#facpov esb

[queer-starwars-bracket]

Queer Star Wars Characters (Round 2): General Bracket Match 28

Sky Graf | Identity: non-binary | Media: The High Republic Quest for Planet X

Sky Graf was a young member of the wealthy Graf family. A year before the Night of Sorrow, their father went missing looking for Planet X. To prove themselves to their family and possibly find their father, they stole their older brother’s ship the Brightbird and deemed up with Dass Leffbruk (who had previously made it to Planet X) and the Jedi padawan Rooper Nitani to use a Force artifact to try to find Planet X during the great hyperspace race. The Force artifact brought them backwards through the planets Dass had recently visited, where they face challenges while also trying to outrun Sky’s brother. During their journey, they also had to take the Path of the Open Hand member Fel Ix as a hostage. Fel Ix began to break through his cult programming, and when the news of a possible battle between the Path and the Republic reached the crew of the Brightbird, he convinced Sky to give up the search for Planet X to travel to Dalna. Fel Ix succeeded by appealing to Sky’s connection with their father by pointing out how he was a father himself. Working with Fel Ix, Sky helped defeat the Graf code that was corrupting the communication buoys in the Dalna sector, preventing more violence during the Night of Sorrow. Their brother, Helis, eventually caught up with them. But the siblings were able to talk about their feelings and reconcile. The two of them would fly the Brightbird together and continue to prospect. But Sky would no longer chase their father’s ghost.

Sky’s lifestyle was a combination of the hard and technical life of a pilot and hyperspace prospector combined with the luxury of their family’s level of wealth. They are very intelligent when it comes to science. They are confident, with a prickly exterior. They didn’t connect with Fel Ix the way Dass or Rooper did until the end, not wanting to try to understand the perspective of someone who tried to kill them. When things got serious, they showed a surprising capacity of violence and a willingness to do anything to achieve their goals. They only felt like they had unconditional love from their father, his disappearance driving them even further in conflict with their family. At the end of the book, they are more at peace, but still eager to make their own name separate from the Graf dynasty. Unusually for transgender characters in Star Wars, there is explicit discussion in their internal monolog about how they felt gender dysphoria when they started to go through puberty and how their father got them a binder.

Amara Kel/Howlrunner | Identity: wlw couple | Media: “Amara Kel’s Rules for TIE Pilot Survival (Probably)”

Amara Kel is the narrator of the short story “Amara Kel’s Rules for TIE PIlot Survival (Probably)” which is her internal thoughts about how to survive as a line TIE Pilot. This military satire story also details her relationship with another pilot, nicknamed Howlrunner. Amara Kel is snarky and cynical, dissoluted with the Imperial Navy but without the kind of spark that would lead her to defecting. She is happy to stay in the background, staying alive without promotion and glory. However, Howl’s skilled flying inspires in her a sense of love and respect for the TIE fighter and the wire thin finesse in its flying.

Amara and Howl’s Theta Squadron was one of the squadrons dispatched to hunt the Millenium Falcon through the asteroid field around Hoth. In spite of rule number one “Don’t Get Attached”, Howl pulls off some crazy flying maneuvers and saves Amara from being eaten by the exogorth. Miraculously, they both survive that deployment.

[jeronandor]

so you mean to tell me that after the destruction of the death star, tynnra pamlo was tasked by mon mothma to create and distribute rebel propaganda to capitalize on the rebel alliance's victory... so she drew up a recruitment poster... and used jyn erso's silhouette

[jewishcissiekj]

facpov writers looking at random background original trilogy characters

[from-a-legends-pov]

Is this going to be set up like the FACPOV books where each character has only one story per movie? Or could say, someone write about Mara on Tatooine at the beginning of RotJ, and then someone else also write about her at the end of RotJ after the destruction of the Death Star?

Great question! The short answer is that while we don’t have any rules that are that hard and fast (e.g. “only one story per character per movie”), we purposely designed our pitch guidelines so that we would have a variety of time periods within the OT timeframe, characters, and events to choose from in determining which pitches folks would write for the event and building a diverse collection of stories. As much as we’d probably all enjoy 20 stories about the same four pilots on Hoth right before ESB (we have a very talented fandom, they could make that work), part of the spirit of the event is to read a lot of different points of view.

That said, a lot depends on what the whole universe of signups looks like. If we had two writers, each of whose first choice was a pitch about Mara Jade at different points of ROTJ, we might assign one writer their second or third choice pitch (or fourth or fifth, if they’ve chosen to pitch more than three ideas) instead. Or, if the pitches really did offer different perspectives (a lot has changed for Mara by the end of ROTJ!) and there weren’t a lot of other stories with Mara as the point-of-view character already, we might assign both writers their first choice.

You didn’t ask for advice, but our advice is to pitch what you most want to write as your first choice, no matter who else might be pitching the same character and/or timeframe. And make sure your other pitches are ones you would also enjoy writing, too. But the collection is going to be best when we have a lot of writers who are really excited about what they’re contributing — so as long as you’re following the pitch and story guidelines, don’t feel the need to limit yourself before you begin.

Thank you so much for the ask!

[edgeofn1ght]

3, 4 and 12 plz dear 🧡

Hello lovely! 🫶🏻 thank you for the ask! And the bonus pic of Obi-Wan. 😍

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

I suppose if we're taking everything that's come out since Didney took over, I'd have to say his story in the ESB FaCPoV book. I read it once and got so annoyed, I never even finished the book lol. It's the most out of character 'canon' thing I've ever read for him, so I choose to ignore it despite some of the nice moments the story has. 🤷‍♀️

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Boy uhhhhh....Doctor Who. 😆 The Doctor would have fun with that. (It needs to be David Tennant)

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

I have a few! But one of my longest-standing ones is that he saved the crystal from Qui-Gon's lightsaber. And that's what he leaves for Luke to use when he puts his lightsaber together with the instructions Obi-Wan also left behind. 🥺

From these asks

[milfglupshitto]

when I was rereading the first thrawn book a few weeks ago, I remembered where I had heard of the planet Lysatra before (besides in my first read): in From A Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back.

ID in alt, brief summary of important quote below

In the above passage, Jaxxon, protagonist of the short story “Fake It Till You Make It”, learns that a rival’s client is seeking passage off-world for his family, specifically to hide from the Empire. The planet they were trying to reach is Lysatra. Wookiepedia confirms this short story as the only other work which mentions the planet besides Thrawn (2017) and its adaptations.

With our limited information on the planet we can only conclude confidently that 1) there is a decent human population living there and 2) there is likely a decent non-human population as well, given the variety of trade tongues in use by the inhabitants. Based on this brief mention in the above passage, one could reasonably suggest that the planet has a reputation of being friendly to refugees, or at least ambivalent in the “you mind your business I’ll mind mine” sense.

As an aside: this story was written by Cavan Scott, who wrote several books in the Adventures in Wild Space young reader series (which I have not read), which focuses on Milo and Lina Graf, children of two cartographers who worked to map the Wild Space region during the Imperial Age and were arrested by an Imperial officer. Also according to Wookiepedia, this family makes an appearance in the High Republic books (which I also have not read), holding a very prominent position in the Republic. Not sure what to make of this, but I thought I’d present it all as worldbuilding material!

[oodlesofsnootles-main]

It’s been a disappointing year for Obitine lovers.

Let’s see, we’ve had horribly out of character Obi-Wan with a sprinkle of Jedi bashing (Kenobi’s Shadow, There is Always Another), Satine diminishment/erasure (the aforementioned short stories and TCW season 7) and don’t get me started on that ridiculous trivia book timeline adjustment that decided they were 15 YEARS OLD (which I do not entertain or recognize). There’s probably more that I’ve tried to forget.

They better stay away from Korkie, or so help me...

[gffa]

I JUST SAW THE EXCERPTS FROM ESB:FACPOV AND OH MY GOD LOL HOW DO YOU GET A CHARACTER THAT WRONG? OBI-WAN “FLIRTS WITH EVERYTHING THAT MOVES” KENOBI FELT GUILTY ABOUT TOUCHING A GIRL’S HAND. I CAN’T EVEN TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY, IT’S TOO STUPID, LOL.

[into-daylight-hope]

Remember 'empire strikes back from a certain point of view' and its weird characterization of Obi-Wan?

It all makes so much sense now that I learned the author (of the story there is always another) grew up reading Jedi Apprentice and Jedi Quest series and a lot of fanfiction.

More under the cut.

I checked out a interview of hers about a marvel book where she mentions she grew up in very fundamental conservative christian town. Then she told the tale of how she specifically went to marvel saying she wanted to write about space western and ways religion exploits people.

In another interview this time about star wars we learn she grew up with Obi-Wan and she imagines he will also start to think, question things he believes that has been said to him repeatedly since childhood just like she did in later life.

If we sum up we have: Misinformation, spending time in fandom echochamber, already having a specific topic they wanted explore, projection into characters.

We are seeing too many terrible takes from official creators. I am starting to doubt the wisdom of people who started as fans working with established characters without someone like George Lucas to guide them. After 20 years of having their views influenced by social interactions and personal life creators become anything but objective.

For people like Mackenzie Lee writing original star wars novels instead of expanding on established characters would make more sense in my opinion.

This is turning into a Captain Kirk situation. Where with years people began to collectively misremember everything about the character. The Kirk Drift as they call it.

At least this prevalent complications of mass culture memory and hallucination must be giving a field day to some psychologists. Huh.

[kernsing]

begging people to stop framing the jedi as “repressed christian purity culture” because that erases how real life purity culture is a force of prejudice against people who reject romance and sex

to elaborate: those cultures enshrine heterosexual marriage and procreation as holy, good, natural, desirable. no version of christianity (correct me if i’m wrong) says sex and romance is bad in real life—how can they, when heterosexual sex and romance is supposed to be sacred, is a divine mandate of god? it is only non-heterosexual expressions of sex and romance that are considered unnatural and bad, including the wholesale rejection of sex and romance. if you don’t want sex or romance, you are abnormal and inhuman and an aberration. you refuse to follow god’s plan. you don’t exist. (catholics are slightly better at this w/ consecrated life and single life, but it’s still framed as giving up this universal, good, intrinsically-human desire).

im tired of how ppl frame purity culture in fiction and real life. it completely misses how it is not anti-romance/sex, it’s pro this one very specific form of romance/sex, and this is absolutely not applicable to the jedi. how hard is it to not make up a romanceless and/or sexless society, opine on how horrible that must be, and completely ignore how the real world constantly dehumanizes people who reject romance and sex?

i’m not saying you can’t enjoy these stories. but please don’t ignore what real life purity culture is like. it doesn’t hate “love.” in fact, if you don’t “love,” it doesn’t even think you’re a person.

[knightotoc]

Attack of the Clones is the best Star Wars movie because it has the best weirdos to hyperfixate on. The FACPOV for AotC is gonna be incredible. Personally I would do anything for the chance to write Jocasta Nu's. Whoever gets Dexter Jettster or Wat Tambor will truly be blessed among men. And Dooku and Jango, the envy of all. What were they thinking? This post is dedicated to ND Stevenson's love for Zam Wesell.

[queer-starwars-bracket]

Queer Star Wars Characters (Round 3): General Bracket Match 14

Kiren | Identity: nonbinary | Media: “The Backup Backup Plan”

Kiren was a Cloud Car mechanic on Cloud City, who remained after the evacuation. They were a member of an unknown furred species who could understand but not speak Basic. With their coworker Baudu, they were cajolled by former Cloud City administrator Tal Veridian to support her in an attack on a transport that was “deporting” a group of Cloud City miners into Mining Guild enslavement. However, the initial attack didn’t succeed and Kiren was wounded. The three were placed on the deportation transport, where Tal again rallied them to seize the bridge. Because of Kiren’s knowledge of the vessel, they were able to. Because they were in control of the vessel, they were able to jettison the additional Tabana gas canisters and Tal’s imperial lover was able to fake the transport's destruction. After this adventure, Kiren presumably became an early member of the Uprising which would oppose the Iron Blockade.

Marlowe and Vellis San Tekka | Identity: mlm couple | Media: The High Republic Light of the Jedi

During the time of the Great Disaster, Marlowe San Tekka was the leader of the San Tekka family and the husband of Vellis. A wealthy family of hyperspace prospectors, the couple kept an estate on Naboo (the villa that appears in AOTC owned by the Naboo government). When the Jedi Avar Kris and Elazar Mann came to ask them questions about the Great Disaster, they insisted that ships couldn’t collide in hyperspace and that what had happened was a freak disaster. However, they secretly suspected that the Nihil had used the hyperspace navigation powers of Mari San Tekka- a young girl who was the original source of the San Tekka's wealth but was later kidnapped, even though she would have been really old at this point. They were correct, but they never told the Jedi or the Republic. Despite that, they happily offered San Tekka resources to help calculate the site of future Emergences. 

Other than keeping Mari San Tekka secret, they were eager allies of the Jedi and Republic. Affable, they were happy to donate their resources to seem like “good” rich people. They lived a life of opulence on Naboo, something that both men were born into. They were also both skilled in hyperspace science in their own right. Due to their closeness, they could communicate silently. They were both followers of the Church of the Force.

[kingofattolia]

oh wow this Obi-Wan story in ESB FACPOV is a hot mess

[jewishcissiekj]

the Obi-Wan story is killing me what the hellllll

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

I just love how TCW casually implied that Obi-Wan and Anakin got captured by Hondo because they got smashed at a party (since we saw them switch drinks with some of the pirates so they wouldn’t get drugged) and authors out there are trying to make us believe Jedi forbade alcohol.

I might write a drinking contest fic just out of spite, but look me in the eye and tell me that Kit Fisto, Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura weren’t party people.

[kenobiapologist]

People were ticked about the ESB-FACPOV story written from Obi-Wan’s perspective for it being ooc and although I agree, it wasn’t because of the hand-holding thing.

This author headcanons that Anakin doesn’t eat his vegetables! You’re telling me a former slave from Tatooine wouldn’t eat his veggies??? No no no he would appreciate every bit of food on his plate. Fight me.

My partner built on that idea and said they think Anakin, by the time of the clone wars, would be the kind of person that would check and make sure everyone else had enough to eat first. Making sure Ahsoka is fed, the clones are fed, Obi-Wan isn’t hungry, etc. and fuck, if that’s not the cutest and most heart-wrenching thing.

In short, I now have another WIP.