#it was also my first time seeing any of the original trilogy for star wars in theaters | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bazzybelle · 11 months

Text

Good Omens 2 and Wayward Son - A Fan's Commentary on Fandom Reactions

I’m going to start off by saying apologies for any obvious grammatical errors. I am writing purely from the heart here.

Also, apologies to my Sandman friends. If you haven’t read The Simon Snow Trilogy, this will go over your heads. However, I have been going back and forth on writing this meta since the release of Good Omens 2, and I just finished reading a spectacular meta on queer ships becoming canon by @avelera, which you can find here (read it, it’s brilliant). Anyway, I feel now’s a good time to let out all of my feelings when it comes to Good Omens 2 and how similar it was to reading Wayward Son.

Simon Snow friends, you all know that Wayward Son is my favourite book out of the trilogy. You also know that this can be considered a controversial take within the fandom. And I don’t mean that in a toxic way, this fandom is one of the more wholesome fandoms I’ve seen; But in the way of like… Wayward Son is itself a polarizing book.

I say this, knowing full well what went down when Wayward Son was released. Perhaps I had the advantage of not being completely embroiled within the Simon Snow fandom until after I’d finished reading the book, but I lived on the periphery. I followed Rainbow on Twitter (fuck you, I am not calling it X), I had saved some artwork on Pinterest (before I found out those were stolen, wherein I immediately unpinned them and deleted my fandom folders), and I was excited to get Wayward Son as soon as it came out. So much so that I asked my husband to go to the Indigo near his office and buy it because I wanted to read it right away.

Friends, I demolished that book within a DAY.

Then I read it again. And again. And again.

Then I wrote my first fanfiction in eight years.

This book changed me. But you all know that. I’ve talked about it often, and that’s not what this meta (Editorial? Opinion piece? Shouting into the void?) is about.

What I am going to talk about is the amount of pure vitriol this book got once it was released. There was SO MUCH complaining about the book. It was too short! There was no point to it! Why aren’t Simon and Baz having sexy vampire sex? Why aren’t they living together (never mind that this was briefly discussed at the end of Carry On, but go off I guess)?

And you know what’s even funnier? Within a couple of weeks (it might have even been days, I’m a little fuzzy on timelines) Rainbow announced the third book. We knew, right away, that Wayward Son was meant to be an in-between book! Rainbow, being a fandom person herself, has said time and time again that she had always considered Wayward Son as an in-between book, structured like The Empire Strikes Back within the Star Wars original trilogy. Like think of the in-between books of any series, they are ALWAYS the darkest ones. In order to fully appreciate the win in the end, you need to go through the tough shit.

What I loved about Wayward Son was it took that idea and spun it. It went all “ok, yeah we dealt with the win, now let’s deal with the aftermath. Only then can we have the makeouts and sexy times these guys deserved.” (and damn, did Any Way The Wind Blows deliver on that promise).

But I am getting away from myself again. Point is, it was always meant to be an in-between book. There was always meant to be a resolution at the end of the trilogy. But that sure as hell didn’t stop people from outright demanding Rainbow give them the happy ending NOW. Pestering her on Twitter, (not so much on Tumblr) demanding she do this, or do that, or “you better not kill Baz” (even though she has ALWAYS SAID SHE NEVER WOULD) or “they better not break up” (even though, narratively, it was heading in that direction). The closer the book got to release date, the more people complained about how awful Wayward Son was.

It was really disheartening to see.

Which is why I got really upset when the SAME THING happened after the release of Good Omens 2.

(For clarification purposes, because several of my friends have spoken to me about their own personal issues with Good Omens 2. And you are all super fucking valid. I am strictly referring to the amount of anger I saw online because although Aziraphale and Crowley kissed, they didn’t have an immediate happily ever after. I am also speaking of the anger expressed because the season wasn’t wrapped up in a neat little bow.)

Like with the release of Wayward Son, people seemed to have forgotten that season 2 of Good Omens was meant to be an inbetween season. Neil Gaiman has not been shy to talk about that. He has said over and over again that Season 2 was always meant to be a bridge between the Good Omens he and Terry Pratchett wrote together, and the sequel they had been planning.

What… did you all just forget about that? Do you not know how narrative writing works?

It’s like people refused to take a step back and breathe for a second and appreciate the season for what it was. A beautiful romantic story (because, IT WAS! Just like Neil said it would be), as well as a lead up into what will be the epic, dramatic conclusion. No, instead people started demanding the happy ending NOW, and getting angry when Neil wouldn’t budge and offer more information (even though he never has before) (funny how people just… forgot that).

It was Wayward Son all over again.

Yeah, I’m not going to lie, I was crushed with the way Good Omens 2 left off. Just like I was so confused when Wayward Son ended out of the blue. You know what I did about that? I wrote fic, I read the book again, and I happily anticipated the upcoming final part that would tie up all the loose ends.

Know what I’m doing to heal after Good Omens 2? I’m looking at gifs, rewatching episodes, laughing at memes and crack, and hoping to all the gods of story writing that Amazon approves of a third season, so that Neil Gaiman can be allowed to finish the story he and Terry Pratchett built together.

It’s become sad to watch this feral hunger from fans demanding immediate gratification, and getting upset when it isn’t the ending or gratification they were expecting. Wayward Son came out after years of Carry On fans having nothing else but the one book. Like I said, I wasn’t part of the fandom then, so I don’t know how fans from 2015 felt upon learning they’d get more Simon and Baz. Same with Good Omens. I only really got into the fandom a few months before season 2 came out. So I don’t know how OG fans felt waiting and waiting and waiting. So maybe I have that going for me as an advantage, that my hunger wasn’t growing more and more feral.

Then again, I’m now a part of The Sandman fandom, and we’re essentially waiting on Season 2 to start development. And while I’m hoping a few things are tweaked (like Dream and Hob’s relationship), I’d be more than fine if it stays the same as in the comics. And if they decide to go about that in an entirely different way, I’d be fine with that too. You know why? Because I’ve learned to trust the writers of the stories I love not to lead me astray.

And if I’m unhappy with something –because nothing is ever 100% perfect, and even my favourite stories end up coming short– there are always fanfictions to write, gifs to laugh at, and fandom friends to discuss plots and meta with.��

I may have lost the point of this meta. I tend to do that, following a train of thought that doesn’t always make sense in the end.

Fandom friends, can we all just agree to take a breath and be thankful of the stories given to us? Can we learn to appreciate the entire picture, and not just a tiny section of it? And for the love of all that is holy, can we learn to be patient and to listen when our story tellers remind us to wait and see? To trust them when they assure us that our characters will have a happy ending, even if they need to traverse a little in the dark to get there?

I sure as hell am, and I hope you will too.

Gonna tag @carryonsimoncarryonbaz because she was instrumental in encouraging me to write this.

81 notes · View notes

samasmith23 · 2 months

Text

Why Revenge of the Sith remains my personal favorite Star Wars movie

I think one of the main reasons I have such a fondness for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in particular amongst the entire saga (controversial opinion I know, but ROTS is my personal favorite Star Wars film period...) is because of the experience I had with this movie as a kid growing up!

This film came out in 2005 when I still would have been in the 3rd Grade, and I had already grown up loving the Star Wars franchise, watching the unaltered VHS copies of the Original Trilogy, as well as Episodes I & II on DVD constantly as a child. So when I started seeing tons of trailers and promotions for Episode III popping up, you'd better believe that I was incredibly huped about this film! I still remember seeing the initial teaser trailer for Revenge of the Sith when I first saw Pixar's The Incredibles back in 2004, and you'd better believe that little kid me was excited as all heck!

youtube

I personally remember the build-up and anticipation for Episode III being wild back in the day, since not only was this being promoted as the "final entry in the Star Wars saga" since George Lucas stated his intentions to not make an Episode VII at the time (hindsight can be funny sometimes... lol!), but this would be the film that finally answered the question of how exactly Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader! Episode III was also promoted as the darkest film in the entire franchise since it was the first to ever receive a PG-13 rating (all the previous movies were rated PG here in the US…). Heck, I remember the PG-13 rating causing a lot of caution and concern among both parents and teachers, since not only did one of my teachers state that my 3rd Grade class was "too young to watch Star Wars Episode III," but when my Dad and I finally saw in cinemas, he calmed my Mom down by telling her he would cover my eyes if any scene got overly violent. Fortunately, my Dad did not end up not having to shield my eyes... although funnily enough he almost did so during the scene when Anakin ignited his lightsaber in front of the younglings before it immediately cut away (so their deaths occurred offscreen...). It wasn't until I was much older that I later learned that the primary reason Episode III was given the PG-13 rating was that in addition to Lucas’ personal recommendation due to the film’s darker tone, the rating was specifically aimed at the immolation scene on Mustafar when Anakin is burned alive by the lava after losing his duel with Obi-Wan.

When I finally saw Revenge of the Sith in theaters in May of 2005, to say that I was completely blown away by the film would be a massive understatement! Not only was I completely immersed in the sheer epic scale of the space and lightsaber duels, but the aesthetics of the planets like Utapau & Mustafar, as well as creatures & droids like General Grievous, captured my imagination to entirely new levels that surpassed even the previous Star Wars films. Heck, General Grievous in particular was a character that I became completely obsessed with as a kid in a similar manner to how countless other Star Wars fans are completely enamored by Boba Fett (both for his badass character design, as well as his status as a Jedi-killing cyborg who wields 4 lightsabers simultaneously while also foreshadowing Anakin's similar future transformation into a being "more machine than man")!

However, the elements of Revenge of the Sith that especially captivated my young mind in the theater were the portrayal of Anakin Skywalker's turn to the Dark Side, as well as Chancellor Palpatine's rise to power as the Emperor. Before the movie's release, I would constantly speculate about what exactly would cause Anakin to become Darth Vader (little kid me came up with wild theories such as him being mind-controlled into being evil via Sith lightning or some such bullcrap... lol!) and the revelation that Anakin turned to the Dark Side primarily out of fear of his wife Padmé dying at childbirth was certainly not what I was expecting back then. At the same time though, this plot point made perfect sense to me and I couldn't help but be engrossed in the whole Greek/Shakespearean tragedy portrayal of Anakin's descent into darkness being motivated primarily out of love. Additionally, as I continued to rewatch Revenge of the Sith on DVD and Blu-Ray as I grew older, I began noticing more of Anakin's growing frustration and distrust with the Jedi council, and how it heavily correlated with the political themes about the corruption of democracy and the rise of fascism (which makes both the Order 66 montage and Padmé’s line, “So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause,” hit even harder)! Furthermore, Palpatine himself made for such a phenomenal main antagonist & master manipulator, with scenes such as him telling Anakin the legend of Darth Plagueis story at the Coruscant opera house as well as his reveal as Darth Sidious being particularly chilling standouts for me!

While some of those more complex themes went over my head as a 3rd grader, Revenge of the Sith was probably one of my earliest exposures to darker forms of storytelling dealing with flawed characters & complex themes. Elements that I now actively search for in my consumption of media, ranging to films, comics, TV, and video games. Additionally, as a child these aforementioned elements made me rewatch Episodes I & II with an even greater appreciation and attention to Anakin’s gradual downfall and Palpatine’s manipulations which all culminated in Episode III. As a kid, I used to primarily focus on the action scenes in Star Wars films above all else, but as an adult elements such as the corruption of bureaucracy with the Jedi Order, the downfall of democracy & the rise of fascism with the Old Republic's devolving into the Galactic Empire, and the Shakespearean tragedy of Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader are the elements of the Prequels that continue with stick with me!

It's for this reason that despite whatever flaws Revenge of the Sith might have along with the rest of the Prequel Trilogy, it honestly still remains my personal favorite Star Wars film in the entire saga, followed closely by both Return of the Jedi and The Last Jedi (which means that my Top 3 Star Wars films include one from each trilogy! Lol!)! And for the longest time I thought that Episode III would have been the ONLY Star Wars movie I'd ever get the chance to see in theaters... thank goodness I was wrong with the release of the Sequel Trilogy a decade later! Still though... I will forever cherish that initial hype of Revenge of the Sith as my first-ever theatrical Star Wars experience!

24 notes · View notes

jadelotusflower · 3 months

Text

So I finally watched Andor...

...and naturally I have thoughts (hey, it’s me). Maybe they're belated, seeing as this show was released almost two years ago, but I've been on the outskirts of the Star Wars fandom for a while now. This in and of itself isn't usual - I tend to drift between my core fandoms in phases, but since TLJ the GFFA hasn't really been a pleasant place to be so I haven't really had a reason to drift back to it for any length of time.

Which isn't to say I've avoided Star Wars altogether, dipping in when something piques my interest like Obi-Wan Kenobi (which I liked aspects of but ultimately felt like just a setup to the show I actually wanted to watch), and have absorbed some of the rest through cultural osmosis. Andor is a show I've been meaning to get to for a while, although it has been praised to the point of being overhyped (and there was a whiff of Not Like Other Star Wars to the critical reception) so I was concerned it would not meet expectations.

But I was pleasantly surprised as how much this show felt spiritually and aesthetically in tune with the original trilogy, and especially A New Hope, as opposed to Disney!Star Wars. Even if the tone and content of Andor is very different, it feels in conversation with the OT in a way the rest of Disney’s output has not - building on the story we already know, rather than trying replace or rewrite it as something else.

Aesthetically, we have the 70's vibe of the set design and costuming in middle-class Coruscant, the stark white jumpsuits and surrounds of Narkina 5 evoking Lucas's early film THX-1138, even the way we are plopped right into the middle of the story with very little exposition, but still eased into the narrative is very reminiscent of the first act of A New Hope. Thematically, of course we’re seeing the Rebellion in its earlier stages - small disparate cells of seditious activity directly acting against Imperial interests that will become the somewhat ragtag but nonetheless organised and unified Alliance.

While Star Wars was a cinema pastiche throwback to Flash Gordan serials and Campbell’s hero’s journey as an antidote to the grimdark antiheroes of the 70’s, in many ways Andor brings things back full circle to the grit of neo-noir. It holds a mirror up to the OT and lets us see the other side of the coin - and the full cost of victory. So many people have to die for Cassian to make it to the Rebellion - just like Cassian himself will die for the Death Star plans to make it to Leia, like Obi-Wan will die to ensure those plans make it to the Rebellion, and squadrons of rebel pilots will die so Luke can ultimately destroy the Death Star.

A stone is dropped in a pond, and we see the ripples but the stone itself sinks.

Overall thoughts

Tony Gilroy is the showrunner here, a veteran screenwriter notable for the Bourne films, and we can certainly see this influence at work. He also wrote The Devil’s Advocate, which is by no means good but I do enjoy in all its ott mythological monologues-and-accents glory, and seminal romcom (of my childhood at least) The Cutting Edge. He also wrote and directed Michael Clayton, which I have not seen but was nominated for several Oscars, including Original Screenplay, Director, and Best Picture (Tilda Swinton won for Supporting Actress).

Of course he's also a credited screenwriter on Rogue One, and I understand his contribution was mostly to the infamous rewrites/reshoots. I desperately want to read a full breakdown/bts of what went down with that film (well all of Disney-led Lucasfilm really) and see the deleted/original material, because I am fascinated. It's also interesting to note that Gilroy took over showrunning duties from Stephen Schiff pre-production. The show does very much feel like Gilroy wanted to make his own stamp on the Andor character and use him as a vehicle in his spy-thriller/political intrigue wheelhouse.

Reading some of Gilroy’s comments around the series had made me wonder how much of Andor being reflective/referential to the OT was intentional (on his part at least), and arguably Gilroy did overwrite the character of Cassian Andor so…there’s nuance. But as a story, to me it felt in tune with what I love about Star Wars rather than at odds with it, and that's what I appreciated most.

But first things first. B2EMO made it to the end! Finally, my expectations are subverted in a good way, because I love this little droid with all my heart. There are several key elements of Star Wars to me that separate it from other sci-fi/space fantasy and that is Jedi, distinctive aliens, and sentient droids. Obviously there's no Jedi here (nor does there need to be), my issues with the lack of aliens I'll address below, but when it comes to droids B2EMO fits right in, and we can assume is a precursor to Cassian's relationship with K-2SO.

Overall I thought the show was excellent (with a few caveats). What's impressive is the sheer number of characters and plots interwoven together, every conversation servicing character, the overall theme or setting something up that will pay off later, playing with coincidence and fate (the will of the Force), the interlocking domino effect. Arvel Skeen recognising the tattoo on Cassian's arm leads to a conversation of his history, but also sets up Skeen later offering to take and split the haul with Cassian (and getting killed for it). The raid on Aldhani triggers the Empire’s harsh new measures that gets Cassian sentenced to six years in prison, but also inspires the rebellion on Ferrix (via Maarva). The Aldhani heist is a triumph for Vel, but traps Mon’s financial contributions to the Rebellion by the Empire’s crackdown on banking, leading her and her daughter into an unwanted family alliance.

I'm a big proponent of Star Wars Dialogue is Good, Actually - not saying there's not clunkers or stilted scenes (the PT moreso than the OT) but there seems to be this weird consensus that Lucas-era dialogue sucks despite being some of the most quoted/referenced movies of all time. Lucas was creating a modern myth, of course a lot of it is arch and operatic. I love the dialogue in Andor too - which rightly gets high praise, and while it's arguably tighter, in many ways it's no more naturalistic than that of the Saga with everyone constantly speaking in metaphor, it's just pitched differently because this is a different genre (and the acting is uniformly excellent because they are actually interacting with each other and being competently directed).

There’s layers of meaning in almost every scene and subtle moments of foreshadowing that I really enjoy - Karis Nemik muses on the role of mercenaries in a rebellion that must use every tool and weapon at its disposal, and obviously Cassian starts out as that mercenary who will be pulled into the wider struggle, but this also foreshadows the importance of Han Solo - at first only out for the promise of a reward but ultimately instrumental in bringing the Empire down. But it’s not because he’s treated as a tool - as the Empire treats its workforce as tools - but because he’s treated as worthwhile, he’s valued as a person. The Empire casts people out while the Rebellion draws them in.

We also see this in the arc on Narkina 5, and the Empire’s tightening grip backfiring against them. In order to force the prisoners to speedily produce parts for the Death Star they work in close-knit teams, creating a close camaraderie ultimately allowing them to escape - because when you turn people into cogs of a machine, the machine can be turned back against you. Contrast this to the jockeying over position and territory and power in the ISB - they serve the Empire, but never at personal cost.

We see the Republic of affiliated systems from the PT turn into an Empire of conquered planets, where local cultures are subsumed into homogeneous Imperial rule. Even Corpsec is replaced by Imperial oversight, and we know that the Senate on Coruscant will be dissolved completely in ANH. But ultimately this ferments rebellion and unites the outcast and oppressed - the Keredians on Narkina 5 hate the Empire for their prison polluting the waterways, and so let Cassian and Melchi go. Cinta’s whole family was killed by stormtroopers turning her single minded focus to destroying them. The people of Ferrix respond to Maarva’s call and riot against the Imperial forces even though it will mean violent reprisal.

The Empire forges the weapons that will be used against them. As Nemik’s manifesto states: “The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.”

And yet we're not there yet - it's important that this is still a Rebellion and not an Alliance, a disparate collection of segmented sedition with a myriad of agendas we see run by Saw Gerrara, Anton Kreegyr, Luthen Rael. They won't be a genuine threat to the Empire until they join forces, share resources and intelligence, and unite behind a collective goal. Although there may be sacrifices in this as well - Separatists, Partisan Front, Sectorists etc mentioned by Saw will either coalesce under the Alliance to Restore the Republic or be driven further to the fringes.

The thrust of Nemik's manifesto is that freedom is a natural state of being, while oppression is unnatural, and even though Andor has nothing to do with the Jedi it nonetheless echoes their philosophy: that the Force is in a natural state of balance, while the existence of the Sith who tap into the Dark Side upset this balance. As we see in Return of the Jedi, the balance is ultimately restored by the return to that natural state buffeted by the most powerful forces - friendship, love, sacrifice - forces that ultimately drive Cassian as well. While much has been said of the moral ambiguity and nuance of Andor, it's not incongruent with the OT, if anything it reinforces its power and message.

HOWEVER, I have my nits to pick - the lack of aliens is a serious flaw (and in particular, the lack of familiar aliens). In some cases they can get away with it and make subtle commentary - Coruscant is stark and grey as the centre of bureaucracy in stark contrast to the vibrant metropolis of the PT. Seeing the streets populated almost exclusively by humans where once it was a melting pot underscores the Empire’s segregationist policies. However the dearth of non-humans elsewhere - Ferrix, Aldhani, even the prison labour camp Narkina 5 - is disconcerting. These are places meant to depict the oppressive rule of the Empire and this undermines the strength of the rebellion as a group of diverse species fighting against the Imperial monoculture. It's odd, for example, that we see all the characters from Ferrix return except Vetch, the muscle employed "just to stand there" by Nurchi (a nice moment with Cassian!), and that Maarva's funeral procession seems entirely human.

Ultimately, I think the setup is much stronger than the payoff, and while I appreciate the slow burn, the show does have sometimes have difficulty juggling the plots. Once set up, characters are parked waiting to be incorporated into the narrative (it feels like we watch Syril stare at his cereal forever) and looking back not much actually happens to a lot of them- there are a lot of threads left hanging and not much resolution. Which is of course because this was only intended to be season 1 of 5, with each arc a year of Cassian’s life leading up to Rogue One. But sadly Andor has been given a second season only, leaving 12 episodes to wrap everything up, so ultimately I fear the show will feel like a slow setup and rushed conclusion, which is a real shame.

Cassian Andor

I’m went into this as someone who doesn’t really have a strong connection to Cassian as a character - I certainly liked him in Rogue One! But let’s just say he’s not my blorbo. And this not the backstory I would have expected for the character five years before Rogue One as someone who has “been in this fight since [he] was six years old.”

Diego Luna has such a charismatic presence and it is nice to have a more internal, insular character, but it’s kind of sad that Cassian is really the least developed character in a show ostensibly about him. It’s not really his story, but he’s the fulcrum (pun intended) around which most of the other characters pivot; this is a story of the rebellion of which he is just one part. So, I can see if Cassian fans may have been upset by his lack of focus, and I personally would have wanted to delve a bit deeper into Cassian Andor on a show called Andor, you know? And it does feel a little bit skeevy that the actual Axis (pun intended) of the show is Luthen in his middle age white man glory, with a whiff of Gilroy’s self-insert about him.

I do wish LFL would abandon simply naming their shows after the main character - presumably it’s for general audience recognition and algorithmic reasons, but my god how boring. If the show had been marketed as the ensemble it actually is I would take less issue with the lack of Cassian focus. But sadly I’m not sure we know that much more about Cassian at the end of the show than we did at the end of the first three episodes - or really, what it adds to his character and arc we see in Rogue One.

Yes he’s further radicalised by his experiences and is now presumably "all in" on the rebellion, but the events of the show are kicked off by Cassian searching for his sister which is a motivation that is all but dropped thereafter - although at one point I was half-expecting (dreading) it to be revealed that Luthen's assistant Kleya Marki was Kerri (and sidebar, Kleya - what a stone cold bitch! I love a stone cold bitch).

This plot will likely continue in season 2, but it felt a bit undercooked and too deep in the subtext given the prominence it had in kicking off the narrative. We get a flashback to Cassian’s childhood, but ultimately it feels like lipservice to his Indigenous heritage rather than true engagement since we don't see him reflect on it in any way, nor does it seem to have any impact on his choices throughout the series that seem primarily motivated by his life and relationships on Ferrix.

We get a strong start to Cassian and Luthen that peters out - he's intent on recruiting Cassian, but then writes him off when Cassian flees after Aldhani and wants him killed, then goes all the way to Ferrix for him, but is about to leave without actually doing anything? I know Luthen's meant to be ambiguous, but this is one area where plot is obviously driving things not character. I get that it was important for Cassian to be the one to go to Luthen at the end and choose the Rebellion unfetted, but the relationship is undercooked. I almost feel like the series is a procession of things that happen to Cassian rather than a journey I was on with him. There's external forces, but very little internal focus.

However, what I did love about the show was the thematic resonance that was happening on a macro and micro level - while the show as a whole is a mirror/reflection of the OT, we also see dichotomy in the character pairings that are mirrors and/or foils of each other in various ways - we have the two sides of the conflict being Empire and Rebellion (with Cassian stuck in the middle), and we are also shown conflict within those two sides.

Cassian is without a reflective character pairing because his true mirror is Jyn Erso, and seeing Cassian’s struggles here does give real weight to his “you’re not the only one who lost everything” speech - in many ways the show is his journey from being Jyn, to being the man who says to her “we don't all have the luxury of deciding when and where we want to care about something.”

Mon Mothma and Luthen Rael

The most obvious mirror/foil pair as the two sides of the Rebellion, although arguably we have a third prong in Saw Gerrara, and kind of a mirror in Luthen as Cassian’s mentor as Saw was Jyn’s - and I do wonder about the show that was a two-handed prequel with Cassian and Jyn growing up in different factions of the Rebellion, but alas.

The artifact Luthen gives Mon represents “a sun goddess and a serpent sharing the same mouth” representing their differing philosophical approach to fighting the Empire. As mirror characters they are alike in many ways - both of the privileged class and living double lives on Coruscant, but while Mon makes political efforts to move the needle on the Empire's activities in the Senate while also funneling money to direct but small rebel efforts, Luthen outright pokes the bear, sacrifices allies, and knowingly making things worse to swell the ranks of the rebellion on the hope it will speed up progress. There's more than a hint of the incrementalism/revolutionary dichotomy here.

It also raises a lot of interesting questions without (rightly) providing many answers - the struggle of the oppressed, the moral weight of insurgency and revolution. Is it right to intentionally provoke an oppressive power into reacting with violence in order to fuel a greater pushback against them? Is short term suffering justified if it achieves eventual victory, and is it right for the few to decide what is a justifiable sacrifice? What are our responsibilities to each other under the threat of/struggle against authoritarianism? As social commentary it's more timely than ever.

Whether Mon or Luthen is right for the viewer to decide, although as Leia tells Tarkin in ANH: "the more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." On the other hand, we know Mon survives to the end of the Empire while Luthen (I assume) will not. She will become a leading figure in the Alliance, and eventual Chancellor of the New Republic, while he will be another stone at the bottom of the pond.

This is foreshadowed in the dialogue (with a direct mirror reference):

“I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them. I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life, to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see. No, the ego that started this fight will never have a mirror, or an audience, or the light of gratitude."

Arguably however, the mirror is the show - we are the audience.

We know Cassian joins Luthen at the end of season 1, and will meet Mon in season 2, so it will be interesting to see him struggle between these two philosophies, although we can infer from Rogue One that he aligns himself (out of necessity) with Luthen's veiwpoint:

"We've all done terrible things on behalf of the Rebellion. Spies, saboteurs, assassins....And every time I walked away from something I wanted to forget, I told myself it was for a cause that I believed in. A cause that was worth it. Without that, we're lost."

Ultimately, the Rebellion needs people like Luthen and Cassian to make not only the physical sacrifice, but the moral one as well (noting our first introduction to Cassian is him killing an informant so he can escape) - people who play the Empire's game so Luke can ultimately reject the Emperor's.

But I had mixed feelings on the Mon Mothma storyline. It feels a bit off for Luthen to be her entrée into the Rebellion, when we know she’s been on the ground from the very beginning with the Petition of the 2000 (cut from ROTS, but still canon I assume). She just felt very isolated and fragile which is at odds with her quiet steel that we see in Return of the Jedi and Rogue One. I could maybe see this Mon in the early dark days, but only 5 years before ANH? A scene with Bail Organa would not have gone amiss just to give breadth to her rebellious activities.

We get to see Luthen visit Saw Gerrara on Segra Milo, why not give Mon a scene with Bail to show she has other irons in the fire rather than relying on Luthen? In Saw we see the rough and tumble of disparate rebel factions, I would have liked to see the political machinations of Mon and Bail to serve the metaphor even further.

She is more than just a bank for the rebellion, and I think in the effort to contrast Luthen and Mon there was a bit of disservice done to the latter.

And Mon’s loser husband - ugh. Okay they’re in some kind of arranged marriage but there’s very little substance, nothing us particularly revealed about Mon by including him. Other than her cleverly using his gambling debts to deflect her rebellion spending at the end, the story wouldn’t really have changed by him not existing, and in fact would have been improved by focusing more on Mon’s difficult relationship with her daughter.

But on a purely shallow note, I want her wardrobe!

Dedra Meero and Syril Karn

In some ways Cassian and Syril are the narrative foils and there are parallels between them - their conflict instigated in the first episodes, their maternal relationships, both essentially exiles for the middle section before both end up back on Ferrix where Cassian saves Bix and Syril saves Dedra. But I feel Syril and Dedra work better as mirrors, and their arcs also parallel and intersect.

In the Empire, Dedra and Syril are two sides of the other coin (there's quite a few coins in this metaphor). Regimes need bureaucracy, and you have the true believers, the status-climbers, and those just going along to get along. In Dedra we have the talented star of the prestigious Imperial Security Bureau, and in Syril the over eager Corporate Security officer, two arms of the Empire’s control, although the latter we see becoming obsolete as the former gains more control.

But they're both middlemen who chafe against the inaction of their superiors, both desperate to rise above their station (although those stations are quite far apart). Throughout the series their plots are mostly in parallel; they are reflections of each other without even having met.

It's uncomfortable to watch both of them on screen - all unblinking stares, sucked in cheeks, and pursed lips - fittingly repellent. I’m surprised Gilroy has said he wrote Dedra to be relatable - she skeeved me out from the first, someone clearly ready to step over anyone and everyone if it served her purposes rather than someone gradually drawn further into an authoritarian regime. There's the slight subtext of sexism - there's only one other women in the ISB briefing and Pendergast alludes to it, but that certainly didn't engender any sympathy or admiration from me.

In episode 7 Syril’s mother Eedy says “Everything says something, Syril” and chastises him about tailoring his uniform (just as he did in the first episode, a neat little character tell), and immediately after we see Dedra donning her uniform perfectly in sync with the rest of the ISB. He’s trying to stand out from the crowd, she’s trying to fit in - or, from a different perspective, Syril adjusts his collar to resemble the Imperial style as a signifier of where he wants to be, while Dedra is already there and still looking higher.

But both are thinking outside the rigid Imperial lines and command structures, both on the hunt for Cassian - although for Syril it's personal and Dedra it's about climbing the ranks. Both take it upon themselves to investigate against orders, but Syril’s attempts are clumsy and random while Dedra’s are clinical and targeted.

She identifies that “systems either change or die” to push the ISB’s fragmented and bureaucratic inefficiencies into a cohesive power structure, but while it wins her approval it doesn’t earn her any loyalty; her troops abandon her to the mob on Ferrix. Inexplicably though, Syril does manage to gain the loyalty of Sergeant Mosk, who was also punished for the initial blunder on Ferrix, but ultimately draws Syril back there to in search of Cassian.

The point at which they first intersect in episode 8, Dedra is on an upswing, she holds the power and sends Syril further down, but when they meet again in episode 11, the roles are reversed as he is the one to save her from the mob.

I just hope they’re going somewhere more interesting than his creepy crush.

Vel Sartha and Cinta Kaz

One of the major faults of Rogue One was its Smurfette Syndrome, where Jyn is a great female character surrounded by men, but Andor has pleasingly course corrected from this. See what happens when you don’t have one woman having to embody everything and bear the weight of her entire gender in the narrative (and therefore, also bear the criticism)? Andor happily treats its women as characters, not faux-empowering meme-fodder. Although there is perhaps some valid commentary that it’s still white women on the whole - Dedra, Mon, Vel, Maarva - who get the meatier roles, and I have my issues with Mon’s characterisation, but one thing I will give Disney LFL credit for is it’s ongoing efforts towards gender parity.

In Vel and Cinta we have two more sides of insurgency - from wealth and privilege in Vel, the cousin of Mon Mothma struggling with the weight of it all, to Cinta with her cold fire and unwavering drive, her family killed by stormtroopers and for whom the struggle will always come first.

Cinta’s cool reserve is a contrast to Vel’s nerves (as seen in the Aldhani raid); they’re coming from very different places even if their cause is the same. There may even be a bit of classism in the subtext - Vel leads the mission on Aldhani after asking for the mission from Luthen, when really Cinta is the one who is most committed, and she has to push Vel though several times when she falters.

Vel still has one foot in the Imperial world and the complications of rebellious machinations - worried for Mon and her family, wanting to prove herself to Luthen, jockeying with Kleya - but for Cinta none of that matters, she loves Vel but there's often a sense she's disappointed in her. There's a dichotomy within Cinta - she's not unfeeling, showing kindness to Cassian when he joins their group, yet accepting the mission to kill him later without hesitation.

It seems to me that Cinta is the revolutionary Vel wants to be but can't quite divest herself of enough to become - the metaphor is made explicit with these two - Cinta tells Vel: “I’m a mirror. You love me because I show you what you need to see.”

Which is a pretty interesting dynamic, especially as a romantic one, and I’m interested to see where it will go (and hope that Cinta will get more focus, even though I do love Vel a lot too).

Their storyline did run out of steam by the end through, was there any point to either of these characters being on Ferrix at the end? It very much felt like all the plot lines were being forced to intersect at the climax without all of them necessarily needing to. Although Cinta stabbing that guy in the heart was pretty cathartic.

Bix Callen, Maarva Andor, and Ferrix

I loved Ferrix as a location, with its own distinct aesthetic, culture, and populace - the work gloves all hung on the wall, the metal tapping warning system, the daily hammer and anvil (the Time Grappler, according to Wookieepedia), funerary practices. etc. The first few episodes set up Cassian’s community on Ferrix which we come full circle on in the final two, but I did have some trouble keeping track of who was who at that point.

It is interesting that the trope of “just another brick in the wall” is turned on its head here - rather than representing a cog in the machine, in Ferrix ashes of the deceased are mixed with brick and added to a wall in remembrance - a literal touchstone for Cassian as he remembers his adoptive father Clem. A wall is strong, a bulwark against outside forces, and every brick added makes it stronger. Stones dropped in a pond, bricks built into a wall - reminders of the dead that spur the will to fight.

I do love the relationship between Maarva and Cassian, especially in a franchise that has never really had an interest in mothers and sons. And we have another mirror in the overcritical and cold relationship between Syril and Eedy as the inverse of Cassian’s complicated but loving one with Maarva - contrast the reception Syril gets when he returns home to the one Cassian gets from Maarva, as ultimately Eedy's pointed disappointment is sharp where Maarva's is borne from love and concern for Cassian.

But again there’s a disconnect with the history we’re shown - Maarva and Clem kidnap/save Kassa from Kenari but we don’t really get any sense of how Cassian feels about it or the connection he has to his heritage/childhood. I’m not saying I need everything spelled out, but sometimes I feel the show does err too much on the side of subtext, and as a result we don’t delve as deep into some of the relationships as we could have. Even her final message to Cassian - that she loves him more than anything he could ever do wrong - is a beautiful sentiment, but is it earned? He hasn't really done anything wrong, arguably she did wrong by him by taking him from Kenari but it's never even mentioned, it doesn’t even seem to be a factor in their relationship as adults.

On the other hand, I didn’t mind the treatment of the post-romantic relationship between Cassian and Bix - there’s a sense of history there but it didn’t need to be explored further. Bix's involvement in the Rebellion is interesting though, it's implied she was recruited by Kleya through the black market but are her motives purely profit or does she have rebellious fervor? Luthen knows of Cassian through Bix - did she see him as a candidate for the Rebellion or just another person from whom Luthen could obtain tech? What piqued Luthen's interest from what Bix said about him?

I don't think all these questions need answers, but it is unfortunate that she does get a bit Damseled, spending most of the runtime threatened, captured, and then tortured. On the other hand, there's less to criticise in employing that trope when it's not the only one at work and the breadth of female characters on the show.

I do wonder if we will see Bix, Brasso, and B2EMO again though, or if they’re a part of Cassian’s past he had to leave behind to fully commit himself to the Rebellion.

On nostalgia, fanservice, and the state of the Star Wars universe

A tangent into my frustrations with the sequel trilogy, skip if you’re allergic to salt.

Andor has been lauded for its lack of fanservice, although I’d actually argue it’s a show that (perhaps despite Gilroy's intention) is rooted in nostalgia. Well, perhaps not nostalgia per se, but it’s a show that relies on the audience’s knowledge and affection of Rogue One and the Original Trilogy, and it’s successful because it manages to feel authentic and fulfilling rather than ham-fisted and overly meta - a story set in the Star Wars universe, not about the Star Wars universe.

I know Gilroy intended this to be able to stand alone, but would the story have the same resonance if we weren't aware where Cassian's path leads, that the efforts and actions of Mon and Luthern, Vel and Cinta, Nemik, Bix and Kleya, are ultimately justified? Perhaps it would work in a generic sci-fi setting rather than the GFFA, but would we feel as much watching it? Personally, I think not.

Because nostalgia isn’t inherently bad. It’s a vital part of how we consume media - the stories that resonate with us in childhood will continue to resonate in adulthood because they are foundational, it's a shortcut to that incredible feeling of discovering something new that's nonetheless something very old. It's partly why Star Wars was such a success in the first place - a mix of myth and fairy tale, matinee serial and Kurosawa - a familiar story told in a new way. And like in Hadestown, "we're gonna sing it again and again."

The problem with nostalgia is when it’s empty; window dressing intended to evoke that feeling but without any substance behind it, so it feels cheap and unsatisfying. Andor doesn’t completely escape from this (blue milk, mouse droid), but most inclusions feel organic.

Sometimes I think we go to far decrying fanservice, and of course it's subjective - as I like to say, everyone hates it until they’re the fan being serviced. But there is criticism, and then there's dismissing any references to existing material as mere "fanservice" and therefore contemptible. For example, I’ve seen the treatment of Luke, Han, and Leia in the sequel trilogy defended because to actually have them interact at all would be “silly fanservice” rather than natural because, you know, they’re family.

The difference, for me, is does inclusion of a known character/object/trope/line of dialogue serve the character and/or story, or is it Leo DiCaprio pointing meme, designed for “hey it’s the thing” nostalgia and YouTube compilations with no substance behind it? Ultimately, is the inclusion Watsonian or Doylist - and if the latter, what of the former justifies it.

Mon Mothma or Saw Gerrara in Andor doesn’t feel like fanservice even though they’re existing characters, because it makes sense to include them in a story about the Rebellion’s beginning and they had a part to play in Rogue One, to which Andor is ostensibly a prequel. Conversely Leia and Vader’s inclusion in Obi-Wan Kenobi (even if I did enjoy them both) tip over in the side of fanservice because they really have no place in Obi-Wan’s story at that point and require fanwanking around their dialogue in ANH (and to be fair, Lucas was guilty of this as well). I don’t need to see random object or minor character no 6 from the PT/OT/Clone Wars, iconic catch phrase shoved where it doesn’t make sense, or obscure Legends reference divorced from context, just tell me a good story! Give me characters to care about! Make me feel something! Andor did that, where much of the other Disney Star Wars content has not.

This is my fundamental, and possibly at this point, irreconcilable, issue. Disney wanted to get away from Lucas-associated Star Wars as quickly as possible, replacing every character, planet, and theme with their own wholly Disney counterpart, killing off Han, Luke, and Leia so the old and classic couldn’t distract from the shiny and new, tearing down the conclusion of the original trilogy only to try and tell the exact same story (just not as well). They did it so quickly and so shoddily that many were understandably unsatisfied, leaving Disney to frantically course correct, going back to the well and shoving nostalgia bait into every conceivable project even (especially) if it had no place.

If they’d actually had any sort of plan for the sequel trilogy, if they’d made their focus to conclude the Skywalker Saga in a way that even approached emotional resonance, imo the vast majority of the audience would be happy to move on and embrace the next chapter - new characters, new stories. But people can’t move on from the characters they love because the treatment of those characters and the post-ROTJ timeline was so unsatisfying. Luke wouldn’t have needed to show up in The Mandolorian to try and placate the fans if treatment of the character in the ST hasn’t been so abysmal.

So LFL have been stuck in this weird ancillary storytelling space, where every project seemingly needs to be adjacent to the Skywalker Saga but not actually engaging with the Saga direct - Han has a prequel film no one asked for, Rey is a Skywalker for name recognition only, Luke pops up in pointless cameos but isn’t there when he arguably should be (just recast the damn role already!), we get young Leia in a story where she has no place rather than in one she does, who knows what’s going on with the whole Ashoka/Thrawn/Heir to the Empire stuff, Boba Fett is There with a parade of Hey it’s that character/ship/thing with no contribution to the actual storytelling.

What does this have to do with Andor? Well, Andor is perhaps the only quality tv product of the Disney era, which is fitting since Rogue One is imo the only quality film of the Disney era (TFA being retroactively diminished by what came after). Andor is the type of story Star Wars should be telling - expanding the universe, using known elements and characters where it makes sense to do so, not a collection of ideas on a whiteboard thrown in front of an LED screenstage and a bunch of meaningless easter eggs.

To be fair, this does seem what they are attempting to do with The Acolyte (which I am actually enjoying!) but the planned Rey-focused post-ST film…eh. Admittedly I never bothered to watch Rise of Skywalker, but where can the story possibly go? Is there any investment at all after the mess that was the sequel trilogy? I can’t see how the narrative can possibly be redeemed at this point, which is a shame because I do believe it started with a lot of promise in The Force Awakens that was squandered by a lack of vision, planning, and oversight, and the bizarre need to brutalise and kill off the legacy characters, marginalise the genuinely original and interesting new characters, and waste the immense acting talent they had at their disposal.

They’ve made no meaningful in-universe progress after the ST, the New Republic and Jedi have to be rebuilt again, except Rey is going to do it this time somehow, so what what the point of the last 30 years in the timeline? It’s different with Andor - we know where his story ends, but the series only makes Cassian’s sacrifice stronger, there’s emotional resonance in seeing his journey to Rogue One in knowing that it’s in service of the overall victory of the Rebellion (however undermined that victory is made by the ST).

But I digress. This rant really ended up being kind of off topic - apologies.

Anyway. Andor is good! I liked it! Looking forward to season 2!

#this turned into a dissertation lol #star wars andor #andor series #star wars #cassian andor #mon mothma #luthen rael #syril karn #dedra meero #vel sartha #cinta kaz #long post #meta #jlf posts #jlf watches #jlf watches andor

21 notes · View notes

carpooling-the-internet · 1 year

Text

Star Trek fanfic recs

A long list of some of my all time favorite Star Trek fics. Not in any order. I just combed through my ao3 bookmarks for fics that still resonate with me and really blew me away. I will try to tag the authors if I can find blogs for them. If you know an authors blog I haven’t tagged, please tag them!

I dont have the spoons to write lil reviews for each fic bc theres toooooo many but maybe I’ll come back and edit some in sometime.

And eventually I’m gonna make a list like this for Sherlock Holmes and a few other fandoms. Also want to make one specific to podfics. We’ll see what happens first! This took me way longer than I thought it would…

Recs below the cut!

Star Trek TOS and AOS

The Thousandth Man (56187 words) by Ophelia_j In the wake of pon farr, the events on Vulcan are weighing heavy on Spock and his Captain. But will their attempt to fix the problem only make things worse?

The effect of sucrose on Vulcans (2290 words) by Ophelia_j After a successful diplomatic mission, Jim begins to suspect there's something wrong with Spock. Some Old Married Spirk Fluff for the 2019 OMS Challenge, for the awesome plaidshirtjimkirk.

The Eleventh Hour (8551 words) by Ophelia_j During a joint lecture at the Academy, Spock senses that Kirk is growing tired of the secrecy around their relationship and takes steps to resolve the matter.

A Crazy Little Thing Called Love (14940 words) by VTsuion The development of Kirk and Spock's relationship over the course of The Original Series, told in a series of off-screen moments.

The World Turned Upside Down (24777 words) by Jenna Hilary Sinclair On a planet torn by civil war, Kirk must battle insurgents, a Vulcan Healer, and his own heartbreak to find his way to Spock.

The Ren shat'var Trilogy (184,403 words) by CateAdams A split-second decision changes Jim's life forever, as he enters into a bond with Spock in the face of certain torture. Enemies to the Federation emerge from unlikely places, and the command team must contend with unexpected threats, as well as challenges within their own intense relationship. In this three-part series, the Enterprise races across the galaxy to confront the unknown, and Jim and Spock discover the true significance of their unprecedented connection.

First, Best Destiny - Parts One and Two (387733 words) by Ophelia_j A novel-length retelling of original Star Trek canon through the lens of one of the greatest relationships ever committed to film. Using missing scenes, episode tags, and original story-telling. Ultimately a Generations fix-it.

All the Time in the World (27856 words) by LSPINGLES The death of Edith Keeler affects Kirk and Spock in different ways. Spock invites Kirk to come with him to Vulcan to heal. Along the way the learn something about their feelings for each other.

Spice (276553 words) by eimeo It’s a question of biology. Vulcan biology. The problem with falling in love with a member of an insanely private species is that it just might take you the best part of a five year mission to work out that the feelings are requited. And then you might discover that he’s already decided that the two of you can never be together. And what are you supposed to do if he won’t tell you why?

Fulfilling the Needs of the One (Or the Both) (8741 words) by plaidshirtjimkirk Spock begins to wonder if his relationship with Jim has been one-sided in his own favor.

Touch Upon the Wonders that You See (4071 words) by waldorph Sarek does not always understand his son, but that does not mean he does not love him.

Entering Orbit (30957 words) by museaway Jim escapes to Iowa to avoid the media frenzy following the Narada incident, but a late-night miscommunication results in Spock turning up on his front porch.

Something Smart to Do (21322 words) by kianspo In which Jim finds himself fake-married to his first officer every other month. It's not his fault. Mostly. Dowries and Klingons are involved. Starfleet is decidedly not amused.

Don't Stop Believing (205901 words) by kianspo The story follows Spock from his own days as a cadet at Starfleet Academy to the ‘present day’ when he’s Kirk’s first officer and the Enterprise is on its five-year mission. Essentially, the story of Spock’s first real love followed by the story of him finding the love of his life. Ad astra per aspera.

And Then I Let It Go (10632 words) by kianspo Post-Star Trek Beyond. The crew of the Enterprise gets a breather while they are waiting for their new ship. Jim uses the time to do something he had sworn he would never do.

The Lotus Eaters (93594 words) by aldora89 Stranded on the planet Sigma Nox while searching for a missing away team, Spock and Kirk find themselves pitted against a disturbing native life form. With the captain out of commission on a regular basis and Spock struggling to preserve his stoicism, staying alive is difficult enough – but when a slim chance for escape surfaces, their resolve is truly put to the test. Together they must fight for survival in the heart of an alien jungle, and in the process, uncover the mystery of the planet’s past. Slow build K/S.

Atlas (135529 words) by distractedKat Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning. A novel-length continuation of the 2009 movie told in four parts. Cross-posted from FFN. PODFIC AVAILABLE! https://archiveofourown.org/works/652116/chapters/1187249

The Word Withheld (12032 words) by j_s_cavalcante After retrieving Kirk from the interspatial rift of "The Tholian Web," Spock realizes his oath to Starfleet and his service aboard the Enterprise are in jeopardy because he has denied to himself—and withheld from Kirk—a certain truth about the nature of the Vulcan relationship called "t’hy’la."

this is what happens when you save earth, apparently (5454 words) by WerewolvesAreReal “So, why haven't you settled down with some lucky lady yet?” the interviewer asks. Maybe it's the blinding set-lights, or the fact that he hasn't slept in thirty-five hours. But for some reason Kirk blurts, “Honestly, they all end up getting jealous of Spock.”

Four times the Enterprise Crew didn´t realize that their commanding officers were married to each other and one time they finally found out (4130 words) by razzleberryicedtea In which Spock and Jim casually forget to mention that they are married, and the Enterprise crew is too oblivious to notice on their own

A Star to Steer By (32043 words) by Borealisblue Kidnapped, injured, and headed towards Romulan space, Kirk could only be grateful that his last act was saving Spock from the same fate. And all it had cost was a stolen kiss.

An Open Secret (3495 words) by TransScribe Amanda Grayson knew her son. She could read him, easily. That might've been why she had suspicions about his relationship long before he said anything. It was more likely because subtlety was not a trait Spock had inherited.

the book of love (7297 words) by miss_frankenstein When yet another away mission goes awry, Jim and Spock are left stranded on a hostile planet with nothing to do but talk. What follows is a conversation about art and literature, life and death, love and friendship.

Take My Hand (My Whole Life Too) (5981 words) by pastmydancingdays Whilst in one of the most dangerous situations of his life, Jim Kirk came to a realisation that he should have had a very long time ago. Two, in fact, and he was about to let neither go to waste. A potential epilogue to Amok Time.

Ashayam (3378 words) by Willowe Spock knows he has no right to refer to Jim as any sort of endearment, even in the privacy of his own thoughts. If he had only listened to this logic he wouldn't find himself in this position, standing on the bridge having just called his captain "ashayam".

@ophelia-j

@razzleberryicedtea

@vtsuion

@plaidshirtjimkirk

@cate-adams

@pastmydancingdays

@werewolves-are-real

@eimeo-blog

@aldora89-blog

@museaway

@kianspo

@lspingles

@waldorph

@miss-frankenstein

#Star Trek #tos #aos #fanfiction #fic recs #ao3 #star trek the original series #star trek 2009 #star trek reboot

89 notes · View notes

ineedmorevat7kinmylife · 13 days

Text

Okay so I watched Empire Strikes Back tonight, and like, how have I never seen any Varigo as Han Solo and Leia? Like they’re perfect.

Anyway, this triggered a “what if I wrote a whole fic about this and put all the characters from tts and vat7k into Star Wars?”

So here is who I’d think be who. Keep in mind, my Star Wars knowledge is limited to mainly just the original trilogy, and even then isn’t much.

Varian - Leia So, basically instead of Varian being a princess or prince of whatever planet Leia is from, he would be a royal scientist who was naturally good at the force and just didn’t know it yet.

Eugene - Luke Luke and Leia would be cousins in this, Eugene being the son of Darth Vader, and Varian being Vader’s nephew. Eugene, after being born, gets taken to an orphanage on Tatooine, where Ben watches him and makes sure he’s not evil. Hugo - Han Solo Hugo would still work for Donella, he would be more of a bounty hunter than he is in the movies. He has his own ship, but Don gives him assignments. Olivia - Chewbacca/Millennium Falcon Chewy: so I’m imagining like a big robot that Hugo built, she could’ve worked as R-2, but Chewbacca is always with Han, so it just made more sense. In this Olivia would be used less for sneakiness and more for brute strength, because Hugo needs that more Millennium Falcon: Olivia is an AI in the ship, Chewy is just Chewy Donella - No one! She doesn’t really fit with anyone, or maybe she does and I just don’t remember them. So here she’s kind of just inserted Qurin - Leia’s dad Seeing as we never see Leia’s adopted father, we don’t know much about him, just that he was an old Jedi master. (I think. I’m getting most of my info from my dad, so let me know if I’m wrong) But he presumably dies when her planet blows up, so that’s what happens to Qurin here! Sorry! Edmund - Darth Vader So, since Eugene is Luke, Edmund had to be Darth Vader, and the more I think about it, the more I like it. Especially because of Dark kingdom/Dark side. Sorry to Edmund fans, (not sure how many there are) but I can personally totally see him being evil if the Dark kingdom was just a bit more evil. Rapunzel - Jedi leader Not an actual character that I know of, she’s just one of the generals or whatever for the Jedi. Lance - Lando Calrissian Because it just works okay. Especially for Lance’s first appearance in the show, when he was kind-of reformed, but not really, then later becomes better. It just works. Also I like the idea of Lance and Hugo knowing each other before hand. Eugene and Hugo did, it’s not too much of a stretch to say Lance did too. Baron - Jaba the hut I have nothing else for this, it’s self explanatory. The Force: So we’re going more moonstone with this. Those who can connect to the moonstone are Jedi, and they can use its magic. Usually trained from a very young age. If you’re a Jedi you get a fun hair color (it matches your lightsaber), and makes it very hard to blend in. This is mainly cause I like the Varian’s hair stripe means he’s got some moon magic in him theory. Dark side: Dark kingdom wants to protect the world from the moonstone, they think it’s dangerous. Darth Vader rose to power despite being connected to the moonstone and using the force, he claims he can use it without being connected, but he can’t. The reason he wears the mask isn’t because he’s terribly disfigured, cause that’s a little bit of bad messaging, it’s so he hides his bright red, glows-when he-force-chokes-someone hair. And cause he thinks it looks cool. I didn’t want to make Adira and Hector evil, so I just didn’t include them, let me know if you think of a way they work. If I do end up writing this, it will take a long time, feel free to use the ideas for your own fic, especially if you know more about Star Wars than I do, just let me know and please credit me. :)

#Sorry for the long post #vat7k #tts #hugo vat7k #varian vat7k #varian and the seven kingdoms #varigo #star wars #vat7k au #dark kingdom #eugene fitzherbert

16 notes · View notes

lajulie24 · 2 months

Note

You write so many excellent Star Wars fics and I would please love to know what advice you have - especially for writing Luke, Han, Leia, and Wedge, as they're going to be centre stage in my various fics and I'm more than a little nervous. Any tips or recommended reading material would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Let me start by saying thank you for all the kind words — that’s so lovely to hear, and I appreciate it. And thank you, too, for giving me an excuse to talk about writing, because I love talking about writing with other people, especially writing about characters I enjoy. (This might also be a warning to buckle up because I’m about to get very chatty. I’ll try to stick a “read more” link in there for anyone who would prefer not to have to scroll through ALL my chattiness.)

It feels like your question is more about writing characters than it is writing in general, so I’ll mostly talk about that, but I’ll just mention a few things that really help me for writing in general, most of them blatantly cribbed from Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird: Thoughts About Writing and Life. Shitty first drafts. Write what you can see through a one-inch picture frame. Write something every day if you can. Perfection is the voice of the oppressor. Find a way to drown out / ignore KFKD (K-Fucked, the imaginary radio station in your head that is genuinely from hell). I’m happy to go into greater detail on any of these, and I also thoroughly recommend that book.

You mention that you’re a bit nervous, and I think my biggest advice in that realm is — the only way out is through. Meaning, the only way to get better at writing the characters and stories that you love is to let yourself be bad at it and keep writing. That’s why I mention shitty first drafts and perfection being the voice of the oppressor as being so helpful. Write a Han and Leia scene that is so awful that you’re like “who the hell are these pod people, they have no resemblance to the characters I actually like, WTF is this and why does it look nothing like the idea in my head.” And then write it again, or write a different scene, and maybe it will be just as bad, but maybe it will help you see what’s not quite hitting for you about what you’ve written. And you’ll write it again, or write another scene, and it will get better. Or you’ll write a whole fic and it will just be okay from your personal standards. But you learn from writing that fic and the next one will be better. I do regret to inform you that while your skill and comfort with writing these characters will improve the more you write them, each fic will still probably require at least one, if not many, shitty first drafts. The only way out is through.

Hey, looks like it’s time for that read more link! *waves to my followers*

So - specific to the characters that you’ve mentioned. I think there are a lot of different approaches to this, but for Luke, Han, and Leia, there is one very obvious source that you can consult: the original trilogy Star Wars movies, or just scenes from the movies. This is especially helpful for writing dialogue. Watch a few scenes with each of them and listen to how they talk. How casual or formal do they tend to be? What kinds of words do they use? How do they sound when they’re under stress? How do they sound when they’re joyful? How do they sound when they’re angry? What do you think they’re like when they’re not running for their lives or in the middle of a space battle? What do you see in the movies as their dynamic, and how do you imagine that changing when it’s just a boring night on base?

For Wedge, it’s slightly more challenging because you don’t get a lot of his dialogue in the movies, and it’s mostly battle talk, because he’s a side character. If you want reading material on Wedge, I would personally recommend the EU/Legends X-Wing series novels — in particular the ones by Aaron Allston (Wraith Squadron, Iron Fist, Solo Command, and Starfighters of Adumar). It’s a bit out of order because it’s the third in the Wraith series, but Solo Command in particular is really great character-wise for Wedge, and you even get some Wedge and Han interaction in that book.

Personally, I am a visual person but also love listening to music. A lot of my story ideas and scene ideas and character thoughts come to me when I’m listening to music and basically sort of envisioning music videos featuring my favorite characters. Sometimes those videos end up being whole scenes or moments that I write down later (don’t forget to write it down as soon as you can!), like some kind of movie trailer that I’m just transcribing. Sometimes they just lead me to thinking about the characters and what I think they’re like. If you find music helpful, try making a playlist for your characters and picking out songs that feel really them to you. Then take a walk or clean the house while listening to the playlist and see what it sparks for you. Think about a scene you’re stuck on and pick a song that might be playing on the soundtrack if it were a movie, and see where that takes you.

Different writers have different takes on how much they read fanfic while they are writing something. Some writers prefer to avoid it altogether to make sure they’re not inadvertently being influenced / taking ideas from other authors. Some folks will read fic but are more selective about what fic they will read while they’re writing something (e.g. not reading any new fic, or only reading fic about characters or situations that are very different from what they’re writing at the moment). My thought with regard to other people’s fanfic is that your past reading of fanfic can be useful for deciding what rings true for YOU about the characters, but that you should avoid any temptation to study those fics as if they were a guide to “how to write X character”.

Which brings me to another big point: the goal here is for you to write these characters in a way that rings true for you. Even if you tried, your Leia would not be precisely the Leia I write, just like the Leia I write isn’t precisely like the Leia written by @madame-alexandra or @otterandterrierwrites or @yoyomarules or @soloorganaas or @inelegantprose or @organanation or @walkawaytall. But I recognize those versions of Leia (and those versions of Leia and Han’s relationship) as ones that pretty consistently ring true to me. Or if there are bits about them that don’t, I don’t use those particular bits in what I write.

The way to use your past fanfic reading as character inspiration can be the things that stand out even when you don’t have the fic in front of you. Like “I really like how playful this scene was between Leia and Han, I could see them doing this” or “I like how this writer shows Leia and Luke’s friendship even before they knew they were related” or “here’s a point this author made about the similarities and contrasts between Wedge and Han that I think makes a lot of sense” or “I loved that we saw my faves being goofy and having fun together, I want to do that” or whatever. You can also use that past fanfic reading to tell you “yeah, this person had Luke do X and that felt kind of out of character for how I see him” or “that scene was well written, but I don’t know if that’s the kind of thing I really want to explore with these characters.”

I keep thinking about that Tumblr post that basically says “this is my blorbo and wow I’m gonna put him in so many situations” because that’s kind of what we do as writers. We take our blorbos and we put ‘em in some situations and see how they respond. Part of why I keep hammering on “you just have to keep writing and writing” is that honestly, after you start writing your characters for a while, if you pay attention your character will tell you what they would say or do next. (Anne Lamott calls this “listening to your broccoli.”)

For example, once I was writing a fic where the Rogues got caught making a hot tub on Hoth and Han was showing it to Leia before they had to dismantle it and send it back, and I’d gotten to Han trying to convince Leia to at least test out the hot tub before they sent it back, he’d never tell anyone, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next. The scene could’ve been at a dead end. Except that all the sudden I was writing Leia daring Han to go in, like “I’ll go in if you will” and that was 100% not anything I was expecting her to do. But I had written her enough that when I listened, I knew my Leia was going to offer a dare when I put her into that situation, that part of what made her friendship and later relationship with Han work was that she was able to be boldly herself and challenge him to do the same. If someone else were writing her, they might have resolved that situation differently, or maybe their Han wouldn’t have invited Leia to the hot tub in the first place.

You asked for any tips and tricks. As you’ve already read, my advice is to keep writing and writing and writing, and you’ll find yourself getting to know the characters and being happier with how you’re writing them. But a few other tips and tricks that have worked for me: 1) If you’re having trouble with plot or a specific scene or a conversation, find someone you can bounce things off of and try to explain to them what you want to happen and where you got stuck, e.g. “I’m trying to get Han and Luke to find out X information but it sounds weird”. Sometimes the act of having to explain something to another person makes it clearer in your own head what you’re trying to do and what the problem is; sometimes someone asking questions is all you need to solve your own problem. 2) Read your dialogue out loud. You can do it quietly, to yourself, but it will make it clearer when you’re written something that doesn’t sound like the character, or isn’t how people actually talk, and you’ll have a better sense of how to fix it. 3) Sometimes you have to cut your darlings. Sometimes you have a piece of phrasing that is absolutely lovely and perfect…and doesn’t fit any longer with where the story is going, or it’s wrong for the character. Or it’s too long and you need to get to the action. Cut it. Put it in another document to save for later if you need to. But cut it. No writing is ever wasted — sometimes that thing that was gorgeous but just didn’t fucking work was just the means to an end. Sometimes it will remain in your head (or that other document) to be repurposed in another fic. Sometimes it was the thing you needed to write to get to the REAL thing you were meant to write. 4) If a scene isn’t working, try something to make your brain think about it in a different way. E.g. try rewriting it from a different character’s point of view, or start the scene in the middle instead of giving a big leadup to the action, or tell scraps of it in flashback instead of writing the whole scene.

Phew! That was long. Hopefully some of it is helpful. Anyway, please feel free to chat more if you like — and I definitely encourage my fellow writers to add any of their own suggestions! Getting started is the hardest part, so just DO IT. Good luck!

#ask lajulie #writing advice #long post #because hoo boy am i chatty #Star Wars #fanfiction #other writers feel free to chime in!

13 notes · View notes

the-one-true-nobody · 1 year

Text

I've been acquainted with Grand Admiral Thrawn ever since I picked up Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire from the school library around ninth grade or so. He was such an interesting villain to me at the time, and that impression hasn't lessened with age. Being the key antagonist in one of the old Star Wars expanded universe's first big storylines, he's also kind of a major figure of the whole darn beyond-the-movies canon, in the same way that Darth Revan is. And he kind of filled a void that the Original Trilogy left gaping wide, in the sense that—apart from the fleeting presence of Tarkin in A New Hope, the Imperial military never really had any threatening and competent military leaders at the face of things... just Darth Vader and the Emperor.

I was thrilled to see Thrawn make his live action debut in Ahsoka, and though my first visual impression of the guy was a little underwhelming. The Rebels incarnation in particularly very much had that "a strong body feeds a strong mind" kind of character and a physique to match, along with a Sherlock Holmes hawkishness to his facial features. But as soon as he opened his mouth and I realized how on-point the performance here was coming off the back of his appearances in Rebels, I was sold.

It seems some people really are very skin-deep in what they find "imposing," though, because there are a lot of complaints about how "lame" he looks, because he's "fat," or whatever. It's true, you can see it if you look at his uniform: he's got a bit of a gut going on underneath his just-slightly-frayed-and-aging Grand Admiral dress whites.

I say: "So what?"

The appearance is still solid; discrepancies can be explained by, for example, Thrawn undergoing an extended recovery period from some unspecified injury he sustained when the purrgils warped him and Ezra through hyperspace into another galaxy. If you recall, Thrawn was actually in quite the predicament when that happened:

It might well even be that he hasn't been able to maintain a strong and healthy body in the way he used to, for example. Maybe he had to go through painstaking self-directed physical therapy to even get as far as he has.

More importantly, his performance is absolutely on-point. He has the same presence he did in Rebels, minus the exaggerated CGI-cartoon facial expressions that everyone had in that show. He moves, acts, and speaks in a way that I would absolutely imagine of him in the Thrawn Trilogy novels. And he hasn't really even had time to build tactical momentum yet. It's everything I could have wanted from a Thrawn portrayal.

So yeah, I say "So what?" So what if he's a bit "fat." He's Thrawn. The king has returned to Dark Side Minas Tirith, and it is glorious.

Sidebar: Ezra Bridger's live action return was also glorious, but I don't need to tell y'all that, do I?

#star wars #ahsoka series #ahsoka show #ahsoka spoilers #thoughts #blog #thrawn #grand admiral thrawn #ezra bridger #spoilers

94 notes · View notes

gamingwithsydney · 1 month

Text

20 questions for Fic Writers!

Hello, all! Finally getting to this after putting it off for so long! The absolutely lovely, ray of sunshine human being, who should be an inspiration to all, @linwelinloves (also at @linwelinwrites ) tagged me in her reply to the questions, so I am finally paying this forward! I am tagging @shrimplyfangtastic and @cinnamonsera and @thenotebookwizard @cherry-kirsch! Have fun, you four!! <3

Now! Time for the questions! Lets go!!

✧.* | 1. How many works do you have posted?

Currently, 9. I have a bunch in the works, and nearly all of the posted ones are WIPs that I’m trying to finish before posting first editing reasons. Thank you to everyone reading those and being patient! <33

✧.* | 2. What is your total published word count?

Approximately 16.8k! Most of my words, however, are locked in Scrivener, crying to get out while I nurse them to their full potential with writing and edits before posting!

✧.* | 3. What fandoms do you write for?

My posted fanfics consist of Harry Potter, Marvel and Star Wars. Though, in my WIPs I have Good Omens, Genshin Impact, Doctor Who and others, I’m sure, that I can’t remember at the moment!

✧.* | 4. What are your top five fics by Kudos on AO3?

Top 5 out of 9 fics, would be, most to least: Obi-Wan: A Jedi Undecided at 36, Adrenaline and Joy at 22, Din and Grogu: Father and Son, at 20, A Gift of Gold at 16, and finally Crookshanks: A Mysterious Cat at 8!

✧.* | 5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Comments?! Where??? Gimmie gimmie!

Seriously, though, comments mean the world to me, especially as a smaller author! They make me feel accomplished, accepted and know that people value what I give to them! Even just reading it means the world, so comments kind of blow my mind that someone would spend time writing something for me to read with their thoughts!

Back to the question, though, I always reply as soon as I see them! A writers lifeblood, and a huge compliment to me!

✧.* | 6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

For my published works, no question that it would be Natasha Romanoff: Remorse, it has a heartbreaking story, even though its only a few hundred words long, and I think it set me off on a very strong path for writing angst!

✧.* | 7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

The happiest ending? For my published works I think that would be either Adrenaline and Joy, which is just good ol’ speeder racing with Anakin and Ahsoka, or A Gift of Gold, which is another Star Wars one with Han and Leia after the Original Trilogy. Both are stupidly adorable, and very dear to me!

✧.* | 8. Do you get hate on your fics?

Luckily, nope! If I did I would delete it if it was a comment, or ignore it as best as I can. Luckily, though, I have done a pretty good job of surrounding myself with very positive fandom friends!

✧.* | 9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No, I don’t write smut! I’m far too shy/uncomfortable with anyone seeing it, much less writing it. I do heavily admire people who do have that courage, though!

✧.* | 10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I’m not a very crossover inclined person, so I haven’t written any, and read just a handful. But, I do have a Genshin Impact/Honkai Star Rail idea, with Kaveh, Alhaitham Aventurine and Ratio! I really hope I write it someday because it may just become the most chaotic, funny crack fic I’ve ever written!

✧.* | 11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of! I recently set my fics to registered members of the Archive as there was a thing going on with another site. I do wish for everyone to see my fics who wants to, so they are still on Fanfic.net for everyone’s viewing!

✧.* | 12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Translated? No, although that would be a humongous honor that someone would enjoy my work so much to let it reach a while new audience!

✧.* | 13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I hope to, eventually, but right now, no! Closest I’ve come is friends giving me absolutely wonderful ideas that I steal (Thank you all for the support, time, opinions and love)!

✧.* | 14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

My all time favorite ship? Ooh, that’s tough…if I could say by fandom it would go something like this:

HP - Ron/Hermionie

SW - Rey/Kylo, Rey/Ben

Marvel - Clint/Natasha

Good Omens - Aziraphale/Crowley

Genshin Impact - Kaveh/Alhaitham, Cyno/Tighnari, Neuvillette/Wriothesley (GI is so hard to choose omggg)

Honkai: Star Rail - Aventurine/Ratio

✧.* | 15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hmm…I don’t think I have any, just one’s I’m taking a break from. However, it may be a Marvel one in my drafts called Clintasha: A Live Story as the working title. It was my second actual foray into fan-fiction, although it hasn’t seen the light of day. With some polishing, editing and finishing it, though, I think I could have it all ready to go, easily!

✧.* | 16. What are your writing strengths?

With little to no question I would say highly emotional scenes, be it angst, anger, sadness, depression, all of the “negative” and dark scenes and emotions are really fun for me to write, and I’m usually very impressed and happy with the results.

✧.* | 17. What are your writing weaknesses?

As I’ve said, I don’t write smut, so this is all purely SFW, but I would say the biggest difficulties are writing romantic affection, romance and intimacy. I get nervous even writing characters kissing deeply/making out, and never go into much explanation of the feelings of such actions. I do hope to get better at it though, especially as I have no problem reading that type of thing when done by others, and I know it will enhance my writing and help me grow as such!

✧.* | 18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I do this a lot, be it Russian, French or Mando’a! I usually write the dialogue in the language it’s being spoken (not English in this case), then at the end of the paragraph, in Parentheses i will put the translation for what the character said.

Although I do want to try a fancy system where there are little things you press next to the untranslated words to go down to the author’s note and read the English version, before pressing another tooltip-thing to go back to where you were. I think it’s pretty easy, so I should do it soon!

✧.* | 19. First fandom you wrote for?

Well, that would be between two, actually, my first Fandom I wrote Fic for would be for Harry Potter, an unfinished long fic from years ago. My first published Fic would be Marvel, Natasha Romanoff: Remorse. That one, I am still very proud of to this day.

✧.* | 20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

For my published works, I think that would be Obi-Wan: A Jedi Undecided. It’s my baby, a long fic that I adore and cherish (and also need to work on so I can finish publishing/writing it), and it had a very, very, very dear place in my heart.

If we were to say unpublished WIPs, there’s too many to count, I think. Although, most of them would be Genshin, I know that for sure!

#gaming with sydney #linwelin loves #linwelin writes #shrimply fangtastic #cinnamon sera #the notebook wizard

10 notes · View notes

notebookishtype · 6 months

Note

Hello, do you have any recs for star wars books and comics with the best lukeleia content? In my lukeleia era and I really wanna start reading some OT legends stuff but I don’t know where to start.

Stories that take place during, between, and shortly after the Original Trilogy? We are lucky to have decades worth of content set in this time period! It’s the only place we can find things published before the sibling reveal, and/or acknowledging that Luke and Leia were attracted to each other.

✨I’ve included links to every book and comic mentioned below. I don’t think it’s immoral to pirate from a corporation. If you (general) take issue with that, I have bought most items listed at least once, and I would lend it to you if I could.

✨Some of the comics are only available in large collections, you may need to scroll to find the correct issues.

Legends Books

The first that comes to mind is Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. It was published in 1978, Luke and Leia were still love interests, and it takes place after ANH. They crash land on a mining planet and discover there is an Imperial presence there.

Fun Facts:

This story was commissioned to be a low budget sequel if A New Hope flopped.

This novel also inspired some of the canon lore for kyber crystals.

I started an impromptu reread earlier this year, and I did not remember how shippy this book was. This is just four pages into the book:

Splinter of the Mind’s Eye was also adapted into a comic in 1995… and it was still incredibly shippy? I recommend both if you have the time and executive function. If you’re low on focus or time, go with the comic.

I’ve been told the novelization of A New Hope also has the same vibes, and is by the same author. So if you enjoy Splinter thats another place to look.

As far as other novels, we’re mostly looking at crumbs. Off the top of my head I know both Shadows of the Empire and The Truce at Bakura acknowledge their feelings for each other.

Shadows of the Empire:

The Truce at Bakura:

I would only recommend these if you’re interested in the rest of either story.

Shadows is a take on what happened between ESB and ROTJ, published in ‘96. Want to see how the Rebels get the plans for the Second Death Star? Read this. Want to see Darth Vader forced to play politics? Read this. If Han and Leia’s relationship is a no go for you, you might consider skipping it. Content Warning: the antagonist attempts to “seduce” Leia via pheromones. Read: rape. He is a serial rapist.

Truce takes place immediately after ROTJ, and has some great character moments for our heroes, again a lot of focus on Leia and Han. I do, however, choose to view the fact that Luke’s love interest in this book is a young Imperial Senator who we are meant to compare to Leia, through a shippy lense. I cannot escape the idea that Luke is projecting. Otherwise this book is about dinosaur looking aliens using human’s life energy to power their ships.

If you’re interested in checking any of these books out I recommend looking here or here.

Legends Comics

Splinter of the Mind’s Eye (1995)—as mentioned above.

Star Wars Tales (1999-2005) 15, Do or Do Not—Takes place immediately after ROTJ. Luke is processing after the Battle of Endor, and uncertain of his place. His feelings for Leia are acknowledged.

Star Wars (2013) 1-6, In the Shadow of Yavin—Takes pace after ANH. Leia is working with a handpicked X-wing squadron, to expose a spy. Her position in command causes friction between her and Luke. This is one of the few stories really leans into Leia having feelings for Luke.

Star Wars (2013) 15-18, Rebel Girl—Leia accepts a political proposal in exchange for a secure base location. Luke is a jealous brat about it, puts himself in danger, and plans to run away.

Marvel Star Wars (‘77–86)—I haven’t read these yet, but I’ve seen plenty of panels and pages posted on Tumblr that give lukeleia vibes, even some that take place after ROTJ. These have been gathered into several omnibuses. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Disney Comics

Star Wars (2015) 1-6, Skywalker Strikes—After ANH, the gang is infiltrating an Imperial arms factory, Vader shows up, Luke has a crisis. The Luke and Leia interactions are primarily in issues 3 & 4, but it’s a solid story arc.

Star Wars (2015) 33–Actual Publisher’s Summary: The Hero of the Rebellion & the Princess of the Revolution! Luke and Leia finally get some time alone… Unfortunately, it's stranded on a desert island.

The Storms of Crait (2017)—After ANH. Our heroes travel to Crait, in hopes of establishing a base there. Luke is delightfully flustered by a kiss on the cheek from Leia.

Star Wars Adventures (2017) 4 & 5, The Trouble at Tibrin—Leia and Luke are on a diplomatic mission that goes awry. Leia rescues Luke in this one. Acknowledges Luke’s feelings.

Star Wars Adventures Annual 2018, Mind Your Manners—Another diplomatic mission gone wrong. Not all that shippy, but discovered it while making this list, so it felt wrong to leave it off.

Star Wars Adventures (2020) 7 & 8, The Princess and the Bog, A Twin Tale—Leia and Luke are scouting base locations. Luke is terrible at following Leia’s orders, and wants to pet all the animals.

Star Wars Hyperspace Stories (2022) 2–Another search for a base location. There are several cute moments between them in this one.

Deleted Scenes & Behind The Scenes

I know the ask was about books and novels, but I’d also recommend—if you haven’t already—searching for deleted scenes, alternate takes, behind the scenes photos and promo photos, etc. There are goodies from each film, but the most substantial stuff is from/for ESB.

Is That Everything?

I doubt it. There are many other stories that take place in this time frame that I haven’t investigated yet. Here are some that are on my list:

Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor (Legends novel)

Heir to the Jedi (Canon novel)

Heart of the Jedi (unpublished Legends novel)

Star Wars (1977-1986) (Legends comics) (mentioned above)

Star Wars (2020) aka Star Wars V3 (Canon comics)

Razor’s Edge & Honor Among Thieves (Legends novel duology)

I’d bet on there being content down the timeline that reads as shippy, but that’s a whole future post.

#lukeleia #book recs #comic recs #Legends and Disney #rape mention tw #not between the ship #this took forever #thank you for your patience

23 notes · View notes

blogthebooklover · 3 days

Text

My Theories/Takes On The Next Two Movies In The "Noa" Trilogy.

I'm mainly focusing on the current "Noa" trilogy (hopefully) for the reboot Planet of the Apes franchise. There are also some takes/theories I would like to see happen in the next two movies, or being inspired from other films. I mentioned some of these scenes on discord, and I'm including other ones as well. Keep in mind, this is all just for fun.

Noa Gets Captured a la King Kong Style

If the second movie focuses on mostly Mae's arc after the end of Kingdom, I imagine a scene similar to King Kong 2005 (didn't Owen Teague also mention this is one of his favorite movies?) Maybe Noa is trying to get Mae back for whatever reason, however, her colony sets up a trap for him and Mae tries all that she can to not see him get hurt, and this time by her human companions.

youtube

And maybe a following scene where Mae meets Noa a la Disney's Pocahontas.

youtube

2. Mae and Noa Reunion

I imagine a scene similar to Spirited Away when Mae and Noa reunite in the second (or maybe third) movie. Whether this happens before or after Noa gets captured, I'm not sure, but I digress. Plus, didn't Wes Ball mention he's also a fan of Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli movies?

3. Mae and/or Noa Gets Hurt/Saved

Okay, for this one I imagine three or four different scenes.

First: a scene similar to the ending of James Cameron's Avatar; when Neytiri saves Jake's human form in the trailer. I imagine this can work vice versa between Mae and Noa, and maybe at the end of third movie. Most likely to be closer to this version.

youtube

Second: a scene similar to the ending of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Specifically the scene where Ben/Kylo saves Rey with the use of his force. I imagine a scene like this happening in the third movie as well.

youtube

Third: a scene similar to Peter Pan 2003. Specifically the final fight scene. Once again, more likely to happen in the third movie.

youtube

Fourth, and saved this one for the last part in this section: a scene similar to The Fox and the Hound, and yes, THAT SCENE! Once again, this could work vice versa (Mae stepping in to protect Noa, and/or Noa stepping in to protect Mae). I can imagine a scene like this happening in either the very end of the second film, or perhaps the third.

youtube

4. Noa Has a Whole Monologue Moment

SPOILER ALERT: this is from Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and imho this is SUPERB A+++ WRITING AND ACTING from Roddy McDowall, Harry Rhodes, and screenwriter Paul Dehn (Owen Teague has to show OFF his acting abilities). I imagine a scene of Noa giving a monologue about protecting his kind, maybe at the end of the second movie.

Side Note: I also highly recommend buying the Blu Ray compilation pack of the OG franchise, it has some great behind-the-scenes features/documentaries, and I especially recommend watching the one about Conquest.

youtube

5. Noa, Anaya, Soona & Mae Find A Recording of Will Rodman

This was in my head for a while now, I mentioned this on a discord server, and this is something I can totally see happening maybe at the end of the sequel or some time in the third movie. The trio and Mae find a video recording of Will (James Franco) confessing that HE was the one that caused the Simian virus, that it was originally supposed to be a cure for dementia/Alzheimer's. While he was taking care of both his father Charles (John Lithgow) who was sick from Alzheimer's, and eventually his adoptive son Caesar (Andy Serkis) who was born with the ALZ112 in his system due to his mother being one of the test subjects for the cure; Will reveals he became determined to continue working on the medicine to help eradicate Alzheimer's altogether.

He was working on something that was supposed to help society, not destroy it and cause the downfall of humankind. And because he couldn't take it any longer of seeing his own father regressing further into his illness.

After everything that happened in Rise, to the beginnings of the Simian pandemic, and eventually Caroline's death during the full swing of the virus, he sets up his video camera system on his computer and gives his last confession before either dying of the virus himself; or perhaps (TW) taking his own life (possibly off-camera).

And after the recording is finished playing, the quartet are stunned in complete and utter shock of this revelation. Now obviously, Mae knew about the virus, however, she had absolutely no idea about its true origins until this point; or her authority figures from the bunker KNEW, but kept it as restricted knowledge for only the higher ups to access, while the rest of the surviving humans only know what they were taught from their history lessons (sound familiar?). Meanwhile, this information is once again obviously, A LOT to take in for the ape trio; especially for Noa.

I'm not entirely sure if Noa would distant himself from the others, or become standoffish, (at least according to the deleted scenes) my poor boy is going through the process of an enlightened mind. On the other hand though, I do see him becoming slightly standoffish, considering his reaction to the picture book from the vault.

Will Rodman (James Franco) is probably the only other human character I imagine returning, from the Caesar trilogy.

6. Mae's Story Arc

If Kingdom ended with both Mae and Noa, since the beginning is very heavily focused on Noa's story (to be fair, it IS the classic Hero's Journey). I think the second movie might lean in to Mae's storyline/arc just a little bit more. I do think she's going to remain an antihero/heroine, maybe sharing similarities to how Caesar (not entirely, maybe a sprinkling here and there) was in Dawn, but I don't think she'll go down the path that Koba eventually did.

I think she's still going to remain conflicted about where her loyalties lie between Noa, the grief of losing her team (possibly her entire family) from Proximus's apes, and the fate of whatever is leftover of humanity. To add to this, I also think Mae is going to have PTSD and develop some unhealthy coping mechanisms after everything that happened in Kingdom. I've seen someone on discord talk about the possibility of her becoming a double agent (again, to be fair, the context was a fanfiction AU, but I digress). I absolutely love the idea for Mae, kind of similar to how Jake Sully was in James Cameron's Avatar, before he eventually feels something more for the Na'vi and Neytiri.

While she acts as a double agent for the humans and apes, Mae begins to slowly heal from her trauma when she's with Noa and the rest of the Eagle Clan, and maybe a couple of human allies who also act as go-betweens.

And maybe when she's with the people from the bunker, she can only stay in the quarantine areas, and the only other human(s) she interacts with will probably be either a doctor or nurse (get it??? Shakespeare anybody???)

7. Noa's Story Arc

I'd like to see Noa still learning his role as a leader of his clan in the second movie, we see a bit of this during the flood in the bunker. However, he too is also conflicted about his new view of the world at large, after his alliance with Mae and the whole Proximus Caesar incident. Would he continue to learn about leadership within the confines of his village? Or would he want travel to new areas away from the Eagle Clan, to learn more about this post-apocalyptic world, and the various other ape clans; or underground human communities? Or would he be on the cusp of a dark path himself?

Personally, I have no problem with sweet and naive characters going down a dark path, however, as long as there's a new take on the trope. While it would be interesting to see how Noa's trauma from the events in Kingdom would play out in the next two movies; and maybe it could work as a reverse of Mae healing from her own trauma. However, at the same time, I really really don't want to see him become a thematically dark character.

Like Mae in the aforementioned, I think Noa might also develop PTSD after the events in Kingdom. Whether he finds his own way of healing from said trauma, or dive further into it; hence the darker path previously mentioned, it is up to the screenwriters for the next two movies where Noa's mindset will be. On the other hand though, I would like to see both Mae and Noa learn how to heal together from their traumas.

Hence, Raka's last words to them: Together Strong.

#planet of the apes #kingdom of the planet of the apes #noa trilogy #pota mae #pota noa #noa #mae #movies #king kong 2005 #Youtube #star wars #spirited away #studio ghibli #the fox and the hound #avatar 2009 #james cameron's avatar #peter pan 2003 #long post

13 notes · View notes