#the voidhound

[lordeasriel]

Thea Theirin | The Voidhound as a young Padawan

A repaint of a very old repainting I did of my Smuggler character from SWTOR (which I headcanon she was a Padawan who left the Order due to a clash of principles). Swipe to the end to see the 2018 version. Yes, I refuse to paint hands correctly lol

The Voidhound, alongside the Wrath and the Barsen'thor, is one of my main character in SWTOR. Can't beat the smuggler's comedy. When I first played the origin story, I already had unlocked the heroic ability powers for the Force Users and I thought it was cool that my smuggler was throwing massive rocks and force jumping at people lol I ended up headcanoning she was a Padawan (Master Satele's one no less, very humble I know) but she left the Order before ever being knighted due to conflict of ideologies.

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[captain-jim-kirk]

trying out drawing my swtor ocs and also trying out my drawing software. first up: the voidhound.

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 19: Shadow

SWTOR

~~

They said she came from the stars.

They said she came and went.  Nobody knew when she was really there.

Better behave then.  Didn’t want to be caught being bad. 

At least, that was the fear of the grown-ups.  Because they did the things that made her angry, like leaving the little ones to starve to get more blasters.  Like turning bigger ones into soldiers.  Like making it impossible for everyone to stay together, because there was too much poor land and too little food. 

One time, a Selonian den came through.  They kept to themselves.  They sought a place safer than Corellia or her twin sister worlds.  The small ones, with their sleek fur and their excited chattering, hadn’t quite learned the art of excluding non-Selonians – and perhaps these never would.

Yes, they’d heard of her.  They’d seen her, moving as a shadow across the face of Corellia and merging into their tunnels.  She had freed several adults from each of their septs. 

And she had not let a single hair be harmed on their heads – which was quite numerous, given they were Selonian.  One told of how a friend from another den had nearly been killed by a Houk, only to be saved by her, so small and lithe. 

They’d heard of her, even before the Selonians came through and even before she had first come here, now years ago.  She was bad to the governments. Some of the traders that came and went talked about her.  The Cartel hated her too.  They all called her a criminal.  Some, with a little more respect, called her the greatest criminal. They hunted her down.  Never caught her.  She defied their authority, and just like parents, governments didn’t like people who talked back and disobeyed… even if she was right and they knew it. 

But it never seemed that children had anything to fear from her. 

When she had walked in their streets, at night, the great coat she wore fluttered around her, so wide and soft that if someone was bold or too young to fear, they could walk beneath it, protected from the elements.  Her shadow was shelter and safety.

Her people – all shapes and sizes, their faces ever changing – had supplies that went to them, directly.  Children were trustworthy.  Grown-ups were not. 

Some on this small planet wondered if she would come, soon.  Corruption always grew.  It always needed to be fought.  The war inside the government – with her --  was not always large and violent.  She was a precise instrument that culled what was needed to go…and no more.  She could not remain.  No, she always returned to the stars, because they had to fix things.  Not her.

…but she gave them a chance to grow up.

~~

A/N: This sort of evolved as a colonial child's perspective on the Voidhound. How would they understand this semi-folkloric person, who never seemed to age and always managed to slip the noose and brought good things to the deserving?

@fluffyfebruary

[ospreyeamon]

patriotism or profit?

The Smuggler Class Story is bookended by a pair of choices that are, in essence, the same choice presented in different ways. It’s a nice little parallel to tie things together.

One of those choices is the big damn decision of the grand finale – to back up the Republic fleet in the battle above Corellia or to fire indiscriminately to loot as much as possible from both factions. Pirate or privateer; loyalist or opportunist. The divergence between those two futures is probably the most immediately consequential of any of the Light-Side/Dark-Side world-states set in Act Three and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see that carried forward in the story (alas for budget constraints).

The other isn’t a choice made in-game but in the player’s mind about their character. It’s the question of why the Smuggler took the job that led them Ord Mantell and the beginning of their plot. Because the smuggler isn’t smuggling drugs or cilantro or bootleg holovids. The Smuggler is introduced as a gun runner. So, why did the Smuggler decide to deal arms to the pro-Republic forces on Ord Mantell? Would they have shipped to anyone who was buying and not worried themself about how the weapons would be used? Or was it because they sympathised with the Republic loyalists’ fight against the Imperial backed separatists that they took the job? Even a Smuggler with no love for the Republic might decide it needs to be supported because there’s no other power capable of fending off the Sith Empire. Even a Smuggler who feels a certain kind of pride in their home might put their own short-term gain before its long-term stability.

In that way, one of the Smuggler’s driving motivations can be set up from the very beginning, or change – as the Smuggler changes – over the course of their journey.

[vihola]

Interview Meme

1. Choose an OC.

2. Answer them as that OC.

3. Tag 5 people to do the same.

Thanks a lot for tagging me, @glorfinniell ♥（ﾉ´∀`） I’m tagging @neverendingrambling, @hardsuit, @sith-shenanigans, @highjustices, @badsithnocookie. If you’d like to do this, of course!

This time I’m going with my idiot smuggler

1. What is your name?

“Moranai. No, wait, it’s Captain Moranai. Never forget the Captain part.”

2. Do you know why are you named that?

“Eh, no?”

3. Are you single or taken?

“Currently taken.”

4. Have any abilities or powers?

“Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I’m extremely good at shooting, flying starships, kicking ass… What do you mean, these aren’t special abilities? Are you asking to get your ass kicked, buddy?”

5. Stop being a Mary Sue.

“Are you making up words now? Is it some fancy slang?”

6. What’s your eye color?

“Dark blue. Like really dark. One of my exes compared my eyes to the dusky depths of the ocean or something.”

7. How about your hair color?

“My natural color is a very dull brown, but thank the starts for permanent hair dyes, which help me fix nature’s terrible mistake.”

8. Have any family members?

“Mom, dad, an older sister, and a younger brother. And a bunch of distant relatives, but I don’t really care about them.”

9. Oh? How about pets?

“Ah, I have the worst luck in the world when it comes to pets. They die very soon, or run away, or something else happens to them. But! I’ve recently got myself the cutest orokeet in the galaxy, and I sure hope that she stays with me.”

10. That’s cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don’t like?

“Not being paid. And ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude. And my sister, who happens to have this attitude.”

11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?

“Oh, boy, this is a tough one! I’m up to everything fun, I guess. I love adventures, and I wouldn’t want any of my days to be similar to the previous ones.”

12. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before?

“Broke some hearts, broke some bones, whatever. Everybody hurts somebody in one way or another, that’s how life is.”

13. Ever… killed anyone before?

“I don’t know what you’ve heard, all charges were dismissed.”

14. What kind of animal are you?

“Corso compared me to a Kowakian monkey-lizard once, and even though I was a little offended, I must admit that there’s some truth to it.”

15. Name your worst habits?

“Helping people before getting paid. One day I’ll learn to always demand payment in advance, but I’m just too soft for my own good.”

16. Do you look up to anyone at all?

“Risha. I’d like to be more like Risha. That is, to have my shit together at all times.”

17. Are you gay, straight or bisexual?

“How about asexual? Yeah, I do have relationships, but I’m not interested in getting all physical with them, you dig?”

18. Do you go to school?

“I kinda did, but it was a waste of time. All skills that proved to be useful in my life I learned on my own. Not in some stupid school.”

19. Ever want to marry and have kids one day?

“Nope, not interested.”

20. Do you have any fangirls/fanboys?

“I’ve certainly met a few, and I think that there’s more of them. After all, I’ve done some pretty awesome stuff, if I do say so myself.”

21. What are you most afraid of?

“Losing the love of my life. I mean my ship, of course.”

22. What do you usually wear?

“I don’t care, but it must be colorful or shiny. Or both!”

23. What’s one food that tempts you?

“It depends, but I’d go with a spiced bantha steak. Yummy!”

24. Am I annoying to you?

“Wow, someone’s got problems with confidence, I see. Chill.”

25. Well, it’s still not over!

“Fine by me, but we better finish this soon because I have places to be.”

26. What class are you (low/middle/high)?

“I’m outside of the class system, ha! You can’t put me in a box, no one can.”

27. How many friends do you have?

“Like close friends? Just friends? Drinking buddies? You’d have to be more specific.” 

28. What are your thoughts on pie?

“What kind of pie? Why are your questions so ambiguous all the time?”

29. Favorite drink?

“Caf is life, alcohol is fun. The combination of the two is the best thing ever.”

30. What’s your favorite place?

“My ship.”

31. Are you interested in anyone?

“I’m always interested in someone, that’s just how I am.”

32. That was a stupid question…

“You’re really insecure, huh?”

33. Would you rather swim in a lake or the ocean?

“Both? I don’t care about swimming all that much.”

34. What’s your type?

“I don’t think that I have a type. None of my exes is similar to the others. If I’m remembering all of my exes right now”

35. Any fetishes?

“You should have started from this question because I have so many! But we don’t have the time now, I really have to leave asap.” 

36. Camping or outdoors?

“I’d rather stay in my ship.”

[jb-nonsense]

[jb-nonsense]

[sullustangin]

Day 24:  Who is the Voidhound?

In the world of Corellian Whiskey and Sullustan Gin, I take the “Voidhound” -- the DS ending Smuggler title (which we never get in game, sigh) -- and develop it almost as a separate character from Eva Corolastor. 

Secret Origins

Eva started playing around with the idea of a ‘secret identity’ early on, long before she became Voidhound.  Eva always signed things as EC.  She rarely gave her full name to anything, including pazaak tables.  When she won Nok Drayen’s treasure, hiding the real Eva became a necessity; too many people wanted to either get her or get with her, often for selfish purposes. Even at 20, Eva understood that she needed to run interference between who she really was vs. how she needed to present herself to hold her place in the underworld.   As a result, Republic planetary governors and higher-end crime bosses saw “her,” dressed in black and everything wrapped up and filed away, but the poor miner being rescued would see Eva and her companion of the day, being the 20-something idiots they all were (except Bowie and Guss, who were older, but still idiots of a certain vintage).  

After the events of the Smuggler story, Eva is named by the media as “the Voidhound,” much to Risha’s disgust.  Eva just takes it without a fight; actually naming her other self might give up too much. 

When researching the Voidhound, Theron refers to the alter ego as “the Dark Lady,” both as a descriptor of the black blastweave suit and hat she wore and as a contrast to the lively person she was outside of the suit.  To some extent, the Dark Lady and the Voidhound are the same persona, but I’d have to say that the Voidhound packed on a lot more baggage fast due to the events of Chapter 3; the Dark Lady existed prior to the Battle of Corellia but is perhaps best described as a casualty.

The Duality

Increasingly, as time goes on, the distance between Eva and the Voidhound begins to narrow.  They weren’t alike to begin with; the persona was created so that Eva could be cold and brutal without endangering her crew via recognition but also herself.  That’s not Eva doing those things; that’s the front.  This is something that Eva and Risha work on for awhile before Corellia.  That persona becomes the Voidhound, who does everything necessary, with no joy or regret about it.  Everything is calculated and controlled, wrapped up in as many layers as the creature has to her costume.

Although Eva plays at being about six years older than she actually is, she is only 19 when the class story starts and 23 when it ends. Imagine a college student doing what the smuggler does in the vanilla story.  When she goes out and dances with Corso and Risha, Eva acts her age (which is a year young than Risha, who is a year or two younger than Corso).  There’s nothing girlish about the Voidhound.   Eva needs that dark maturity to cope with what must be done and accept what she needs to do to stay at the top of the heap.  When there’s such a long way to fall, the Voidhound knows what to do to stay alive.

Over time, however, the drop to the bottom gets ever longer, and the stakes of keeping and maintaining Voidfleet grow.  Eva becomes less like herself and more like “that thing.”  It gets harder for her to shake the Voidhound after she has to put on the act.  It’s not just playing dress up to throw off the authorities.  The Voidhound is almost as good as spice is at making Eva not feel pain, not feel regret -- just the cold ‘what is there.’

Inspiration: Who is the mask?

The Voidhound  is an identity. It’s akin to how we have Batman and Bruce Wayne - in theory, same person playing a role.  

I use the Batman analogy, because there is a sharp difference between Bruce Wayne and the Bat.  There isn’t as dramatic a difference between Superman and Clark Kent; at heart, the civy identity is just as much of a good guy as the super identity. Clark is less coordinated and cool than Superman, but they have similar values, a taste for justice, and investigative intellect (Clark is a prize-winning journalist).  

Bruce Wayne is a very different person from Batman.  Bruce Wayne is a fop, a harmless socialite, a piece of tabloid fodder with an active philanthropic life and sad childhood.  Depending on the interpretation of the Bruce character, he might be a coward, impulsive (which explains away his injuries “went skiing, lol”), and bit dim, intellectually.   Batman is something else entirely: the great detective, the ultimate fighter, the cunning genius, the crusader for justice, the indomitable stalwart.  There’s a lot less common ground between Batman and Bruce Wayne compared to Superman and Clark Kent.   Eva Corolastor has a similarly large gap between herself and the Voidhound at the beginning of their association.

Inspiration: The Costume

This probably comes as a shock to no one, but I’m a huge nerd.  I dabble in pulp fiction. No, not the Tarantino film (though it’s in my top ten) but the forerunner to comic books.  One of my favorite characters is the Shadow.

And that’s the inspiration behind the look of the Voidhound (ok, and Darkwing Duck and Carmen Sandiego. Let’s be honest about my infatuation with huge hats.) 

I’m never satisfied by my screenshots in game of the Voidhound costume.  The earliest incarnation of the outfit was simply the Crystalline Targeter’s outfit, which is available in Chapter 3.

It’s decidedly... less well-rendered than a lot of the stuff that has come out in the last ten years!  One element I like about this version, though, is the appearance of the shirt/vest combination underneath.  Most longcoats either have a t-shirt, bandeau, or body armor underneath it. 

The Voidhound’s coat is ever-elusive.  This collar is far too thick, but it is the right height. In fan fic, the Voidhound’s collar is just thick enough to slot her hairpins in when she’s not using them.  

In my mind’s eye, the Voidhound’s costume is more Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday on a good day, with those lovely embroidered vests he wore, or like the Shadow’s suit, a well-cut three-piece suit made of black blastweave, with a button-down shirt.  This conceals a beskar vest (akin to our bullet-proof vest; expensive, rare, and totally something Eva would spend a stupid amount of money on).   Over top is the greatcoat, with a high collar.

On my latest smuggler playthrough, I used the Restored Columi Smuggler’s outfit.

Much better quality (and much closer Allard/Cranston’s costume)!  However, As much as I like the cape, I want a coat on the character.  Note how the holsters are exposed in this outfit .  The large coat of the Voidhound is there to obscure: obscure any armor, obscure the weapons, and also obscure Eva’s actual size.  The boots also look a little weird on this one -- they have extra knee armor sticking up. 

One new set I’m messing around with is the Nightlife Operative’s set paired with the hat and a different set of boots.

Unsure if I’ll use this in game or not.  The coat is still Not Quite Right (collar, lack of suit appearance, too close cut to obscure shape), but I love the hints of red around the edges of the coat as well as the general form. 

The Death of the Voidhound

The Eternal Fleet incident comes at a critical point in the ever-thinning space between Eva and the Voidhound.  Eva went as the Voidhound to meet Darth Marr. It’s fortunate that she did: Death awaited her.  She accomplished what was necessary to save her crew and save her ship...but not herself.

 Five years later, Theron wondered if the Voidhound had been killed that night; Eva was unable to manifest that cold calculating control after coming out of carbonite.  Granted, she also has a lot of mental and physical health issues.

As Eva gains strength, so does the Voidhound.  In particular, once Eva finds Port Nowhere again, she is pushed to take up that mantle:  to control Port Nowhere as the Voidhound is to control the underworld of the galaxy.  That’s exactly what the Alliance needs to make payroll.  Her obligations to the fleet she had created come back to haunt her.  At the end of KotET, it is clear that Eva also cannot abandon her post as Alliance Commander; unless she personally commands it, the Eternal Fleet would run wild and destroy the galaxy.

Eva is trapped by her responsibilities.  She can’t just go back to smuggling.  The Voidhound has become a regular part of the business of the Alliance.  The critical point-break comes during the Traitor Arc: Eva can’t cope, and the Voidhound takes up residence.  Eva is sort of a passenger the entire time Theron is thought to be a traitor to her and the Alliance.  

At the end of the arc, Eva decides to spare Theron and take him back into the Alliance.  That’s Eva’s decision, not the Voidhound’s.  

It’s after she knows Theron will live that Eva returns, truly.  There’s a horrible moment when Eva realizes that Valkorion is dead and gone, but she still is not in control of her life.

Then Eva and the crew of Virtue’s Thief leave Odessen for three months.  This is the first break Eva has taken since the whole venture with Nok Drayen’s treasure had begun.

Who the hell is she now, anyway?  Is she really ‘just a smuggler’?  What names does she take up again?  Voidhound?  Commander?  Captain?

Eva?

She needs to to process everything that’s happened over the last 15 years of her existence.  Before she leaves Odessen, she burns all of the Voidhound costumes. Except one. 

Is that the end of the Voidhound, then? Does that creature ever return?  Has it outlived its purpose? Or does it lie, waiting? 

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!“