between Rumi, Mira and Zoey, all of whom are allowed to be flawed (Rumi is a controlling workaholic! Mira is a barely-contained rage monster! Zoey is an ADHD-brained chipmunk!) but all of whom actually love each other and who mostly understand that together they are more than the sum of their parts. It’s weird, and possibly tragic, that it takes an animated movie to show us a trio of young women who are allowed to be less than perfect, that is, when they’re not saving the world and/or being the biggest pop group on the planet.
But wait! There’s a whole other subplot with its own relationship drama! That’s between Rumi and Jinu, the latter being the leader of a boy band made of… demons! Yes! Who come to Earth to steal Huntr/x’s fans so the Honmoon will remained unsealed! (I’m not going to over-explain it here; it makes sense when you watch it.) Rumi and Jinu both have their secrets, a fact which ends up creating the most adorable trauma-bond ever, complete with an emotion-laden-yet-deeply-chase love song duet. It’s the stuff fan mashups are made of, a thing the film is very much aware of.
Indeed, another thing the film does a very good job of showing is the fan/band dynamic, and what it means to be a pop star here in the third decade of 2025. Observers more knowledgeable than I have praised how the movie is deeply rooted into the specific setting of Korea and its pop culture (the movie takes place in that nation, a fact which vaguely astounds me; I assume someone somewhere had to resist a corporate note to move the action to the US, and good for them to have done so). I’m willing to accept their word that the movie is Korean at heart, and yet there is enough about the pop culture dynamic that is universal that even a relative newbie to K-Pop as myself understands the currents these characters are swimming in. It would be a little much to say any of this is realistic, but then, this is a movie with demons. It’s okay for it to be a fable.
There’s so much of this movie that feels like a fable, not confined to the actual story on the screen. For example, the story of EJAE, who co-wrote several of the movie’s songs, including the global #1 hit “Golden,” and who provided the singing voice for Rumi, in the process astounding legions of YouTube music vloggers by being able to hit an A5 note like it was no big deal. EJAE spent years in the K-Pop ecosystem, training to become part of a K-Pop band and never quite making it and eventually leaving that world behind. And now here she is, having co-written and performed arguably the biggest K-Pop song ever, certainly the biggest K-Pop song featuring a girl band (on “Golden” and other Huntr/x songs, EJAE sings with Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, who provide the singing voices of Mira and Zoey, respectively). It’s a story as compelling as the story of the movie, and inextricably intertwined with it.
Again: Safe to say no one expected K-Pop Demon Hunters, and yet here less than six months after its release it’s hard to think of 2025 without it. It’s the year’s actual pop phenomenon, one that wasn’t forced on us, or that tens of millions of dollars were spent to make happen. It happened because people just plain liked it — liked the movie, liked the music, liked the characters and liked the way it make them feel. How often do we get that anymore? Not enough. I’d like it again sometime. In the meantime, K-Pop Demon Hunters will do.
I didn't get home until 8 after setting up a muscle practical but that might not even happen as a snow storm is on its way.. Fun times.
So tired, I took my night pills, forgot, took more pills (tomorrow's morning pills) by mistake (Nothing much to worry about but I probably won't sleep since one is sort of an upper).
Watching The Running Man for the first time in forever (the Arnie version) I loved this moving growing up. It's corny yes but oddly enough it predicted a lot of things (only off by a decade) including a fascist president, media controlling everything and deep fakes.
Speaking of fascist presidents, I had a dream I was in my grandmother's house and Trump was in there hiding and we were trying to root him out. Thanks brain.
My tooth/throat got much worse today, lost my voice. I'm wondering if they're related as the 'tooth' is more the gum around it.
Music Monday - a song you like that is covered by another artist. I'll give you both songs
I've posted my P.O. Box and general information here for anyone who needs it. As long as I give you access, you should be able to see it. If you don't have access, feel free to leave a comment, send me a private message, or email me at settiai [at] gmail [dot] com in order to get it.
Also, since I get asked this every year: yes, I'm aware of holiday_wishes, and I may end up posting over there as well. My brain has a weird hang-up about posting a wishlist somewhere more public like a community vs. my own journal, though, so we'll see.
About a week ago, someone left a chaise longue, upholstered in brown in the style of a sofa section, in the middle of one of the narrow pavements/sidewalks in the neighbourhood. Where I used to run into lots of older people, some with walkers, on my walks. It lost its cushion over the weekend, but it was still there this afternoon, and a lady pushing a pram had to cross the street on her way to the park because of it. So I flagged down the relatively strong lad who was walking behind her, and he and I moved it onto the strip of earth where a grass verge would be. It fit in a gap between the few plants the homeowner at that point has, and the dining room chair with busted cane seat that had appeared next to it fit nicely in another space. The guy wanted to hump the chaise into the road, but I thought that would be mega-illegal. And there's now enough space for people to get by.
I made this today. Now I regret all the leftover mashed potatoes that I've tossed in the past. If you have leftover spuds, this is well worth considering.
"Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup"
Ingredients: 1/8 cup diced bacon (about 2 strips) 1/2 sweet onion, diced about 1 cup leftover instant mashed potatoes 1/2 cup half-and-half 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper about 1/4 cup shredded Gouda cheese
I wonder how much of an entry I can write on my phone before it gets too annoying. Still a bit amazed that the best-for-me swipe keyboard I've found is literally still in alpha. (I almost always strongly prefer to use tech/programs that are solidly out of beta, and yet.) Bucky the Christmas tree has been revived from cold storage! I do still miss some elements of having a real tree, between the traditions and the evergreen scent, but it sure is nice not to have the time constraints of "how long will it look alive?" when deciding to put it up/take it down. And I'm also finding that I like the feeling of This Is Our Tree. Hello, Bucky, old chum. Good to see you again. You look well!
Anyhow, as of yesterday* he's in his place, built-in lights all aglow. No ornaments yet. Plenty of time for that.
*Ginny is not what you'd call a Christmas fan, so I told myself firmly that there was no call to put Bucky up on Saturday right before she and Kas would be coming over. Today's main excitement was a dental appointment. Everything looks good, apparently. Now to hope once again that this won't be the time I get covid out of it despite the precautions we manage to take.
noun a blue-faced, crested bird, Opisthocomus hoazin, of the Amazon and Orinoco forests, having as a nestling a large, temporary claw on the second and third digits of the forelimb, for climbing among the tree branches.
examples After another bird-filled stop, where we saw our first turkey-like hoatzin — whose ungainly size and clumsy movements made us all laugh — we were transferred into two smaller canoes. "Bears, Binoculars, and Bucket Lists: 15 days Birding in Ecuador." New York Times. 26 April 2023.
Conserving the Amazon's vast rainforests protects the planet and helps ensure that jaguars, hoatzins, and all forest dwellers have a home now and into the future. WWF calendar - November 2026
origin 1655–65; ≪ Nahuatl huāctzīn, huāhtzīn name for several hen-sized birds of the Valley of Mexico, apparently applied indiscriminately by early naturalists to similar New World birds
AO3 Link | To Find A New Hope (3216 words) by Merfilly Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Original Female Character(s), Asajj Ventress, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Aayla Secura, CC-5052 | Bly, Original Male Character(s) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Episode: s02e21-22 Twilight of the Apprentice Summary:
When Pel has a vision, and shares it with Atin, she gets to do the legwork.
To Find A New Hope
"Pel," Atin muttered, "if your first Force Vision gets me kidnapped by a Hutt, I'm naming Kifra my best friend." The Kel Dor was nowhere to hear that threat, as Atin tried to figure out how in kriff she was supposed to find one karking kid in the middle of the desert.
Her buir'e were probably going to wish she was old enough to one on one, no matter what. Yes, she had gone to her spirit-mother for training. It wasn't her fault Pel had dragged her, and possibly Kifra, into a long-distance Force Vision. As he, so recently settled in that gender, couldn't leave Dorin, she had to do the leg work. And she wasn't alone.
"Why in all the galaxy does it have to be here?" Asajj hissed.
"You know as much as I do, and I did say you didn't have to come with me," Atin answered as levelly as possible. "Now, how do we find this kid Pel saw?"
"I presume it has to do with the Force, so you will seek, and I will guard you," Asajj said with more patience. Atin did not smile, but she knew full and well that Asajj loved her and saw Atin as an heiress — now that Mother was missing.
Atin shoved that off, and looked around the outskirts of what passed as a city… and beckoned Asajj back up into the ship. They had enough supplies and fuel; Atin would park them away from this life-sucking void to have a better chance of catching any Force wisps.
Three things happened almost as one. Atin was prepping to set them down outside a moisture farm's boundaries, Arseven found something in the 'droid-net that made him wary, and Asajj hissed in a breath as her eyes went unerringly to the horizon, not the farm.
"No, not here, not yet," Asajj snapped. "That way, go," she demanded.
While this was technically Atin's mission to complete, she had no reason to deny her spirit-mother's instincts, and did low-atmo flight in the direction she'd been given.
And, once she was out of sight of the sun-strong Force signature at the farm, she felt the secondary, lighter one that Asajj must have latched onto. What even was this going to be, when Tatooine was not exactly on the galactic map for 'famous Force users'.
"Arseven, what is it you found?"
[R2-D2 entry, specific to geo-location. Details redacted, deduce R2-D2 located there once, at minimum.]
That… that was very unexpected. Arseven had extensive memories, and kept the pulse of the 'droid-net for Atin's family, with its labyrinthine levels of access. Granted, the one Arseven could access had been hastily walled off, protected by those droids that had maintained their memories and allegiance to the Republic, but anywhere that droid might have been was a possible location in Skywalker's or Amidala's past.
And there was someone with the Force there, almost blinding to Atin when she looked with that awareness.
"Pel, I am putting a stink bomb in your quarters," she muttered before telling Asajj what Arseven had said. The Dathomiri frowned, then gave a sharp nod.
"I must be right then, about what is ahead."
Asajj held back — this was her heiress's quest — but remained where she could see events unfold. Atin had, at her suggestion, dropped some of her shielding. Asajj didn't think this particular Jedi would harm the girl, yet she was ready to throw a Force Choke to protect the girl, if the man had gone insane.
Ahsoka had mentioned ones she had found, driven insane by the genocide of their people.
She wasn't prepared to see a man that looked twice the age he should coming out of the hovel to see who had parked a scout ship beside his bantha herd. It was one more point toward that karking anooba on the Emperor's leash really being Skywalker. If she had only managed to kill him at Yavin…
"Hello there," came the voice she easily recognized, and the Force felt cautious but not hostile around him. With that, she did emerge.
"Now, Kenobi, don't go flirting with the child," she purred, pleased when his eyes went large and he reached toward his belt. "Especially not when she is of your line."
"All I did was say 'hello', Ventress," Kenobi answered, forcing himself to a less battle-ready stance.
"This is General Kenobi? He looks older than any of my uncles," Atin said, adding more confusion to the mix, and making Asajj laugh.
"Redheads shouldn't live under dual suns; I'd be glad to offer you much better places to lay your head, my dear old nemesis."
"I'm very certain my answer to that is 'no'," Kenobi said, before taking his eyes back to Atin.
"Good," Atin said. "As I'm not sure I'd want you anywhere near my other clan."
Asajj wondered at that, curious what was setting her heiress firmly against this man of her past.
"I'm sorry, but perhaps introductions are in order," Kenobi said. "At least for my sake?"
"Atin Tano."
Asajj's earlier words, those clone-dark eyes, plus the name all were hammering at Kenobi, and she could see it, despite the man's attempt to sweep the emotions away.
"My fair skin cannot endure these suns; do invite us in, my dear Kenobi?" Asajj said, and he helplessly turned to lead them in, a gesture that left it up to them to follow.
Obi-Wan settled his former enemy — who was remarkably pleasant — and the hostile stranger that seemed to be his grand-padawan's kin with an eye to defusing whatever had brought them here.
"Kenobi," Asajj began, "this began with my student's Force Vision, but I noted your presence, and decided that perhaps you could enlighten us as to the blazing Force Beacon not so far from here?"
Atin seemed content with that question, but her eyes, so like Co — he cut that off — bored holes into him for his answer.
"He was brought here to escape the Purge," Kenobi said, a truth, but not all of it.
"Because of Vader?" Atin accused immediately, and he could not, quite, keep from flinching, leading to her using some choice words in at least three languages.
Asajj rested a hand on her shoulder, and the girl, no older than Ahsoka at Christophsis, Obi-Wan thought, settled.
"The point stands, Kenobi. If the not-so hidden one belongs to either the gundark or that senator woman, and a Vision has been had, he is likely no longer safe here."
Obi-Wan blinked; how could Asajj know not only that Vader was Anakin, but who the mother would be?!
"Oh please. Do you think Atin is my student by chance?" Asajj purred. "Ahsoka paid a visit to me after the confirmation, so that she could enlist my aid to better protect Atin until Atin was fully trained in her ways.
"And the funeral was obviously of a pregnant woman. Deception in that would be needed, hmm, if she had been suspected to be carrying a child?"
"How was it confirmed?" he asked, instead of answering anything.
"I was taken, when I was very small, and my parents had to rescue me," Atin said. "The fact he took me instead of outright killing me planted the idea." She glared at him. "She was out there fighting still. Had been fighting since she was only a little older than me now… and you're on this sun-scorched rock with a sitting target."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes at the accusation in her words. "I thought I needed to guard the last hope of the Jedi. Your mother was — always — in the midst of the men. I could not fathom that she had survived when so many died."
Asajj made an indelicate noise at that. "You never could see the full potential in her," she scoffed. "But, admittedly, she was aided by that captain of hers."
Atin flashed her sharper than human teeth in a smile at those words. "Fives was right," the girl told Obi-Wan, and he had to shuffle through his memories, so far back, before going pale with shock. "My uncles were used by making them flesh-droids in truth. My buir'e have stolen back the ones they could."
"I… that is much to digest," Obi-Wan said, as the memory of the men becoming nothing more than uniform spots of malevolence returned to him. "You said… 'was'?" he asked in a gentle tone.
"She's not dead," from Asajj overlapped "She disappeared," out of Atin's mouth.
"After facing Vader on Malachor," Atin continued. "The other former Jedi involved refused to give me the coordinates, but Arseven got it out of their droid."
"We went, she and I, but could not find Ahsoka," Asajj finished. "I sought for her spirit in the Force, but it is not there." She then glanced over into a corner. "Unlike the one sharing your abode."
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.
Atin snorted. "It's a little trick from Asajj's tradition. The dead can be useful sometimes."
"So they can be," Obi-Wan agreed, having learned more from Qui-Gon Jinn during his exile. "Back to my reason for being here, it has not changed. I … will have to find a way to cloak him."
"Kenobi, don't be an idiot. If the boy has been revealed to a more distantly connected Force user, do you really think the gundark won't feel it soon?"
"This planet is a shield of its own," Obi-Wan said weakly.
"No, no it's not, and you're endangering my cousin," Atin growled.
How had she decided on that tack? No, Ahsoka had claimed Anakin as 'brother', so in one way it made sense. In all others, given her own confession of abduction, and Vader likely being responsible for Ahsoka's loss, it did not.
Togruta, vod'e, and clan — they never used logic for naming kin ties.
"I have nowhere else to take him."
"Spirit-mother?" Atin asked, maybe implored, and Asajj set her jaw firmly.
"Kenobi, give me your hands," Asajj said, reaching out. "I may not like most of the main clan she lives with, but I will not allow Sithly manipulations to harm them for hers, and Ahsoka's, sake."
"I'm sorry, but weren't you a Sith's disciple?" Obi-Wan asked to cover just how uneasy he was.
"Bah. I am a Night Sister, and those days were long gone even before I helped my pet deliver her child."
Atin laughed, sharp and short. "Do you want me to call you 'harpy' since she's not here to do it?"
It was Asajj's affectionate yet sad smile at the girl that made Obi-Wan actually reach for the hands, to prove he was safe, even if he thought there was no way he would go wherever Atin lived.
Asajj had been certain Kenobi was free of the Sithly traps — there had been residue, but Kenobi had dealt with it. Then came the negotiation with the farmers, which had taken right up until Luke found out the Empire might kill his family when they came hunting.
Atin had set the long course, dropping Asajj back on Dathomir. Luke was so unshielded that he could feel the planet before they even grounded for her to leave.
Now, having made certain neither of them were present as she set her course, she had time in hyperspace to actually talk to the pair without Asajj needling the Jedi relic.
"No, you can't know where we're going," she answered Luke's first question, then looked at Kenobi. "You're not the only jetii to survive."
"Obviously your mother," he began, but she shook her head.
"I meant of your Order. She was not, remember?" When the man flushed she continued. "Buir made her promise to not leave us, those that were rescued, us kids, because someone had to teach the useful bits to me and my sibs."
"Her," Kenobi murmured, considering. "And you are warning me because there is a connection?"
"Yes. I've heard a few stories about Kenobi-and-Vos as I grew up."
That rattled the Jedi pretty hard. "Master Saa or Master Secura?" he asked once he had his equilibrium back, well-aware that Luke was listening — and feeling in the Force — to all the emotions.
"Mama Aayla," Atin said. "Bly was in physical contact with her when the order hit, and that gave him just enough to stun her instead of kill, though he hunted her after, knowing she wasn't dead. But his chip was malfunctioning, and she was able to snap the thing with the Force, to free him."
"Chip? Like the ones in the slaves?" Luke asked, giving Kenobi time to digest the revelation.
"Huttese chips just explode," Atin said bitterly. "Death would be preferable to ones that made you mindless flesh-droids who killed those they were supposed to protect."
Luke blanched, then nodded. "Yeah… rescued?"
"It started with my mother and her captain, figuring out how to neutralize the chips, how to work the men past their trauma. I'm told they weren't always able, very early on. Then giving them a choice to settle in Sanctuary, which is the name of where we are going," she said, knowing it wouldn't tell them where in the galaxy it was. Granted, if Pel came up, Kenobi would guess, but that would be after Aayla and Wolffe decided the threat level. "The other half of the choice was to join the Rebellion. Some did.
"But no one holds it against the ones that chose living free and safe."
"Your mother helped in the Rebellion I take it?" Kenobi asked.
"My mother helped build it, shape it, guide it." Atin sat tall in her chair. "She was learning every Force trick she could, freeing my uncles, and recruiting on both sides of the Separatist line to fight the Empire."
Kenobi met her eyes on that, and stroked his beard a moment. "She was one of the best and brightest," he said, "and the Order did so very wrong by her."
That … Atin hadn't expected that. She could accept it, could move past her lingering antipathy to this man.
Obi-Wan had watched Luke's openness actually win the girl over. He was rather glad Luke hadn't actually picked up on the girl being younger, given how driven Atin was, especially in teaching Luke the most basic Force shielding for polite company among other users.
He was awakened by them coming out of hyperspace, but per their agreement, made no attempt to leave the cabin he shared with Luke, a narrow space with two bunks and storage beneath them, looking over as his ward noticed the change and awakened.
"We're out of hyperspace. Atin will be landing us, no doubt, as she has not put us into a new jump," Obi-Wan said.
"Do we always notice it?"
"Long time spacers do. Those who grew up in space will. And Force users, as the fullness of the feeling of being surrounded is somewhat muted in hyperspace."
"Good to know."
A short time later, the ship was definitely landed, and Obi-Wan waited for the word to get out.
That came when the astromech, Arseven, came and opened their door to lead them out.
"I suppose she went ahead to warn the others," Obi-Wan said.
"It feels… light. Warm? Soothing," Luke said, measuring his awareness around him as Obi-Wan and Atin had been teaching.
"If it is a refuge for those wronged by the war, I suppose it would," Obi-Wan said, not willing to reach out like that, to feel the betrayal of the men, of their grief for the Jedi. He and Luke followed Arseven, and were led into a docking bay that only held one other ship at present, a beat up single-man Aether-Sprite.
Ahead of them was a clone with gold bars on his cheeks, and beside him, a blue Twi'lek that Obi-Wan had seen grow from foundling to Master. Atin was off to the side, kneeling down in a deep hug with a Twi'leki girl still in the dainty stage of true childhood.
"Master Kenobi," the woman said in a calm, measured tone.
"Can we dispense with titles, my old friend?" Obi-Wan asked, and then she was in motion, prompting him to meet her. The hug, he had to admit, felt very good to his worn and frayed spirit.
"Obi-Wan," she murmured.
"Aayla," he answered her, before stepping back a little and looking at the clone. "Bly." It was so complicated in his heart. Could Cody have resisted if the order had come while they were together?
"Obi-Wan," Bly replied. "Rex and Wolffe will probably slip for General, but you remember how they were."
"Luke, come with us," Atin called. "We'll get your things later, but I want you to meet my little sister, and we'll show you where we live."
"Okay."
Once the trio were departed, Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Sister?"
Bly actually chuckled, while Aayla linked an arm around Obi-Wan's to be his guide. "Clan remains fluid, and need not have blood, though technically speaking, they are half-sisters," she said with a smile. "Kifra, our daughter. They have another sibling, who is fully by spirit, and also vod to all of the men, but you will not be meeting him just yet.
"Rex is off-world, helping the Rebels at present. And while we are not pleased at Atin's decision to take such risks while she was away training, we are pleased to welcome you, and your ward."
"How much did she tell you?"
"All of it. And we will do what we can to help Amidala's son protect himself, we promise."
"For now," Bly said quietly, "you are to follow our standard care routine for a survivor of the war."
"I have had — "
"No one with whom you could work it out, you only just learned what happened to us, and I know our ad is as diplomatic as a rancor," Bly said, cutting him off. "I love Atin dearly, but she has her mother's stubborn and bluntness down to a fine art."
"I think our Captain gets some of that blame," Aayla said with impish humor. "But he does tend to phrase it better."
Obi-Wan took a deep breath. If Aayla could learn to smile, after all she had been through, he would try their way. Even the Force thought this was for the better, and that helped him relax into their care even further.
~So he is there, and another Jedi of Father's extended clan,~ Pel recapped from the long mental conference with Atin and Kifra.
~Yes, but we have not mentioned we are in the Dorin system or who you are. Might piece it together, but I wanted our parents to get a feel for the Jedi first.~
~Of course. I know all of you will help Luke build the basics. And then, when Mama Aayla says, I will come to help with the mental side of it.~
~Alright. I don't know where your vision will lead us, Pel, but… I think something shifted.~
~So the Sages believe,~ he assured her. ~Sleep well, my sisters.~
~You too,~ Kifra said, before shifting to be more comfortable in the bed with her big sister. "It has to get better, right?"
"We're going to try hard for that," Atin promised her, closing her eyes. She just wished her mother could be here to help them, as always.
dialecticdreamer is running a prompt callall month in December! Leave prompts, get ficlets. \o/ MOAR GOODEEZ for everyone! This may suit people with goals related to reading, creativity, crowdfunding, or boosting your mood.
This whole month I hope to fill with prompted stories, to celebrate my lovely readers and surviving the first quarter of the twenty-first century. It’s been jam-packed with crises and chaos, hasn’t it? Time to take a story break… or thirty.
Hello all! I learned about this comm this year and it's such a sweet idea, I'm excited to take part! No worries if folks can't fill my wishes, of course, but thank you for looking at my list at all - and may everyone's holiday season be wonderful!
1. Dreamwidth Points - Dreamwidth's paid time features are so great, and I keep finding more and more icons I like, so points I could put towards paid time or additional icon slots would be very appreciated!
2. Fic Recommendations - For Hazbin Hotel or Pokemon Horizons. Both are new favorite media I got really into this past year, and finding fic for large fandoms like Pokemon and Hazbin Hotel can get a little overwhelming, so I'd love recommendations of your favorite fics! The main things I'd like to read for Hazbin are: Husk/Angel Dust fic, or fic with a focus on Abel, Sir Pentious, Lucifer, or Emily. For Horizons, I'd be interested in fic focused on Friede, the friendship(s) between Roy, Dot, and/or Liko, and the bond between Roy and his team, as well as general slice of life on the Brave Olivine before the timeskip. In either fandom, I'm not interested in crackfic, character/ship bashing, porn without plot for Hazbin/smut fic in general for Horizons, or fics containing character death. Also, if you're recommending a fic for Pokemon Horizons, please note that I'm watching the English dub, and want to avoid spoilers for anything after HZ089, "Where the Adventure Leads," thank you!
3. 100x100 Icons - I can always use more Pokemon icons, and especially would love icons of any of the new Mega Evolutions in Legends Z-A or the characters Naveen, Taunie, Lida, L, or Mable from the same game, or icons of Friede, Cap, Roy, Dot, Liko, or any of their Pokemon from Pokemon Horizons!
4. Digital Giftcards - to Barnes and Noble, Hot Topic, Amazon, or the Nintendo eShop; you can DM me for my email address!
5. YouTube Recommendations - I'm a big fan of YouTubers who create content focused on art and character design, such as GinjaNinjaOwO, Momopurin, Prickly Alpaca, and TheStarfishface. I'd love to add more to my subscription list!
Again, thank you for checking out my list, and whatever you're celebrating or observing this time of year - if anything - I wish you the very best time!
A podcast I like just did a Patreon bonus episode about Christmas songs, and listening to it today was a fun way to get into the spirit, now we've gotten past thanksgiving and into December.
They invited us to tell them about other songs than the ones they mentioned at the end, and I compiled such a mental list that I made it into a physical list. Especially because they suggested at the end to let them know about any Christmas songs they might not know, and since it's a baseball podcast and they're from the U.S., and I didn't know about Slade and Wizzard until I left the U.S., I figured they were worth a mention (I do like both songs as well and think even if I ever get back to Minnesota for Christmas, Noddy Holder yelling "It's Christmas!" will have to be part of it.)
Coventry Carol
This is in the medieval/haunting/melancholy vibes category; I've loved it since it was on some Christmas album I had as a little kid
Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy
I just love this, contrived as it is. It's like the baton is being handed over from Mr. Traditional Christmas to a new generation. It never fails to give me goosebumps to hear their individual melodies come together at the end.
Do You Hear What I Hear
Another favorite of mine as a kid; my mom is a soprano and would sing along to this which I really loved. I thought this was another centuries-old one, but looking it up to link here I learned it was written in 1962, by a married couple who "wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis."
Hi everyone! This is my first time doing this, and I'm a little shy about it, but here goes! I would love it if you...
1.) Rec'd me some stuff! Right now I'm mostly on the hunt for webcomics, anime, C-dramas, or audio dramas of the modern-day slice-of-life variety, ideally with little to no romance and at least a couple queer characters in the cast. Also happy to check out some fics that fit this bill, even if the original fandom doesn't.
2.) Ranted at me about stuff you love! It's always fun for me to hear about things people are into, and often people's enthusiasm rubs off on me and I check out things I might not otherwise. I'd love to hear about what/who you love and why.
3.) Commented on a fic or podfic of mine, especially this pe-canon Raven Cycle thing starring the 300 Fox Way crew. It's probably my favorite fic I've written, and sadly it remains uncommented upon. :(
4.) Are a nonbinary person in your 30s/40s/older and would like to be DW friends or even better email penpals and share experiences/tips/etc.
5.) Told me about something you did/tried to do this year that made you a little happier and that I might wanna try too.
I think that's it! I love that this is a thing! Thank you! <3
I was lying in bed last night, and the thought of vegetables in art floated across my brain in that almost dreamy logic sort of way, focusing on the foods themselves. I came up with three pieces immediately (ignoring all the many still life/cornucopia paintings, cookbooks, or anything that’s trying to get kids to eat vegetables):
As always, our theme for December is amnesty. This month you can post recs for any past round—from any year—as long as the work hasn't already been recommended for that theme. Refresh your memory with a spreadsheet of previous rounds or search the comm for past recs.
Be sure to tag your recs with theme: amnesty in addition to the relevant theme(s).
If you're just joining us, be sure to check out our policy on content notes. Content notes aren't required, but they're nice to include in your recs, especially if a fanwork has untagged content that readers may wish to know about in advance.
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