#bastilashans

my biggest problem with mira isn’t even a problem with mira herself, but the way that she exists in the narrative in order to scold the player for (once again) taking the only route available to them

mira is a bounty hunter who does not kill her targets, but brings them in alive - she has a particualr personal code against killing, impliedly because of her childhood as a mandalorian slave, and the mark that m5 left on her. however, from a mechanical perspective, nothing about her skillset compliments this idea. her unique companion mechanic is that she has a rocket launcher (and doesn’t trigger mines). she doesn’t have any stealth or related bonuses, and even if she did, stealth is such a dumpster fire of a skill in k2 it’s barely worth investing in.

the way that mira is used to scold the player is a slightly meta one, but - assuming the player/exile cares about this - the fact that mira has gone from “does not kill anything” to “cheerfully slaughters everything in the exile’s path” is pinned on a failing of the exile and or the player, rather than the game system and the developers for failing to accomodate non-violent playstyles. the developers chose to make a game where non violent routes do not exist, and then criticise the player/character for taking violent routes in an attempt to I Am Very Smart about vidya narratives.

(the older i get the less patient i become with I Am Very Smart vidya narratives that are not, in fact, very smart)

I like her!  I do think there was more effort put into her rebuilding her relationship with Theron.  I know at one point at the end of SOR, Theron sends the Pub PC a letter saying that she’s trying to patch things up with him.  Then the Zakuul expacs set them back.  I know that she’s seen at the end of Eternal Throne on Coruscant with Jace, and I know you get a shot of her reacting to your dark side decision at the end of Nathema as well as a letter.  I was disappointed that someone who is basically Jedi royalty decided to distance herself from the Order, but what do you expect from writers who are clearly biased?

I also really, really don’t like how the fandom likes to ship her with a certain male character that would be a beyond horrible partner for her.  Jace is great and he deserves more respect.

12. things you said when you thought i was asleep

She’s breathing erratically and her heart is beating impossibly fast. Images of Hunter smirking - of his voice saying that word, the one she’s still afraid to say out loud, the one that makes her feel more trapped than any locked door, any cage ever could - are still stuck in her mind when she finally dares to open her eyes.

It’s the third nightmare this week, and the second one about him, though far from the worst one.

She really needs a drink. And maybe a shower.

She grabs the first piece of clothing she finds on the floor - one of Theron’s shirts, she realizes as she starts to put it on - and sneaks towards uninspiring and sparsely decorated SIS safehouse’s kitchen.

She stops when she overhears Theron on the holo with someone.

“Look, get that she’s an important asset, I really do, but you’re asking too much of her.” He sounds almost as tired as she feels, and she wonders how long it’s been since he got out of bed.

“I’m not asking her to do anything she can’t, agent Shan.” And oh, she definitely recognizes that voice. She still hears it in her dreams sometimes - keyword: onomatophobia - the ones that make her afraid to go to bed some nights - and she has to fight herself to stop her hands from shaking.

It’s not usually this bad. She speaks to him sometimes, when he wants to give her assignments directly rather than through a middleman.

She doesn’t hate him. She’s not even angry with him, but he’s better at this than she is, and that scares her.

“You can’t ask anything of her if she’s dead, sir.” Theron, it would seem, is angry with him. “Look, just - I’m worried about her. She’s - her work is great, but she’s - not doing that good.”

“I know what I’m doing, Shan.” One of them hangs up - she doesn’t know who, she can’t see them, but she can hear Theron’s frustrated sigh and him cursing under his breath.

When she enters the small kitchen a moment later, he turns around to face her in a quick, sharp movement.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” She offers him a soft smile - a rarity, but one that feels necessary in this moment. “I’m surprised you didn’t know I was there.”

“Ah, yeah, I guess I should have - I just - I thought you were asleep.” he trails off and smiles sheepishly. “How long were you standing there?”

How much did you hear?

“Long enough.” She steps closer to him and puts her hands on his shoulders.

Everything.

He wraps his arms around her waist and she kisses him. The contact grounds her - allows her to forget about everything bad - if only for a moment - and she welcomes it with open arms.

“Come back to bed with me.” Please. She breaks the kiss and he smiles against her lips, and in this moment, she’s pretty sure that she’s happy.

14. tell us about an upcoming scene in your wip, that you're excited about.

this might be a spoiler, but i'm really excited about writing revan and master vrook together again. i unapologetically really love master vrook and the potential of his dynamic with revan, so the opportunity for them to talk again and for her to confront him about their past is really exciting.

21. what's a common writing tip that you mostly ignore?

i love an adverb every now and then. like. i don't even care. i see so many writing blogs and tips that tell you not to use them, one even said that it’s the death of creativity, but i think that’s kind of extreme. for example:

"She watches his eyes blink heavily against the flat darkness of night, the datapad softly glowing before him and lighting up his features in muted shades of grey."

Thank you!!! c:

☼ - appearance headcanon

Kaia like to wear a lot of black, gray, and white. She prefers more form fitting clothing, long sleeves, and jackets (she also has too many turtlenecks). 

Also Kaia has about mid back length hair that she pretty much always wears up in a bun. It keeps her hair out of the way and in her opinion looks more professional.

☯ - likes/dislikes headcanon

likes: training, doing research, Csillan food, nights out or in with Kaliyo, snow and cold weather in general, documentaries, chess (yes she is a stereotypical spy), making fun of the SIS.