Hey, what do you think of the idea of Vestara Khai deliberately gaining a lot of weight - as in going from skinny to outright chubby while still being fit - after becoming a Jedi, as a massive “fuck you” to Kesh Sith toxic beauty standards?
How I feel is very dependent on other factors.
If we're making the claim that she was deliberately maintaining a figure and is no longer attempting to do that: excellent
If the stress of her lifestyle was prohibiting weight gain, and this is a result of her just being better off: lovely
Learning to enjoy food in a way she hadn't let herself for some reason: great!
Eating with the intention of making herself not fit Lost Tribe beauty standards: ehhhhhh no.
1st, because we have canonical LT beauty standards that would be easier and safer for her to do, she could easily get piercings or tattoos. The only thing I recall these sith being weird about fat was when they were talking about Hutts. Personally, I don't see any reason that Power focused Kesh would have any issues with a chubby while fit person. Have you seen that post about how people who actually lift weights for competition tend to be fat? Fat can be a sign of physical power, as well as a sign of prosperity. They may see it as an admirable trait. (If im forgetting something please let me know)
2nd. Because forming food habits with the intention of changing your bodyshape is uhhealthy. Its not healthy when its diet culture, and its not healthy in the inverse. If she's eating purely to put on weight, (different than eating and not caring if weight is gained) purely to spite her past, that sounds very much like potential eating disorder territory and I feel the jedi would probably step in.
Given how the Sith are focused on ambition and achieving things for one’s own benefit, do you think arranged marriage would be commonplace amongst the Lost Tribe of Sith? I mean, Gavar did try to pimp off Vestara to Ben so she could seduce him and turn him to the dark side…
Incredibly common! Though I don't think its usually an 'arranged by other people' situation and a lot more of marriage to cement a personal alliance thing. I have so much to say on this under the cut:
The legal function of marriage would be significantly more invested in the Tribe. Like why would a Sith want to tie a primary bank account with someone else? To give someone else legal autonomy over you in times where you're impaired?
The thing is, that despite all the mistrust that must exist in the Tribe, they haven't fallen apart. If every single person was as mistrusting and as backstabbing as they claim to be, Kesh wouldn't have lasted a century.
There have to be rules that are so ingrained that no one would dare break them. Reinforced by tradition and loyalty to the tribe as a whole, with strong consequences for breaking them. (I don't remember who said it, if it was in the Lost Tribe novel or fotj, but they said that "you can't kill to gain power, but you can kill to stay in power." so we know some of this exists, at least with murder)
@i-think-in-metaphors and I have talked about this a lot. (you can assume a good chunk of our headcanons were developed together, we've been talking about this stuff for years)
And it seems likely that there's a lot of emphasis on capital P Promises (as opposed to a simple agreement, probably some ritual and witnesses involved)
A bit outside of the headcanon realm and into the "we're just making shit up' realm: We've actually created different Keshiri words for "marriage" to describe the differences.
Qusaten: a vow of emotional partnership.
This can take a lot of forms but is pretty much what it says on the tin. A qusaten with romance involved would probably stipulate their agreed upon definition of infidelity (like would it be cheating if your ordered to seduce that guy for information? In a society where such orders are given, this is absolutely something you discuss) I don't see the Lost Tribe as having much focus on monogamy, so you probably see a lot of variety in relationships. (Sidenote: I don't think homophobia exists as a norm in the tribe. You will be assumed bisexual unless you state otherwise)
Its likely someone will have 3-4 Qusaten throughout their life, more or less depending on the person and the strictness of their vows.
Lakket: Vow of joining of family, estates, taxes and other legal matters.
0 romantic connotations with this one, it is a vow about sharing resources. Adoption would fall under this category, but only the parents would swear it to the child. Also is just as likely to be between two best friends as it is to be romantic partners.
It is unlikely a person will have more than one of these if they have one at all.
Shante: a Lakket or, more often, multiple Lakket arranged for political or economic reasons
This would be your classic 'arranged marriage to bring peace to our kingdoms' thing. It can be a political faction thing or literally a 'our extended families are pooling resources now'. BIG deals. week-long celebration stuff here.
Not common among the average person.
Nahset: Both Qusaten and Lakket exist.
Not necessarily in the same ceremony, any couple who have sworn both a personal vow and a material vow of togetherness. Closest to marriage in American culture
Moderately common. If someone has sworn Lakket outside of Shante they're pretty likely to also swear Qusaten to this person.
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Additional notes:
Vows cannot be compelled by anyone but its participants.
There are other kinds of vows that we haven't named, (like doctors? absolutely swearing to a Sith version of the hippocratic oath)
Orders compelling someone to break a vow are not allowed ( and incredibly taboo. High Lord tells you to seduce that guy and you say "actually that goes against my Qusaten" it is the High Lord who is embarrassed.)
Breaking any kind of Vow is a super big deal and will exclude you from pretty much anything that requires one. (releasing from a vow is not the same as breaking one) ( a doctor breaking the Sith hippocratic oath may mean they cant get married later) ( you do NOT make Vows unless you intend to keep them)
Basically under these rules, it would be totally cool if Gavar had just a Qusaten with Lahka, but if Vestara hadn't been force sensitive, there'd be no guarantee that she'd inherit any of his stuff, and Lahka definitely wouldn't. The scandal of Gavar's relationship would be more that he's swearing resource bond with someone who can't reciprocate in the same way.
What are your thoughts on Ben Skywalker and Vestara Khai both being bisexual disasters? Not going to lie, that’d be great to see - we don’t get many couples where both are bi, let alone between a bi man and a bi woman.
YASS
I particularly like when one of them realizes they're both bi before the other one has even considered that they might be.
