#anakin skywalker / arthurian appearance

[phoeebsbuffay]

Imagine Star Wars special edition: Arthurian tales. Part I.

The Knight and his Queen

Imagine you are a damsel of noble birth who is betrothed to king Palpatine, even though your heart belongs to someone else. What will be of you then?

Warnings: *very* loosely based in the stories of King Arthur, though clearly Anakin here would be a sort of Lancelot.

Warnings 2: explicit smut, drama, always fluffy endings.

***

Intro.

You watch from the tower the moment Master Kenobi impatiently scolds the friend you’ve grown up with. Your y/c eyes glue on the handsome man Anakin Skywalker has become. His hair is long and falls in curls on his shoulders, giving him an angelic appearance. His robes are most appropriated for a man of his position: no more a pageant, no more a squire, but ready to rise to knighthood at long last.

You should be studying the studying the Bible, readying yourself to the lessons of saints and as a result be exhorted of how a damsel as yourself should conduct at court and at the household one day you will run as some lord’s espouse.

But instead you excuse yourself from the novice who’s been occupied explaining to you why a determined saint died the way she did to save a bunch of people in the name of Lord, and go to see your friend before he departs.

Anakin is already mounted on his grey mare when he listens to his name coming out in a great volume. Turning his head, his smile spreads when seeing you running breathless from the tower to see him.

Your round face is red and your y/c hair falls in a messy braid. You grip graciously the cloth of the gown to help your moves, but when you get to him, clearly ignoring Master Kenobi’s admonishments in regards to your presence here, you wish you are better dressed.

“Milady Y/LN.” Anakin greets you formally, specially because his Master is watching him intently.

“No need formalities, Ani”, you speak fondly. “I came to give you my favor so you do not forget me in your path to knighthood that shall be fairly bestowed upon you by King Palpatine.”

Anakin smiles at you, his heart racing loud at how meaningful your gestures are. Without waiting for his response, you deliver him a lock of your hair woven in the handkerchief you made for him.

“This is for you”, and lowering your voice, you are not afraid to make evident the fondness you feel for him. “Please, come back to me. May God bring you safe and sound to my arms, my good and fair knight.”

Locking gazes with you, Anakin needs little reassurance of what you intend to tell him. He takes the favor you give him and puts right in the pocket there is in his robes. Smiling at you, he takes your hand to his lips and there presses a kiss.

“I vow before God that I will return to you, princess, and by your side I intend to be your sworn knight.”

“Very well”, you tell him, pleased with the words your heart find solace in. “I shall hold you onto the promise. Farewell, Anakin. May God be with you.”

“And you, my lady.”

But as soon as he parts, the smile there is in your lips dissipates. Somehow Master Kenobi cannot look away at what one feels for the other and, accepting it as a fact, he takes your side and says:

“All in all, the process of knighthood does not take much of the time. He will come for you, lady Y/N.”

You appreciate his words and give the older male a gentle smile.

“Thank you, Master Kenobi. I hope so.”

But fate intended to play a trick on you both…

***

Five years later…

In a long reentrance to the kingdom he parted to take in missions according to the demands of His Grace, King Palpatine, Anakin has been told that it is up to him to escort the next Queen of the realm.

When he does retrace his steps, he is baffled to know the bride of such an old monarch is no less than the beautiful Y/N. You, the object of his affections, to whom he vowed to come back and devout, are betrothed to a man who is twice your age and very little concerned to your well being—since this is a political arrangement.

Anakin is not aware that this is as upsetting for you as it is for him. You had no choice upon the matter and when you did protest, your father locked you up at the tower until your pride bent.

Now known as the Dark Knight for serving amongst the elite knights sworn to protect the King, Anakin had been through some conflicts himself that pushed him away from the Master he once adored and revered. Yet, the moment he realizes that the bride of the king is you…his heart experiences inner strife once more.

“I cannot believe it.” He mutters under his breath as he watches one of his men gallop forwards to encounter the lord H/N H/LN. By his side, you stand, wearing a cold and distant mask. “Y/N is to be his queen.”

“Is all well there, Sir Anakin?” One of his men inquires. It’s one named Sir Maul, also known as “The Red”, due to his peculiar choice of only dressing red robes. He is also very bloody in battles as well.

“Yes, it is.” He lies before galloping towards you.

Your eyes go slightly wide when seeing what Anakin has become, but the disappointment that circumstances are not how you two planned for his return is much more hurtful. Master Kenobi, the sworn knight of your father, presses a hand over your shoulder, giving you the comfort you’ve never had from your family.

“Sir Anakin”, you hear your father exclaim gleefully when addressing the man you’ve always loved. You notice he is dressing exquisite robes, an indicator of the royal favor. “It is a honor to welcome you once more. Come inside, good knight. I am sure you are in need of comfort and food.”

You wish to capture his eyes, anxiously wondering what could possibly be the reason why he’s avoiding you. Unless it’s because…

“My lord H/N, I am thankful for your offerings, but unfortunately I am bound to decline them. His Grace, King Palpatine is expecting me to return with his bride as soon as possible”, his voice sounds cold and unreachable for you. “My apologies, sire, but it is as it is. We ought to expect you and the retinue soon, though, as the grand festivity to honor the lady his wife is to be held soon.”

You cease to pay attention to the conversation. Your eyes are now down to your hands, wrought in one another, trying to hold back the urge of lamenting your fate.

You are more than aware that Palpatine is an old man to whom not only you are expected to subject at his authority as your king, but also as your husband to be. You ignore why, of all the damsels at the realms, he would choose you to be his queen. Your father, naturally, told you many times about the glory of your ancestors and their connection to the crown.

Yet, you were more willing to listen to Master Kenobi’s lecture about duty for you were not interested in glory or the pursuit of having your name registered in the annals of History, but how to make best of what you received.

Looking at the knight who was much more a father to you than your own, you swallow your tears as you say goodbye to him. You can tell he is tearful too—not only because of your depart, but how Anakin has been ignoring him as much as he ignored you and there is no time to discuss these matters. Not in public anyway.

“I did my duty to you, lass”, says the ginger male. “Your mother would be proud.”

You’ve always suspected there might had been something between the late Duchess Satine, who died giving birth to you, and him. Specially because you have some ginger locks—and your father is dark haired. And he was always there for you, responsible for giving you love and proper education—all the whilst Lord H/N preferred your brothers and heirs of his first marriage.

“Will you please come with me?” You ask him. “I do not think I am able to go without you.”

Although you see the same sadness there is in your eyes reflected on his, Master Kenobi says:

“Unfortunately, dear one, I cannot accompany you. The maids Lord H/N assigned you are most fitting companies for you.” Seeing the struggle you are going through to keep yourself composed, he takes your hand and gently presses a kiss. “Remember our lessons and always be mindful of your duties like your mother did before you.”

So many words could have been spoken, but they are choked when duty calls you to be performed. Sir Anakin, not too far from where you stand, watch the scene with iron mask displayed. However, this does not follow how he feels inside.

I always suspected that Obi-Wan had a secret. Here it is.

Once goodbyes are said, it is time to carry on. You take the reins and four ladies designed by your father are all excited with the prospect of serving the queen of the realm.

You opt to remain in silence as the ladies talk between themselves, mostly about their plans and expectations once you are crowned. A tapestry telling the story of your house is the first of the endless tasks your ladies expect to perform.

You agree nonchalantly to every suggestion and your silence is somehow interpreted as one of nervousness instead of unhappiness. After all, you are rising high to occupy the most envied position of the realm. Who wouldn’t want to be you?

Seeing your state, though, Anakin realizes how wrong he was in judging you eager to be queen. He sees how proud he was in presuming so, that is why he discreetly moves his horse to ride by your side.

“My lady Y/N”, he greets you. “I pray the journey is safe for my queen.”

You don’t respond him, giving instead a glare that translates how you feel. Anakin sighs before your coldness.

“Is this how we ought to be now? I thought we were comrades.”

“Comrades?” You scoff at the word, as you look at him rather cynically. “Really now, Anakin?”

There is a silence between the two of you, for Sir Maul seems to have captured the conversation and gives you two a look that makes you shiver and not in a good way.

You have the decency to look to your hands, pretending to contemplate the rings that embellish your fingers, one of which a gift from Obi-Wan.

After a while, though, Anakin resumes the conversation.

“I had not much a choice on the matter as did you, so it seems.”

You sigh before giving a pained look at him.

“It breaks my heart to see you are going to a path I cannot follow. And to assume I was given the possibility to contemplate it!”, you hiss at him in a whisper.

“I do apologize for misreading your actions”, he mumbles. “Yet, how could I see otherwise when I come back and find you are betrothed to somebody else? Not to somebody, in fact, but the King himself!”

You part the gaze and Anakin sees you battle your emotions. The ivory mask is carefully placed on your face as you tie your fingers around the reins.

“And you could never considerate that my father despises me for my sex? It was either marriage or a convent, although I did try taking the veil. Even then I had no choice whatsoever”, you speak in gritted teeth.

There is a moment the thread is interrupted and an old Roman building rises in the horizon. For now, Anakin is forced to separate from you as he leads the party to the residence: it is where you ought to spend the night with your retinue. The journey is expected to last four days, but only Anakin knows where they will all stay for rest properly.

He helps you to dismount the horse and leads you indoors. Because he is your sword protector as designated by the King, you and him enjoy a certain degree of liberty. Hence why you are able to dine with him in the chambers appropriated for someone of your position.

“My lady”, he starts after ensuring you have food and wine. The four ladies in waiting are found eating in a different table in their own chamber, which is close to yours, connected with one hallway. “Is the food of your liking? And the wine?”

You shoot him a hurt look.

“Is this how we are going to be? A Queen and her knight? Is it all?”

Anakin sighs. He reclines against the chair, feeling your gaze lingering upon his features. His hair is shorter, the long curls are no more; there is a scar above his left eye and an aura of angst that follows him. It does not help that he wears black leather robes.

“What can I do?”, he speaks in contempt. “What other option is there for us, Y/N? My loyalty lies with the King and the realm. I made a vow the day I was knighted. I cannot break any vows!”

You shake your head before scoffing at him.

“And yet, here you are, breaking the vow you swore to me.”

It is enough for Anakin stand and leave rather abruptly your privy chambers. Later that night, when you put the covers over your body, you wept to sleep.

***

The following day, whilst you are leaving bed earlier than sun rising and getting yourself dressed and clean, Anakin is ensuring the household is in order for the mass and then for the first meal of the day.

He stays distant, watching as you show with your hair tied in two long braids and a yellow veil over your head. His eyes linger at your frame, watching the swell of your breasts beneath the silk that you wear for the cream gown with long sleeves show off your shoulders and is tight enough to salient your curves.

It is there, wearing a nonchalant mask, that Anakin’s mind drifts to you. He’d go to his knees and beg for your favor. He’d contemplate you, your ideal beauty if you smiled at him, bathing him with the light of your presence. He’d happily be the one to admire your long and messy hair, wondering what must be like to admire your nudity.

He thinks of the old king trying to move his body to yours and the fang of jealousy awakes the worst of Anakin. The recent elevated knight wants to possess you, to hold you against him, to be your only lover.

He wants to stand behind you, to kiss your neck and smell your hair. He wants to be the one who helps you discover that love can be consummated in such a delightful act. He wants to touch your breasts, to feel your nipples going hard beneath his palms. He wonders how’d you sing his name when feeling his fingers working wonderfulness right into your womanhood.

“…Sir?” A voice forces Anakin to break from the imaginary lustful scenario that only pains further the devotion for you and how circumstances force him to conceal his sentiments. It’s Sir Maul who brings Anakin back to life. “Is everything well? I’ve received a message from the king. He is hoping to meet Lady Y/N at the local Y/C.”

Anakin masks the elevation of his frustration to anger.

“It still takes two days to journey”.

“Sire knows it, but it appears we ought to obey his command”, the other male says, letting it be implied they’d might suffer the consequence for being late to the marital ceremony.

“And when did we disobey him? Spare me of your lectures, Maul. Have you left your post again? Give me news, not old ones.”

The two of them parts different ways. Still anguished, Anakin knows duty compels him to be by your side. Remembering the inappropriate thoughts of earlier, he feels a light burn painting red in his cheeks. Thankfully, you haven’t noticed.

“Lady Y/N”, Anakin takes a seat by your side. “The King greets you well.”

You turn your head lightly to meet Anakin and something about his eyes make your legs tremble.

Oh those sweet blue eyes that invite me to drown in them.

You swallow hard, trying to part the gaze but unable to.

“My lord”, you know how to play the role you’ve been educated to. “Please join us in the morning meal.”

Anakin nods his head before doing as commanded to. He then tells you that the king expects to meet you earlier than thought. Anakin can see in the smallest of the details how misery this makes you.

And yet you mask it well. You smile perfectly, your eyes show no sign of displeasure. Your manners are delicate and graceful, you speak the words every one around you expected you to.

He never before longed to comfort you as he does now. Anakin is yet to say something when Sir Maul—always him—comes in a rather impolite way to rush you to finish your meal.

“Watch your tongue, Mail”, Anakin snorts at his companion. “You speak with the Queen.”

You, however, think wise to interfere and gently place a hand in his elbow.

“Fear not, my good knight. He is only serving his king.” You turn your head graciously and say. “Well, sir, whilst the household is packing should you not be overseeing our horses if we ought to leave soon?”

Maul seems to flinch, but one look from Anakin and he is gone. You feel misery knocking at your door again: will these men ever respect me? Privilege has a price to pay and here you are, paying it.

Nonetheless, as you stand and ask your ladies to see how the household is ready to depart, you make sure to have a moment with Anakin in private.

“Anakin… I don’t think I am suitable for this.”

“What do you mean, Y/N?” His seriousness and coldness are knocked down when seeing how devastated you are. He never meant to see you hurt. “That is what your mother would want you to. And your father too. My Master did teach you well and…”

“Oh please”, you hiss at him lowly. “What does it matter to me to be married to an old man whose rule is far from being widely accepted by minor kings? No, I know he will not take me fully. Not when my heart is… already seized.”

When Anakin looks away, you fear the worst. You understand what you are saying is too much, but this is a weight you cannot—and never could—simply dispatch.

“I cannot do what you ask me, Y/N. I am sorry.” And just like that he leaves you. And just like that you cry.

Duty is the death of love, after all…

(To be continue)

[thewarinourstarwars]

Reylo Kids Masterpost

So you want to write some next generation characters, the children of Kylo Ren and Rey, but don’t know where to start? Here’s a place to start. Organized below the cut is a list of names, skillsets, interests, weapons, faceclaims, aesthetics, general personality ideas, ships, pets, and even codenames!

Template Kids

Now the easiest place to start is to adapt certain characters as the children of Ben Solo and Rey. I speak, of course, of the original Solo kids, Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin. A quick search on Wookieepedia can help you get the general gist of these characters, their appearances, and personalities to adapt into Ben and Rey’s children. I’ve done this in a few of my fics (Twenty Years After and The Children of the Stars as well as hopeless fountain kingdom). 

You can also adapt the child of Jacen Solo, a character who inspired Ben, as Ben and Rey’s daughter. Allana Solo is a favorite of mine to use as while she has interesting lore surrounding her, she ultimately never got to fulfill it because Disney bought out the canon by then. 

Again, you can do really interesting things with adaptations of these characters, and there’s a lot of works and fanfic you can use to help yourself adjust the characters to whatever setting your Ben and Rey are in. 

But if you want to start from scratch, continue reading on.

Names: Dead Guy Jr. Edition 

A general trend I’ve noticed (and I’ve sometimes done as well) is the idea that you could name your OC after another character in the Skywalker saga, or that’s related to them. Here’s some names you could use if you wanted to take that route:

Hanna: to honor Han

Hans / Han / Hansel: Han Jr. would be fine, too, although you could get interesting with it. 

Leia: A basic, elegant choice. 

Leilani: A Hawaiian name that shares similarities with Leia. 

 Leila: An Arabic name that means “night” that looks like Leia. 

 Leilila: In Legends, this was Leia’s childhood nickname. 

Lux: Gender-neutral, already used in-universe for a Separatist politician, but could be used to honor Luke. 

Luka: A female named after Luke. 

Padme: After the twins’ mother. 

Bail: After Leia’s adoptive father.

Tai: After Ben’s friend from. Jedi School. 

Breha: After Leia’s adoptive mother. 

Beru: We often forget about Aunt Beru, but her name is used less-often, so I think it could be nice here. 

Names: Original Edition

But it might not always be in your Ben and Rey’s characterization to name their children after people they knew, citing Ben’s own struggle with his name and legacy. Or you just want to let your character stand on their own. 

Keera / Kira / Keira / Kiera / Kiara: a name from many cultures and was Rey’s for a long time. It means “throne” and “sun” and “dark” which are all thematically appropriate.

Kieran / Keiran: a gender-neutral version (that favors male) that only means “light”

Nix / Nyx: a gender-neural name that means “night” 

Nellith: the name Lucas used for Luke’s sister that wasn’t Leia in the original version of Return of the Jedi.

Thea: the Greek goddess of light, and one of Rey’s names during the development.

Tristan / Tristran / Tristram: after the knight from a star-crossed lovers story predating that of Arthurian mythology, it means “sorrow” and has been used by diasterisms in her Landscapes sequel.

Jaden / Jadyn / Jayden: Gender-neutral Corellian name that belonged to a protagonist in the video game Jedi Knight III: Jedi Academy. Also could reference Mara Jade, Luke’s wife in Legends. Corellia is Han’s planet of origin, so this could be a nod to him. 

Maura: a girl’s name that means “darkness” as well as “the sea” in Welsh, connecting it to Morgan LeFay’s Welsh name and also meaning “bitter”. It’s also a derivative of Mara, after Mara Jade.

Vaner: Revan’s son in the Legends timeline. Kylo Ren’s design was inspired by Revan, so this would be a fun nod.

Kai: gender-neutral, refers to “the sea” which could allude to Naboo, and is associated with the boy with a frozen heart in “The Snow Queen” a fairytale that likely inspired the Reylo Romance. 

Lena: a girl’s name that means “light” and in Hawaiian means “floating in happy waters” which could also be a nice nod towards Naboo. 

Solana: Rey’s surname in the Treverrow script and a fairly common girls’ name in Spanish. Means sun.

Faceclaims

Faceclaims are often the most fun when creating an OC, in my opinion. Finding the right claim for Ben and Rey can be tricky though, especially considering that Adam Driver’s features are not exactly valued in conventional beauty standards, and therefore it can be hard to find actors and actresses that resemble both him and Rey. Here are my personal favorites:

For the girls:

Kaya Scodelario is my favorite for the girls because she has Ben’s face, but enough of Rey mixed in too to look just right, and she has blue eyes from Luke and Anakin, making her fit better into the overall family.

Adelaide Kane has Rey’s bone structure and underlying look, while she would have Ben’s coloring, which is actually pretty good. She also can nail a wide range of looks for whatever you need her for.

Diana Silvers has Ben’s face shape, although she would resemble Rey a lot more. She’s not as much of a favorite because of that, but she still absolutely works. 

Katelyn Nacon literally looks just like a morph I’ve seen of a Reylo daughter, it’s uncanny. 

For the guys:

Timothée Chalamet is the current fandom favorite, and yeah, pretty much, thanks Dune.

Finn Wolfhard is also a fandom favorite because he literally looks just like a young Adam Driver, although he has some more Natalie Portman-like features in there, which allows for a little more diversity. 

Ezra Miller can nail a very dark-side look, and he resembles Adam Driver quite a bit, especially with the nose. 

Owen Teagues has a face very much like Adam Driver’s, and blue eyes to shake things up, like with Katelyn Nacon and Kaya Scodelario. 

 I also have what I call unconventional casts. These faceclaims are a lot more iffy than the ones I usually use, but I have used some of them, and they can work. 

Miriam Petche was my choice for Nellith Solo in the Jedi Queen series because she has a face very close to Daisy Ridley’s and dark eyes like Adam Driver. She does not resemble Adam very much, though, although that was part of the reason I chose her for that Nellith, because she was a child they did not suspect was Kylo Ren’s in-story. 

Dane DeHaan is very similar in that he resembles other people in the Skywalker family more, but he has the right look in a lot of ways, and that can be played off as sometimes genetics are funny like that.

Phoebe Tonkin is perhaps a little off in coloring, but you could wave that off with whatever Rey’s genetics are. She does have a Natalie Portman-like face and hazel eyes. 

Alden Ehrenreich could work if you are explicitly going for a child that resembles Han more than anyone else in the family.

Ansel Elgort has the same going for him as Alden, as he was a contender for Solo.

Personality-Building: General Personalities

Now comes the most important step! Personality is what will make or break your OC. Here, I won’t be giving you a list as much as some general advice. 

One missed opportunity I often see is the mixing of traits, especially of those that aren’t Ben’s or Rey’s. What do I mean by that? Ben and Rey aren’t the originators of their lineages, they had parents and extended family, and those personalities could be used to develop their children further. 

For instance, Ben might have a difficult time parenting after a child that takes after Han, while that would be more easy for Rey to relate to. On the opposite end, if a child took after Padme or Beru, that might be more difficult for Rey to relate to. 

You can have even more fun with this depending on if you gave Rey a specific lineage. Even keeping her Palpatine one, you could say, make Ysanne Isaard her grandmother since she would have been a good candidate for that in Legends, and use that to give her children some more interesting personalities. Or if you want to use Kenobi lineages if Siri Tachi or Satine Kryze were either of Rey’s grandmothers, that could be used to mine a character as well. 

The kids shouldn’t take purely after one parent, however, and they should have a little spark or quirk that isn’t anyone’s and is purely their own. 

Personality-Building: Interests & Hobbies

If there is anything I can teach here, it is that interests and hobbies are a lot more important to building a realistic character than any trait list. This will help a lot more, and even if their hobbies don’t make a ton of screen time, they make them infinitely more relatable. So here are some hobbies that run in the Skywalker family that you could use, and a few wildcards that are inspired by the first drafts of A New Hope:

Archaeology 

Folklore 

Flight

Machinery

Fashion

Politics

Gardening

Caring for Animals 

History / Academia 

Swimming 

Calligraphy 

Art

Personality-Building: Skillsets

Skills are also vital to your character, and this can be a fun way to develop them as well. Because there is so much to offer in terms of family skillsets, you can really go wild here. One thing to keep in mind is what can’t they do that someone else in the family can? How does that affect them?

Repairing droids and machines

Political navigation

Negotiation

Swordsmanship

Marksmanship with a blaster

Swimming

Hand-to-hand combat

Demolition and Pyrotechnics

Caring for animals

Gardening 

Writing

Storytelling

Coordinating Outfits

Drawing / writing

Force skillsets:

Psychic Force-user: could specifically be focused on the unseen, such as mind-reading, Jedi-mind tricks, battle meditation, and predicting the future 

Physical Force User: could specifically focus on lifting rocks, shattering objects, creating lightning 

Special abilities: 

Could be a really good healer

Able to create light

Able to manipulate fire

Different colors of lightning

The shatterpoint ability 

Aesthetics

Aesthetics and vibes are also a great way to develop the personality and trajectory of your OC. I personally find this to be most important when I create a character to be able to write them well. The following are a few aesthetics ideas that could be used for your character based off of those already existing in the Skywalker family:

Space Pirate: inspired by Firefly, we have brown boots, infinity scarves, badass jackets, tight pants with oil grease stains, coveralls, fingerless leather gloves, multiple belts with pockets in them, lots of artfully disheveled hair with flyaways.

Dark Prince / Princess: Black is a requirement, high collars and long sleeves, flowing capes, coats, and skirts; silver and gold detailing in arcane symbols, subtly glittering jewelry, simple but elegant hair

Desert Rat: neutral tones, loose tunics and pants, lots of spare coordinating fabric wrapping around hands, clothes, and boots, goggles, hoods, minimalistic look, handmade pouches, layers of light-looking soft fabric

Elegant Warrior: Jewel tones, with some of the white of the light-side prince/princess, and the neutrals of the desert rat; wrap-style tops with empire waistlines, pants made for practicalities, overall plain tunics with little intricate details, hair kept up and out of the way, hoods but no cloaks, lots of layering, plenty of weapons, minimalistic design

Light Prince / Princess: Plenty of white and light colors, patterned fabrics, crystal jewelry, less practical fashions, some of the flowing elements of the dark, but shows more skin, tiaras and intricate headpieces, even more intricate hairstyles. 

Songs

Having music can also be a great way to motivate you to write and get in the head of your OC. One of my tips for writing Star Wars characters specifically is to find a classical music piece that you want to use as their motif, similar to Rey’s theme, or Leia’s, or the Anakin/Padme Love Theme. I suggest looking at Lindsey Stirling’s work for this, since she’s an amazing artist and these original pieces are so incredibly evocative. 

That said, the following are some of my favorite lyrical and classical pieces to use:

Wait For It from Hamilton— I know this song has been used in edits all across the SW fandom to death, but it fits and it really works for the Skywalker legacy! 

The Firebird Suite— one of my favorite ballet pieces, some of you may recognize it from the end of Fantasia 2000. It’s a beautiful, triumphant piece that can work well as a leitmotif for getting in the head of your Reylo OC.

Artemis by Lindsey Stirling— this song I picked because it has a lot of leitmotifs in it from Star Wars, with the Force theme woven throughout (although likely not on purpose) and has an ethereal feel. 

Serenity Theme— this one is more fitting for a smuggler/space pirate child, but I love how it mixes the fun sea-shanty influences with an ethereal violin. (I also love Firefly, so. . . )

Control by Halsey— a song that Halsey herself approves of when used for Kylo Ren / Ben Solo, I think it could easily apply to any of their children too.

The Arena by Lindsey Stirling— a more intense song, with the music video having imagery of fighting and dancing in it, which is very fitting for Reylo in general. It gives the impression of a child who has to fight, which likely they do if they’re in a SW story.

Written in the Stars by Blackmore’s Night— this is part of my more eclectic tastes, but it’s about destiny, love, and carries musical motifs of the medieval era and chivalry which fit well into the Jedi Knights. 

The Chain by Fleetwood Mac— most recently used in Guardians of the Galaxy, a Marvel space opera, there are some lyrics that are pretty cool to use here, with “damn the dark and damn the light” and “running in the shadows” and it also sounds badass. 

Mordred’s Lullaby by Heather Dale— if there is a darker reylo child you seek, this song is it. Written from the perspective of Morgana LeFay/Morgause  in Arthurian mythos to Mordred, it has an eerie feel that can really work. 

Desperado by Eagles— great for a sad Reylo child, but it’s very hopeful as the song is a plea to a friend to stop wandering and pushing people away and to let love into his life. 

Weaponry

In Star Wars, weapons are a signature and are important to the story. So knowing what your character wields and what it conveys is important. The following are a few ideas:

Saber-staff: known also as a double-bladed lightsaber, this was a common idea for years as to what Rey would wield.

Dual Blades: This hasn’t been the signature weapon of any liveaction character and so could make yours more iconic, especially if you don’t make them the same color. 

To make this more interesting, the character could have a shoto blade like Ahsoka Tano to allow them to pull off more interesting tricks.

Lightsaber pike: put one blade out of a quarterstaff and there you go.

A stable crossguard: as seen in SW: Rebels, I think this could be an interesting connection.

Blow Gun: One of Mara Jade’s signature weapons, could be interesting for a smuggler or desert rat Reylo child

Lightsaber and blaster rifle: the style of Tahiri Veila, someone who married into the Skywalker family, it’s an interesting take on dual-wielding 

Or have a Skywalker child who relies solely on blasters and has a big gun they made themselves. 

Colors that would be most thematically appropriate are as follows:

Blue if your character is a classic, heroic, knight-inspired true-blue Jedi.

Green for your nerdy Jedi who focuses mainly on the Force, and to give the visual motif of life and greenery to tie to Rey.

Purple if they toe the line between the dark and the light.

Yellow or Orange could imply being trapped between sides as a Jedi Sentinel. 

Ships

The kids can’t take the Millennium Falcon all the time, so they’ll need other transportation at different times. Here are a few ideas for some ships they could take:

Stardust: an original ship you could make up, named after Jyn Erso and the Neil Gaiman novel

Jade Shadow / Jade Sabre / Jade Fire: Any of Mara Jade’s ships would be an interesting ship.

Lore Seeker: Tionne’s spaceship, could allude to a more nerdy and academic Reylo child.

Sweet Time: a ship used by Jaina Solo in Legends.

Far Wanderer: Jaden Korr’s ship; the protagonist of Jedi Academy III; could also be meaningful to a Reylo child where Ben is in exile.

Sunrider: named after the Jedi Mom Warrior of Legend

Vernus:  a name referring to spring and greenery, and something Rey might have emphasized growing up. 

Codenames

This was more prominent in the Legends EU, but codenames are a fun detail to include, as they can tell you a lot about the character and qualify as a genius bonus or a fun detail. Here are some of my favorites and what they might convey:

Angel Blue: a codename for Luke in the first drafts of A New Hope

Sticks: One of Jaina Solo’s callsigns in Legends, referring to the two “sticks” she was associated with, her lightsaber and the joystick of her X-wing

Twin Suns: a squadron name from Legends and the obvious association with Tatooine. Also, a nice way to reference Rey’s name. 

Nevermore: nice for a princely, dark-side Reylo child

Valor: a gender-neutral one that would work for a very brave and knightly Reylo child

Lotus: Both “Ren” and “Padme” mean this.

[ariainstars]

Star Wars Etymology

Classic Trilogy 

Darth Vader = „Dark Father“, the evil, malignant, unknown father. Probably the most well-known allegorical name in the history of cinema. 

Skywalker = All Skywalker men are pilots. In A New Hope Luke watches the binary sunset on Tatooine, dreaming of leaving the planet. In The Phantom Menace little Anakin looks up to the night sky and tells Qui-Gon Jinn that he wants to be the first person to travel to all of the stars. In Attack of the Clones young padawan Anakin jumps freely from Obi-Wan’s vehicle as if travelling on air. 

Luke = Lucas, the classic trilogy’s hero was thought up as the author’s alter ego. In Greek “leukos” “white”, in Latin „lux” „light”, indicating that Luke will illuminate the galaxy which was darkened by the Empire. Also, his name matches his twin sister’s; their intertwined destinies are already announced by Tatooine’s twin suns. 

Leia = Leila in Arab „night”, matching her brother’s name “light”. The name „Leah” (same pronunciation) appears in the Old Testament and means “lioness”.

Organa = Derived from “Morgana”, King Arthur’s half-sister. An additional correlation between the Arthurian legend and Luke’s story.

Han Solo = “Alone” or „Lonely“, the name hints that Han initially belongs to no one and doesn’t like to blend in or follow the rules. It can also be interpreted as „Lone Hand”. In Chinese „Han” “shining”, hinting at the fact that Han is a hero, even if not exactly by his own choice. 

Jedi = In Japanese Jidai Geki „epoch tales“, stories with feudal background narrating the deeds of the Samurai. 

Obi-Wan = In Japanese „Obi” is the kimono sash, “wan” recalls the form of address “san” and „ken” “sword”, another parallel to the Samurai. 

Yoda = Yoga, a parallel to the meditating techniques of the Jedi discipline. In Sanskrit “yudh” “warrior”. Yoda is called a “great warrior” by Luke, who replies that war does not make anyone great. Yoda’s syntax refers to the Japanese language, too, by putting the verb almost always at the end of the sentence.

Tarkin = Tarquinius was one of the Etruscan kings of Rome. Particularly renowned is Tarquinius the Proud, the last of Rome’s mythical seven kings.

Jabba = Jabbar “powerful” in Arab. Jabba is referred to as “mighty Jabba”.

  Prequel Trilogy

Anakin = „Without a family“. The prefix „an�� means “without”, “kin” in archaic English “family”. Little Anakin has no father and is separated from his only relative, his mother, at age nine. Shortly after this he also loses Qui-Gon Jinn who was a father figure for him.

Padmé = In Sanskrit „lotus”. Padmés element is water, opposed to Anakin’s fire (his temperament, but also the place where he finds his terrible end).

Amidala = The „amygdala” gland is responsible for the human capacity to empathize with others.

Shmi = Derived from „Lakshmi”, an Indian goddess. Although from a modest background, Shmi is a special person, since the Force chose her for the procreation of the Chosen One. Also, she is the one who educates him to have compassion for others.

Qui-Gon Jinn = In Chines “Chi” „power of life“ (i.e., the Force). The Chi Gong discipline teaches to adjust the mind to one’s life force. “Jinn” in Arab are supernatural, magical beings, the “genies” mostly known from the Tales of One Thousand and One Nights. As servant of the Force, Qui-Gon is, similarly to genie, a mediator between sentient beings and the forces of nature.

Boss Nass = In German „nass” “wet”, relating to the Gungan’s amphibian nature and Boss’ habit of spitting whenever he agrees with something.

Palpatine = The Palatino hill of Rome was where Augustus, the first “Caesar”, founded his residence and thus, symbolically, the Roman Empire which ended the Roman Republic.

Count Dooku = In Japanese “dooku” “poison”. The count is an important part of a scheme aiming at the destruction of the galactic Republic from the inside. “Count” is possibly an allusion at Count Dracula, who was famously interpreted by the same actor, Christopher Lee, on screen; and possibly also to Lee himself, an English nobleman of Italian origin whose real name was Conte Lee Carandini da Modena.

Sith = The Sikh were an obscure Indian cult from the end of the country’s time as a British colony.

Sequel Trilogy

Kylo = Anglicism for „caelo“, in Latin „sky“, referring to „Skywalker“.

Ren = „War lord“ in Welsh, in Latin „reborn“ hinting at Vader’s / Anakin’s reincarnation. In Japanese “lotus”, a connection to Kylo’s grandmother Padmé.

Ben Solo = „Ben“ in Arab „son“. The full name means “lonely son”.

Rey = Rei in Japanese „zero“, hinting at the fact that Rey is indeed a nobody, who has no family and belongs to no one. In Spanish however “rey” means “king”, linking her to the ex-queen Padmé. Written with an “a”, “Ray” the name is pronounced the same but connects the young woman to the Light side of the Force.

Finn = In Irish „white / bright“, reminding that Finn used to be a stormtrooper, but also referring to his honest, well-meaning nature. It also hints at the literary figure Huckleberry Finn, the inseparable friend of Tom Sawyer, whose personality reminds Poe’s.

Poe = From „peacock“, Dameron = “coxcomb, dandy”. Poe’s personality and attitude is a wink to the typical protagonists of classic swashbuckler movies.

Snoke = “Snake”. The ending syllable could hint at Luke, i.e. that he is the Jedi master’s shadow. Effectively, Snoke was present in Ben Solo’s mind since before his birth, as most probably also was his uncle. Additionally, the name creates a link with the insidious ex Emperor whose Sith name is Darth Sidious.

[waywardravenmedia]

Star Wars myths and musings. Episode II: Who are Rey and Snoke?

Episode II: Who are Rey and Snoke?

In Episode I, we mused upon the Force and certain relationships, which were pretty evident.

Now we get into speculation about-- Who is Rey? Who is Snoke? And what about Finn?

Remember, nothing is definitive until the series reveals such, but we can get an understanding of parallels from mythology that has been notably admitted to being an underlying construct.  

So on to Rey…

Look at the name. It means king in Spanish and is derived from Rex in Latin. The other mythology that influences Star Wars most prominent to me are the King Arthur legends from Geoffrey of Monmoth to Cretin De Troyes, which are built out of Celtic mythology and the fall of the Roman hold in Britain. Rey=King. So look at King Arthur first.

King Arthur was born of a magical coupling, a creepy one at that, and then whisked away to live in obscurity with no knowledge of his origin or past. When the time came, after a few trials and training by Merlin (mentor and old wizard who lives in the wild. Sound familiar Obi-Wan Kenobi), he encounters a mystical object, by accident in a way, and pulls the sword from the stone to restore prosperity to the land. Lightsaber at Maz Kanata’s castle anyone?

 This would all be so easy if… Luke Skywalker did not do the Arthur thing first. Like I said, none of this follows a linear path or follows the previous narratives. It takes pieces and jots them together in novel forms from the familiar story. Parallels to parallels. Elements do tend to be recycled and modified.

However, this got me thinking about Lancelot, the greatest of the knights of Camelot. The one told to be invincible. Maybe Anakin was Lancelot-type merged with Arthhur as Arthur did have some dark times. Then, the Jedi Council would reflected the Knights of the Round Table, just look at the council chamber, and the Republic representing Camelot and Arthur.

Lancelot couldn’t help himself. Even with such skill he lusted and had a secret affair with the queen. Uh queen, who else was a queen? Oh yeah, Padme. Then, in some stories, Lancelot is enchanted, seduced, and has an illegitimate child who is raised in obscurity, doesn’t know who his parents are, and then comes on the scene as greater knight than Lancelot.

That would be Galahad, the dude who survived the siege perilous. Not the one in the Marvel comics and cartoons. Siege perilous just means the perilous seat. True, it did kill people if they weren’t the person who found the Holy Grail, but that’s beside the point. So, again, the Galahad thing could be Luke, but it could be Rey if Rey is a Skywalker in some way. Or Rey is the actual King Arthur and Luke was the Galahad. Maybe Rey is an Organa? Leia’s cousin? Organa sounds like Morgana. Huh? 

Leia was adopted by this royal family and their planet was blown to bits, so perhaps a refugee royal family who had to drop off Rey on Jakku to protect her from the old Alderaan families fighting for the remaining power left from the Alderaan royals, and that’s why Leia recognized her. Alderaan did help with the Rebel Alliance and perhaps the First Order wants to hunt down all the remaining members of that lineage to quell influence.  So given the name and the mythology behind it, Rey could the actual King Arthur of the story and the Skywalker family was a Lancelot offshoot. Or she could be a modified Galahad construct.  

Funny thing. Galahad is in some people’s estimations to be a remake of Fion from Celtic myths. You might know him by his more popular name, the one and only Finn McCool. Yup. Finn. Finn. Finn.

 Who is Finn?

In the Celtic myth, Finn McCool (Fion mac Cumhaill) avenges his dad’s murder by Goll mac Morna after he is swept off to obscurity, trained by the fighting woman Liath Luachra [Captain Phasma perhaps?], got a magical gift by a salmon (I know, weird), defeated magical beings, and killed the dude who killed his father and became the greatest warrior. Some said he slept in cave and never died awaiting revival. In the Star Wars franchise, however, I suspect they are just using the name Finn to allude to the Arthurian and Celtic myths and not have the character named Finn follow the course since Rey is the one with the focus. But, daddy issues are common in this franchise along with awaiting destiny to be revealed.  

But as a wilder speculation, maybe the team at Disney decided to say screw it. Let’s make Han Solo the Lancelot and he had an illegitimate kid when separated with Leia and Kylo Ren is Rey’s half-brother.  Then, the Finn McCool myth can be used so Rey avenges her father’s death. But all of this leaves out Arthur and Mordred concept unless you use Luke as Arthur and Mordred as Kylo Ren because in some tales Mordred is not Arthur’s son but Morgause’s (sometimes merged with Morgan Le Fay in modern tales) and her husband King Lot. In that version Gawain is Mordred’s brother or half-brother and Gawain is Arthur’s nephew. He is, of course, famous for the Green Knight tale that involves trickery, seduction and magical testing of valor. 

 Perhaps the Gawain tale will be used in the Kylo-Ren backstory. The Green Knight who tests Gawain is a giant. Snoke is a giant as a hologram. The Green Knight’s appearance is due to magic and not his real self, which could hold true for the Snoke hologram. The Green Knight is in reality Bertilak De Hautdesert (High Desert) who was transformed by the sorceress Morgan le Fay who intended to tests Arthur’s knights and frighten Guinevere to death. The leads to an interesting note from J.J Abrams. They did not know who Snoke was and said the character might possible be a woman right up until shooting the Star Wars: Force Awakens, at least according to the Wookiepedia entry on Snoke. Does that mean Snoke is really a version of Morgan le Fay?

 Morgan le Fay was one of Merlin’s students, so Snoke would have been a Jedi. Morgan was not an evil being, but was corrupted, who then reconciles with Arthur and gets back her role as one of the sorceresses queens who takes Arthur, after his death, to Avalon (the good old magical island of apples, seriously, apples, look it up).

As an aside, sometimes I just think Sifo-Dyas is Snoke since original Sifo-Dyas was just a cover name for Sidious called Sido-Dyas and not a new character. But, Sifo-Dyas was a Jedi and after his ship crashed, as ordered by Count Dooku, they only found his lightsaber. Perhaps, Sifo-Dyas lived, was mutilated by his crash, thought he was betrayed by the Jedi and went into hiding. During which, he fell to the Dark Side or formulated a "corrupt a strong Light-Sider" plan like ol’Sheev Palpatine did with Anakin. Snoke seduced Kylo-Ren because he was a perfect blend of Light and Dark, a material to be sculpted if you will as one of the novels said. Maybe a powerful but corrupted Light-Side user will have more abilities than just Dark-Side practitioner alone. But I don’t know. Where just keeping to cannon materials here kids even though the Expanded Universe/legends had huge influence on the new movies and tv shows.

Okay, back to Morgan le Fay. She was also Arthur’s half-sister. His mom had a child with her husband Gorlois and not Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s dad. Funny how there are so many TH and UR/ER sounds. Sounds sort of like Darth and Darth Vader. Darth Arthur. Darth Uther.

Sort of irrelevant now since Lucas no longer tells the tales and most accept Darth Vader as a modified portmanteau of Dark Invader.

Other weird stuff is that Morgan and Morgause were sisters and both enchantresses. So who knows, in keeping with Snoke being Morgan le Fey, maybe Snoke is Sheev’s younger brother or twin, who Sheev Palpatine tried to kill or keep imprisoned. A sort of a "Man in the Iron Mask" homage. Also, according to the Star Wars wiki on Snoke, they considered making Snoke female. But if you made Morgause into Sheev and then Morgan would be Snoke. Perhaps the legend influenced the backstory in that manner.  

Why not flip the script on Luke and Leia  and do it for Sheev and Snoke. Makes sense. Both have names that start with the same letter and here’s another element. Sheev is from Naboo. Just like Padme Amidala Naberrie. Perhaps Naboo is Britain. Hell, the capital city is named Theed, sound British. This might connect the Palpatines and the Naberries. Perhaps they are related. Making this whole thing a crazy family drama/opera, which it is already, but even more so.

And if the whole Trimurti concept is true, the gods Shiva and Vishnu are siblings and you got your cosmic conflict between two great forces. This must then play out on a human level/scope so the story can be related to by the audience with more common myths about family and power struggles. The power struggles are both internal and external; hence, Anakin Skywalker being the encapsulation of the story. Sorry for the trapped/encapsulated in the cybernetic armor pun.

Oh, and who do I think Rey is? If you combine the idea that King Arthur died and went to Avalon, waiting to return to restore Britain when he was needed and the avatar idea of Vishnu, then it would appear she is Anakin Skywalker reborn or a completion of this "Choosen One" Force cycle where to go forward, we must go back. Sort of like the cartoon The Last Airbender. Though the special circumstance of birth, Anakin not having a father and was conceived by the Force like the Christian story that follows many special birth stories from Greek mythology and even Buddhism (Siddartha was born able to speak and walk and where he walked lotus flowers came from the earth. Lotus flowers, huh? Padma/Padme means lotus), is not present yet. 

And Finn, perhaps they do keep the Celtic myth straightforward and have him be the son of a king/leader who becomes a great warrior, discovers his heritage and kills the person who killed his father. That would make him unrelated to the rest of the family drama but still bind him to the mythic relationships that the Star Wars cycle is based.  

In conclusion, I would not be surprised if Snoke and Sheev Palpatine were bros and maybe Rey is a royal as her name signifies. Maybe even a royal from Naboo, which means…??

That's for you to suss out. Perhaps all of this is a ruse and misinformation to lead us down the path of the plot twist and none of the characters, now, have a basis in myths, which would be too bad since George Lucas did all that research into the subject. Just find his interviews with Joseph Campbell.        

So ends the drunken rambling on the new characters but in Episode III we will get to how the House of Atreus (Greek mythology), and Dune might have influenced the series.  

May the Force be with you!!

~JLAJ

BTW, I have spoken to some people about Japanese influences and considered the myths of Izanagi and Izanami as the divine twins as reflected in Luke and Leia, or the Dark Side and the Light Side of the Force but their offspring Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Tsukuyomi don’t follow a pattern that fits with Star Wars.  But that doesn’t mean they are not added to the new characters. And yes, Jidaigeki is a genre that has samurai flicks and from where Lucas got the term Jedi, which was originally Jedi Bendu.  Perhaps Bendu is from the term in Sanskrit that mean point or center and this tends to be lent credence in the Star Wars Rebels cartoon with the Bendu who proclaims he is the middle, the point in between the Light and Dark Sides. Or it could be a reference to Buddhism, which is a philosophy of the “means in between the extremes.”  Or as previously stated in Episode I it could be Brahma.