Oddish

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT (3rd place)

vel x kleya

aka velkleya

"An illicit, tempestuous affair, Senator,” Luthen clarifies with the expression of a man who just made the most sensible proposition in the galaxy. "It would give you all the more reason to visit the gallery as regularly and as long as you please. Or even receive visits to the embassy if your schedule doesn’t permit a visit here."

"What?" Mon scoffs, genuinely scandalized now. Outrage bubbles up inside her at the very suggestion. Her entire body stiffens and she can’t even fake a courteous smile. "You can't be serious!"

Author: thymidinekinase (@kinasecrystal)

Fandom: Star Wars: Andor

Ship: Kleya Marki/Vel Sartha

Rating: E

Summary:

After the destruction of the Death Star, life on Yavin is in a state of constant tension, waiting for the Empire’s final invasion. Supplies run short and tempers shorter. Vel and Kleya reach an understanding on the topic of stress-relief. But with the ghosts in their past, can it ever be more? Five times Vel and Kleya were friends with benefits on Yavin, and one time they were more.

Submitted by @kinasecrystal

Submitter's comments:

ice water

the common use of dryers for your clothes

carbon beach in malibu california

fall foliage in boston massachusetts

central AC

that thing where if you pump your arm at a passing 18 wheeler they'll honk their big loud horn just for fun

your ability to attend college/course of study/subsequent career isn't locked in by the results of one exam you take at 16 years old like in most of eurasia

that it's appropriate to wear blue jeans almost anywhere

rock music, and all its parent genres

these really beautiful string art earrings i bought on the agua caliente rez

mexican, italian, and chinese food all on the same street

no official national language or religion

how we smile too big and shake people's hands too hard and immediately give ourselves away in foreign countries by our gregariousness

broadway musicals

2014 Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert with Daniel Barenboim — Johann Strauss I, Radetzky March, Op. 228

Xena also includes the DVD featurettes and fans videos.

She only wasn't textually a trans woman because they didn't cast a trans woman (a little cowardly, but it *was* the 90's) and the tech the SFX they were trying to do in order to make her "male" for the first season just didn't work on their budget. So, instead, they wrote her dealing with transmisogyny in effect during the show, the subtext is that she's an intentional trans allegory.

She is also, in the show, one of the most important characters, she commands respect, affection, love, and authority among those who don't hate her for her transition, and she eventually overcomes that as well.

I love her and I love the way she's treated by the show. It's one of my favourite shows for a reason. It's a detriment that she's not textually a trans woman, but she *is* a trans woman in all the ways that matter.

In my AP Art class, there was a girl who was just starting to experiment with mixed media. At this point she was still playing around, trying to decide what direction she wanted to go with her portfolio. So one critique day, she brought in an abstract canvas with some rhinestone highlights and painted and real peacock feathers. She loved sparkles and peacock feathers so she thought she’d try introducing them a *little*. And after everyone had given some input, the teacher gave her his advice, VERY roughly paraphrased here:

“So here’s the thing… I do not like this style. These are just elements that do not speak to me personally, but I see that you like them, and you’re doing interesting things with them.

“My biggest critique is, I only merely *dislike* this piece. I want you to make me HATE it. Go crazy with the things that you like. Don’t hold back trying to make it palatable to people like me. Because I am NEVER going to like it. And if the audience does not like it, it should drive them crazy seeing how much YOU love it.”

Her portfolio was chock full of neon colors and glitter and rhinestones and splashes of peacock feathers and it was a delight. Our teacher despised every piece lol, but she got great marks and I think even won some awards. And more importantly, she was happy and proud of the results. Because she didn’t limit herself by trying to appeal to people who were never going to enjoy what she enjoyed.