मध्यप्रदेश में आधुनिक सुविधाओं से सजा जल-पर्यटक स्थल सेलानी
मध्यप्रदेश में आधुनिक सुविधाओं से सजा जल-पर्यटक स्थल सेलानी
भोपाल, 23 मई । मध्यप्रदेश में प्रसिद्ध पर्यटन एवं धार्मिक स्थल ओंकारेश्वर के नजदीक एक जल-पर्यटन स्थल विकसित किया गया है जिसका नाम है सेलानी। खण्डवा जिले के हनुवंतिया में विकसित वॉटर टूरिज्म कॉम्पलेक्स की तर्ज पर निर्मित किये गये सेलानी जल-पर्यटन केन्द्र पर बोट क्लब सहित क्रूज, जलपरी, मोटर बोट और वाटर स्पोर्टस आदि की सुविधाएँ उपलब्ध करवायी जायेंगी। इस प्रकार एक निर्जन एवं पहुँच से दूर इस स्थान पर…
It never occurred to me that I'd never told you. ❤️
Harant simply watched for a moment, his pitted face impassive as his faded red eyes studied her. Perhaps it might be considered Chiss or even a Jedi lack of emotion, he thought, but with a wry twist of his lips, he knew he was fooling no one.
For a moment his regard softened, and he touched the freighter captain’s face with gentle fingertips.
“I appreciate it, Selani.” he murmured, abruptly sad for some reason he couldn’t quite define. “And I will always try to be here when you need me.”
Attraction meme: Well, Selani is the one I think you know best, so Selani!
Attraction level: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10
She’s chatty, friendly and with a cute look - love her white and orange duds. The hat always sets off Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus in my head, though. hehe Also, Chiss - what’s not to like about Chiss?
Love for the Character:1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10
Ahhh, I want her to be happy so much! So does a particular Jedi, actually. She’s so chatty and friendly and earnest, and funny as hell. Lt. Stoic always was chuckling under his breath at her, and Jedipants was finding her wryly amusing as well. The fact that she is trying to be better because of those she’s working with is endearing in her.
How much the char has grown on me: 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10
Getting to know her has been fun, for both the gentlemen involved.
Badassness level:1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10
She is rough, tough and cool as a cucumber when necessary, but also passionate and fiery when need be. I really wouldn’t want to get in the way of her scattergun. Or, frankly, her foot.
How upset I’d be if the char got killed off:1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10
Don’t do that. I’d have three quite upset characters.
In an attempt to feel less blah, here is some sappy.
• when or if I started shipping it.
• my thoughts:
• What makes me happy about them:
• What makes me sad about them:
• things done in art/fic that annoys me:
• things I look for in art/fic:
• Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:
• My happily ever after for them:
• what is their favorite non-sexual activity?
Gerain and Kyr
• when or if I started shipping it.
To be honest, I was quietly hoping they'd be good for one another the moment Deathcupcake mentioned she wouldn't mind creating Kyr to play with Gerain, whether it was as friends or whatever. I never expected they'd be quite this good together, though. I really had no idea.
• my thoughts:
They're two lonely people who are exiles from their home, through both choice and, as it turns out, biology/inclination (dependent on what you believe about homosexuality being innate or learned - I believe it's innate, but followers of their little story might have already guessed at that). They're so good together it's kind of scary, really, one being rational but passionate inside, and the other emotional and tender. They're flawed, not perfect people, though they strive to their own definitions of it. They're entire people on their own, but together they are so much more than the sum of their parts.
• What makes me happy about them:
Against all the odds (and a little unofficial help from a certain Cipher, me thinkest), they found one another. I think it's the caring between them that ultimately gets me about them. They genuinely care about being with one another, and that both of them are happy. Even when they're not lovers, they've got such a mutual appreciation and affection going that it's hard not to be happy for them.
• What makes me sad about them:
The fact at this point they haven't realised what could be between them, and that even when they do get together, sooner or later they will have to part, and for a considerable amount of time.
• things done in art/fic that annoys me:
It's hard to say about this, as no artwork done of them yet has irked me. It's always been a squee. heh I think about the only thing I can think of is if someone portrayed them in a typically "porny" pic; that was all about the sex and not the connection.
• things I look for in art/fic:
As mentioned above, I'm looking for the connection between them, the love and contentedness they feel around one another. Failing that, the laughter and camaraderie, as well as the playfulness of the pair when they're in private.
• Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:
I can't think of anyone. Seriously, until Gerain met Kyr, both he and I thought he would be alone forever, and now that he's met Kyr, I'm pretty much certain there's no one else. If Cupcake stopped playing Kyr, or wanted to end the relationship, I think I'd retire Gerain.
• My happily ever after for them:
Gerain finally gets out of the claws of the Empire and the guys set up a home together on some little planet on the Outer Rim. They live to be old men together, sharing their lives as they were meant to.
• what is their favorite non-sexual activity?
Stargazing. They can spend hours just staring up at the sky, Gerain talking about the stellar phenomena or the mythology associated with a certain star or constellation group (which of course changes dependent where they are in the galaxy), Kyr listening, questioning, (and when they're finally together, every so often interrupting Gerain with a kiss).
* * * * *
Harant and Selani
• when or if I started shipping it.
I ship this as a BROTP. I think this has been since Looking-over-cliffs and I first started with the collaborative story that became Scoundrel and the Knight.
• my thoughts:
Harant's been through so much in his life, it's good for him to have friends he can count on. Even though he's a Jedi, and perhaps as strong as they come, he might still be brittle. It's sad that Selani will never be loved by him the way she wants, and sometimes that makes me worry that Selani/Cliffs will get tired of the RP, but it's an interesting dynamic to explore.
• What makes me happy about them:
She's so chatty, and I can tell that sometimes she's getting frustrated and flustered by Harant, while he's actually chuckling at her on the inside. He's such a wry, cheeky bugger with far too many years of dealing with the much more out there Vadil under his belt.
• What makes me sad about them:
I don't know if it's sad per se, but it's a little bittersweet that they won't get together and have blue babies. Harant would make an excellent father, I think. Mostly I feel sad on Selani's behalf; I'm quite happy with Harant's stance on things.
• things done in art/fic that annoys me:
This isn't really applicable, but if they were ever portrayed romantically, sexually, or with Harant actively loving Selani, I would be annoyed.
• things I look for in art/fic:
Chattiness from her; subtle, sly amusement from him.
• Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:
Harant x The Force, OTP. Selani? Someone who would make her happy and would fulfill her life and potential.
• My happily ever after for them:
They travel the galaxy together, getting into trouble, getting out of trouble, and Harant becoming a kind of godfather to Selani's kids.
Looking-Over-Cliffs and I have recently been talking about exploring where - if anywhere - a friendship between her Selani and my Harant would go. This has already been addressed in The Scoundrel and the Knight, and so this little drabble is a reflection of Harant’s thoughts of the thing.
No warnings.
* * * * *
She had feelings for him. He could feel them, almost a red caress though the Force. If he allowed them to, he could be wrapped within them and embraced in a connection he had eschewed the day he left the Ascendancy and his home.
They were similar and yet so different to the feelings he sensed around Vadil; less confident, more confused. Where Vadil was all bravado and reflection hiding the soft inner self, Selani was more subtle, and so uncertain.
So he had told her the truth about his physical self, hoping that he might turn those warm tendrils toward another who might reciprocate them, who was worthy of being so bound to another. He who had never felt desire and who had caused such suffering to those he purported to care for had no right to be a distraction for those who were so vibrantly alive.
A distraction was all he could be. He was a Jedi, and had made his vow. No attachments, no emotion - his was a life of service. He was sworn to protect, but love could lead to the dark side. He was still Chiss enough to stay aloof.
Meditation upon the Light would burn away his own tendrils soon enough.
Notes: This was originally a couple of prompts bunted between looking-over-cliffs and I a few weeks ago, but it's been refined and worked on since then, until it became this collaborative piece.
This actually touches on some aspects about Harant I was never going to make public, but were always a part of him, but here they are to make another facet of the man.
Warnings: Adult themes, references to drug use.
* * * * *
It wasn’t like her to be so flustered over a man. This man, though - he was so remarkable. The first time she met him he was a silent presence at Vadil’s side, and the glimpse of blue flesh she caught before his hands were buried in his Jedi robes had her burning with curiosity and more.
The usual coy smiles and charming lines weren’t going to work with this one. Ignoring the churning in her gut, she gingerly approached him where he sat, still and quiet. Stealth was her strong point, so she was sure not to disturb him until he—
“Hello, Selani.” Harant intoned in a careful, even voice. Even the way he said her name in his Republic accent tinged with Cheunh gave her chills.
“I… hey, I was behind you, quiet as a Nexu on the prowl! Jedi trick, right? Not fair.”
He turned slowly, and the light caught briefly in his eyes before he had fully turned back into the shadows, flashing red. She remembered her sister’s companion, the Jawa called Blizz, and stifled a nervous giggle at the mental comparison of him and the man of endless depth before her.
“Can I help you with something?”
She gathered her courage and took a breath before speaking, in hopes that her voice didn’t quiver. “I know you’re a Jedi, and that you can’t love me or anything, but I was hoping that maybe…?”
“I’m so sorry.” The downcast red eyes couldn’t look at her, the tragedy of their difference weighed heavily in that gentle voice. “I can’t.”
“Well, could you take your hood off, maybe, for just a minute?” The words stuck in her throat, suddenly dry as the moisture flooded to her rapidly blinking eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever properly seen your face.”
With a soft intake of breath he raised his hands to the cloth obscuring him, and, shaking his head slightly to clear his hair from the material, lowered the hood.
He was all she had dreamed of and more, even the scarring and pits on his face not enough to hide the nobility of his chiseled features. Rich blue skin and ruby red eyes, and neatly cut and combed blue hair - he was a handsome man, and in a way that made it even worse.
Just one night. It was all she wanted - well, at least to start with - but he couldn’t even give her that. Damn the Jedi and their Code!
She took a step closer. "Why not? Can you tell me that? What, will there be droughts and plagues and worlds destroyed or something?" I've never met anyone like you before. I can't get you out of my mind.
"It would be a simpler, even a kinder thing for me to tell you that it's because I'm a Jedi, and believe in the Code to the exclusion of all else." He sighed softly. "And though that is true, it's not the entire truth. Yes, becoming a Jedi has cured me of addiction and I am afraid that if I break one part of it I will fall back into that darkness, but that's not all of it."
It was a difficult thing to do, to break the self imposed walls around himself, but he did it now, reaching out to take her hand in his.
"Selani, I can't be with you because I don't desire you." The smile in his face was embarrassed, the scars on his face flushing purple as he actually blushed. "I never have felt that, for anyone. Not even before I became a Jedi. I simply don't relate to people in a sexual way. And to pretend otherwise with you would be a lie I couldn't allow."
She drew her brows together in confusion. "Of all the things I expected you to say, that was not one of 'em." She let his hands drop and searched his face. There seemed to be no indication that he was teasing her, but she still cocked an eyebrow in suspicion. "You're... you're serious, aren't you? You're not just saying that to get rid of me? No, don't answer that, it's not your style," she rambled. "But, what about Vadil? How in the... I thought you two... oh STARS!" It was her turn to flush purple. "So um, you've never... tried? With anyone, ever? Never wanted to?"
Harant softly chuckled, shaking his head as his colour slowly returned to normal.
"No, Vadil and I never were lovers. He would have liked to, I know, but he also got a lot of amusement out of me finding different ways to say no. Let's just say that Vadil is a lot more complicated than he likes to let on." Honesty was written across his face as those red eyes sought her own. "But no, I've never wanted to. There were times ..." He paused, wetting his lips as he looked into the distance beyond her. "I don't know if you've heard about my past - I was a spice addict. Glitterstim. And I used to do anything for it. Mostly it involved slicing and computer work, but more than once the price was something more physical."
His facade was still calm, but she thought she saw in the depths of his red eyes an echo of such intense emotion that she needed to bring him back to the present. She took his hand once more and gave it a squeeze.
"Hey, sorry to bring all that up again. But thanks for trusting me enough to tell me. It means a lot, really."
“There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.” There was a sad note to his voice as he quoted the Code. “And if you knowing my situation and more of who I am is of any assistance, then who am I to withhold that from you?”
She reached up with both her hands and carefully pulled Harant's hood back up over his scarred, handsome face. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before stepping back, smiling wistfully. And there goes the most gorgeous and intense Chiss man I've ever met. Figures. "Man, I have the absolute worst luck with men, I tell ya."
“The problem with luck is that it’s fickle.” He smiled as he lowered his eyes once more. “I would recommend trusting in the Force, but that’s probably to be expected from me.”
She let out a small huff of laughter. "I've seen you Jedi work your Force mumbo-jumbo, so I know there's somethin' there, but the Force never helped ME any. Nah, if I gotta trust in anything, it'll be this blaster right here at my side." She patted her hip.
Harant nodded, a faint smile only just visible in the depths of that hood.
“I used to trust in mine as well, and it did get me out of some nasty scrapes.” He paused for a moment, apparently deep in thought. “But give the Force some consideration as well. You never know where it might lead.”
His hand was gentle as his fingers traced her face, and then he was gone, a swirl of woolen robes the last image left to her of the Knight.
Selani watched him go, trying not to notice the way his robes clung to his backside as he moved. They had made a meaningful connection and she felt closer to Harant than she ever had, but now she knew it would never be in the way she wanted. The combination of feelings she was left with threatened to overwhelm her, and for that there was only one solution.
"Love me." Selani corners Harant and tells him how she feels. He does whatever he does. If you like, you can just write his response to her rather than her side.
It just so happens I have part of this already done. heheh
"I know you're a Jedi, and that you can't love me or anything, but I was hoping that maybe...?"
"I'm so sorry." The downcast red eyes couldn't look at her, the tragedy of their difference weighed heavily in that gentle voice. "I can't."
"Well, could you take your hood off, maybe, for just a minute?" The words stuck in her throat, suddenly dry as the moisture flooded to her rapidly blinking eyes. "I don't think I've ever properly seen your face."
With a soft intake of breath he raised his hands to the cloth obscuring him, and, shaking his head slightly to clear his hair from the material, lowered the hood.
He was all she had dreamed of and more, even the scarring and pits on his face not enough to hide the nobility of his chiseled features. Rich blue skin and ruby red eyes, and neatly cut and combed blue hair - he was a handsome man, and in a way that made it even worse.
Just one night. It was all she wanted - well, at least to start with - but he couldn't even give her that. Damn the Jedi and their Code!
Notes: I was prompted on this forever and a day ago, and only just got around to finishing it. So here you go, looking-over-cliffs, I hope this works for you.
The prompt was Selani and Vadil meet, something to do with a fight, something to do with Darmas Pollaran, no flirting, and maybe have her protected by Bowdaar. I think this hits all those notes.
Characters: Vadil, Selani and a cameo from Bowdaar.
Warnings: None
* * * * *
The gladiatorial matches Darmas had told him about weren’t that much chop. Vadil had never been one for gore and violence, preferring the gleam and interplay of sweaty bodies in motion to the torrents of blood liberally spattered here. Yet others in that crowd seemed to enjoy it, and the Mirialan captain found himself studying their exalted, vicious faces as he looked for diversion.
It was all designed for maximum audience excitation, but for the tattooed man, it did little. If he hadn’t placed such a large bet on the tall, curvaceous Cathar, he’d have turned tail and left. Drumming his fingers on the side rail, he rolled his eyes and dodged yet another stream of red stained sputum, hoping against hope this would end soon.
Blue eyes met red across the crowded room, the look on the Chiss woman’s face beautifully reflective of his own disdain. With straightened shoulders and renewed interest he neatly dodged through the wildly hooting crowd and gobbets of assorted bodily fluids and made his way towards his apparent ally.
Chiss could be flighty, he knew from long and sad experience. This would require a quick and deft touch.
“Hello there.” He smiled; not charming nor seductive, but simply as a friendly precursor to his disdainful eyeroll. “I couldn’t help but notice you’re about as interested in this fight as I am.”
“It’s disgusting.” There was a hint of Huttese inflection to her basic twang; unusual, but not completely unusual amongst the more distant parts of the Ascendancy, he recalled. “If it wasn’t for this bet I was fooled into placing, I’d have left already.”
“Ugh.” He shook his head, grinning on the inside at the similarity. “I know exactly what you mean! Darmas Polloran, right?”
A huge hairy hand interposed itself between the two, neatly interrupting the pleasant, if somewhat shouted conversation. It was quickly followed by the equally hairy torso of a Wookiee, whose blue eyes glared down at the Mirialan from a very great height.
Vadil knew enough about Wookiees to know when to back off, and that was whenever one was between you and the person you were trying to talk to.
“Do you want me to get rid of this man?” this one howled, looking back at the Chiss with such adoration in his eyes that the Mirialan would have smiled had it not been his arms on the line. The fight might have been terrible, but floating in a kolto tank waiting for his dislocated shoulders to heal would be worse.
She paused, and Vadil backed off even more, his hands held before him in a signal of surrender. Her lips pouted thoughtfully, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she pondered on his fate.
“Hey, I’ll leave if you want. I don’t want any trouble.”
“No, it’s ok. He can stay. I think he’s harmless.”
That almost hurt. After all, while he was many things, the Captain Extraordinaire certainly wasn’t ‘harmless’.
Mollified, the walking carpet stepped back into the shadowy crowd behind her, and she laughed self consciously.
“I’m sorry about that. He gets a bit protective of me at times.” Now she bowed, a small smile dancing on her face. “My name’s Selani.”
“Huh?” For a moment even the unshakable was shaken. “Oh, right. Vadil Orr. Captain.”
“Oh, well, it’s good to meet you, Vadil Orr, Captain.”
