Feeling Dhelish? Come by the Cave

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

As usual, I didn't nearly get around to interacting with everyone, and definitely would have liked more time to dig into some more interactions. It's been a fun crew to run around Bellionas with!

I don't think there are a lot of actual secrets to hide, though I'm pretty much required to reprise Dhel since her art commission didn't finish up in time for this game so I need to use it for the next one. So ask away.

[Raven Cadera]

I certainly look forward to seeing more Dhel! She was one of those characters that had good chemistry with a good amount of people, and seemed to bring a lot of life to things wherever she went (but you're also a good writer so that helps too! ).

Was a lot of fun to get some Bothan into action in one of these games since it's not a species we commonly see played!

So what is it going to look like being trained by the ex-Inquisitor, along with two ex-Jedi (where one is focused on the Living Force and the other is a Bad Girl)? Should we play some sitcom music or this?

What was the idea behind Dhel?

What plans do Dhel have for the future?

[Manny Donos]

Dhel was SO FUN to watch! I really enjoying seeing the mannerisms, the characteristics, the little bits of not being human. Just terrific fun all around, and always fun to do scenes with. It also feels like you're getting more and more comfortable with Star Wars.

What was easy and what was hard with writing Dhel?

Otherwise, take Raven's questions and underline them, because yeah, what IS that going to look like?

[Sholua Tempes]

Dhel just has to stay around. She and Sho make such a good team!

No matter where we go in the galaxy, we'll be able to entertain and earn credits!

Is she ever gonna tell Sho she's force sensitive now she knows herself? She had a pretty bad reaction to the stormsaber after all.

[Soleene Stryss]

Dhel! Dhelish! Soleene really should have poked around the Cave more, probably approached Dhelih after the show! However, it seemed that Dhelih found herself a part of the Mando social circle in the end, so I'm sure there are future possibilities.

On the topic of flirting, while Dhelih flirted, I think Sofia hit Soleene with a sledgehammer to be entirely fair.

Did Dhelih ever have aspirations to become a celebrity, even a bit?

Also, I'm still super curious about your commission and I look forward to seeing it once it's done!

[Deonis Harik]

I think the others pretty well cover things I am curious about but just want to drop a line and say thank you for reaching out to me with interest for a thread! The two had orbited near each other's spheres for too long! Dhel is a great character and I love the dynamic these two have, very curious to see how training works with them!

Oh! I thought of a question! In one thread Dhel mentions wanting to one day have kids, does this mean one day she'll want to settle down and be a one person gal or how does she see that part of her life working in the future?

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

I feel like I should have added a warning up top that I get longwinded in these. XD Here goes...

So what is it going to look like being trained by the ex-Inquisitor, along with two ex-Jedi (where one is focused on the Living Force and the other is a Bad Girl)? Should we play some sitcom music or this?

I don't entirely know! I'm definitely feeling my way through this part. As noted elsewhere, I sort of want that thread as an epilogue...but there's a pile of other folks to rope into that. XD But it's definitely some kind of sitcom.

What was the idea behind Dhel?

So..reading the setting, with the dark times growing stronger, but those lovely Upper City places and I was suddenly struck with a Cabaret vibe. With Stormtroopers none to subtly coded as Nazis, even more so.

Glancing at races, Bothan just kind of grabbed me and my initial concept was Bothan Sally Bowles. Except that this version needed to grow into caring about the politics to join the main thrust of the game. But this is where the singer, and mooch, and aggressive sexuality framework came from.

Then I started looking at resources on Bothans and realized i did not want to bring along the stronger elements of Bothan clan and family stuff..so her parents needed to vanish so she'd wind up raised by mostly not-Bothans. Most of her familial backstory grew off of that.

Looking at Careers/specs, I did finally settle on Performer as fitting, but then started thinking about Force specs to go with that element of the game, preferably something that could be mostly unconscious and then grow. So Force Emergent got added on with its slew of passive talents early on.

So maybe there's a bit of my fanfiction of where that Cabaret character could have gone with a little more connection to scrappy bunch of oddballs and 5000 credits in her pockets.

What plans do Dhel have for the future?

I think the big focus is learning about this strange new thing. Possibly peacekeeping between too many teachers, and/or being a stubborn git when its time to try it her own way, for good or ill.

But then...this is her home. She wants to return and try to help fix it. Mend the balance Deonis has told her is off kilter there. But also fix the problem of being under the Empire's rule and do something about the vast inequality going on there.

You know. the small stuff.

But that's a little long term. In the meantime, there's this ship of fools to run around on. Maybe her negotiation skills would have better luck talking someone into doing Manny's 'sawing someone in half' trick?

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Dhel was SO FUN to watch! I really enjoying seeing the mannerisms, the characteristics, the little bits of not being human. Just terrific fun all around, and always fun to do scenes with. It also feels like you're getting more and more comfortable with Star Wars.

What was easy and what was hard with writing Dhel?

Ack! Thanks! I'm always glad when some of those things come through. It was really lovely crashing into Sho and Manny so early on to create a vibe, and provide her with a place to stay. That whole interaction set some stages.

Starting with hard: There's like, not a ton of Bothan information to pull up online. And a good bit is kind of contradictory. Like tails being mentioned in one place and absent in a ton of the art. Started with a tail that I slowly stopped mentioning as I contemplate retconning it away because they're kind of a pain for clothing, chairs, etc.

Trying to make her non-human without dipping into animalistic or furry territory too hard.

My own insecurities about working in my comfort zone as I'm learning as well as around my schedule. This all meant a very non-combat character. And while a lot of events allow for mass inclusion, the pivotal ones tend to be combat. So there's a little worry about not engaging sufficiently with the GM's setting. I really appreciated the Petra connection and the Negotiator event for feeling tied in to that.

Her highly flirty nature and portraying someone who does some level of sex work without making that a gratuitous kind of focus. I think I found a good balance point for her of unashamed of her various kinds of work but knowledgeable about when it was appropriate to be open about that or veil it a bit.

Easy: Given the cat/dog/horse sources for the Bothan look I was trying to portary a person from a culture where touch is a much larger part of things than it is for humans...but raised from a relatively young age around humans. As she grows more comfortable with folks there's a lot more touch going on, hands, arms, rubbing her cheek against people, sprawling on them, etc. It's also her source of comfort when distressed. These were pretty easy to work in and come up with.

Her easy and unattached sexuality. It's there for a few different reasons. I kept thinking she was going to surprise me and get attached to someone in a way that would make me have to decide if I was going to enforce that trait or just let her settle in. The closest she's come is Deonis, who just feels like this solid center that she could keep drifting from and coming back to and he'd be pleased either way.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Dhel just has to stay around. She and Sho make such a good team!

No matter where we go in the galaxy, we'll be able to entertain and earn credits!

Is she ever gonna tell Sho she's force sensitive now she knows herself? She had a pretty bad reaction to the stormsaber after all.

Super grateful for making that pairing right at the start. You're a lot of fun to bounce off of.

Staying vs leaving was close. She's found reasons to want to stay and fix her home now. But that Grotto scene... that sense that she needed to follow that revelation, find training. And the training she found currently has hunters who know he's here. If he had said he was staying, despite that, she'd have gone with that.

I really appreciated the stormsaber scene. It made me think of where she'd be coming from pretty hard (and I appreciate the Discord crowdsourcing of information on the topic helping me out). Raised on the Separatist side of the war, and then educated by the Empire's schools, it seemed that Jedi would not be viewed at all fondly. Plus igniting a saber is kind of shockingly dramatic. So scared cat reaction (tm). XD

But she knows Sholua. So there's that held against this 'holy shit, she's a scary wizard of death and destruction.' And the ship isn't a great place for fleeing. So she listened instead. It doesn't hurt that even Sholua is like 'yeah...we were not exactly the good guys.'

I figure she'd tell you guys on D11 while getting Manny surprise crate plan going. She's brought Deonis along specifically because of that agreement to train her (though even if they'd remained 'just' lovers, she might have lobbied for having him along if he mentioned trying to leave Bellionas.)

TBH, the fact that he's not a Jedi works well as far as her level of trust around training. Because even with that conversation, it's hard to just erase all those years of other 'facts' and opinions.

I'm not as deeply knowledgeable of the source materials as many here, so I admit I'm cheating a bit with a character that's feeling her way through things at the same time I am.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Dhel! Dhelish! Soleene really should have poked around the Cave more, probably approached Dhelih after the show! However, it seemed that Dhelih found herself a part of the Mando social circle in the end, so I'm sure there are future possibilities.

On the topic of flirting, while Dhelih flirted, I think Sofia hit Soleene with a sledgehammer to be entirely fair.

Did Dhelih ever have aspirations to become a celebrity, even a bit?

Also, I'm still super curious about your commission and I look forward to seeing it once it's done!

Yeah, Dhel was downright stealthy next to the way Sofia just exudes "for a good time, dial right here...I'm right here, kiddo" XD. She and Soleene are delightful together though! Even if Sofia is a filthy Imperial spy. Probably. Maybe.

I think maybe in much younger days she did. That sort of best at a thing in your circles, and young enough not to know how hard keeping body and soul together actually can be. But getting out on her own and bit ground down by the miasma of Bellionis wiped such aspirations well before the game.

And..I know! I really like the artist's take on Bothans, so I'm sure it will be worth the wait. But I'm jonesing a bit. XD

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

I think the others pretty well cover things I am curious about but just want to drop a line and say thank you for reaching out to me with interest for a thread! The two had orbited near each other's spheres for too long! Dhel is a great character and I love the dynamic these two have, very curious to see how training works with them!

Very much a mutual feeling. They bounce off of one another really well and as noted above, I'm feeling my own way through the Force bits and how it operates in general vs. specifically for Dhel, and having the character work through that is really helpful.

I imagine Deo's training to have a fair bit of 'this is how I was taught, but it's dangerous to do x. I know you can find the safer y too, but I don't have a good guide to show you for how to do that in this case.' With Sholua and/or Phroth offering some heckling from the stands.

Given that at least with Sholua, he kind of shares an interest in finding Balance in approaches (?) or maybe just outcomes (?), I'm curious if that ends up being collaborative? Or how much there's possessiveness in the teacher/student relationship that doesn't exist in the sexual/romantic one?[/quote]

Oh! I thought of a question! In one thread Dhel mentions wanting to one day have kids, does this mean one day she'll want to settle down and be a one person gal or how does she see that part of her life working in the future?

I'm not sure she's thought about it that closely other than to just sort of imbibe the assumptions that eventually...kids! If someone asked her she'd have to seriously think about it. Because kids do need some stability. And given some of her feelings about her own parents, she'd want to be in a place without divided loyalties to some ideal vs. being around to raise any kids she's responsible for. So there's kind of a "when I'm done being a Rebel" idea there, that will probably modulate as she gets older.

[Varina Ordo]

I really did appreciate Dhel's sex-worker-but-not-glorifying vibe... I'm having Varina levels of eloquence right now. My point being, she felt like a very real type of person to run into!

[Korvin Hikarrin]

I'll second Varina's point -- made more eloquently than I could -- and generally say thanks for leading Korvin on such a crazy journey, or at least being around as he figured out (a little) of who he is and what he's doing.

Dhel told him a couple of times that at some point he became more than a source of fun for her. Was there a particular moment when you saw that, or just Korvin's irrepressible spirit wearing her down over time? And I'll resist asking "What did that actually mean in the end?" or something similar since we're still kinda finishing that last thread.

Last thing: Thanks for your energy as a player. Dhel really was a "hub" character in terms of bringing other characters together across plot lines, and I think your engagement was a huge reason that I didn't have my typical ~D4 slump and start drifting away. So thank you so much for helping to keep me engaged in this awesome story.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

I'll second Varina's point -- made more eloquently than I could -- and generally say thanks for leading Korvin on such a crazy journey, or at least being around as he figured out (a little) of who he is and what he's doing.

Dhel told him a couple of times that at some point he became more than a source of fun for her. Was there a particular moment when you saw that, or just Korvin's irrepressible spirit wearing her down over time? And I'll resist asking "What did that actually mean in the end?" or something similar since we're still kinda finishing that last thread.

I appreciated having Korvin bump into Dhel so early and get that element of her character rolling so early. And frankly providing a space for her to have to sit and find how to handle this disparity of attachment when there was neither a transactional incentive to stay, but a certain caring and friendship that made flat out leaving seem cruel.

It was part of the shift in her circumstances to some extent. When she no longer had any great reason to go 'cultivating this relationship gets me useful things I might have trouble getting consistently otherwise...' Then she could start seeing him as a friend as well. I think the scene in the hotel was a shift, where they finally managed a few sentences that made it clear she wasn't into commitment, but enjoyed his company enough to let him decide if that meant things were done or continuing with a different kind of understanding. At that point, I think she started feeling he could really use a friend, more than a lover, even if he wasn't ready to come to that conclusion yet.

Kind of the opposite of that 'if I just hang around being friendlike, one day they will turn around and realize they want to sleep with me,' thing, now that I think of it. XD 'this is fun, maybe we'll actually figure out how to be friends if we're at it long enough?'

Last thing: Thanks for your energy as a player. Dhel really was a "hub" character in terms of bringing other characters together across plot lines, and I think your engagement was a huge reason that I didn't have my typical ~D4 slump and start drifting away. So thank you so much for helping to keep me engaged in this awesome story.

I really appreciate this. I'm finding that, with my time being what it is, persistence and character energy have become what I can bring to pull me through a game when I might otherwise slump. Having arcs and interactions like this is a big part of the payoff for putting in the work to figure those things out.

[Meiyokashi]

Thank you for bringing Dhel to the game! A sentiment surely known already but I like tagging these all the same.

Dhel was a great character, and I enjoyed seeing her mingle about and the like! I also really enjoyed the childhood-ish friend vibe that hit off immediately with Petra, and just how they hit it off really well, all a whole lot so thank you for those scenes!

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Thank you for bringing Dhel to the game! A sentiment surely known already but I like tagging these all the same.

Dhel was a great character, and I enjoyed seeing her mingle about and the like! I also really enjoyed the childhood-ish friend vibe that hit off immediately with Petra, and just how they hit it off really well, all a whole lot so thank you for those scenes!

Petra was the character connection I didn't know I'd wanted. XD I'd sort of hmmm'd at the NPC list and figured I'd see what shook out upon actual interaction. Thanks for plopping her into that pregame thread. She went in directions I didn't expect from the start that were a lot of fun. You always have great, well-rounded and real NPCs.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

I really did appreciate Dhel's sex-worker-but-not-glorifying vibe... I'm having Varina levels of eloquence right now. My point being, she felt like a very real type of person to run into!

Kept forgetting I'd skipped this and just wanted to say thank you for the kind words. ^^