Chin Rubs Run In The Family.

I love reading the Septimus Heap books because the writing style is hilarious. The author goes off on paragraphs-long tangents about characters that aren’t even remotely important to the plot! Funny things happen like:

The Dragon Boat lands in the River safely (a very good thing, extremely important to the main plot)

The author (paraphrased): And no one was around to see it, except for 4 old fishermen who are known for telling tall tales, so when they went to the tavern for fishermen (because that exists apparently), nobody believed them. They even convinced themselves that they were just exaggerating, and they didn’t see a dragon in the shape of a boat land in the river. Anyway, back to the actual plot…

I meant it for Saint Valentine’s day, cause what could be better for SVD then a deja moo.

(Also hope, that deja moo idiom works fine. Sometimes I feel myself a bit Thrawn).

[image description: An ornate teacup with painted details around a lovely face floats above its saucer, which in turn floats above a dawn (or is it twilight?) landscape. Stars twinkle in the sky and the light of the golden hour illuminates the background. Rays of light emanate from the cup and light the banderole that spirals up from it. Text reads, “258, Ooh Long Long, the small god of the Perfect Cup of Tea”]

• • • • •

No one truly knows where she began.  China, absolutely.  That part is not contested.  But was she called into life by a healer adding dried leaves to hot water as a medicinal tonic?  Did a brisk wind blow fallen flowers into someone’s water, where they steeped unnoticed for hours?  Was it an accident or an intentional creation?  Whatever her origins, she was a discovery which has shaped human history, uplifted cultures and enabled atrocities.  She’s sorry about that last part.  She always knew she was delicious.  She never expected to be so delicious that people would cross a world to steal her from the places where she rightfully belonged, would use her as the backbone of empire whether she agreed or no.

But she is eternal and immortal, as enduring as the human need for peace and comfort, as familiar as a loved one’s hand, as calming as a childhood lullaby.  She stirs hearts and soothes stomachs, and she is a source of endless arguments, for everyone defines her differently.  Is she plain, water and vegetation and perfect?  Is she made with cream and sugar, or with spices, or using a special pot?  Is she steaming hot or room temperature or pleasantly chilled?

Some people use her as a base for other drinks, hot cocoa made with a base of tea, or as notes in perfume, and she loves those people too.  She is here to enhance lives, to be perfect, to be loved, and she’ll take that love in whatever form it comes.

But she’d really like it if people didn’t try that empire thing again.  That was awful.  Just drink your tea and enjoy the moment, and let the world be.

She’ll be there to hold your hand.

felt like drawing my bluerbos (blue blorbos) and their emotional support human <3

(ko-fi requests are open!)

I was thinking on my walk home from work today. I've always imagined Thrawn's exile as a vague blob of three ish years but it hit me that he spent four years in exile. Alone, with no sentinents. With only a token from Ungali and Thalias to represent everyone who loved him.

Waiting for the day his plotting went into action.

Looking at the ring. Thinking of all he had lost. Thalias and Un'hee and Ar'alani and Samakro and everyone else. (I like to imagine he keeps it close for the rest of his days. Eli learns of it when he commissions it to be painted onto the bottom of the Chimaera. He never learns the full story of it. It becomes a thing that he only takes out on certain nights.

And I was like wait, so he was in exile all of Eli's time at the Myomar Academy pretty much which makes it seem so much longer cause wow. That puts things into perspective. But I was also thinking...

So Thrawn spent those four years in exile while Eli was beginning his military career. And before that Thrawn had his military career. And after they met they had their golden 12 years, in which everyone knew they were a pair. Even people that didn't know them knew that Eli Vanto was a name that followed Thrawn's.

And then they parted. Eli was techinally military, but mostly desk job, while Thrawn stayed active. And then when Eli got a promotion Thrawn got purrgilled and he was grand admiral of nothing.

Basically, the point I'm making is they don't have separate military careers at the same time. The timeline was unintentionally made so they take turns making their names and chess moves. But they only move at the same time at each other's side, together. When the only one that can beat them is... Nightswan.

Idk if it means anything but little thing I noticed.

Star Wars soundtrack poster by John Berkey, 1977.

Your ears have betrayed you, Lars Mikkelsen

According to this tweet by Mac, the Star Wars Timelines book(which I forgot I preordered for at Christmastime <3) confirms Thrawn and Eli met in 14 BBY. It's a year later then how I processed the timeline, but that works. There was wiggle room.

They couldn't have moved it back any further without screwing up the Tarkin novel as Thrawn refers to Tarkin as Grand Moff during his days aboard the Bloodcrow so fairly early on and that was set 14 BBY. Edit: to clarify, Tarkin was elevated from moff to grand moff in the Tarkin novel so that scene has to take place after the end of the Tarkin novel. I knew he spent a few years in exile but 4 seems like a lot.

The main thing it means is that Azadi was removed as governor way longer after the Bridgers were captured, I'm noticing as I scroll through my timeline notes. Which makes sense. He had the abilities to hide stuff longer than they did.

Those were my main two sticking points in the canon timeline, oddly enough.

Also if they're saying 14 bby for meet and 11 bby to get the chimaera, when Eli himself says they've been together "nearly four years" they definitely got the chimaera at the end of the year and met in early 14 BBY. Cause my year previous timeline had them getting the Chimaera early 11 BBY.

Now I need to reread for timeline again. But I feel like Eli starting the Academy in 18 BBY makes a bit more sense, it gives the Vantos a bit of time to scope out the Empire and decide to go that route AND it fixes my awkward problem of in my headcanon Kallus graduates the same year cause now they're a year below him and Kallus is definitely part of the first graduating class because his university is kinda taken over by Royal Imperial and all the non human professors were killed.

But Thrawn is still born 57 BBY :<

marcellus in the labyrinth

lantern mage