#beth writes star wars stuff

[gffa]

Hi, since you’ve been reading the star wars books, do you have one you’d recommend as a starting point for someone who’s never read any of them and is interested in seeing what they’re like?

Hi! This is going to be very subjective, given that I'm not sure what your favorite characters are or which era you're interested in, and if you're interested in the best books out there or ones that typify what the books are overall like. BEST BOOKS: - Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover, god-tier ability to take my favorite SW movie and make it even more emotional and hard-hitting. It adds even more depth to the story, has beautiful writing, and just is a really satisfying read imo. - Padawan by Kiersten White, which is a story about a young Obi-Wan going on an adventure by himself and I think really captures how I see his youth, that there was struggle and difficulty, but overall it explains why he loves being a Jedi and why there's so much joy in his life. - Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule is good for if you're interested in the High Republic stories and I still think is easily my favorite of the entire line. There was so much good foreshadowing and banger lines that really got Star Wars and was an exciting plot to really hook me on THR.

BOOKS THAT MOST TYPIFY WHAT SW BOOKS ARE LIKE: - Brotherhood by Mike Chen is one that I have some stuff I side-eye in it (everything with Mace) and some stuff I was over the moon for (everything with Obi-Wan) and some stuff I was in the middle about (everything with Anakin). That's Star Wars novels in a nutshell for you! (I also think Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott is another good starting place, it's an audiodrama, but it gives an interesting backstory to the character, has some interesting Jedi worldbuilding, and does some really great character work with Asajj Ventress.) - Wild Space by Karen Miller is a Legends book (and I usually try to stick to Disney continuity just for ease's sake) but it has some eyeroll-worthy stuff, some unearned stuff, and some absolutely batshit bonkers in the best way stuff. It's a RIDE to read and maybe not one to take super seriously but I feel like it captures the spirit of SW books. (Alternate suggestion: Dark Rendezvous by Sean Stewart is a really good Yoda & Dooku book with a lot of good appearances by other Jedi characters and one of the better books for Jedi stuff, plus lots of feelings and banger conversations between characters.) (Alternate-alternate suggestion: Another Legends suggestion, since there are a lot of SW books in that continuity, you could read the Jedi Apprentice series by Dave Wolverton and Jude Watson, as long as you know they're aimed at a pre-teen audience and are written accordingly and they are SUPER dramatic and put Obi-Wan through the wringer. I'm not always wild about Watson's writing, but when she writes a banger line, she writes a BANGER line, and they're very fun books that a lot of fandom still folds into their writing.) - The Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Wendig is a good place to start if you want to explore the connective tissue between the originals and the sequels, though I always recommend that I think they work a thousand times better as audiobooks. It's mostly new characters (which, welcome to SW novels) but it also has some really good Leia and Mon Mothma scenes, too. - Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray is for if you're more interested in the Original Trilogy characters and while I wish there'd been more worldbuilding in this one, it's a solid story from someone who genuinely loves this character, and will give you a good idea of what you can expect from Leia books. (If you're more interested in a Han/Leia story, The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis is on the same level. Solid story with occasional moments of fantastic. I had a blast with the Leia sections especially!)

[this-acuteneurosis]

Random. But do you have any star wars fic recs ? Fics recs of any kind are welcome actually ^_^

Oh, uh, sure.

Let's see, I've mentioned @chancecraz a bunch of times, I love all their stuff, if I had to pick a favorite I'd say Of Queens, Knights, and Pawns but how does one really choose?

I've also mentioned @fialleril and Double Agent Vader, which really got me into the SWs fandom in the first place. I love everything I have ever learned, it hits me so hard in the feels each time. (I also really loved Sigyn's Saga if we're also talking not-SW stuff.)

I enjoyed The Desert Sun series by @blue-sunshine-mauve-morning. (I will be honest, I have only read the first series I have not started Rise and Fall.) It's engaging and fun and thoughtful.

doing it by my lonesome and staring down the barrel of the hot sun by magneticwave are two fun Luke/Din stories featuring appropriately cute Grogu. I also liked pages filled with scribbled ink, which is an epistolary Padmé/Obi-Wan fic that had me cackling. (their non-SW stuff is good too, I especially enjoyed just me against the sky)

Other...serious(?) recs include: The Wingless Dragon by husborth if you like being sad and horrified about Vader's bad choices. Food Scandal by Malicean for some situational hilarity and for lots of OC perspective on Imperial bureaucracy (my other weakness aside from politics). PRojects IN Controlled Environments by Beth Winters for Imperial R&D bureaucracy, more situational hilarity, and very relatable coworker nonsense.

More silly/fun premises include: Compromising by samvelg, which inspired me to write a (very different) Piett POV of Luke and Vader nonsense. Memo: Jedi Maintenance (The Care and Feeding of Your Jetii) by RainofLittleFishes is exactly what it says and what you would hope for from such a title. Luke Skywalker is Altogether Too Likeable by Mokulule is another Piett POV of Skywalker nonsense.

As far as Non-Star Wars recs

It would be a crime and sin if I didn't mention Embers by Vathara , an Avatar the Last Airbender fic which honestly changed my life and how my brain was shaped.

World Ain't Ready by @idiopathicsmile is a Les Mis fic I've gone back to a few times. The dialogue is just really good. I spend a lot of the fic laughing, and also screaming at the characters.

I fell absurdly in love with Second person familiar, I think because it tickles some part of me that just dies over linguistics, and I'm a fan of pretty much everything @jackironsides has done for The Witcher.

Salvage by @muffinlance is a very fun Avatar the Last Airbender fic about Zuko getting reluctantly adopted by Hakoda (it's so good).

Finding the Line by Miss_Lazy_Tuesday is a Batfam fic that sort of ruined me at one point, it's fine. (I enjoy their other stuff too.)

The Angel of Hell's Kitchen by MarbleGlove is a Daredevil fic. I don't really go here, but this was about social structures, bureaucracy, and doing the work, and we all know I can't help myself.

Reconstruction by rageprufrock is the story of Stephanie Rogers, but like, it's Pru writing it. So. Characters are great. World building is great. Tension and longing and grief are great. I cannot stress enough how good the academic and news article asides are. Like, it's good. Incomplete, but so good.

Ordinary Numbers by BootsnBlossoms and Kryptaria, a James Bond fic that I keep coming back to because I too would be a sucker for someone who sent me needlessly expensive gifts.

And This, Your Living Kiss by opal_bullets is a Supernatural fic about poetry. I am not in this fandom, but again, my weakness for language gets me every time.

ever fallen in love (on national TV)? by ganymede_elegy is a GoT Jonsa modern Bachelor AU and...guys I cannot express how much I Do Not Go here, and how much I still recommend this fic. Like, it's just...I don't know. It worked. In spite of me knowing nothing about GoT or The Bachelor. wtf

survival of the fittest by cywscross is a short Naruto fic about a very unpleasant adventure for Sakura and Shikarmaru that just...worked. As a story. Dunno, I just really like it.

I could be wrong, I could be ready by harryromper is a Harry/Draco fic where they are disasters and traumatized, and it is about healing and building houses as a metaphor for overcoming trauma, and it's fine, I'm fine.

eternity will be born from hope by theseviolentdelights99 is a Yuri!!! on Ice fic that is about a time traveling Yuuri who (you'll never guess) goes back in time and does bureaucracy in his hometown and his sport to help the people that he loves. The unreliable narrator is excellent, the social media asides are wonderful, and it's not complete but it is exactly my poison.

(Wow, this is so long and all over the place...)

[nebulaofchaosandwoe]

Hello People of Earth!

Here's some stuff about me 🪻

I'm Leticia, latina, white

I use she/her (but fuck gender)

I love a good ol' communismm :3

I'm queer! -- which means I'm an aroace badass

I'm vegan - pls ask me anything before judging :)

Meet my interests 🐳

Books! Fantasy, fiction, drama and queer stuff

I adore indie, pop rock, mpb and alt music

Luv cooking plant-based food!

Ranting about political matters -- feminism, anti-racism, anti-capitalism, anti-transphobia, anti-ableism, intersectional veganism and all that stuff

Goddesses and witchcraft (I still know very little of those)

Writing! I do a bit, though it scares me 🙃

Main fandoms 🌌

Osemanverse -- frances/georgia/isaac kinnie

Steven Universe

Brazilian literature!!!!

Erin Morgenstern's books

The Raven Cycle

Grishaverse

Young Royals

Star Wars

The Mirror Visitor

Bee and Puppycat

Pride and Prejudice 2005™

Studio Ghibli

Brand New Animal (BNA)

She-ra reboot

and so on so forth

Music ☔

I'm in love with Rachel Chinouriri, Luiza Brina, Dodie, Sir Chloe, Conan Gray, Marina Diamandis, Moses Sumney, Chico Buarque, Liniker, Beth McCarthy and some other artists :)

That's it! don't know what to say, I'm a pretty weird human being and I've got no idea how to have a conversation like a person, though I can try 🦭

please be kind <3

[mostthingskenobi]

BETH REVIS IS GOING TO BE A GUEST ON MOST THINGS KENOBI!!

I'm thrilled to announce our upcoming guest on the Most Things Kenobi podcast!! New York Times best selling author Beth Revis joined me for a chat the other day and gave me an inside view of what it's like to write for Star Wars 💜

She's known for writing Rebel Rising, The Princess and the Scoundrel, as well as short stories for the From a Certain Point of View collections. She's the author of Museum of Magic, House of Hex, and the Across the Universe series (just to name a few).

I can’t wait to share this interview with you!! We talked about really interesting stuff: the process of writing a Star Wars novel, getting to read the Rogue One script before almost anyone else, witch hunting in Germany, and so much more 💜

I'd like to thank @bethrevis once again for coming on the show. Everyone, check out her new book Night of the Witch! It has romance, fascinating history, intrigue and, of course, witches -- the perfect cozy spooky season read 🎃🍁🧙‍♀️ It releases October 3 but you can pre order it now.

Our interview with Beth will be out in the next few weeks. Keep an eye on our social media for exact dates.

Fire effects provided by vecteezy.

[holly-mckenzie]

Hello! I love LOVE your blog it's so good. I always find the most interesting shows because of your posts so i wanted to ask what are your fav ships with the best chemistry in a newer film/tv show? I saw a whole debate a few days ago about how "ships nowadays are always lacking chemistry " and i was interested in your opinion. Have a nice day!

Hello anon... I need to clarify, I wrote this answer essay thinking about romcoms, bc that's what film twitter has been talking about, but I realised you said "ships". I will answer your question here. Under the cut, is my thoughts on romcoms, please be aware what is hiding beneath the cut is a behemoth of an answer.

But in terms of "ships" and lacking chemistry. I think there's a few things to think about. Specifically, I believe there has been way to much focus on "ships" and sometimes this conversation detracts from other elements of storytelling, or completely takes over the entire story and what it makes it interesting (e.g. - the conversation surrounding Anatomy of a Fall or what Reylo did to Star Wars). On the subject of Star Wars, one of the things to think about in this conversation is how racism, misogyny, or general bigotry shape peoples opinions. The argument of "they don't have chemistry" is a common phrase used by racists and bigots who don't want to engage with their faves being involved with characters of colour/woman etc.

Now unto other reasons why "ships" might not have chemistry. I think if you are discussing American Television, one thing to note is the departure of shows that had 20+ episodes. With the fear that the show might get cancelled and with a shorter time to establish the narrative, I think we, as audiences, are seeing less of the long con, "will they, won't they" game, that we saw in the late 90's/2000's. I would argue this could be one of the reasons that British TV does so well, most British series are only 6 episodes long, and there may be a better understanding of how to write a more compact narrative, and perhaps there's even better job security... But maybe not considering Joe Barton's history.

Lastly, there is a world of media out there and you need to make the effort to find and engage with it. I talk more about this under the cut, but so many people who are minorities are not given the same advantages as white straight people... So if you want to find good stuff. You gots to look for it. It might not be in a language you understand, or about people who you can relate to, but its out there. Go find it.

So in Answer to your Question, what are my fav ships with the best chemistry in a newer film/tv show.

Television: Starstruck (2021– ) : Tom x Jessie The Lazarus Project (2022– ) : Janet x Rebrov & Zhao x Archie & Shiv x George The Artful Dodger (2023) : Belle x Jack Foundation (2021– ) : Hober Mallow x Brother Constant Alex Rider (2020– ) : Alex x Kyra Animal Control (2023– ) : Shred x Emily Tom Jones (2023) : Tom x Sophia

Other Honourable Mentions: Summer Love (2022– ), Colin from Accounts (2022), Still Up (2023– ), Little Woman (2022), Lockwood and Co. (2023), The Flatshare (2022), The Other Two, Suzhal (2022), In Limbo (2023– ), The Buccaneers (2023– ).

Films: Femme (2023), Here (2023), Decision to Leave (2022), Stay the Night (2022), The Big Four (2022), Ponniyan Selvan i & ii, Stellar (2022), Wildhood (2022), Lakelands (2023), Wedding Season (2022), 7 Days (2021), Scream VI, Sanctuary (2022)

Books: Anything by Tia Williams, Sarah Beth Durst, Uzma Jalaluddin, Jane Igharo

Stage: The Effect (2023/2024), Much Ado About Nothing (2019), Much Ado About Nothing (2022), The Notebook (2024), Hadestown

My Original Answer:

Hello anon, thank you so much! Thanks for appreciating my questionable taste. I do really enjoy watching TV, film, and books and then writing academic papers about them in my head. So obviously this question is really fun.

I need to start by saying, I have been thinking about chemistry for weeks, so I am going to answer your question, just maybe not the question you were asking. Brace yourselves, I wrote an essay.

The whole debate is deeply fascinating to me for various reasons. In part I do really believe that people need to broaden their horizons when it comes to the art they interact with. There is a world of cinema out there. If you surround yourselves by clowns and then complain you are in a circus... that's a choice, no?

Expand your horizons, dip into Asian cinema, African cinema, American Cinema (North, South, and Central), that European stuff (that isn't just what the BBC is pumping out or starring your French favs). And if you must watch Hollywood, then watch some indie stuff. Watch some gay stuff. Watch some stuff by people of colour.

Lichrelly no one is forcing you to watch the blandest/whitest romcoms/romdrams. Are they more accessible to watch? Sure. But complaining, when you don't even care to do the research is a choice. Especially, bc of the way that racism/misogyny/homophobia/ableism makes it harder for people to get their stories out. If you really care about these things. You gots to put the effort into caring and finding them.

Secondly, boiling down chemistry to romance is absolutely wild, considering there are different type of chemistry needed for different roles. For example Rob Collins and Shantae Barnes-Cowan have mad chemistry in the show Firebite. Now let me clarify, I am not saying its romantic. They pulled off the single dad and adopted daughter in a survival/action story story so well. Pedro Pascal, who? And it takes chemistry to pull that off. More popularly, one of the reasons that Succession works as a show is because the actors have chemistry. Some of which is romantic ofc, but the vast majority of it isn't (no matter what the in*est shippers on A*3 say). But I understand, the people want what they want, and that's romance.

I also think that chemistry is an odd thing. I know people are inclined to think that its an objective. You look at two people and are like, "Wow, they have chemistry!", and everyone agrees, because "Wow, they have chemistry!". But I am inclined to think its not that straight forward. There is something to be said about our interactions with art being subjective and biased. This is because as we interact with art, we are interacting with it through our own lens. The author is truly dead, and all that matters is the individual reader's interpretation. So, for example, many people love the movie Anyone But You. If you go on YouTube there are many people who have made ship videos about Bea and Ben. But there is a category of people who fucking hate it and think that its trash and the leads don't have chemistry (Yes, I am talking about myself in third person. I will avenge you Much Ado About Nothing).

So, who is right? Who is wrong? Honestly, it really doesn't matter, because its a fucking movie, and like I said, the author is dead. Similarly, some critics really didn't like the series Tom Jones. In certain reviews and articles, criticism of the series was that Solly McLead and Sophie Wilde don't have chemistry. However, if you follow me, you know I completely disagree and made that show my personality for a couple of months.

But on the subject of chemistry (of the romantic variety), I definitely think its more complicated then people let on. I think most people believe that it's about the actors. You put them in a movie, show, whatever, and chemistry they have just happens. It's like love, you can't explain it, but its there. Or, according to my friend, who used to work in the film industry, the best chemistry comes across when the actors hate each other or they secretly like each other/are fucking each other. It's brought on by strong emotions. Which is obviously a school of thought.

However, as my bestie Merry (@akajustmerry) has been discussing, there are actors who are dating/fucking IRL and none of that comes across in the film/show. I highly recommend checking out Merry's blog to see their opinions on this bc Merry is THE film critic of our generation! Someone please hire them!

But I do think it takes more than just what the actors can bring. It's about the direction they are being given, its about the script, its about the staging. It's about the framing. And it's about the actors and their acting ability. Actors are working professionals and contrary to popular belief, it takes skills to act (not just a pretty face). And one of the skills needed is the ability to create trust between the leads, as Merry and an anon discusses in this post. Because without trust, how can there be chemistry. Which is why intimacy coordinators are SO important. Fuck anyone who says otherwise!

To argue against my friend who used to work in the industry, yes hating/loving someone IRL can create tangible chemistry. And yeah, it might be hard to overcome friendship, if you are friends with your co-star (e.g. - that one interview where Jessica Matten jokes about how weird it was to kiss Kiowa Gordan in Dark Winds). But think about Nikesh Patel and Rose Matafeo in Starstruck. From what I can tell, which is little bc I don't know them IRL and its none of my business, Rose and Nikesh weren't hating each other or fucking in each other. They seem to be friends, but mostly co-workers. But regardless of all of that, Starstruck is literally one of the greatest romcoms of our era. And they have mad chemistry.

Additionally, in my opinion, Lee Pace and Laura Birn of Foundation fame, and Lana Gordon and MPQ/Zachary James and Gloria Onitiri of Hadestown fame have chemistry. But all the men I just listed are gay/in relationship with men, so we can't chalk up chemistry to already existing romantic tension. It is an aspect of acting and skill. Both Zachary James and MPQ have spoken about how the trust they have in their co-stars, have allowed space to shape and cultivate the characters they play (including the romance of the show).

You can't just cast two conventionally attractive people and expect their attractiveness to do the rest. You know my thoughts on Anyone But You. But similarly, think about the way that people were thirsting over Zoë Kravitz and Robert Pattinson bc of all the press and photo shoots they did for The Batman. But then also think of the accusations of whorebaiting, that followed. They simply, in my opinion, did not have chemistry. Even if the Bat and the Cat are one of the funnest dynamics in them comics.

So now that we have discussed actors, and audiences. We gots to discuss actual story telling. Writing is a skill. I know on the tumblr dot com, we have discussed that writing good sex scenes is a skill. Writing good romance is the same... I don't want to labour on about this, bc I feel like you must already know that. But some things to consider is the way in which the focus on tropes instead of storytelling is a detriment to the genre. The fanfictionization of romance. The way in which abuse is touted as romance. The way that studios (coughcough Netflix) are churning out these stories (some of which are def US military propaganda). The lean towards making these movies, more and more explicit. The way that some studios/book publishers are trying to profit off already successful stories without realising what made it successful (e.g. - the amount of fake dating stories in the wake of To All the Boys, or the remakes of older movies).

So what made the movies of old so special. What made romcoms from the late 90's early 2000's, the movies by Nora Ephron and Garry Marshall oh so special. The bleak answer is nostalgia. But you could also discuss the type of narratives that were told during the time. The type of backgrounds these actors and storytellers had before they took these roles. The socio-political enviroment that cultivated these stories. The amount of money and time the studios were willing to invest in these movies. The lack of AI technology... All of the cheating scandals that arose on the sets. The existence of the Film Stars™ vs. just actors.

The fact that streaming has changed the way that movies/tv are made, and the way people consume them. Which could potentially lesson the impact on audiences, as there is less need to go to theatres. To wait for the movies to be released on DVD/VCD/VHS. Lessen the need to re-watch the movies obsessively, bc it was one of three movies you owned on DVD/VCD/VHS, and thus a lack of cementing it in your brain as THE RomCom. Yes, this is just an excuse to yell: BRING BACK PHYSICAL MEDIA, YOU COWARDS!

But one thing that I haven't seen discussed as much is the existence of the Hays Code.

A couple years ago, I watched this lecture and read this book by this academic that focused on RomComs. (I forgot the academic, but I can find it later, if you want. Can you tell I studied English and Film in school?). Regardless, the academic argued that during the 90's filmmakers had to grapple with the remnants of the Hays Code. The code was a "self-imposed industry set of guidelines for all the motion pictures that were released between 1934 and 1968." The Code prohibited things like "profanity, suggestive nudity, graphic or realistic violence, sexual persuasions and rape."

So, while RomComs, like Pretty Woman, were in production, more then 20 years after the Hays Code, this academic argued that filmmakers were grappling with what this freedom meant. That while Pretty Woman was definitely a movie that could have never been made during the time of the Code, the affect of the Code meant that these narratives were adhering to the Code, whether intentional or not.

I think one of the things to consider about the Code was the way that filmmakers had to figure out ways to work around the restrictions in order to tell the stories they wanted. So, for example the Noir is a genre came about during the height of the Code and a time where film-makers didn't have access to that much money. So, the filmmakers had to be creative to get the shots they wanted, which is how we got the highly stylized way of filming that is so iconic to the genre. Not out of excess but out of need. Additionally, the iconic archetypes of the Noir Detective and the Femme Fatale are directly due to the Hayes Code and the period that villanized certain types of woman, and esteemed certain types of men.

Yet, there is an entire study on the homosexual subtext, which was written into these films. For example in The Maltese Falcon, the main character, Sam Spade, refers to another character as a "gunsel". The the censors wrongly assumed this was a reference to a gunman, however, it is vulgar way to refer to someone who is gay. This is the same movie that features a different character, Joel Cairo, who is suggested to be gay (which is one of the reasons the film could not be legally shown on US television stations). Being a filmmaker meant learning how to navigate around the code. Being a filmmaker meant taking a risk, bc you may end up on wrong side of it.

If you want more information on queer films of the time, I believe that Merry or Deah would be able to help you seeing they have an entire podcast on gay movies/shows/games. Check out the @gayvclubpodcast.

So, going back to the RomComs of the 90's. You are talking about an entire industry of filmmakers, who were making movies after the wake of an extreme censorship, and on some level they must known or have heard stories about navigating that terrain. They must have also, on some level, understood what it meant to cultivate stories where characters want each other, like each other, yearn for each other. Because during the Code you couldn't just point a camera at them and say "See they are fucking each other, they did fuck each other, they will continue to do so. Clearly this is a romance". More work needed to be done and laid out in order to cultivate the romances that we now love.

I would argue, if you want to buy this argument, that this is the same reason that K-Dramas/Movies are SO popular. Because it was not that long ago, that Korea was more strict about the way in which physical intimacy was filmed. Think about the era, where actors would stand next to each other, lips touching, and the camera would spin in a dizzying way around them. Now, obviously, kisses aren't filmed in that way, and some movies feature open mouth kisses. Scandalous, I know. But I would argue this is one of the reasons that K-Dramas are so famous, because of the knowledge on how to draw out emotions from the audience that does not rely on physical/sexual intimacy.

So, I suppose the conversation of "ships nowadays are always lacking chemistry " comes down to a skill issue. Skill on the filmmakers parts for not being able to cultivate good stories. Skill on the Actors part, for not being able to do what is required of the role. Skill of the studios parts, for not realising the long term impact of physical media and what sells. And skill on the audiences part, for not seeing the world in one way, and not caring to do the research to find the stories you are looking for.

[otterandterrier]

Review: The Princess and the Scoundrel

Soooo we got a Han/Leia wedding-honeymoon novel! I spent half of 2022 losing my mind over every little thing that was revealed about it ever since it was announced -aptly- on Valentine’s Day. You may be wondering, Dessi, why? Why, if you hate what the sequels did to them? Why, if even the books you’ve enjoyed have bittersweet moments that remind you of those horrible decisions? Why, if you don’t really take Disney canon as your canon? Why, if you can write and read happily-ever-after fics for free whenever you want? Why, if the only reason this book exists is as a marketing strategy for their luxury starcruise hotel??

I know, I know. But it’s a new Han/Leia novel! About their wedding! And honeymoon! When until now the only official wedding Han and Leia got was The Courtship of Princess Leia, one of the most OOC, least romantic Han/Leia books to exist, where their wedding is like a single paragraph long, and it’s somehow Mormon propaganda. Plus it was clear from interviews that the author loves them, and I knew it was going to be impossible for me to hate this book. So... didn’t I?

If you’re wondering whether you should read the book or not, this will be a spoiler-free review (I added a “read more” cut because it’s long!). I might make another post with spoilery comments on my favourite and least favourite parts.

Your comments and questions are very welcome... but please just make your own post if you only have negative things to say. Let’s go!

“The Princess and the Scoundrel” is an adult novel written by Beth Revis (author of “Rebel Rising”). You can read the summary here.

Spoiler-free review:

While this wasn’t the book of my dreams (and maybe that’s a tall order), overall, I really enjoyed this as a Han/Leia book. But I went in knowing more or less what to expect: it’s not fanfiction (it can never be), it’s a Classic Star Wars Adventure (with extra romance), it’s set on the Disney canon timeline, and it exists to integrate the Halcyon RPG hotel into the GFFA. If you don’t accept any of those premises, you’re not likely to enjoy it.

I actually think TPATS is more or less on the same level as Tatooine Ghost: neither of them are perfect books, both of them are set on shitty timelines, both of them have things I disagree with, both of them see Han and Leia on an adventure while they work on relationship stuff - but in terms of published Han/Leia books, they’re both exceptional and have so much good stuff to love. The problem lies in the context: TPATS has the heavy burden of being part of Disney canon, which many people just might not be able to overlook. No, it doesn’t “ruin” Han and Leia; it doesn’t foreshadow TFA (although, if you go in thinking that it does, then some parts will feel as if it does!), and that makes it perfect to work as a standalone book (there are no mentions of the child who shall not be named, yay!)

I think that Revis got Han and Leia in a way many other official writers haven’t. Her Han and Leia were up there with Claudia Gray’s and Troy Denning’s. Their voices felt right, there was enough banter that was actually banter and not two people snapping at each other (for the most part), there were plenty of cute and mushy moments (+ kissing + fade-to-black), and there was a ton of exploration both of their relationship and of them as individuals. She delved into Han’s PTSD in a way that hasn’t been done before in any published books, to my knowledge. She also explored Leia’s PTSD about Alderaan, and her feelings about Vader and the Force. In both cases, she showed Han and Leia acknowledging the other’s trauma and taking care of each other. Save some exceptions, Han came off as really emotionally mature, which is refreshing compared to books like the Aftermath trilogy. There was also a lot of great Badass Power Couple moments.

IMHO, it had two major flaws: first, the author was constricted to work with the given timeline of Han and Leia getting married about four-five days after the battle and going on a sponsored honeymoon right away (because Shattered Empire happens about 20 days later). This really affected the story because there was too much Han and Leia had to process during such a short period of time even without marriage on their plate, and this book has quite a lot of introspection, but it’s one book and it has to appeal to a general audience - so it’s not enough. This impacted some of the characterization.

The second major flaw for me was that the author took the movies at face value, basically ignoring the growth that must have happened in the three years between ANH and ESB as well as the trip to Bespin, focusing instead on the period between ESB and RotJ. I get that she didn’t want to take things for granted that she wasn’t going to show readers, and I get not wanting to add flashbacks. If you think of a GA, they see a couple who might have gotten married too soon, and have things to work out, which they do. From a narrative perspective, it’s not bad to have that relationship growth happen on the page thinking of an audience who hasn’t been reading trip to Bespin fic! But I felt like some things were used to emphasize certain themes at the cost of sacrificing previous character and relationship development that was shown or implied in the movies - for example, Han and Leia getting married right away would have made much more sense if we’d gotten a mention of how close they’d become between ANH and ESB and on the trip to Bespin, but we didn’t.

The book can be divided into three parts/settings: Endor, the Halcyon, and Madurs. The first part deals with the immediate aftermath of RotJ, the proposal and lead-up to the wedding, and the wedding. This was a lovely start. The wedding was dreamy, honestly; there were some nice moments between Leia and Luke and Han and Luke, plus Lando and Chewie; there was some Ewok shenanigans; we have more amazing Mon Mothma interacting with Leia and Han; and we have some emotional bits about Bail and Breha that made me cry.

Then we get to the Halcyon. In this part, we get detailed descriptions of it as it is irl. I don’t think this was done to pitch it to the readers; I think it’s more that the author cared about making it feel real. I didn’t mind the descriptions, and I expected it. But some parts felt too salesy to me; there were some bits that were like “the Halcyon is so great and there is so much stuff to do in it and it’s so great!”. Additionally, this middle felt too slow; I felt like some of the first chapters of this section could have been sped up. It was marred by the lack of Han and Leia actually spending time together. This section sets up some conflict between Han and Leia, as Leia is reluctant to stop working and go on a vacation when there’s so much to do (and I get that! that’s why the premise of going on a honeymoon is silly!).

I didn’t mind Leia being pictured as a bit of a workaholic here per se even if her arc in the OT was that she grew from that, because the movies are supposed to solve things symbolically. Books (and fic) are meant to delve deeper and look at them realistically (up to a point), so it’s okay for me if the characters keep struggling with something they supposedly learned in the OT. And it was later revealed that she had a good reason for her wanting to accomplish as much as she could. The problem for me is that it wasn’t acknowledged at all that some growth had already happened. Maybe if Leia had thought at some point about how the trip to Bespin and then losing Han had made her realize that it was okay for her needs and her loved ones to come first sometimes, so she was trying to remember that but it was a struggle because she had been raised with the idea of self-sacrifice, or maybe if her underlying reason would have been hinted at sooner, it would have worked better.

That said, I thought that the conflict was nicely done. The author kept stressing the fact that neither of them wanted the other person to change, that they would figure it out and make it work, that they chose each other. There is a fight, but I liked how it was resolved - especially on Han’s end. Still, I was glad when we moved on to the third section, the ice moon of Madurs.

Here’s where the action picks up. I generally enjoyed this part of the adventure. It was fun to me and I liked that it has an environmentalist message, that it ties into Leia’s trauma of losing Alderaan, and that it ends with hope. I appreciated the that the blaster fights and space fights were minimal and it was a different type of action scenes than we’re used to in Star Wars books. Even with all the mission stuff, we see more of Han and Leia being honeymooners there than on the Halcyon, and it’s amazing. I also enjoyed seeing the consequences of the fall of the Empire. The resolution was fine, but there’s a Big Bad that I didn’t much care for. To readers not familiar with other content, this character came out of nowhere, very little context was given about them and their motivations, and it didn’t feel impactful - it just fell flat.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding. The descriptions of things and places were really vivid and creative, especially the wedding on Endor and Madurs, which was made up by Revis.

The book has a lot of references to other Star Wars books and comics from Disney canon, as well as some nods to the EU (a dig at COPL!). I enjoyed most of them. With one important exception (the Big Bad), I think that if you’re familiar with that material, it just brings things together, and if you’re not, you can just assume Revis just made up some Star Wars stuff.

To me, TPATS is both enjoyable as a standalone book if you choose to ignore the sequels, and as a balm to the hurt of TFA, as it shows what we (as in, those of us who are superior) have always known: that Han and Leia were only briefly separated due to grief, not because they were incompatible, and that they never stopped loving each other. Is it perfect? No. But I’m genuinely happy that it’s part of that canon.

[brightestorangedawn]

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* About Me ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Hi, I'm Beth! I'm in my 20s and I live in Australia (so imagine everything I say with an Australian accent). I'm incredibly, incredibly shy, so if we're mutuals chances are I do really want to talk to you, but I'll almost never make the first move.

I wouldn't say this is primarily a Star Wars blog but it does take up a big chunk of my attention on here ngl. I'm primarily interested in prequels stuff, and primarily in Anakin/Padmé, but I do also really love the OT too, although I don't really write about it.

Other stuff about me is I really love art (although making it is absolutely not my skillset), I love books (especially narrative non-fiction), and I really love to analyse and pick things apart (in a good way).

I'm not really into any other fandoms in the way I'm into Star Wars, but I am a very big NGE enjoyer (if you couldn't tell from the pfp), a big Dune enjoyer and honestly just a very big 80s sci-fi in general enjoyer.

I'm not sure what else to write here to make this interesting so I'll just tell you some random things about me like the fact that I'm scared of carpark elevators and I really love mustard and my favourite book in the whole world is The Shining and my favourite painting is Circe Invidiosa by John William Waterhouse.

I'll put my masterlist of fics below (and then watch as I forget to ever update them). I really like writing character study stuff, or about love and obsession, grief, loss, mourning, being doomed to the narrative, the burden of power - I don't tend to ever write very happy endings (sorry). 99.99% of the stuff I write is either about Anakin or directly from his perspective because he's my favourite and also the easiest for me to write <3

If you read my stuff on Ao3 a while ago and wondered where it went, well ... all I can say is that it's back.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Masterlist ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

One-Shots

First Time/Last Time

Summary: Cool evening mist on the lake outside, fireplace warmth turning the sitting room golden.

Her veil on the floor, her dress on top of it.

'Do you trust me?' he asked.

'Of course.'

'Do you love me?' he asked.

'Even more so.'

---

The first time Anakin and Padmé sleep together, then the last time.

Pairing: Anakin/Padmé

Rating: E

Tip of the Tongue

Summary: On Naboo, Padmé shares her favourite dessert with Anakin. Vader is haunted by the memory of it.

Pairing: Anakin/Padmé and Vader/Padmé

Rating: T

(personally my favourite thing I've ever written heheh)

What's In a Name?

Summary: Anakin and Padmé try to decide on a name for their unborn child. However, they know that whatever they choose there is one name the baby can never have: Skywalker.

Pairing: Anakin/Padmé

Rating: T

How Will I Let You Slip Through

-

Summary: "Don't grow up too fast, my son.” She murmured it into the gold of his hair.

But as much as she could want it, as much as she could will it, she still couldn’t stop him slipping through her fingers.

Four little interconnected stories about Skywalkers facing big moments of their lives over tea, caf, and (of course) blue milk.

Pairing: Anakin/Padmé, Vader/Padmé , Luke & Owen, Anakin & Shmi

Rating: G

I Dug a Grave For You

Summary: I dug it with my own hands, no help from the Force at all. Nothing to make the task easier, nothing to make the task more bearable. Just the sound of the shovel cutting into the soft sand, moving it aside, throwing it over my shoulder. Over and over again, a rhythm, a song, a hymn, a dirge.

Pairing: Anakin & Obi-Wan

I wanted to feel every second of it, every moment of pain and discomfort. Some sort of penance for what I did to you. Some sort of way to say I’m sorry.

---

In the aftermath of the duel on Mustafar, Obi-Wan escapes to Tatooine to live a life full of shadows and grief.

Rating: T

Multi-Chapter Fics

Cestrum Nocturnum

Summary: Summer on Naboo, the Clone Wars have yet to begin, and Anakin is tasked with protecting Senator Amidala after an attempt is made on her life. It's too bad that every moment with her has him in agony, and every moment apart is even worse—especially after that night in the courtyard ...

Or: Anakin spends a torturous time on Naboo in the company of the person he loves because he doesn't know how to tell her his true feelings.

Pairing: Anakin/Padmé

Rating: E

Chapters: 1/2

The Grove of Silver Leaves

Summary: In 1890, Anakin is an artist, apprenticed to the wealthy Sheev Palpatine. He meets Padmé at a party and she quickly becomes his muse. Of course, Anakin falls desperately in love with her—it’s just too bad she’s married to someone else.

Pairing: Anakin/Padmé

Rating: E

Chapters: 1/?

A Changing Fate

Summary: During the Clone Wars, Padmé nearly dies, and in a moment of impulsivity, the secret of Anakin’s marriage gets revealed to the Jedi Council. Not a lot goes to plan for him after that.

Or: Anakin learns what is really important to him. It’s not always what he thought it would be.

Pairing: Anakin/Padmé

Rating: E

Chapters: 1/15

[frenziedslashers]

🍊🥭🍌‼️

Ahh thank you sm!!

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? (They’re so interesting! But maybe you have trouble pinning them down, or keep getting distracted by another blorbo…)

I have a lot... I would say Vaughn from Borderlands, I love his character so much but when I was hyper-fixating on the borderlands fandom I was too distracted by Rhys and Timothy. In twd, it's everyone in my "I write for list" other than Negan, Rick, and Daryl LMAO. I REALLY want to write stuff for Beth/reader or Beth/Daryl (Platonic) and maybe some stuff with Aaron, Jesus, Abe, Rosita, Glenn, Maggie, Connie, Kelly, or some of the other amazing characters on the show! But alas, the cavemen-hobo-ass-looking DILFs have me in a chokehold 😔🫶

answered 🥭 here

🍌 In your opinion, what’s the funniest joke/reference/pun you’ve made in a fic?

Gonna be real, I cannot even remember 😭 any dick joke I make in fics makes me giggle like a fucking high schooler. I have no idea why, they just do. Also uh, idk honestly LMAO I know I've made a few, but they aren't funny to others, but funny to me? I put like Star Wars references, or in my HOW stuff I would incorrectly write how a car broke down (ie. something broke that would prevent the car from moving irl, but in the fic, it could still drive) stupid shit like that, and it makes me laugh. I have a very... Interesting sense of humor.

[iamjackstitanicbreath]

Favs of '23: Marvel:

10/10. That's it. That's the rating. Give it a Michelin or five if I could. My standards can't get higher now. I think this might be the best I've ever read. Winter Soldier origin story. No ships like Stucky or anything. Very dark, very cold, very very real. It's really a talent to be able to write a whole story in five chapters.

"Between the fall and the monsters, the Winter Soldier is in orbit. This is what happens in the Red Room. These are the people who make him what and who he becomes.

Inspired by comics canon, in particular Ed Brubaker's Captain America issue 11, which included pages from the Winter Soldier file, and far too many Cold War books. Because HYDRA in the movie uses the Winter Soldier as a blunt instrument, and blunt instruments do not become legends."

This could also be a 10/10 on its own but I put it in the same list as the first one so I have to lower it by a notch or two. It's like putting Joaquin Phoenix and Brad Pitt in the same room and labelling it 'Greatest Actors'. They're great, but on different levels. Anyway, this one's got amazing dialogue. Very in character. It's entertaining, but it's also a tragic comedy one-shot. It's fun and has a nice ending. For you Irondad and Spiderson lovers ig. But it's good. Well written. Superficially hilarious, but the actual message is kinda depressing but deep. Sums up Peter's college life pretty well if Tony were in the picture. It's the Goldilocks ratio of Raimi's Spider-Man, TASM, and MCU Spidey.

9/10. I read it a while ago, so I don't have much to say, but the writing is just beautiful. TW: relationship abuse. Skip Westcott.

But it's amazingly written and it's seen through the eyes of Steve. Like author's a genius with words. Check out their Batman stuff too 'cause it's just so so good. Good stuff. Like lick your fingers after eating kind of good.

Anyways, moving on.

Star Wars

9/10. Pretty sure everyone's read this one by now but same author, Beth Winter, so I had to give an honourable mention. I remember thoroughly enjoying this one and wishing we got to see more engineer Darth Vader and corporate environment in the Galactic Empire with Vader at the head 'cause I mostly only these kinds of stories in the comics and even then, not enough. I mean, for chrissake, it's a fundamental aspect of his character. I've seen some other ones with like Vader finding Luke through some sort of design submission or email and Luke's an aspiring Engineer from Tatooine but I'd give them like a 4/10. I have a very picky and very particular standard for writing though, and Beth Winter just writes very well. Same for the Gruoch fellow. I know I liked this one the most of all the Star Wars fics, but nothing hits the same as a Marvel Cold War fic so that's remaining at the top.

7/10. Started off so so so so good. Would've given a 10/10 if not for the ending. It's a series. Read both parts. Very very good. It's very beautifully written and it takes a very unique inspiration from the book A Secret Garden. It was a really clever combination and What If? so I love it. But I'm not the biggest fan of that abrupt ending. Anyways, SPOILERS AHEAD:

I feel like giving a character the possibility of redemption throughout and showing the more humane side and still at the very end judging them as too evil to live? Idk, I mean, it feels sudden. Like you feel me? The story was continuously leading to the possibility of a happy ending or at least something along the lines of a compromise. And then suddenly author basically said "actually Vader's an unredeemable piece of shit, so let's just kill him off. I know I made it seem like he had a good side and that there was a future where he could be a very good parent, but I changed my mind." Anyways, it's fanfiction. Can't be too critical. Nobody's getting paid to write this stuff so I'm not going to bash it too much for inconsistency, but it did feel like the story was desperately trying to show at first that the situation isn't so black and white, but then resorted to viewing it through a black and white lens at the end. Went from no such thing as "absolutes" to well, absolutes.

Ok, I'm done rambling. You get the picture. Next!

Harry Potter

Heed the warnings. 8/10. The writing's very good and the plot hooks you in immediately. But heed the warnings. Not for the faint of heart ig. Also covers sensitive topics. I'm kinda iffy about putting this on the same list as a Beth WInter fic but maybe I'm being overdramatic. It's not artsy is what I mean to say. Author didn't intend for it so come across as a poem. But the writing's still very very good and the plot is even better. UNFINISHED. I'm angrily waiting for an update. Like stalk author's tumblr waiting. Maybe that's why I'm being so petty with the rating and review.

Code Geass

Anything by this author:

Favorites are The Fool Ascendant and The House of Usher. 10/10, both. Haven't read all of them, but also, writing style is very artsy. Character and dynamic studies mostly, and snippets of things we didn't see in canon.

[janetsvandyne]

hey friends guess who wrote accidental soft-dub-con-feels? i did. So, i suppose the best way to explain this is... modern AU, dub-con sex worker!Rey, club owner!Hux, shitty customer!Tarkin, and then a lot of soft taking care of u feels. okay bye guys tw: dub-con, emotional abuse (of a sort), violence again sex workers, sexual abuse, blood, beatings

One eye is swollen and her neck throbs, a string of vicious, swollen bite marks highlighted by the angry red handprints. Her breath comes in small gasps, lungs still trying to process the sudden allowance of air, and as her vision begins to right itself, she sees the client being dragged from the room. Her sight swims again and she hears a broken whimper from somewhere around her. It doesn’t occur to her that the broken whimper is her own abused throats attempt at speaking. She sways despite her position, half propped up on the floor. Her abused body aches something fierce, worse than it ever has before, but perhaps that’s a good thing— he always seems to be proudest of her when she lets the others do as they please. But he’s usually here by now, and she longs for his touch, his aristocratic cadence as he tells her she’s “good, so good, such a good girl for me, Rey." Another broken sound fills her ears as her arm gives out beneath her. The world still swims as her face throbs and the scent of blood fills her nostrils. The pounding in her head seems worse now, as she lays alone on the floor, no one there to fuck her or press kisses against her mouth or leave new raspberry bruises on her breasts. She doesn’t understand, she’s never left alone in this room for long. Her vision begins to darken, exhaustion creeping over her body, and in her last lucid seconds, she hears the door open and feels warmth draped over her naked flesh. A moment later, she is being lifted into the safe cocoon of someones arms, and she knows little else.

“Hush, pet.”

The whimpering must be her. Rey bites her lip, trying to stem it, but another sharp burst of pain knifes through her, and she lets out a sob. She can’t see, eyes swollen shut now, so she must’ve been asleep for a long time, and the loss of her most valuable sense terrifies her. Her hands shoot out, desperate for some sort of understanding of where she is, and a familiar hand catches hers.

Hux

“Hush, little one. We need to set your ribs. I know it hurts.”

Something pricks her upper arm and she lets out a small, pathetic sob.

“M’sorr…” Her lips feel funny and too heavy as she tries to speak. “M….m’sorry, Mr. Hux,” she gets out. “M’gon…gonna b-be… be buh-buh-better... ne-next time…”

Her dizziness must be confusing her, because she swears she feels his hand on hers tighten, and a sharp intake of breath. She would swear on her life, swears it now, that his voice is tight and thick when he responds, “You <i>are</i> good, Rey. Such a good girl. I’m… You are so good, pet. It’s alright. Rest now.”

She succumbs to the lethargy in her veins moments later.

His fists are caked with blood and his knuckles are raw when he leaves the cells beneath the club. Ren will deal with the remainder of the overly-forward customer, and an example will be made. There are rules at Club Starkiller, of course— no knives, no bruises above the neck, no broken bones, no beating the girls within an inch of their lives, for Maker’s sake!— but there are special rules for a few of the girls, girls who can take a bit more.

But this particular patron went too far, and with the wrong girl, indeed. Hux feels a fresh wave of rage crash through his veins, and it is only Mitaka’s reminder that, “Sir, she’s awake, she’s terrified,” that keeps him from turning around to deliver another bout of punishment to the pathetic man in the cell.

Her screams had been loud enough that they had echoed through the halls, somehow breaking through the soundproofing in the play rooms. Loud enough that he had heard her in his office, more than two hundred feet down the hall. He had been up in a moment— he knew those screams intimately, but they had never sounded like that.

Now, as he walked towards his own rooms, he knew why. He was surprised, truly, that she had had it in her to scream at all. She was so set on being good for him now, she took anything given to her if only to have him reward her afterwards. But the hysterics in her voice before she had collapsed, the state of her face, her body…

His forefinger and thumb rubbed a blood crusted hoop in his pocket, a slight shiver running up his spine as he considered how much pain it must have caused her to have this particular ring ripped forcibly from her breast. It was, after all, a gift from him, and he knew she treasured it.

“Run a bath for her, Mitaka. In my bathroom. Have some food sent from the kitchen, and then ensure that Mr. Ren has taken care of Senator Tarkin. Perhaps suggest that sending some fingers to the Hutt family and the Fetts would be appropriate in this instance… And then, you have the run of the club this evening.”

His assistant blinked at him, eyes wide and surprised, but within moments, the young man was on his way to carry out Hux’s whims. There was, after all, a reason he had survived longer than any other assistant.

The door in front of him opened seemingly of its own accord and he walked into the space he occupied when club work kept him away from the penthouse across town. Brittle breathing echoed from the bedroom, and so he made his way there, feet barely making a sound as he entered the familiar, dark room. She looked so broken on his bed, and he frowned, fighting down the urge to immediately draw her into his arms. He knew, knew, he was getting too attached but Rey… Rey was his.

“Oh, pet…”

Her face was a mess, eyes less swollen now, but cheeks a mess of black, and blue, and purple. The worst of her cuts had been dressed and cleaned, but her hair was matted with lube and blood and cum. She was wrapped in his coat, had apparently refused to let it go after he had draped it over her in the play room. He couldn’t help himself— his feet took him to her, and he climbed into the bed beside her, gently pulling her into his lap.

She let out a mournful whimper, immediately nuzzling into his neck as she knew she was supposed to when he did this, but he hushed her, pulling her back slightly.

“You’ll hurt yourself, pet, hush. I’ve got you.”

His hand stroked along her back, changing direction each time she hissed and whined.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, and his hand froze. “I did what… I did what he said, Mr. Hux, I swear. I… Armie, I swear I was good…” Her voice hitched, unable to stop herself from appealing to him. “I swear… please…”

“Oh, precious girl…” Hux brushed a kiss over her temple and he felt her freeze. She had become so dependent on his affirmation, and he almost regretted it now. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Rey, hush now. It’s been taken care of.”

She felt tiny in his arms, despite her height, and as she shook, he cradled her more closely against his chest. “P-please… Please don’t send me back to him, Armie,” she whimpered, tears burning her healing eyes. “I… Please, Armie. Anyone else, but… not… not him, please.”

Hux stiffened beneath her, and from the frightened hitch in her breathing, he knew she thought he was angry. She felt her begin to curl in on herself, preparing herself for a beating he would never mete out against her— the instinct of too many years in the care of much lesser men. “You won’t be going back to any of them, pet.”

And where had that come from? His mouth moved without consulting his brain. “I won’t have it. You are mine, little one. I won’t have anyone treating you this way. You belong to me.” His voice was petulant, a child who had nearly had his favorite toy taken away forever. She softened in his arms, aching limbs relaxing as she realized no fists would rain down upon her.

“… Any of them?”

“None but me will touch you from now on, Rey. Clearly I cannot trust anyone else to take appropriate care of you.”

Her fingers brushed across his cheek and tears rolled down her face, stinging the open cuts. She ignored it, hiccuping slightly as she dared to lean up and press a kiss to his cheek. They both ignored the warm smile that grew on his lips. “I… I thought you had… he said you had given him permission to… to…” Her voice hitched again, memories of the man kicking out at her face swimming to the forefront of her memory. “To k-kill me… that I was… too much t-trouble.” Emotion swam through her words, tears running faster down her bloody cheeks.

Hux hissed angrily, and shifted. Rey yelped as he lifted them both off of the bed in a move that seemed almost superhuman. His anger was thick in the air around them, but as moved them swiftly towards the bathroom, it became evident that it was not directed towards her. She knew his anger, his moods, and never had he been so silent around her. When she displeased him, he spelled it out for her.

Now, he was silent, like an oncoming storm. His fingers tightened as he backed into the bathroom door, left ajar by an astute Mitaka, to open it. Roses and epsom filled the air, tendrils of steam carrying them through the bathroom from the overly-large tub. Hux settled Rey on the ottoman, setting himself to work delicately pulling her hair into a loose bun atop her head, removing the jacket she clung too so tightly. “Rey,” he held out a hand to her before lifting her again, noting the way her legs shook.

As he set her into the hot water, she whimpered, staring at him with tear stained cheeks. “Hush, pet. I’m going to get you clean, then we can talk, alright?” A nod punctuated her sniffles, wide eyes still fixed on him. He rolled his sleeves to his elbows, and pressed another kiss to her forehead before soaking a small face towel in the hot bath water. “This will sting, but I know you can be good for me, precious girl.” His voice lacked its usual strength, the usual power, and he knew he sounded a step away from broken, but he saw as she let the phrase take hold on her.

He had trained her well.

She kept mostly silent as he gently wiped away the crusted blood from her forehead, her bruised cheeks, and her nose. When he tended to her torn nipple and abused breasts, she sobbed quietly, but didn’t move, allowing him to rub away the cum that had mixed into the wounds. He was delicate with her throat and shoulders, though every bite made him furious. No, no one else would ever touch his girl again.

“Can you stand for me, precious girl? I need to clean your legs.”

It took time, and ultimately Hux retrieved a chair from his office, placing it in the tub so that she could more easily sit and prop her feet on the edge of the bath, allowing him access to her. She hissed and shut her eyes as he ran the cloth across the welts and bruises that the hot water brought out, though her surprise as he kissed each one was acknowledged by her little disbelieving whimpers and breathy sighs. He had been gentle with her before, but never like <i>this</i>.

“No one will ever hurt you again, Rey. I swear it.”

He kissed the bruises, the cuts, the lashes, up to the apex of her thighs. Her eyes filled with mournful anticipation, and she shuffled to allow him unimpeded access to her cunt. He didn’t let her see his frown, instead cleaning the cloth and soaking it again in the rose and epsom water. Of course she believed he would take her now— when had he ever given her reason to believe he wanted more from her than just her holes? He had told her that was all she was worth many a time.

“No, pet. Not tonight. Let me take care of you.”

He ran the cloth across her thighs, cleaning up the remnants of sticky blood and cum and lube, frowning as fresh blood seemed to bloom on the seat beneath her each time she shifted. “Did he fuck you dry, Rey? Tell me, now.” She nodded, a small sob breaking from her chest.

“He… he said that… that no one cared about whore blood anyway… and it felt… felt… felt better than… lube.”

Her voice cracked as Hux ran the cloth between her cheeks, pausing to examine the damage. It was mostly superficial, and he thanked the Maker he had been doing daily training with her, and that Senator Tarkin was… smaller than one would expect. The damage, he knew, could have been significantly worse. Worse still, though, that he knew she had let it happen in the hopes of his praise later on.

“You’re doing so well for me, pet. So well. Such a good girl. This will never happen again, I promise, sweet girl.”

With his permission, she slipped back into the still-warm water, allowed him to tilt her head back and rub shampoo and then conditioner into her matted locks. A moan echoed in her chest as hot water rinsed her scalp and his fingers rubbed across her scalp, ensuring he had caught all the traces of blood and conditioner.

“Come then, pet. Up you get.” He stood and opened a towel, watching her like a hawk as she stepped from the tub on shaky legs. As soon as she had herself wrapped in the fluffy warmth of the towel, he scooped her up into his arms again, ignoring the way her hair dripped onto his shirt.

The woman in his arms didn’t protest, too sleepy, too in pain, too overwhelmed, too well trained, to do so. Instead, she nestled closer into his chest, breathing in his scent. “Would…”

Hux shook his head. “I would never have given Senator Tarkin permission to hurt you like this, pet, you know that. I know you know that. What he has done to you… oh, my precious girl.” His voice cracked and he sat down on the bed, holding her tightly to his chest as tears began to form in his eyes. They dripped from his nose onto her pink-tinged skin. “My precious girl, I’m so sorry.”

They sat like that for a long time, Hux crying gently into her hair as he rocked her back and forth, murmuring apologies into her scalp.

“You’ll be alright, pet. I’ll take care of you.”

He dried her hair, rubbed antiseptic into her wounds, bandaged up her breast and hip and legs. Every touch was tender, gentle, and Rey herself felt tears slipping down her cheeks as she realized she couldn’t remember the last time anyone had taken such care with her.

“Sleep now, precious girl. You need your rest. I’ll keep you safe.”

Sleep came to her as he stroked her hair, nestled against his chest, feeling safer than she had for many, many years.

[katyobsesses]

Katy my darling <3 I have a very fun ask for you!! What method of arts do each glee characters prefer and what is their favorite thing to create?

oooooo this is a fun ask!

I'm gonna do S2 New Directions for now, but may add S3-6 ND or other characters later 💛 (warning... this is LONG)

Artie: Film. 100% film. He loves using visual media to tell a story, he also really gets into the sound design side too when he learns it in College. He loves making music videos and after Uni that's mostly what he does. He also directs a lot of movie musicals and musical TV shows. Basically he loves making visual media for songs.

Blaine: Performing - mostly singing. He also love writing songs, which we never see in the show but I can imagine him learning about songwriting in NYU and loving it as a way to express his feelings. it's like a step up from using someone else's words to express them.

Brittany: Obviously dancing! I like to think that after marrying Santana she either goes to college for Dance, or maybe owns a dance studio/goes on tour with Mercedes a lot (with Santana as a guest singer) She really loves teaching little kids how to dance, she knows how to interact with them on their level and the kids love her.

Finn: Singing? I honestly can't think about what he likes. Like singing is the closest thing. He sings in the shower a lot and obviously he loves singing on stage. But he's not that much of an art person outside of that. He likes consuming it but not making it.

Kurt: Sewing, obviously, as well as sketching clothes. He loves making accessories for friends - scrunchies for the girls, bow ties for Blaine, a dog bandana for Sam's golden retriver (because you know he gets one) etc. - but he also loves designing and making costumes for small productions. Maybe he volunteers/works with a small theatre troop and makes & designs all of the costumes while also performing.

Mercedes: Mercedes likes making cards for everyone for Christmas and Birthdays. It started because she'd forgotten to buy a card for someone but had some card and pretty pens on hand and it spiralled from there. She now owns a fancy die pressing kit and lots of card toppers and pretty glitter pens and washi tape and all of that. She has a small kit she brings on all of her tours, it helps relax her after a show - making cards for the crew as a thank you/maybe selling some for charity because she makes so much? When she finally gets back together with Sam they both work together to make Christmas cards from them with cute pictures of themselves in terrible christmas jumpers and their golden retriver in a Kurt made bandana and later their kids in matching outfits.

Mike: Like Brittany he's a dancer first and formost. That's his art. He later goes on to be a professional on Dancing With The Stars where he reconnects with Matt on set (maybe they even get together in the end and the DWTS fans love their relationship and their jokingly competative instagram stories) He loves creating a story with only movement and music. Mike also really likes doodling.

Puck: Photography. I don't know why but I see Puck loving to take pictures of places he visits in his travels. He also scrapbooks but only Quinn knows that - he has a whole scrapbook of pictures of Beth that Shelby sends them and later makes them for all of his other kids too, and he has, like, travel journals and scrapbooks of roadtrips he's been on. Basically he's a Bullet Journal guy. He really likes washi tape and pretty papers and stickers and what-not. He will never admit this.

Quinn: Quinn's a writer. In my head she goes on to write a book that's losely based on her high-school years and it becomes a best seller and is later adapted into a Netflix series directed by Artie. I just like the idea! Maybe Rachel plays, like, the Miss Pillsbury character... or Terri! Or maybe Shelby? I dunno one of the adult characters.

Rachel: Obviously her art of choice is performing. It's singing and acting and standing on a stage or a set and making the words in her script her own. Also scrapbooking/moodboard making.

Santana: Santana likes knitting. She won't admit it but she likes knitting little plushies for Brittany, her favourite is a little bi flag coloured bunny. She makes knitted plushies and blankets for all of her friends when they have kids but she never tells them she made them - everyone knows though, they're too perfect for the couple/person (a cat in a scarf or a toy poodle in a bow tie for Klaine, a teddy adorned with gold stars for St. Berry etc. etc.)

Sam: This could be an essay for me (and kinda is opps). Sam is the Art nerd of the group and tries every type of art he possibly can. Macaroni art, illustration, digital art, traditional art, crafts, pumpkin carving, glass blowing, handlettering, graphic design, knitting, crochet, rag rugs, sewing, card making, pyrography, etc. He will try everything he can in terms of visual art. He doesn't, however, write because dyslexia, and he can't wrap him mind around, like editing and film stuff - he does try though because why not. He also really likes songwriting and music arranging.

All of this i'm trying to do as close to canon as i can but going off of canon let's say Sam goes to Parsons for illustration because he's so good at art, he stays with Mercedes in her brownstone and they never break up, after graduating he becomes a comic book illustrator (which i believe is literally a minor at Parsons, so let's say he does a Major in Fine Art/Illustration with a Minor in Comic illustration) and illustrates a run of Young Avengers comics and becomes a fan favourite artist.

In canon, however, he loves teaching the new generation of New Directions but he misses art because he doesn't have that much time anymore (because being the teacher of the new directions is a full time job, apparently, judging by the lack of adult friends or hobbies Will has lol) he loves loves loves arranging music, however, and that becomes the type of art he does the most. He does doodle a lot during faculty meeting (also he does a music teaching certification during his first few years of coaching the nNDs) and goes all out with pumpkin carving at Halloween, and loves decorating his apartment and the choir room at Christmas. He loves doing sets for the musical (and has a lot of fun staging it too) and helps out with the decorations for Prom.

Basically Sam loves to be creative in any way he can. He loves making things, whatever they may be.

Tina: Tina writes fanfiction and draws fanart. She's a nerd 100%, she watched Supernatural, she was a SuperWhoLockian, she loves Merlin, she's loves Twilight but more ironically than, say, Mercedes, and prefers books like Morganville Vampires or PC Cast's series that I've forgotten the name of. She loves the Hunger Games and Firefly and Star Trek and Star Wars. She definately has a tumblr. She mostly writes all sorts of fanfiction and is a huge name in the Supernatural fandom. Only Sam and Blaine know about all of this becuase they found one of her Star Wars fanfictions and in an authors note she said something that they recognised - idk she ranted about Santana or Rachel or something.

This was so much fun omg, thank you for the ask Myle 💛

[brooklynislandgirl]

So a Little Update for Y’all. Yesterday was officially the first day of Summer Break, which means from now til the beginning of August, I have all the time to work on my blogs, and finally catch up with folks. If you want a reliable way of getting a hold of me, feel free to ask for my Dis.cord or send me a DM. This applies to mutuals both old and new, let’s be friends! blog stuff: This is where I shamefully hide behind my oversize coffee cup. Drafts: 140 Inbox: 110 I will be doing my best to write somewhere between 5-10 posts a day from these two sources, and then putting them in the queue. I appreciate your patience and love of both myself and Beth, and I promise I am interested in everything I’ve got. I will be trying to alternate between my blogs so that everyone has a chance to talk. Currently I have: BrooklynIslandGirl: Beth Riley // Melakeni Ivers {{SW fandom}} // Rebecca O’Shae {{Deadwood fandom}}, Mael Muire {{American Gods/Ancient Ireland/Sorcerer’s Crusade fandoms}}  and any of Beth’s other incarnations/lifetimes that folks might be interested in. TarnishedHalo: Andrew “No Shame” Riley // Admiral Reliriu “Rel” Ivers {{Star Wars fandom}} // Conchobhar {{American Gods/Ancient Ireland/Sorcerer’s Crusade fandoms}} and any of Riley’s other Incarnations/Lifetimes that folks might be interested in. QuothesQuills: The World’s Snarkiest Corax {{wereraven}} ....You don’t really wanna know. But don’t be surprised, either. Damhsagreine: {{Highly Selective, HC heavy, Canon Divergent HC/Mythology/American Gods/Au based}} Lugh Lámfada. Mad Sweeney. Samildánach. Ildánach. Lonnansclech. Lonnbéimnech. Macnia. Conmac. He has many names, this youngest of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is a god, a warrior, a king, a master craftsman and sometimes a saviour. Other times he’s an ordinary business man, or mobster, or whatever else he feels like being. Just don’t call him a leprechaun.  ~*~

If YOU want me to drop a thread/change one, or start something new, please let me know! I am happy to accommodate anyone and everyone as best I can. If you have questions for me or Beth, they are welcome! If you have an idea or a plot or just wanna try something out, let me know!

[astudyinimagination]

domestic Starlock Sherbeth ficlet

For @3rddoctor — who requested domestic Starlock Sherbeth. ^.^ (For those not in the know: Starlock = Star Wars + Sherlock Holmes, and Sherbeth = Sherlock Holmes/Beth Lestrade.)

This was actually quite difficult because while I’ve been writing Children of Time!Sherbeth (Doctor Who/Sherlock Holmes) for five years, I haven’t written much Starlock!Sherbeth. Sherlock and Beth—especially Sherlock—are both quite different in Starlock. So... here’s my first serious attempt at the two of them grown-up and married.

Beth L’Straid perched on her husband’s kitchen counter and picked up her mug of caf, letting the warmth seep into her cold hands for a deliciously long moment. She had two glorious days of furlough before she and the 221st had to ship out to Jedha to relieve the 337th, and she was spending as much of that furlough as she could with Sherlock at his flat.

“Where’s Njohn?” she asked after a long sip of caf.

“Ah, out,” said Sherlock, who was throwing ingredients into a pot on the stove and looking for all the world like one of those Holonet chefs, sans the apron. His hair was tousled, his sleeves were rolled up, and his eyes were focused on his task. Sherlock Holmes cooking in his kitchen, as it turned out, was actually a pretty attractive sight. Beth wasn’t sure whether it was the intent expression or the busy slender hands, or some combination of factors; she was content just to enjoy it.

“Out?” she echoed after a few seconds, chagrined that she had zoned out while admiring her husband.

He looked up with a raised eyebrow. “Mm-hmm. Out. Or in, depending on how you look at it.”

She was pretty sure he’d picked up his tendency to toy with people in conversation—however gently—from the chancellor. It was something she’d noticed that both men did. “Sherlock, I’ve been awake for thirty hours; don’t make me try to figure this out.”

His playful look melted into one of apology. “I’m sorry, love. Njohn is spending some time with a certain senator.”

“Oooo.” She leaned in towards him. “Okay, dish.”

Sherlock grinned wryly. “Well, you didn’t hear from me, but the good doctor has been spending quite a bit of time at 500 Republica lately.”

“And what’s his excuse?”

“Oh, sharing more details of the Ascendancy, you know the line. But he stays out very late. And one night last week, he didn’t come home.”

Beth’s eyes widened. “Wooow. Dammit, I’ve been away too much. Does it seem like they’re getting serious?”

“Njohn refuses to talk about it. But he shows all the signs of being moonstruck: tendency to daydream…”

“Irritable when called on it…”

“Humming while he works.”

Beth giggled. “What about Mairé?”

“Well, for obvious reasons, I don’t see her half as often as I see Njohn, but she seems to be… brighter… than usual. Happier.”

Beth hummed as she took another sip of caf. “Good,” she murmured. “She deserves it.”

“Yes, they both do, but, Beth, I swear neither of them are actually willing to admit their feelings to themselves. They certainly won’t speak of it to anyone else.”

Beth sighed. “Sounds an awful lot like somebody else I could name.”

Sherlock blushed as he began to season his soup. “Yes, well…”

Her eyes widened. “Hey, go easy on the spices.”

He made a clucking noise of exasperation. “You’re a Corellian, for stars’ sakes. Corellians love spicy food.”

“It’s not genetic, Sherlock!”

He chuckled and leaned over to kiss her. “Well, it should be.”

“It went into my personality,” she grinned. “Spiciness, I mean.”

He nodded as she kissed him back. “Well,” he murmured against her lips, “I can’t argue with that.”

[gffa]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark, coming August 25, promises to be a beautiful tribute to the just-completed animated series. The anthology will collect 11 stories by 11 authors — Lou Anders, Preeti Chhibber, Zoraida Córdova, Jason Fry, Rebecca Roanhorse, Greg Van Eekhout, Tom Angleberger, E. Anne Convery, Sarah Beth Durst, Yoon Ha Lee, and Anne Ursu — including 10 retellings of memorable episodes and arcs and one original Nightsisters-based story.  So if you loved the tales of Ahsoka, Maul, and clanker-busting clones, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark will give you the chance to experience them again in a whole new way. Like Captain Rex on a recon mission, StarWars.com reached out to each author to learn why they love The Clone Wars, and which stories they’re telling. Lou Anders (“Dooku Captured” and “The Gungan General,” based on the episodes of the same name): I love The Clone Wars for expanding the story of Anakin’s fall from grace. Skywalker really shines in the series, and we see what he truly was, and what he could have been, and by giving him so many opportunities to excel in the early season, his ultimate fate is that much more tragic. I also love the series for gifting us my all-time favorite Star Wars character, and one of my favorite characters from any universe — Hondo Ohnaka!      My chapter is a retelling of the first season story arc that plays out across the episodes “Dooku Captured” and “The Gungan General.” I wanted to explore this storyline because I find Count Dooku a fascinating character. Sometimes pure, mustache-twirling, mwa-ha-ha evil can actually be boring to write, but a villain who feels they are justified, either because of perceived slights or intellectual superiority or the failure of their rivals or birthright are much more interesting, and Dooku is a bit of all of this. For research, I obviously watched tons of Clone Wars. But I also read up on everything about Dooku I could find, and I listened to Christopher Lee and Corey Burton’s interpretation of the character over and over, trying to internalize their speech patterns. Dooku is so gorgeously supercilious. It was just a blast to get in his head and see the world from his perspective. (And the fact that the storyline gave me another chance to write for my beloved Hondo Ohnaka was an added bonus!) Tom Angleberger (“Bane’s Story,” based on the episodes “Deception,” “Friends and Enemies,” “The Box,” and “Crisis on Naboo”): There’s a lot to love in The Clone Wars, but I think it’s Ahsoka’s arc that really stands out the most. Ventress’s arc does, too, and the way that these arcs cross at the just the right moment is really great Star Wars!      My chapter is based on the “Crisis on Naboo” story arc. It’s basically a Space Western. The baddest bounty hunter of them all, Cad Bane, is hired to kidnap the Chancellor. What he doesn’t know is that almost everyone is lying to him, especially a fellow bounty hunter who is really Obi-Wan in disguise. In the TV version, we see it all from Obi-Wan’s point of view, so we know that Bane is getting played. In this retelling, we see it all from Bane’s point of view and, boy, is he going to be mad! To prepare I watched both The Clone Wars AND old spaghetti Westerns starring Bane’s inspiration: Lee Van Cleef. Preeti Chhibber (“Hostage Crisis,” based on the episode of the same name): I love the story that the prequels tell, but because of the nature of what they were trying to do — tell a decade and a half worth of story in three films — we’re missing major moments in what the war really means to the galaxy at large, and in the Skywalker saga itself. The Clone Wars tells us that part of the narrative, it gives us the shape of what entire populations of people had to go through because of this war manufactured by the ultimate evil. And within that scope gives us the hope and love and beautiful tragedy we associate with Star Wars on a larger scale. (Also, Ahsoka Tano — The Clone Wars gave us Ahsoka Tano and for that I will be ever grateful.)      I’m writing Anakin’s story during “Hostage Crisis” — an episode in the first season of The Clone Wars. I decided to write the story entirely from Anakin’s perspective, which meant being inside his head before the fall, but where we are starting to see more of the warning signs. And then there’s also the romance of this episode! Anakin’s love for Padmé is real and all-consuming and, as we eventually find out, unhealthy. So, this is a romantic episode, but one that shows us Anakin is ruled by his heart. And that that’s a dangerous thing for a Jedi. In order to best wrap my own head around what was going on, I watched the episode itself several times, and read the script, and then I watched the chronological episodes of Anakin’s run-ins with Cad Bane, so I could get a real feel for where he was with his understanding of Bane’s character. E. Anne Convery (“Bug,” based on the episode “Massacre”): I love it because I think it’s a story that manages, while still being a satisfying adventure, to not glorify war. It does this mainly by following through on the arcs of wonderful, terrifying, funny, fallible, and diverse characters. From the personal to the political, The Clone Warsredefines the ways, big and small, that we can be heroes.      My chapter is the “original” tale, though it still touches on The Clone Wars Season Four episode “Massacre,” with brief appearances by Mother Talzin and Old Daka. If I had to boil it down, I’d say that it’s a story about mothers and daughters. Honestly, it felt a little like cheating, because writing new characters meant I got to be creative in the Star Wars universe somewhat unencumbered by what’s come before. I did, however, have several long text chats with Sam Witwer because I was interested in Talzin’s motivations. We talked about stuff like her capacity (or lack thereof) for love. I think I came away thinking she was more a creature driven by issues of power, control, and the desire for revenge, whereas Sam was a little kinder to her. I mean, he is her “son,” so you can’t really blame him for wanting to think better of her! I always love a story within a story, and I was interested in the space where the high mythology of Star Wars and the home-spun mythology of fairy tales could intersect. I drew on my own background in mythology, psychology, and the language of fairy tales, plus I did my Star Wars research. Re-watching the Nightsisters episodes was just plain fun. Zoraida Córdova (“The Lost Nightsister,” based on the episode “Bounty”): The Clone Wars deepens the characters we already love. It gives us the opportunity to explore the galaxy over a longer period of time and see the fight between the light and the dark side. Star Wars is about family, love, and hope. It’s also incredibly funny and that’s something that The Clone Wars does spectacularly. We also get to spend more time with characters we only see for a little bit in the movies like Boba Fett, Bossk, Darth Maul!      My chapter follows Ventress after she’s experienced a brutal defeat. Spoiler alert: she’s witnessed the death of her sisters. Now she’s on Tatooine and in a rut. She gets mixed up with a bounty hunter crew led by Boba Fett. Ventress’s story is about how she goes from being lost to remembering how badass she is. I watched several episodes with her in it, but I watched “Bounty” about 50 times. Sarah Beth Durst (“Almost a Jedi,” based on the episode “A Necessary Bond”): I spent a large chunk of my childhood pretending I was training to become a Jedi Knight, even though I’d never seen a girl with a lightsaber before. And then The Clone Wars came along and gave me Ahsoka with not one but TWO lightsabers, as well as a role in the story that broadened and deepened the tale of Anakin’s fall and the fall of the Jedi. So I jumped at the chance to write about her for this anthology.      In my story, I wrote about Ahsoka Tano from the point of view of Katooni, one of the Jedi younglings who Ahsoka escorts on a quest to assemble their first lightsabers, and it was one of the most fun writing experiences I’ve ever had! I watched the episode, “A Necessary Bond,” over and over, frame by frame, studying the characters and trying to imagine the world, the events, and Ahsoka herself through Katooni’s eyes. The episode shows you the story; I wanted to show you what it feels like to be inside the story. Greg van Eekhout (“Kenobi’s Shadow,” based on the episode “The Lawless”): What I most love about Clone Wars is how we really get to know the characters deeply and see them grow and change.      I enjoyed writing a couple of short scenes between Obi-Wan and Anakin that weren’t in the episode. I wanted to highlight their closeness as friends and show that Anakin’s not the only Jedi who struggles with the dark side. There’s a crucial moment in my story when Obi-Wan is close to giving into his anger and has to make a choice: Strike out in violence or rise above it. It’s always fun to push characters to extremes and see how they react. Jason Fry (“Sharing the Same Face,” based on the episode “Ambush”): I love The Clone Wars because it made already beloved characters even richer and deepened the fascinating lore around the Jedi and the Force.      I chose Yoda and the clones because the moment where Yoda rejects the idea that they’re all identical was one of the first moments in the show where I sat upright and said to myself, “Something amazing is happening here.” You get the entire tragedy of the Clone Wars right in that one quick exchange — the unwise bargain the Jedi have struck, Yoda’s compassion for the soldiers and insistence that they have worth, the clones’ gratitude for that, and how that gratitude is undercut by their powerlessness to avoid the fate that’s been literally hard-wired into them. Plus, though I’ve written a lot of Star Wars tales, I’d never had the chance to get inside Yoda’s head. That had been on my bucket list! Yoon Ha Lee (“The Shadow of Umbara,” based on the episodes “Darkness on Umbara,” “The General,” “Plan of Dissent,” and “Carnage of Krell”): I remember the first time I watched the “Umbara arc” — I was shocked that a war story this emotionally devastating was aired on a kids’ show. But then, kids deserve heartfelt, emotionally devastating stories, too. It was a pleasure to revisit the episodes and figure out how to retell them from Rex’s viewpoint in a compact way. I have so much respect for the original episodes’ writer, Matt Michnovetz — I felt like a butcher myself taking apart the work like this! Rebecca Roanhorse (“Dark Vengeance,” based on the episode “Brothers”): I always love a backstory and Clone Wars was the backstory that then became a rich and exciting story all its own. The writing and character development is outstanding and really sucks you into the world.      I chose to write the two chapters that reintroduce Darth Maul to the world. We find him broken and mentally unstable, not knowing his own name but obsessed with revenge against Obi-Wan and we get to see him rebuild himself into a cruel, calculating, and brilliant villain. It was so much fun to write and I hope readers enjoy it. Anne Ursu (“Pursuit of Peace,” based on the episode “Heroes on Both Sides”): The Clone Wars creates a space for terrific character development. The attention paid to the relationships between Anakin and Obi-Wan, and Anakin and Ahsoka make for really wonderful and resonant stories, and give so much depth to the whole universe.      I was at first a little scared to write Padmé, as her character felt pretty two dimensional to me. But the more I watched her episodes in Clone Wars, the more dimension she took on. She’s such an interesting character — she’s both idealistic and realistic, so when corruption runs rampant in the Senate she doesn’t get disillusioned, she just fights harder. She has an ability to deal with nuance in a way that is rare in the Republic — and it means she’s not afraid to bend a few laws to make things right. In this chapter, the Senate is about to deregulate the banks in order to fund more troops, and Padmé decides to take matters into her own hand and sneak into Separatist territory in order to start peace negotiations. Of course, neither Dooku nor the corrupt clans of the Republic are going to allow for this to happen, so the threats to the peace process, the Republic, and Padmé’s life only grow. This arc is the perfect distillation of Padmé’s character, and it made getting into her head for it fairly simple. But I did watch all the Padmé Clone Wars episodes and read E.K. Johnston’s book about her, as well as Thrawn: Alliances, in which she has a major storyline. I really loved writing her. Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Stories of Light and Dark arrives August 25 and is available for pre-order now.

[faorism]

needing the au to drop wherein i can commit to writing a historical au,, because since i first watched the db cooper job my mind went straight to OT3! OT3! OT3! (unlike with the van gogh job, since i aint playing with that fucking lieutenant)

one day maybe one dayyyyy i will sit down and i will write the ot3 into that episode's story. so, it'll be the backgrounds for the characters in the flashback (so, stephanie ritter, steve reynolds, and reggie wilkins), but with the necessary personality adjustments (parker, eliot, and hardison respectively). basically, vintage ot3 with some hot as hell aesthetics and secrets and avoiding as much as possible producing copraganda.

so. my thoughts. what i see happening. and this got super long so im throwing this under a cut. and for ease i will call them by their modern day canon names except when making a point.

first, general thoughts about the characters.

and so: steve to eliot. nothing much here on the surface. eliot still volunteers, too much an indoctrinated white man to have been forcibly drafted. so its still one man gone to war. one man come back. eliot would had been noticed early in training for his ability to pick shit up, and they teased at maybe sending him to a special unit. maybe they do, or maybe they don't because they just need to funnel fuckers to the jungle. the vietnam invasion was a terrorist imperialist venture and there's no romanticizing from me about anything done being at all valorous or special or brother-in-arms'y. and eliot commits war crimes under the american stars and stripes instead of just to keep moreau's champaign running. but also maybe moreau is eliot's superior. he certainly would have been rewarded for this ruthlessness. (eliot of course strove to impress moreau because there aint an eliot spencer who wasn't that man's dog at some point, i!!!! dont make the rules). eliot's friend died and eliot's gone off to carry out his wishes and moreau lets him because he Knows eliot is gonna come back. whether its to come back to the same squad, or follow him into deeper spy shit for the military, or to fuck off and go private. then eliot meets parker.

now. stephanie to parker. beth plays normal so well im mad at her, but there's something edgy and strategic about stephanie that i think parker can grab onto. i feel that maybe she was kind of a thief still, but there's more realism to this world so archie wasnt a super secret spy with lasers to practice with, but just a guy with sticky fingers whos a little bored and wants a protege. parker is good really good at what she does, and not having to deal with lasers makes me easy. but she's into scams that are less grifts and more Catch Me If You Can slight of hands. she's always looking for easy money (she was into lifting cars at one point! literally she follows where the crime is). she's doing something in an airport and someone tries to recruit her as a flight attendant because she's got the Look. and yall, flight attendants? that shit was like being a model and an astronaut and a time traveler back then. and according to a teacher i had, who once worked as in the f.a. union, those ladies back in the day were rad and queer and free spirited and runnnnning shit. i think, yes, it's a Job which i think we might resist placing parker into. but! of the jobs, at the time, i really see her rocking it during the time period. (also come on, the opportunities to swindle distracted people of their shit would be endless. they would just think they dropped their stuff in the airport! not that it was stolen.)

finally, reggie to alec. i think hardison will be the hardest to translate. even tho i admittedly listen to a lot of true crime podcasts, i dont know much about fbi life and also definitely don't know about it historically. part of me desperately wants to put him somewhere else even if it does have to stay within the fbi. i might cheat and make him like a Q(uartermaster) to 007/00s like in james bond, and he's like UGH this is horrible god i hate working for the fbi but they will give me funding so...... anyway, here's this totally cool [radio term]. that said, if hardison is stuck in the fbi, why he ends up there is that he is a fucking savant when it comes to research and the man can put together a presentation like no one else. that white man gets all the credit for profiling but it was hardison who goddamn was the google of the microfilm days. reggie felt super square but that might be because he had to deal with mcsweeties db cooper shit day in and day out for years. hardison is more himself. and definitely still a nerd. alec would be into dime fantasy novels and comics and ham radios and oh god he also would be into star trek like the original star trek as it came out and he would be into the zines yes! yessss. omg. also he plays a mean arcade cabinet. but he's mostly well adjusted but lonely. his colleagues dont appreciate him because fbi esp during that time were fucking wilding out and racist as hell aaaaaand im sorry im srry im trying so hard to have fbi hardison make sense but also! acab. ANYWAY.

second, the relationship

i think it would be fun to play with what it means to have parker/eliot start off first and bring in hardison afterwards. (if white collar is your thing, it would be like this canon divergent ot3 fic wherein peter burke is the last to join in.) i feel they would be Super Intense esp since they are carrying this big ass secret. kind of broken and dysfunctional and there's the passion and the commitment, but i think there's also a tenderness that's super hard for them to achieve? and i think there's a way that hardison plays such an important part in who they are and how they are. like, sure i think parker/eliot would have joy but they won't have levity. they would have compassion but they won't have gentleness.

eliot meets hardison after being recruited by nate. i think they get close because while nate and eliot have an interesting and compelling mentorship/friendship, nate is still eliots superior; sometimes its nice to complain about your boss, as hardison will say to eliot to try to make friends. i think hardison and eliot would become legit friends and not just work buddies because they are just not cut out of the same cloth as the rest of their colleagues. they grab beers after work. after hard days, hardison cajoles eliot into going to the arcade. they are friends. real real truly deep best friends, in a way hardison didn't think he could have with a fed and eliot didnt think he would have after his friend died. but also? they are like "buds" who are buds who are desperately tryna to cross any lines because there's a.... tension? an UST between them they dont know what to do with.

parker meets eliot by way of a "lets have my friend for dinner, he's a blast." and immediately immediately hardison is like... wow this woman is beautiful but like, really attracted to her personality. and parker things hardison is kinda dorky but cute dorkie? anyway, they have a puppy love situation growing. and it keeps growing until bam. eliot and parker are like. are we into alec???? fuck we are aren't we.

i think stephanie and steve would never tell reggie (even if somehow they were to be a thing). but parker and eliot? hell yeah they tell hardison. eventually. after a while. sooner than maybe they should. the tension if they should say something is one of the things that build up as UST between them for so long; parker and eliot know they are carrying this huge thing. two huge things. eliot being db cooper and also their massive crush on him.

if i could control myself to stick to a pwp, it would be another christmas. maybe the christmas nine (more?) years down the road. the damn snow grounded hardison's flight back to his nana's, and parker and eliot hear this and invite him over. the egg nog gets flowing and parker eventually is like,, fuck this. and comes onto hardison. and hardison would be like wow wow what but... idk, free love and swinging were In The Thoughts And Minds Of The People. he still checks in with eliot who is like. her body, man; i aint gonna tell her what to do. and for a sec hardison is like, man is this a cuck situation? i guess i can be for it but also...... aint mad if i aint alone. and eliot is so grateful and idk. i just want them all to be happy and having fun and no one to be left out. and yeah i am kinda brushing over a lot of the racial politics which, in a more developed fic rather than a pwp, would definitely need to be brought in; but idk that needs to just be in the bedrock of whatever plot is going into this.

it takes a lot of maneuvering of their lives but they make it work and eventually hardison is a keeper of eliot's secret too.

(apart from the historical aspect, another reason i probably won't actually write this is because i know myself. i would want to do worldbuilding. i would follow eliot and alec to their jobs, but i wouldnt want to write outright copaganda. the grit/realism i would be comfortable with would take a level of research i dont think i can commit to. but if someone wants to take this up or if you figure out a way around this issue, pls do i wont be mad)

[mrsbrekkers]

FIRST OPENING

hi there fellow friends!

i have decided that i want to get back into writing, so i decided this would be my call to anyone who wishes to request there own little blurbs, preferences, one-shots, imagines, etc.

i prefer writing

- fluff, angst, enemies to lovers, best friends to lovers, etc

but i will write other stuff as well, as long as i'm in the sort of mood to try out that sort of writing style

( aka smut, i'm down to write, but i am not sure if i'd be any good haha )

FANDOMS/PEOPLE I WILL WRITE FOR

all fandoms are in order of who i wish to write for most atm

s&b/soc!!!

have seen show / only have read soc + ck

- kaz brekker!!!!!!!!!!

- jesper fahey

- inej ghafa

- wylan van eck

- the darkling/general kirigan

- alina starkov

( willing to write kanej here too, and wesper! )

harry potter! ( seen movies, read book 1 + 2)

- harry potter!

- fred weasley

- george weasley

- cedric diggory

- hermione granger

bridgerton ( seen show )

- anthony bridgerton

- colin bridgerton

- benedict bridgerton

criminal minds ( all of show )

- spencer reid

- aaron hotchner

- emily prentiss ( preferably wlw )

- derek morgan

game of thrones ( seen show, no books )

- jon snow!

- robb stark

- margaery tyrell ( preferably wlw )

star wars ( seen all movies )

- anakin skywalker

- kylo ren/ben solo

- obi-wan kenobi

marvel!!

- bucky barnes

- baron zemo ( tfaws/au in sokovia before ultron )

- natasha romanoff

- sam wilson

- steve rogers

( willing to write for ships as well )

the 100

- bellamy blake

- finn collins

- octavia blake ( preferably wlw )

the red queen series ( just the first book but i'm willing to try )

- maven calore

- cal calore

- mare barrow ( preferably wlw )

- shade barrow

the queens gambit

- beth harmon ( preferably wlw )

- benny watts

i likely have more but haven't listed them

i'll be opening asks soon!

thank you!

- another kaz brekker whore :)