#matthew stover you will always be famous

[he-wrote-that-one-song]

"My name is Luke Skywalker, and I want you to take my hand"

MATTHEW STOVER WHEN I FUCKING GET YOU

[marietheran]

July reading:

Początek / The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman: Incredible. Fantastic. I can see why it was praised so much. Not your run-of-the-mill ww2 novel. I was surprised at the strong consciousness of God portrayed in both the Christian and Jewish characters - ot all orthodox, but I don't know whether the ideas should always be treated as those of the author. I have no idea why they changed the title in English translation; the original one translates as "Beginning". Some sexual content, can't say how severe because I skipped those paragraphs. 4/5 and the one star docked for those mature elements, but they didn't bring me many problems.

Lala (by Jacek Dernhel): Hard to rate this one - I didn't finish it because something shocked me and I had mostly passed the bits that interested me already, but I liked the first ¾.

Elder Race: great concept; started off amazing, the ending was kind of rushed but I'll forgive it. The voice had an interesting vibe to it that I cannot exactly explain - the only word that comes to mind is fanfiction-y, but it's meant positively, it's a w good book in it's own right and I have no idea whay makes me classify it that way. Nothing inappropriate. In a modern adult book published by Tor.com. I don't know how that's possible. 4/5

The Blacker the Berry: Meh. Didn't enjoy, don't recommend. Opinion further dimmed by the presence of non-explicit but pervasive sexual content. 2/5

Panny z Wilka & Młyn nad Utratą (by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz): "No fireworks" as I would have said in the language the stories were written in. The former dragged and didn't interest me; the latter was at least fascinating in its depictions of the characters' spirituality though I don't know what the point was exactly. Featured a mostly-unconcerning depiction of a Black man, something of an achievement for the place and time period.

Złowić cień: same author as Początek, but in no way as genius here. Have to try something else by him; hopefully that was not a one-off wonder. 1/5

Gar'Ingawi: a curious specimen. As "Christian fantasy" (although I don't think it can be labeled that; it was published recently, but apparently written still behind the Iron Curtain) it wouldn't be that bad, but it didn't vow me. A pity because the setup is interesting and for a 20th century work, the non-pseudo-European setting fascinates. Proof of some ingenuity on the part of the author, since she would only have had Tolkien and CSL to go on and been lucky to have had the two; it would be interesting to see how the writing process compares to works written at the same time in the Anglosphere. Doubtful if I shall continue.

Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover: Finally, the famous novelisation! Yes, it's good. The dialogue is sometimes phrased awkwardly, and I cannot for the life of me tell what is happening during the battles but the rest is good. Palpatine is a very well-written villain; both cunning and making you almost believe he's a good person and working like the devil sometimes. (That one scene with the Faustian undertones though!) 4/5

Way Station by Clifford D. Simiak: I loved the first ⅓, but the plot developments and resolution were unbelievable and subject to deus-ex-machina of the worst sort. The supremely weird take on spirituality makes it hard for me to take the presented world seriously. A pity because there was a great deal of feeling in the first third, and while I don't think I've ever read a cozy fantasy, it felt like the adjective might define it well. No sexual content. Deaf girl presented somewhat stereotypically. 2.5/5

DNF:

Madame by Antoni Libera. Had sexual content, not interesting.

Sława i Chwała by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. Not interested.

One or another of the essay/novels of J.M. Rymkiewicz. Had sexual content. But I knew it would be so and I did get a photo of the page or two of information I was actually looking for.

Probably some others.

[angelitoacd]

revenge of the sith novelization by matthew stover you will ALWAYS be famous

[padawanlost]

I'm sorry but your yoda and sentence quote from ice and fire....eye-opening even I knew before that yoda sucks. but, like the fact that yoda's last order as jedi leader and leaders of war is give the hard to another even when obiwan warned that he cant and himself go for (emotionally) easy one...gods yoda sucks. also this made me think about his influence on anakin and obiwan(I'm romantic I know and like happy aus but I always thought that with less problems they would be not just good - which1/

2/ they were during war, with many problems, but good. take away at least have of problems, like this green frog's influence and have them meet under different circumstances and/or later than canon. or make them both go to therapist but I digress). also it also makes me think about obiwan and quigon and yoda's role in their relationship, which in both canon is huge and just how much yoda let down both anakin and obiwan, in different ways. anyway fantastic edit makes me think stuffTM thank you!!

The problem with Yoda is that is advice is superficial. So much of what he says and tries to pass as wisdom is not applicable to anyone’s daily life and, more often than not causes, only make things worse.

Yoda told the Council to not accept Anakin. If they had obeyed him, Palpatine would’ve become an even bigger influence in Anakin’s life which would make the Jedi and the Republic situation later much, much worse.

Yoda told Obi-wan not to be Anakin’s friend. If Obi-wan had obeyed him, the famous friendship we all love wouldn’t have existed and neither would so much of Anakin and Obi-wan’s success in the clone wars. They only started working together when they embraced each other as friends and equals, someone Yoda was totally against. 

Yoda told Anakin the solution to his fears was simply to accept mortality. Completely unrealistic advice, no matter how emotionally healthy we are accepting the sudden loss of a loved one is never as easy as something telling us to ‘forget about it’. In Anakin’s case, Yoda knew he was dealing with someone known from being deeply attached to people and emotionally unstable. Being the older, more mature and experienced teacher, Yoda had a duty to help Anakin beyond probably quick platitudes. 

Yoda ordered Obi-wan to kill Anakin because he believed he could handle Palpatine alone. Not only Palpatine kicked his ass, this plan made the Jedi Order weaker, consolidated Palpatine’s dominance over the galaxy and let to the birth of Darth Vader by pushing Anakin further into the dark side and Palpatine’s control. 

Yoda manipulated Luke into trying to kill his own father, causing him great emotional pain. If Luke had listen to Yoda, he would’ve fallen to the dark side or he wouldn’t have been able to rescue his father from the dark. 

It wasn’t Yoda’s wisdom that save the galaxy, it was Luke’s compassion. That’s why Luke Skywalker, not Yoda, is the greatest jedi ever. because, unlike his predecessor, Luke actually acted with real compassion and wisdom.

“Mace nodded silently. One did not argue with Master Yoda; in the Jedi Temple, this was learned in infancy. No Jedi ever forgot it.”  Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover

That’s why the biggest problem with the Jedi Order is Yoda. The Jedi weren’t evil but they spent almost 900 years being taught to worship a man as flawed as they were. I’m not saying Yoda is evil either but everyone inability to admit he wasn’t perfect put the Order in very vulnerable position. A position the sith spent years exploring, to the point it ended in tragedy.

[genesisarclite]

I keep hoping to hear something about a third and final Deus Ex Jensen game at E3 this year, or even next year, but considering how long it took to even get MD after HR was released, I’m not hopeful. I’m actually wondering if they’re going to drop the series altogether, or just shove it off to the side and hope people forget. The tags have definitely become less active as of late...

...so with all that being said, I’m once more debating writing my own third entry.

Anyone who’s followed me and/or my writing for a long enough time knows the kind of stuff I like to do. DX has never been famous for its characters really until Adam Jensen and the rest of the cast came along (and even then, none of them settled in until MD), but I love a character-driven experience. Combine good story with good characters, and I’m probably going to love it.

(stories like Outbound Flight, Alien Chronicles trilogy, The Winter Soldier, and Mass Effect 3 immediately come to mind when I say that)

I’m seriously debating it, so this post is a little self-indulgent and kind of a stream-of-thought sort of thing. The last major story I wrote was Final Fantasy Suscitatio XIII, which exceeded 300k words and took almost four years for me to finish. It was such a massive, emotional undertaking that it literally wore me out. I had to take a break, and now that it’s been over a year since the final chapter was posted, I think I’m ready to take on another huge project.

Here’s the thing: a “third game” from me (in written form) will be no simple undertaking. It would have to take into account literally everything possible. Characters, loose ends, story threads, everything. I already have plans for what to do with Sarif, Pritchard, Chikane, and Alex, as well as how to tie it into the original game. I also have surprises planned for those who played the original (I’ve been trying to play through it myself since I got it on sale recently). Since MD takes place at the end of 2029, the next “game” would have to take place in 2030. Why, you say?

Look at the timeline. The 2030s are chock-full of major events. MJ12 starts its coup. Horrible pandemics spread across the world. The 2030 Quake. There is a veritable gold mine to work with, plus lots of little things introduced in HR and MD. Adam himself has at least one more story in him, and he needs to be akin to Noctis: the emotional center, swept up in the chaos. It’s time for the hero to be broken and the walls to finally come crashing down.

But here’s another thing: I don’t write in total darkness.

One quote that has stuck with me for years has been the final lines of Matthew Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith: “the dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins - but in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars.” You can bet that no matter how awful things became, I would still include little spots of hope. Who knows, maybe the story ends with a hopeful note, despite everything?

I’m extremely torn on writing this thing. One, it’s going to be a time sink. There’s no way around that. Two, the fandom isn’t super active anymore - I came in late and it shows. Three, the DX category on FF.Net is practically dead, which is where I’d like to post it (perhaps in addition to here). And fourth, I have no idea who would be interested in reading a long DX fic.

I already have a lot of stories in my head and several actively being written, two of which are original. But this one has not left me alone...

[he-wrote-that-one-song]

reading another matthew stover star wars book and I continue to be obsessed. the opening of this one is luke hiring a pi to investigate him for war crimes and idk what's going on but I'm HOOKED

[padawanlost]

with so much official stuff made by different people, how familiar are you with individual writing patterns/biases of various sw authors (novelizations, legends/canon novels, essays, tv scripts, et cetera)? one post mentioned jude watson's love of obi-wan & less-favourable depictions of anakin & qui-gon in her books. how'd you compare her biases or writers like matthew stover, karen miller, or any others? which writers tend to "match up" most with how you'd prefer to interpret the characters? :D

omg, that’s such a good question! I think it becomes very clear when you get used to the EU that each writer like to explore a certain aspect of the story. Jude Watson is famous for portraying an Anakin that’s always on a verge of becoming Vader even when he was a little kid.  Karen Traviss has a passion for Mandalore culture, war and politics. And Stover *loves* Obi-wan. 

Personally, I don’t see that as a problem. Some fans tend to point figures (specially at Traviss for focusing on the morality of war) to say something shouldn’t be considered because a ‘biased’ writer is behind it. As someone who have read most of it multiple times, I believe this divergence makes the story more complex and the characters more human. Anakin wasn’t always a saint, the Jedi weren’t always flawed and Obi-wan wasn’t always perfect. When we face the fact these character weren’t just ONE THING it becomes easier to accept their humanity. When a writer tells me Anakin was innocent and another tells me anakin had darkness inside, I can accept both as true because that’s reality. That’s what well-written stories should be all about: portraying character that feel real. The only difference is that the EU explores different aspects of the story through different authors. 

We all have soft spots for our favorite characters and so do writers. It’s naïve to expect them to have the same view as the us (especially considering not even their readers agree on the characters motivations). That’s why I prefer to see each writer’s ‘bias’ as a different view, instead of going “they hate the character I love’.  That’s also why I don’t have only one writer that encapsulates everything I love about sw. 

Stover is the best at exploring the poetic tragedy of the fall of the Republic. He’s the ability to show the characters flaws without making them unsympathetic. He’s best at ‘Obi-wan is suffering’ themes. 

Traviss is the best at asking the important questions about slavery, the clone army and corruption. She’s not subtle about it but she’s effective. If you want a conversation on the horrors of war, her books are the best place to start. Watson, despite getting at little too heavy handed something, is really good at exploring Anakin’s internal struggle. Her Anakin is dark, angry and selfish but he’s also lonely, isolated and secretly suffering. She loves Obi-wan but she still shows the readers how unprepared he was for the taks of raising Anakin. Luceno also focuses on politics but takes a subtler approach. His Anakin reminds me a lot of AOTC!Anakin. He’s young and experienced at the same time.

Miller wrote my favorite sw books so I should say she’s my favorite writer too, even if she didn’t cover all the phases of Anakin’s life. Her Anakin, imo, is a perfect mix of all the above. He is kind, dark, angry, emotional, romantic, selfish, etc. and she writes this without making the other characters look bad. She’s balanced. Everyone has good and bad moments/traits. 

Honestly, I’m fine with the content we have. Thanks to their different views the EU provides a richer experience. I don’t think I’d have enjoyed it as much as I do if every writer explored the same themes the same way. I think one writer complements the other and when we put all their works together we get a rich, complex history that got us talking many years later.

Seriously, it’s amazing how cohesive they are considering how scattered the EU can be. Even with each other taking a different approach the story still flows naturally. We don’t have cases where one writer claims Anakin used to torture kittens as a kid as another claims he was mini-saint. They all agree anakin was good, they only diverge on how that goodness was translated into actions. And I’m fine with that because even if some writers goes a little further – like Jude Watson with Anakin’s darkness – their creative choice is backed by the preexisting canon (Anakin’s darkness as a kid was a result the isolation and trauma, as written by others).

When I think of the Prequels I think of Anakin’s story from birth to Vader. Each writer represents a step he took and though some steps are more compelling than others, I would never remove single one.

[padawanlost]

I have never interpreted that obiwan was hiding in padme's ship. I always assumed both obiwan and padme chose to go there together and obiwan was meant to stay on the ship to let padme de-escalate the situation, and only come out if he deemed intervention necessary?? How did u understand it as him hiding away -- did i miss a line?

No, he really was there without her knowing. The movie makes it pretty clear:

Obi-wan goes to Padmé, tells her the truth and them leaves.

Obi-wan: I must find him.Padmé: You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?Obi-wan: He has become a very great threat.Padmé: I can’t.

Padmé is shown sending her security team away, saying she will go alone and C3PO will watch over her.

Typho: Milady, let me come with you.Padmé: There’s no danger. The fighting’s over. And this is personal.Typho: As you wish, milady, but I strongly disagree.Padmé: I’ll be all right, Captain. This is something I must do myself. Besides, 3PO will look after me.

Obi-wan is shown entering her ship without anyone else noticing right before it takes off. Then we get the famous scene of Obi-wan hiding in the closet.Once they are on Mustafar, Padmé leaves the ship without acknowledging anyone is there and when Obi-wan finally comes out she’s surprised and to make the point extra clear the novelizations explains:

[Anakin] wasn’t listening to her. He wasn’t looking at her. He was looking past her shoulder. Feral joy burned from his eyes, and his face was no longer human. “You …” From behind her, calmly precise, with that clipped Coruscanti accent: “Padmé. Move away from him.” “Obi-Wan?” She whirled, and he was on the landing ramp, still and sad. “No!” Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith

She had no idea he was there and the junior novelization even suggests Obi-wan was fully aware of he was doing when he told her the truth, waited for her go after Anakin and hid in her ship.

For a moment — for the barest instant — [Padmé] thought she would succeed. Then Anakin’s expression changed. “Liar!” he cried. He was staring at something behind her. Padmé turned, and saw Obi-Wan standing in the door of the skiff. He tricked me! “No!” she said, knowing that this new Anakin would never listen to her now. Patricia C. Wrede’s Revenge of the Sith

Also,Obi-wan wasn’t there to deescalate the situation, he was there to kill Anakin.That’s what Yoda ordered him to do and why he told Padmé to stay away fromAnakin. Obi-wan and every other Jedi were raised to believe it was impossibleto save someone once they join the Sith. He didn’t want to kill Anakin but that’swhat he was there to do because he couldn’t see any other option.

[padawanlost]

hi there - i have recently gotten into the SW fandom, and now naturally can’t stop myself from writing a bit of fic. since i haven’t read a lot of the source material, i was just wondering what you think about the holonet and the fame that Anakin and Obi-Wan apparently enjoyed during the Clone Wars. was this a calculated maneuver on Palpatine’s part? propaganda for the war effort? Or was it just a consequence of the war/highly visible actions that the pair takes? would the Order have supported or been wary of the publicity? 

ps i really enjoy all of your meta & analyses. they helped inspire me :p

hello :) Welcome to the Star Wars fandom!!!!

First of all, don’t worry about not being into the EU. A lot of fans don’t go down that rabbit hole.  At this point, most of it is not even canon (OT and PT Eras, of course) and every fan has their own definition of what is “canon” anyway.

The Holonet Popularity Theory

There are fans who believe Anakin was as popular as Matthew Stover described in the ROTS novelization. I think he was the one who started this idea that the Jedi (especially Anakin and the rest of the Council) were viewed as the absolute heroes of the entire galaxy. Several authors have mentioned Anakin and Obi-wan being recognizable in certain areas of the Galaxy, but nothing quite like what Stover described.

Anakin and Obi-Wan. Kenobi and Skywalker. From the beginning of the Clone Wars, the phrase Kenobi and Skywalker has become a single word. They are everywhere. HoloNet features of their operations against the Separatist enemy have made them the most famous Jedi in the galaxy.

 Younglings across the galaxy know their names, know everything about them, follow their exploits as though they are sports heroes instead of warriors in a desperate battle to save civilization. Even grown-ups are not immune; it’s not uncommon for an exasperated parent to ask, when faced with offspring who have just tried to pull off one of the spectacularly dangerous bits of foolishness that are the stock-in-trade of high-spirited younglings everywhere, So which were you supposed to be, Kenobi or Skywalker? [Rots Novelization by Matthew Stover]

 Though I love Stover writing in this book, I believe he exaggerated their popularity a bit. The Galaxy is large and we have plenty of evidences of worlds and societies somewhat removed from the Core politics and trends (Tatooine, Lanteeb, Iego etc.). Look at Tatooine, even when the Jedi were at their peak they were still viewed as a myth by the common people. Anakin didn’t even know what a Jedi was until a traveler told him about working with one, and that  only was a few weeks before TPM.

The Jedi had a large presence in the Outer Rim but we can’t forget the Outer Rim was the location of the most corrupt, violent, disadvantaged and neglect planets in the Galaxy. Hardly the perfect environment for reliable information. People were more concerned with surviving them with the Holonet. And that’s if they even had access to the Holonet, because if the cost of sending a short message from Tatooine to Coruscant in times of peace cost Shmi more than all her savings I wonder how much access to Holonet would cost during the war. Not unlike our world, the galaxy was run by companies and if those companies didn’t care enough to provide affordable access before, I doubt they would do it during the war.

I think the Jedi hero status was something more common in planets like Naboo, Coruscant and Alderaan. Planets that had no reason to hate or distrust the Jedi because they were always helped by them.

The Holonet vs Palpatine

Was Palpatine manipulating the Holonet? Yes. You can’t have absolute control if you don’t control the media.

I don’t think it was ever stated that Palpatine directly controlled the Holonet. But, imo, it’s pretty obvious he did (at least, indirectly). He didn’t control it by saying “hey, make up anti-Jedi propaganda”. He did it by manipulating the Jedi into doing what he needed them to do to make them look bad (like their deal with Jabba). He did by leaking sensitive information. By sending Anakin to the right missions, at the right time to make sure he would look like a hero. He openly praised Anakin at every change he got, he chastised the Jedi for their fuckups in public, etc.

“Skywalker’s arm makes him, for our purposes, even better. It is the permanent symbol of the sacrifices he has made in the name of peace and justice. It is a badge of heroism that he must publicly wear for the rest of his life; no one can ever look at him and doubt his honor, his courage, his integrity. He is perfect, just as he is. Perfect. The only question that remains is whether he is capable of transcending the artificial limitations of his Jedi indoctrination. And that, my lord Count, is precisely what today’s operation is designed to discover.” [Palpatine in the Rots Novelization by Matthew Stover]

Dooku derived a certain melancholy satisfaction—a pleasurably lonely contemplation of his own unrecognized greatness—from a brief reflection that Skywalker would never understand how much thought and planning, how much work, Lord Sidious had invested in so hastily orchestrating his sham victory.  [Dooku in the Rots Novelization by Matthew Stover]

We have a duty to the Republic. Both of us—but yours is now so much more important. You are the face of the Jedi, Anakin. Even after these years of war, many people still love the Jedi, and it’s mostly because they love you, do you understand that? They love the story of you. You’re like something out of a bedtime tale, the secret prince, hidden among the peasants, growing up without ever a clue of his special destiny—except for you it’s all true. Sometimes I think that the only reason the people of the Republic still believe we can win the war is because you’re fighting it for them—” [Padmé in the Rots Novelization by Matthew Stover]

I always got from these particular moments is that Palpatine worked very hard to maintain Anakin’s positive imagine with the people even when he was working hard to discredit the Jedi behind the scenes (there’s a whole theory about why he’d do that, because let’s not get into that now).

Beings believe what you tell them. They never check, they never ask, they never think. Tell them the state is menaced by quadrillions of battle droids, and they will not count. Tell them you can save them, and they will never ask—from what, from whom? Just say tyranny, oppression, vague bogeymen that require no analysis. Never specify. Then they look the other way when reality is right in front of them. It’s a conjuring trick. The key is distraction, getting them to watch your other hand. Only single-minded beings don’t join in the shared illusion, and keep watching you too closely. Single-minded beings are dangerous. And they either work for me, or they don’t work at all.“ Palpatine in Republic Commando: Order 66 by Karen Traviss.

 Palpatine is a master manipulator that has pathological need to control everything and everyone. So why wouldn’t he control the Holonet? It’s the perfect way to achieve his goals and control public opinion.

Not only he manipulated the Holonet, he did it so well that even after his death people kept on fighting to protect his “legacy”.

PS: THANK YOU <3<3<3