#i do have a conspiracy theory that Poe died because he was finding out too much about the Old World and the past wanted to stay dead

[snowwritesall]

Writing update #2 Anathema + new WIP!

Hi folks, hope y'all have been doing well and staying healthy - I've had a pretty trying week and my financial situation is gonna be tight at best for the next few months but I'm still trying to maintain a positive outlook. With that being said, I'm gonna give you guys some updates and excerpts on my current WIP, Anathema, and a new novel that I started the other day (yes I'm well aware I have way too many wips but I'm dumb and listen to no one's advice :)

Anyway, that being said, onto the updates!

Anathema is my surreal sci fi novel that I came up with last year and has spent many months under development. A brief summary on the novel for you!

The tea on my novel: 

I absolutely love the concept of my novel - keeping in mind that there is a lot of the plot hidden because I don’t want to spoil the entire book - however, there are a lot of things that need work. Seraph - my main character - still feels a little flimsy and underdeveloped - as well as my side characters, who have had limited interactions with Seraph throughout the novel as far - mainly due to the reason that I’ve been focusing on narrative rather than characters. The next thing that I’m finding is a problem is that there’s barely any dialogue between what character interaction I do have. I’ve been focusing a lot on the vibe and feeling of my book - I really want to create an eerie, almost alien feel, without being fully horroresque - think Coraline x Limbo. 

The things that I do like about my novel: 

- I really love the literary devices that I’ve come up with to help give the story that eerie vibe I want. 

a) Really weird rhetorical questions

b) interjections of two unknown characters that comment on Seraph and his friends when they’re together

c) POV of animals and inanimate objects 

Here are some examples of both: 

a)  Really weird rhetorical questions

The wind seems strangely muted to Seraph, as if moving through a half-awake dream, or sinking in murky water that chills the bones.

Why does the water hurt? This is only one of the questions hurtling through his mind, but there are many more barrelling inside his head; a turbulent chamber of thoughts and unspoken quandaries that crescendo in the night hour. He is curious. And that - that, is what will save him.  

ai)

The beetles crawl up the blackened bark, wings glistening from between the cracks. They make soft, chittering noises as they climb aimlessly up the branch. Their path is strangely linear, their wings a malachite soaked fluorescent in the bitter, fuse sharp breeze. If they were to travel down the length of Seraph's spine; their strange, crackled wings fluttering against his ashen, ghostly skin; they would calm him as they walked up the shallow curve of his spine and nestled in his hair, a dim saucer of moonlight that they would bathe in.

Is the moon ever lonely?

b)   Interjections of two unknown characters that comment on Seraph and his friends when they’re together

“What was it like?”

His voice shakes as he asks, still staring at his hands. Wilbur is teething his lip, his jaw hardening like clay left in the sun.

  “Were there others? Are we the only ones left?”

Are we the only ones left?

They both look scared, don’t they?

     No. Not scared. Doomed.

Why are they doomed?

      Because they were never meant to be here.

Wilbur continues to stare out at the forest, and after a moment takes a few steps forward, shoveling his feet into the soil; the wind rifling through his clothes. He looks like a scarecrow made of marble, distant, ghostly - not real.

  Were any of them real?

c) POV’s of animals 

Seraph had stroked the snake gently, the scales cold and undulating under his fingers, the snake mothers eyes dark and pupils, her nose nudging the wings of the fledglings.

“Don’t eat your babies, mother snake. They love you. Don’t leave them.”

I have found my new children. My own children were buried in a sandstorm, and I milked my venom from my teeth on the carcass of a deer. There was no one to sing them to sleep as they died. I will listen to this strange boy. I will take care of my children.

I will not leave them.

ci) 

The forest is very cold for us. Even we, with our wings like a shield and a fur coat, even we feel the wind. The bark splinters are like earthquakes under our feet, even though there have been no earthquakes for centuries. We remember. We remember when the earth shook and trembled, and when we would seek shelter amongst the splintering trees and scuttle for cover under broken fern leaves. He comes to see us. The boy with curious eyes that glint like the rock in the sky, his hands are as pale as the eggs the birds lay. He brushes his fingers across our coats, and we shiver; with a strange fear and an even stranger contentment. We are not alone.

 He is not alone. 

Here are some excerpts from the novel that I really like: 

- POV of the boy that drowned in the lake. Seraph remembers this when he looks at the jars of butterflies that he keeps on his windowsill. The clear, glossy surface reminds him of how the lake looked when he watched some of the village men pull the boy’s body out of the lake. 

- Seraph is remembering the first time that one of the children stuck their head in the guillotine in the schoolyard. He remembers thinking how odd it was that they would have something so dangerous where children could find it. Maybe they wanted them to use it. 

Seraph is watching his school teacher polish the guillotine blade through the cover of pine trees. One of his friends, Beluah, creeps up behind him and startles him. They both watch the teacher and talk. 

More commentary of Seraph and Beluah watching the teacher together: 

Okay, that’s all on this novel for now, onto the new WIP! 

Basically, this idea arose from two things - I felt like I was constantly writing in the same sort of style - ie, cold rivers, frost, rain, foggy forests - and I was majorly inspired by Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Alysse Near. This woman has an absolutely INCREDIBLE writing style - I would compare it to the bright and shiny treasures that magpies collect, and her plot and characters are amazing; so a big part of why I’m writing this is because of her. 

The characters appeared really easily to me, and after only a few minutes, I already could feel them writhing around alive inside my mind. But, before I tell you about the characters, a summary of the novel for you! 

When three dead girls show up at school with flowers where their eyes should be and birds living in their chests, Ariel isn’t sure what to think. She’s never really been sure what to think, since her mother sells beads and homemade jewelry for a living and her sister is a snake. Well, two snakes, really. Her parents keep strange things in the closet, like elephants with jellyfish swimming in their stomachs and siamese twins with leopard skins in the attic. And then there’s that strange girl that lives in the mirror.

When three dead girls demand to be brought back to life, you start to panic a little when you realise the closest things you’ve made come alive are the ragdolls in your toy chest.

It gets even worse when they tell you you only have a month or they’ll take you back to the underworld with them. Then you really begin to freak out. And begin to have a mental break down in the middle of class which involves involuntary tap dancing (Except the tap dancing is actually crying. Ariel doesn’t own tap dancing shoes. Not even doll tap dancing shoes.)

It doesn’t help when your best friends are literally ragdolls. She actually has a few real friends. I promise.

Now onto my babies/kids/characters! 

Ariel Hakens: 

has a big giant ball of curly red hair that she likes to dye a new colour every week. She likes glitter but also loves black. Big boots and shiny raincoats are a thing. She love to collec. She loves to garden, but her methods are...unorthodox, shall we say. Loves Edgar Allen Poe, and recites it to herself on the way to school. Does she ditch a lot? Maybe. Who knows. Can apparently see the dead and do weird stuff nobody should be able to. Favourite animals are mice and rats. Is fascinated with the legend of the pied piper. Is like a beaver in the fact that she chews pencils. They’re basically like a midnight snack for her. Favourite foods are peanut butter and cherry tarts.

(yes I am fully aware this is Leigh-Anne Pinnock from Little Mix, but this is what she looks like in my head) 

Gwendolyn Spires: 

She is as extra as the name sounds. She dreams of participating in an illegal dance competition in an abandoned subway tunnel. Her mother is the principal of a ballet boarding school, and highly disapproves of her daughter's skateboarding fetish. Her father is completely on board with it, and also her addiction to gumballs and love for all things haunted. Yes, those spell books are completely real. The amount of salt rocks she keeps in her bag would put a shaman to shame. African American. 

Indie Brooks:

 She’s basically a giant nerd, but covered with tattoos. And piercings. She actually needs those glasses, and she refuses to put in contacts for fear that the government will be able to read her mind. She has a conspiracy theory Youtube Channel, but her theories are really??weird??

Think: we are all giant animals living in a zoo for aliens

Does she have evidence: Yes. Is it sketchy evidence? Also yes.

May or may not have broken into area 51.

Native American/Latina.

Callum Prikhill:

pervy, but not in a sexual way. Will he sell you exam answers in exchange for candy? Possibly. Ironically wears caps. Unironically wears light up shoes. Likes sci-fi movies from the early 70’s. Skinny dipped and LOVED it. Is a theater boy. If he were an animal he would be a lizard. His mother is a low-end movie producer and his father is an accountant. Often stays at his nan’s place a lot because she has a hidden bunker under the house and he very much down for that. Because the acoustics are amazing.

The first time Ariel saw the three dead girls sway through the doors of Helkbud Senior Preparatory School, she was whistling Sissyneck while flipping through her collection of rained on vinyls that she’d chanced to pick up from the thrift store, her tanned dewy legs slick with snow and hail as she pushed hot pink cat eye sunglasses up her freckled nose.

They looked like nesting dolls all jumbled up in a lolly bag, corpse candy sucked dry of their colour and watermelon blush that should have twisted their cheeks into marionette smiles.

The girl in the middle wore poppy red heels that spun and shone like a disco ball at a teenage party where the parents were gone for the weekend and everyone was drinking punch mixed with vodka in cheap, crinkly red cups; and was the shortest of the three; yellow daisies and white crocuses growing out of her eye sockets, petals drinking salty tears out of a chipped watering can that dangled over her head.

Hope you enjoyed hearing about my WIPs, and I’ll keep updating about them as I continue to work on them :)

That’s all for now, folks! 

- Bella. 

[thestarbirdfromtheashes]

Jyn and Cassian Survived Conspiracy Theory Meta

Updated November 23, 2017

I have put together a number – and I do mean a number – of thoughts regarding the possibility that Jyn and Cassian survived Scarif. As this is a meta, it is just (mostly) all my thoughts and desperate hopes and me probably reading way too much into things. After all, “Rebellions are built on hope,” so I am going to continue to hope we see Jyn and Cassian again in another movie.

Cut for length. Very, very long length. (Seriously, it is exhaustive. I even lay out counterarguments.)

@starwars​​, I have no problem tagging you here, even though I doubt you’ll ever read this. Just want you to know there are still a lot of die-hard Rogue One fans out there, and we still think about these things. I’m a 20-year veteran of the franchise myself, and I’ll be a fan of it -- and Rogue One in particular -- for life. I put this together because you can still bring back Jyn and Cassian if you want to. I’m a writer myself, and I know nothing is impossible in your own universe. You brought back Darth Maul. You can bring back Jyn and Cassian. Save the dream, Star Wars.

Now that my transparent plea is that’s out of the way, let’s get going.

Original discussion post here.

Note: I used the e-book for citations. They don’t always line up because I was a little hasty with them, but they’re only off by a page. I didn’t figure you guys would be too concerned with that, though.

The Theory I’m Using: Jyn and Cassian survived because of Jyn’s kyber crystal necklace. The argument is stronger for Jyn’s survival than for Cassian’s, but I still have some arguments for his survival that I will also lay out.

The Kyber Crystal’s Dubious Purpose in the Overall Plot

a.     At the very beginning of Rogue One, we see Lyra give Jyn her kyber crystal necklace and tell her daughter, “Trust the Force.”

        i.     This is never brought up again.

b.     Chirrut can sense the crystal and says, “The strongest stars have hearts of kyber.”

        i.     This is never brought up again.

       ii. I've always interpreted this as just a comment about Jyn’s character: Jyn is the star, and the kyber crystal is next to her heart, or that kyber crystals are resilient and strong and so is Jyn.

c.     Jyn was able to smuggle the crystal into her cell on Wobani, when she wasn’t able to smuggle in anything else.

        i.     Why would the stormtroopers have let her keep it? They’re ruthless and awful. There is literally no reason to explain this.

d.     Jyn holds the crystal at least twice, but no one sees it except the audience.

The Question

Why bother with the kyber crystal at all, if it doesn’t serve a purpose? Jyn is not religious, as far as we know. Jyn doesn’t express a deep connection with her mother and mourn her, thus feeling the need to touch the crystal to connect back with Lyra and comfort Jyn. In fact, Jyn is upset with her mother for sacrificing herself and going back for her husband, and thus, leaving Jyn at a young age. As a storyteller, you cannot bring an item up, make A Big Deal over it, and then not explain it or refer to it. The kyber crystal serves absolutely no discernable purpose in the movie.

The Conspiracy Theory

Articles here and here will get you up to speed on what I am going to write about. I believe, along with many others, that the kyber crystal necklace is what could be used to bring Jyn back. I believe it could also be used to bring Cassian back, should Lucasfilm/Disney decide to be generous. And here’s why: the necklace does nothing in the movie. There is no point. Ergo, we can only believe that it served some other purpose, which is what the Uproxx article says: “…the film has an emergency ‘Jyn lives!’ switch built right into the narrative.”

MY ARGUMENTS (AND COUNTERARGUMENTS)

The Success of the Movie I will admit to knowing little about the effect Rogue One had on the regular Star Wars fandom, other than that it was a huge success, it made a lot of money, and a lot of people say it’s their favorite/"the best" of all the movies. (It was also referred to as such in an early review online, I believe.) There is speculation within the fandom that LFL/Disney misjudged how popular the movie would be, and didn’t or couldn’t predict that. On this, though, I call BS. Really, LFL and Disney in particular, a company that rakes in millions upon millions each year, didn’t forecast if Rogue One became successful, didn’t plan for it, didn’t run ANY numbers or scenarios for what might happen if it did? Disney loves money, so why not capitalize on it if it DID surprise them and hit big? So maybe, is it possible that they thought it could be really popular, and that is why they built in the kyber crystal necklace? Hedging their bets in case people loved the movie? As we know, the earliest draft of the script had Jyn and Cassian surviving, but it was never filmed because LFL/Disney green-lighted Gareth Edwards’s desire to kill everyone off. We also know “Gareth always wanted to bring Jyn home” (I can’t find this article again). Movies have test audiences, so is it possible that the test audience reacted in a way that changed some of the movie to what it is today? Is it possible that the test audiences really liked Jyn and Cassian together, which was something LFL/Disney were unsure of and thought could go either way with resurrecting him or not? This is a weak point in my argument, but I bring it up because of a fact about Return of the Jedi. There is a line from Han Solo that does not make sense. He says about the Falcon, “Yeah, I just got a funny feeling. Like I’m never gonna see her again.” This is because Lando Calrissian was originally supposed to die, and the Falcon was supposed to be destroyed, in Jedi, but test audiences reacted so badly, George Lucas changed it and had him live. Yet the line stayed, and it doesn’t make sense now. Remember, too, that Poe Dameron of the sequel trilogy was supposed to die, but test audiences liked him so much that he stayed – despite no explanation of how he got off Jakku. (Thanks, @rebelle-capitan​!)

Regarding the movie’s popularity again: Given that I am deep into the RebelCaptain fandom, I don’t really have any barometer for how popular the ship is outside it. Do people like Cassian and Jyn together? Do they view them as “together”? I don’t really know. Do enough people like them to warrant LFL/Disney resurrecting Cassian, too? Again, don’t know. I know we don’t have a ton of fic out there, so maybe not. Then again, I don’t have any idea of how much is “a ton” of fic for a particular ship, and what determines a ship’s popularity in regards to amount of fic (if this sort of abstract data were even able to be gathered, and were actually valid). This leads me to my next point:

Jyn Erso & Cassian Andor as a Couple (“RebelCaptain”) Yes, LFL/Disney have never explicitly stated that Jyn and Cassian are a ship. They have also not stated that they aren’t. They have absolutely no reason to state either way, and determining romantic involvement is sort of up to one’s own discretion, to a point. Also, making part of the movie officially romantic would probably detract from the overall seriousness, tone, and message of it. Do Jyn and Cassian ever kiss? Do they ever express feelings for one another? No and no (although we can theorize that a kiss was cut from the elevator/turbolift scene). They don’t do any of these things. It could also be argued that they’re not the type of people to express feelings verbally, and as we know from the book, “There wasn’t the time.” Yet these two speak volumes with their faces and actions, and after their argument in the shuttle when fleeing Eadu, when Cassian gathers the army for Jyn and confesses to her, the movie is shot romantically. I’ve seen good, solid metas on Cassian’s actions pointing to him falling in love with Jyn, and there is the joke in the fandom of the army being akin to “his engagement present” (see this amazing meta by @ladytharen). People who are against the ship can say what they like, but the fact remains that the scene in the turbolift is shot incredibly intimately, and the looks on their faces (especially Cassian’s) are breathtaking. Jyn’s arm is over Cassian’s shoulder. I’m no movie expert, but this is one of the most romantic scenes I have ever watched, and certainly the most romantic in all of Star Wars. Why shoot it that way if Jyn and Cassian are not meant to have feelings for one another? Also, that scene appears to be a reshoot -- so it’s important and is there for a reason. A reason that was thought of later, after the original cut of the film. Maybe the romance-that-is-not-officially-a-romance was simply to make the story more interesting; maybe not. Maybe it means something more; maybe not. But if they weren’t meant to be romantic, wouldn’t they have been smiling at one another over their triumph in the elevator, rather than looking regretful in Jyn’s case, adoring in Cassian’s? Another thing: Jyn and Cassian were originally supposed to die apart. Cassian was supposed to die with Kaytoo, and Jyn was supposed to die elsewhere. But they didn’t. They died in each other’s arms, Cassian’s hand sliding up to Jyn’s shoulder, fingers digging in as his eyes close.

Another important point: going from the novelization, when Cassian falls from the data tower, Jyn’s instinct is to jump after him. If they are only “platonic war buddies,” as Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide author Pablo Hidalgo claimed before taking it back to say that “what happened in the elevator is their business,” then I would think Jyn’s instinct would be to mourn the loss of her comrade and keep going for the sake of the mission. But that is not her first thought. In fact, as she watches Cassian firing at Krennic and his Death Troopers,

“Jyn started to call to him, but he cried out louder, ‘Keep going! Keep going!’ She reached a trembling hand toward her pistol. She could die. So could they. She knew she had to climb. The decision was taken from her. [Cassian is struck and falls] She nearly loosed her clutching fingers, nearly followed him into the abyss, but a swell of vertigo shocked her out of her horror and impelled her to cling more tightly to the stacks. Cassian was dead, like so many others.” (257)

WHY? Why write it that way, in the official novelization, which is sanctioned by LFL/Disney and heavily skewed toward Jyn and Cassian having feelings for one another, if they are not to be a romantic couple? Jyn has seen “platonic war buddies” die plenty of times. I’ll bet she has not once wanted to kill herself over them. Hasn’t felt “horror” since she was a kid. I’ve read Rebel Rising, and I believe she steeled herself against all that pretty young. But Cassian though…his “death” gets to her. First she forsakes the mission to reach for her pistol to provide additional fire to protect him, and then she AGAIN considers forsaking the mission when he appears to die. When she sees him alive again at the top of the tower, “He looked like a man who had fallen twelve stories and clawed his way back to the top. He looked as beautiful as anyone Jyn had ever known” (275).

Increased marketing visibility for Cassian See this post. Rogue One has always been Jyn Erso’s story, a story of a strong female protagonist leading a band of unlikely heroes. However, I have noticed that as time has gone on, Cassian has had an increasingly prominent role in the marketing. The official synopsis, dating back to the April 4 DVD/Blu-Ray release, is thus: “From Lucasfilm comes an epic adventure – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In a period of great conflict, a group of unlikely heroes led by Jyn Erso, a daring fugitive, and Cassian Andor, a rebel spy, band together on a desperate mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd.” Cassian didn’t used to be right up there next to Jyn. Now he is. They are both well liked. Maybe it’s just me, but if I read that synopsis without knowing anything more, I sure as heck would expect some sort of romantic subplot.

Felicity Jones It is well-documented on the internet that Felicity Jones has a sequel option clause in her contract. That’s old news. She’s the only cast member who does. I don’t know anything about Hollywood contracts and if a sequel option clause means a bit role or a starring role, but I’m betting not all clauses are created equal. There are theories that she could be in the new Han Solo movie or in a possible upcoming Luke Skywalker movie. Or, I say, a Rogue One prequel or sequel with just her after the kyber crystal saves her life. Or…maybe something even better…. (Or, “it could just be a way to obscure her character’s fate because she does have a two-movie contract, or to use archival footage of her later.” Thanks again, @rebelle-capitan!)

Diego Luna As I said, I don’t know anything about Hollywood contracts, if they’re set in stone or can have addenda, but I do know Felicity is the only cast member to have the sequel clause option in her contract (as stated above). Diego, however, has supposedly been sighted on the Han Solo set, and indeed “fueled speculation” about his involvement. The first link is from May; the second is from January. None of this is new. My point is, I find it interesting that we heard there was a potential for him to be involved in the Han Solo film in January of this year, after Rogue One had only been out a month – but he didn’t have a sequel clause in his contract…? Or was that information just not made available? I don’t know how The Hollywood Reporter works, and if they could have missed something like a sequel clause in Diego’s contract, but they’re the ones who reported on Felicity’s contract. (Or perhaps Disney leaked the information about Felicity’s contract and kept tight-lipped on Diego’s. Who knows?) That first article, from May, also mentions (BS) criticism of Diego’s performance by The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, clearly comparing Cassian to Han Solo. I don’t know if there’s enough (unfounded) criticism of Diego’s performance for LFL/Disney to not want him back for a Rogue One sequel, or if they just blew it off because other than some nods to the Original Trilogy in superficial aspects alone, Cassian was never supposed to be like Han. I really sort of doubt LFL/Disney would not want Diego Luna back. I mean...really. Also, if Diego is indeed going to be a part of another Star Wars movie that takes place before Rogue One, it means that the character of Cassian was well enough received to warrant additional movie reprisals.

Oh, and Diego also commented on the afterlife in this article from September 2, and mentions the Force.

Also: don’t forget that Diego had a blast with Rogue One, and is a HUGE Star Wars fanboy.

“Welcome Home” and Cassian’s Two Deaths These always make me ache when I watch the film, but I also find them curious. After Cassian gathers an army for Jyn, “‘I’m not used to people sticking around,’ she said, by way of an explanation [for her staring at him]. She didn’t know if Cassian really understood, but he said, ‘Welcome home,’ and she knew she was” (191). In the movie, we get the “orbiting” of Jyn and Cassian around one another (which I believe is also referenced in the book, about Cassian being pulled into Jyn’s orbit), and we also get Cassian’s eyes slipping to Jyn’s lips for half a second (blink and you’ll miss it). Why have him say this, welcome her to a home when she hasn’t had one in years, just to have them both die at the end? It could be argued that just Jyn will live, and come back to the Alliance -- which is home, as Cassian said. That line could be a hint for that. Or, it could be nothing but a RebelCaptain moment (and therefore downright cruel to us shippers given their canon demise).

Cassian falls from the data tower and appears dead, both to Jyn and the audience. Then he “claws his way back up to the top” and saves Jyn’s life. He comes back for her a third time. Then he dies for real. Why, though, did Cassian fall from the data tower and appear dead -- only to die for real minutes later? Was that just cruel storytelling? No. Cassian fell because he had to. As heroine, Jyn had to face off against Krennic, the villain. They needed to have a confrontation. Cassian’s presence would have made no sense. He would have had nothing to do, and therefore, he had to fall and appear dead. The bonus of this is, of course, that he has a dramatic re-entrance, and we get the pure joy of seeing Jyn’s face light up when she sees him again. We also experience that joy ourselves because we like Cassian, and we like Jyn and Cassian together, and we want them to live and be together. It doesn’t happen, which makes the fact that Cassian appeared dead only to reappear alive, all the more tragic. His fall serves two purposes, and that’s pretty good storytelling. (Although I still think having Cassian say “Welcome home” only for them to die is still just plain mean.)

Cassian’s Injuries I have always thought that it was not physically possible for Cassian to climb up the tower after Jyn with the injuries he appears to have. He hit two beams going down and crashed onto metal grating. In the book, it simply states that he falls into an “abyss.” It doesn’t go into detail about him hitting beams on the way down. It talks about how much pain he’s in, but it doesn’t say he knew he was dying or anything like that. Also, it says, “The last time Cassian had hurt so bad” (280, emphasis mine), indicating that Cassian has been hurt this badly before, not that this current injury is the worst. He survived the previous one, so why not this one? I say that unless his wounds were much more serious than the movie or book would have us believe (which I don’t at this point, given that the book says his breathing is “regular” on page 282, then he and Jyn are breathing in time with one another on page 283), he would not have been able to climb the tower after Jyn. Or, again, cruel storytelling by deciding that he could appear dead and his injuries were grievous but he could climb up the tower anyway for his dramatic re-entrance and even more dramatic, emotional death.

Cassian’s and Jyn’s Deaths (and Why We Didn’t Get a Kiss) When the other members of the Rogue One team die, the wording in the book is very clear, even to the point of using the actual word, “died.” However, Cassian’s death is written thus: “When Cassian Andor died, he would be ready, and he would be content.” Now, before that, though, it says, “He stowed thoughts of old missions and thoughts of the future away [‘a woman he might have known and understood’ (280)]; decided to focus on what he could see and hear and smell for the last moments of his life on Scarif.” One could argue that that says enough, that he is going to die then. But people also think they’re going to die and then don’t, so… Cassian’s death is not written from his perspective like all the others’. Yes, Rogue One is Jyn’s story, so their demise is written from her perspective…buuuut we still don’t technically read Cassian’s actual death.

When it’s Jyn’s turn, the world is first emerald, “then a clean, purifying white,” and the narrative goes into all the things Jyn has been as a person. “Soon all those things, too, burned away, and Jyn Erso – finally at peace – became one with the Force” (284). We can look at “burned away” as being literal, as in they burned up in the explosion or superheated water; we could also look at it as imagery if the kyber crystal theory is to be believed. And here’s the crux of the theory: Jyn “becomes one with the Force.” She does not explicitly die. While this is difficult to rationalize given that “becoming one with the Force” is reserved for Jedi and means turning into a Force ghost, what reason would there be for this? It was written that way for a purpose. When Chirrut dies, his last line is, “I am one with the Force and the Force is with me” (261). As we know, Chirrut is not a Jedi, but he is Force sensitive. So, maybe this is a clue in the novelization. (I’m also going to point out here that Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi who still had a body even after he died and became one with the Force, and I believe that was supposed to be explained, but I don’t know where and what the explanation was. I’m not familiar with that era.) Wookieepedia also uses the same wording for Jyn: “becoming one with the Force.” On Cassian’s page, it says, “the Death Star destroyed the base, killing them and the other rebels in the area.” Pretty compelling, obviously, and so is the fact that their date of death is listed on each of their pages. Still…that “becoming one with the Force” wording is very intentional, and thus very interesting.

The Kiss: This is just a wildcard, but the turbolift scene was so intimate and so romantic that we all wondered why there was no kiss – especially when you see Jyn’s arm on Cassian’s shoulder. Is it possible there wasn’t a kiss because there is going to be one in the future? This is so weak, but we can all dream. From @rebelle-capitan​ again: “There’s also some really awkward editing where Cassian is leaning in, there’s a blip, and then he’s leaning back a little and his head is tilted differently. I think this indicates that a kiss was cut.”

How Jyn and Cassian Could Have Survived Check out these articles here and here (referenced above as well). I like the idea that the kyber crystal pressed between Jyn and Cassian could also save Cassian. It could explain why they hugged. But, they could have also hugged just to hug, because they were going to die, and it would have been awkward to just sit there together. Still…she could have leaned her head on his shoulder, or he could have had his arm around her waist, or…anything else. But that hug is very close, very tight, and we see Cassian’s fingers run up Jyn’s back and then grip her hard, digging into her back as he closes his eyes. We also see his eyes open as they die, and I always wondered about this. @sambargestuff​ says, “Cassian’s eyes widen in surprise (rather than fear) as the light hits them, as if something was happening that he didn’t expect or understand.” She goes on to explain more: “So, when the Death Star fired on Jedha, the city was the blast site and it was like ground zero of a nuclear bomb; immediate destruction/vaporization of everything in that place. The deaths at Saw’s hideout were the result of the shock wave; the crust of the planet lifting off and burying/crushing as it rolled back on people. There was no expansion of light or the beam vaporizing as it spread out over the planet surface. That clearly doesn’t happen on Jedha.

On Scarif, the blast from the Death Star clearly takes off the top of the data tower on its way to the planet surface and ground zero is actually in the ocean. Jyn and Cassian are on the beach, watching the shock wave come towards them from the ocean. So, they should have been engulfed in planetary crust and water (although you could argue the water vaporized, I suppose) and yet they were engulfed by a white light. Cassian’s eyes widen in surprise (rather than fear) as the light hits them, as if something was happening that he didn’t expect or understand.

So, what if that white light was the Force, engulfing our heroes (something mystical about Jyn’s kyber crystal) and keeping them safe, moving them through space and time, making them Force ghosts, whatever? The book doesn’t say Cassian dies, only that he was ready to die. Jyn doesn’t ‘die’ either, she becomes one with the Force and her faith carries Cassian.

Continuity errors or conspiracy to launch Jyn and Cassian on us again in the future? Think about it.”

Another idea, from @grexigone​: “So…bearing the Reddit post in mind, should the kyber really protected them, then it’s possible that the so called kyber-protection-bubble was strong enough to stand the heat wave (and the high tide afterwards) which could means that not only the explosion was not *that* strong to kill them, but they might actually survive the said explosion and return not as Force ghost but as an actual living human being.”

The Death Star’s Poor Aim Continuing on this point, that’s another thing I always wondered about: why did the Death Star fire directly on Jedha City and yet miss the Citadel Tower? Didn’t Tarkin say to target it? HOW could it possibly MISS? It fires way out into the ocean, kilometers away from Jyn and Cassian. An easy explanation is that it gives us the heartwrenching ending of Jyn and Cassian clutching each other together as they await death, and honestly, that’s probably it. But what if it was intentional? What if it was so they would have more time together so the magic of the kyber crystal could work so they could come back?

“Her Faith Carried Him with Her” “She believed someone was out there. Maybe it was even true. He did want it to be true. With all his heart, he did. Her faith carried him with her.” (282)

It’s interesting that these lines are all set as their own paragraph, meaning each one has more impact than if they’d been written as one paragraph. We can view “faith” as tying up to “believe” two paragraphs above, but “faith” is a pretty strong word to use, and with this theory, I’m reading faith as Star Wars faith, i.e., the Force, rather than her faith in the plans being received by the Alliance. So...the Force. Jedi. Lightsabers. Kyber crystals. If “Her faith,” meaning the Force and her kyber crystal necklace, “carried him with her,” is it not possible that if Jyn survives via the kyber crystal, Cassian is also “carried” along because he was in her embrace? I have always found this line odd, because to me, it is awkwardly worded, especially given that the narrative is Cassian’s.

Don’t forget, too, that Lyra said, “Trust the Force” when she gave Jyn the necklace, and Chirrut said, “The strongest stars have hearts of kyber.” This is weaker, but just a thought: both times Jyn touches the crystal in the movie are in a quiet moment, but they’re also right before she looks up at Cassian. Maybe it’s a hint, and a piece of her “carrying him with her.”

Jyn’s Potential Force Abilities From @rebelle-capitan: “Okay, so the books indicate that Lyra had an unusually strong connection to nature, which was what made her a) be a geologist and b) made her seek out other Force worshippers. I see this as being Force sensitive, though not strong enough to be a Jedi. Like Chirrut is sensitive, he can feel the Force and use it to ‘see’ (he can feel kyber crystals, which are basically living things), he’s just not strong enough to manipulate it and be a Jedi. Okay, so Lyra is maybe Force sensitive. Several times in the book, Jyn is mentioned as having a peculiar reaction to Chirrut when he’s ‘using’ the Force. She can feel her necklace react to him and when he starts praying, I think on the way to Eadu, she starts getting a massive pressure build up in her head. Now, I don’t know about new canon, but in Legends stuff, the emergence of latent Force sensitivity tends to occur during times of stress and includes pressure in the head, particularly when others are using the Force. Kyber crystals were things that only the Force sensitive could feel, and a Jedi typically communed for hours, even days, before their crystal chose them. Also, Jyn shows multiple instances of latent Force ability, such as shooting a stormtrooper she isn’t looking at, possibly being able to pick up Cassian’s emotions (several times, it’s as if she’s reading his mind, and in the novel she knows he’s following her to Scarif partially for absolution despite the fact that they never discuss it), and she’s able to convince a lot of people to blindly follow her seemingly through sheer force of will. She ‘prays’ at the shield gate, as if actively using the Force to sway things their way. So I’m leaning toward Jyn being Force sensitive. She wasn’t in any sort of a position as a child to be recruited by the Jedi, and around the time she would have been, the Jedi were slaughtered. So she’s been untrained all this time. IMO, her abilities start coming out when she encounters Chirrut. Whether she could use them to survive Scarif, let alone save Cassian as well, I don’t know. But if Maul can survive being chopped in half and falling down a big reactor shaft or whatever, and if the Force can create Anakin out of nothing, why not save two people on a beach from the fallout of the Death Star’s reduced-power blast?”

Lyra was originally a Jedi in an early draft, if you didn’t know. (Thank you to @simishipsrebelcaptain for that info!)

The Original Script and a Comment by Director Gareth Edwards The original script has Jyn and Cassian surviving Scarif, but the writers claimed they couldn’t figure out how to make it work, and director Gareth Edwards wanted to kill the whole crew off anyway. LFL/Disney green-lighted it, so they did. BUT, “Gareth always wanted to bring Jyn home.” I can’t remember where I read that, but I did read it in an article online at some point earlier this year.

Why is There No Book about Cassian? / Why Kill Off the Only Spies We Have in New Canon? I find it very interesting that Cassian is a very complex character deeply embedded in the Rebellion, with “the good guys,” yet he has no backstory besides the comic about how he met K-2SO. Someone on Tumblr mentioned that Cassian is the one character who could easily fit into the tapestry of the Star Wars Universe, as he is embedded in the Rebellion and a spy. (If this was you, please tag yourself and include that post if you can/want to!) Why kill him off when we could have seen more of the Rebellion from an everyman’s point of view? All we have right now are heroes’ POVs and the dead cast of Rogue One. I’m very familiar with the old Expanded Universe, and I don’t recall any spies, or any information about spies. My knowledge is a bit rusty, but nothing sticks out. Spies are something Star Wars hasn’t really delved into. It would be amazing to see more stories about them, and killing off the lead characters in the one spy story Star Wars has effectively kills off any potential for future spy stories – especially since Rogue One was immensely popular. I just don’t think another spy movie (or even book) would be well received, because it’s not Jyn and Cassian, and it’s not the Rogue One crew. (Jyn was also very well received.) There’s also a lot of toys and marketing and, well, MONEY to be made, and Disney, a well-known lover of money, just…ended…it…? What if there is no book on Cassian because he is going to come back later, and everything just hasn’t been decided yet? What if Cassian has another role to play?

The Bothans Died, but the Rebel Spies Didn’t In Return of the Jedi, Mon Mothma says, “Many Bothans died to bring us this information” in regards to the second Death Star. The opening crawl of A New Hope makes no mention of rebel spies dying. Just that rebel spies got the plans. Just sayin’.

The Argument that “They Don’t Appear in A New Hope” This comment is from the Rogue One production team, and it was given as justification for why they killed the entire cast off. It is extremely weak, given that a number of new characters (e.g., General Draven) and ships (e.g., the U-wing) were invented for Rogue One and don’t appear in A New Hope, and old characters like Mon Mothma are even at Yavin Base and still don’t appear in A New Hope. Just putting this in here briefly in case anyone wondered. (I have more on this, but this isn’t the place for it.)

Returning to the Drawing Board This is weak, but here it is anyway: I think it’s maybe possible that once Episode IX is out, LFL/Disney will want to return to the drawing board for things that did well. After all, they love returning to the OT. Disney also always returns to its own hits time after time and keeps marketing that stuff over and over. Maybe Disney left Rogue One with a loophole so that they could return to it if they needed it.

If Darth Maul Can Survive Being Cut in Half… …Jyn and Cassian can survive with a crystal imbued with the Force between them. Granted, Darth Maul’s survival is old canon, but…

Delicity Keeping Cassian/Diego around would also be easy for LFL/Disney, because he’s already a known quantity for Jyn/Felicity. They worked extremely well together and had amazing chemistry, and one could theorize that in the reshoots, Jyn and Cassian were brought closer together. Cassian’s role was also expanded in the reshoots. His character was changed, and new scenes were added (e.g., The Ring of Kafrene). Is it possible that Diego and Felicity had such amazing chemistry together that the production team decided to make something of it? After all, the turbolift scene appears to be a reshoot, and their deaths were reshot, and what purpose did the turbolift scene serve other than to be romantic? Besides the cynical response, which is, “To pack a bigger emotional punch when they died.”

Another point of note is that even though Rogue One is about Jyn, the publicity tour did include Diego. Maybe that’s just how these things go, or I don’t know, some other reason, but...this picture, really? That’s a pretty incredible picture for two actors who are not playing romantic leads. Also, the fact that the fandom did come up with a cute amalgamation of their names, when they are not and have never been a romantic couple like Hollywood couples who get these cute names, speaks volumes to me as tribute to how well they work together and what good friends they became during the shoot.

And that’s it! You’ve reached the end! I know, I can’t believe it, either.

Special thanks go out to @sambargestuff, @rebelle-capitan, @grexigone, @simishipsrebelcaptain, and @jenniferjuni-per for contributing ideas and helping me out with this! Extra thanks to @rebelle-capitan for beta’ing.

“Captivated by dream logic, knowing it was untrue, she thought: If I make it to the light, I can escape forever.” (256)

[kl-writes]

Get the story done already! (5/? - Friends)

I’ve already started fleshing out one of Carol’s friends (Smart Guy), as they became important to the story (With Noble), so it’s not a bad idea to begin looking at the rest of them.

I spoke previously about using the five-man band template, and going from there:

Leader: Carol Valentine (As the face). Carol is the best at operating the Mecha, and is the second-best at its maintenance and upgrades.

Lancer: This guy is probably the actual leader, or at the very least they publicly have them as the leader. I think that he’s more of a cat-herder (Like Horatio in Watch Dogs 2). Given their combat abilities, if anyone assumes that the Lancer must be Cherry Bronze, they’ll be able to hold them off until the real Cherry Bronze can arrive. I think that the lancer should be a guy, or at least a different gender than Carol, if only to make it obvious that they’re not Cherry Bronze. Although, someone might overthink things (Like I did with a Red X theory a while back…) and assume that they use some sort of voice modification as Cherry Bronze to throw people off. Cherry gets irritated that she didn’t think of doing that, but alas and alack the Lancer is not Cherry Bronze. In order for this gambit to work, Carol and Lancer have to have a lot of trust in each other. By definition, the Lancer should be more of a foil, but I think this should be more complementary than conflicting. Normally, Carol is Lancer’s secretary, and on the field, Lancer is mission control for Cherry. Lancer is probably the team’s best communications expert. I don’t know if I want to make them the best hacker, but they are definitely better than Carol. Lancer is actually a better fighter than Carol (Obviously still worse than Cherry), but isn’t better than the Big Guy.

A bold, classic heroic sounding name (Brock, Clark, Adam) would probably be best for this guy. Carol is subtle, but the Lancer is blunt. I also like the idea of using an older, family name. I kind of want to call this guy Kenneth, like Wild Weasel’s fake name back in the Phoenix Guard. So he’s Kenneth.

Big Guy: They’re a lean, mean, fighting machine! Except probably not lean, and not a machine. They can be mean, though, I don’t really want another teddy bear (I prefer to play against type or reinvent it, if possible). I haven’t even determined a setting, so I’m going to decide that being nonbinary in my world is normal. I guess Mark fought in Vietnam, but honestly I can probably change that part of the story to “Mark’s family died fighting evil alien bad guys” or something.

I also like the way Voltron went in not making the Big Guy an idiot. But at the same time, I don’t necessarily want to expand the trope in the same way. I don’t really have anyone set aside as a chemical expert yet, so let’s make the Big Guy the chemical/explosives expert. They might be more on the forensic science side. Maybe they’re an actual detective? A private eye for the agency? Carol Valentine is more of a talker/diplomat for information, but the Big Guy is the master detective who can analyze the enemy’s plans and movements to uncover conspiracies. The Big Guy and the Chick are likely friends- the Chick might be more of a Dark Action Girl, the comic relief with underground contacts- perhaps a reformed criminal? This is veering off-topic a little. The point is, that the Big Guy is a detective and a forensics/explosives expert.

As for names, we know detectives like Dupin, Poirot, Columbo, Holmes, Clouseau, etc. I’m already drawing inspiration from Detective Conan, so why not use a name from Japanese detective fiction? Rampo, instead of Edogawa. Rampo also sounds tough, like a ram. Interestingly enough, Rampo is itself a play on Edgar Allen Poe. So nobody can get mad at me for copying when the original Rampo copied his name. I’ll also use Rampo instead of the more accurate Ranpo simply because “m” seems tougher to me than “n,” for whatever reason. Probably the rams.

Smart Guy: The Smart Guy is the best there is at upgrading the Mecha, hacking, and probably most of the science stuff that goes into their agency. Although I dislike not playing with type whatsoever, I think the Smart Guy has to be a wimp on this team- I have too many people who are good at fighting and I don’t really want the Chick to be the weakest one (Emotional intelligence does not equal physical weakness!). So if I can’t play against type, then I’ll go all in on the Smart Guy. He’s the smartest smart guy there is, but a mean-looking squirrel with a rock could kill him. This also adds tension with Mr. Noble, since because Noble isn’t really the nerdy type, he’s probably fit and has some combat expertise. The Smart Guy is not going to be able to beat Noble in a physical fight, even if he gets the drop on him.

I think that instead of being concerned about his physical weakness, the Smart Guy either overestimates himself (Like Steve Rogers before his steroids in Captain America), or simply doesn’t even think of it as a concern. Maybe he doesn’t even think that going on the battlefield is a possibility. He’s likely a basement-dweller, but not an introvert. He’s extroverted and easy-going, even with strangers, but is very focused on work and thus can spend several days without human contact (Or maybe even eating) when he finds a new project, or gets inspired. He might have a genuine trust in the good will of others- perhaps the Smart Guy is taking on more of the Nick Valentine traits than Carol is. Are they siblings? I think that the Smart Guy should be Carol’s big brother. He probably also has a code name- Victor Valentine, because he likes alliteration. This is apparently an online tweed suit store, according to google, but there are several real people who have this name. I think that a character in a mecha story and a vendor of tweed suits are distinct enough that the IP shouldn’t be an issue, and I won’t be confusing any readers.

Chick: From developing the others, we know that the Chick isn’t physically weak, she’s emotionally intelligent, more of a criminal type, and possibly comic relief. She’s the rogue of the group, the lock-breaker. Victor might be the better hacker, but the Chick will just look at the post-it on the monitor to enter in the password, or maybe investigate the victim’s pet names for password clues. She comes from the poorest socio-economic background, and can keep the team grounded and focused on the real issues the city faces (The nation? I’m a little unclear on the setting’s scale, still). She’s able to connect with the criminal underground not because of her tough attitude, but because of her willingness to listen. She’s the kind of person strangers will open up to, although at times she finds it annoying to hear about a fellow bus passenger’s divorce issues. She has a lot of random skills, and is a quick learner, although she gets bored easily studying one thing for too long. She’s got the least formal expertise, and is able to do a lot of things but not describe the theory, or use the proper jargon.

She’s got a mean personality like Rampo, but unlike them, is far more willing to open up to others and be patient. I’m not sure what to do with her on names. I’m tempted to go with a more neutral name, like Alex, at the risk of seeming tacky. Maybe Lexa? I don’t think there’s very many Lexa’s, most people are Lexi if they shorten it that way. It also feels a little more modern, and I think that Lexa and Victor are all about the cutting-edge.

 So in conclusion, the heroes are Carol Valentine/Cherry Bronze, Kenneth, Rampo, Victor Valentine, and Lexa. The villains are Aqua Black and Mr. Noble. Though I’m seeing an immediate problem with the names, at least with the heroes. All the names have two syllables. This is a no-go.

Victor can be Victoria (And we’ll make him a her instead, now). Lexa can be “Lee.” I may as well go all in if I’m on the fence about choosing a more neutral name for the character without seeming tacky or cliché. Kenneth can be called “Ken” by his friends. That gives us two (three?) two-syllable names (Rampo, Carol, Cherry), two one-syllable names (Ken, Lee), and one four-syllable name (Victoria). That should be enough for us to avoid the names starting to blend together. I also prefer a more “regal” name like Victoria contrasted with Mr. Noble. Cherry Bronze and Aqua Black are fine having the same word-syllable structure since their similarities are supposed to be recognized. Mr. Noble is the only one called by his last name, which should ‘feel’ different.

Next time, I think we’re ready to start looking at the character dynamics a bit more in-depth. This will open up opportunities for stories.