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gffa · 2 years

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Okay I totally understand the difference between attachment and love in the SW universe, as you and GL have explained in great detail. But what I don’t understand is why then the Jedi aren’t allowed to get married? Surely marriage doesn’t equal selling your soul? Plenty of people in the real world get married and don’t murder people to save their spouse? I mean there’s certainly something to be said about marriage and ownership but I don’t think GL was thinking “down with the patriarchy” when he was explaining this

Hi! The closest GL gets to talking about it directly is in that video I posted earlier, where he says: "So the issue of love, there’s a line between loving somebody compassionately and caring about them and helping them, but the other line is not to be greedy. Or, once you are greedy, then you get fearful. You don’t want to lose what it is you have, that you are getting. So you have to learn to give up everything. And ultimately for a Jedi Knight, it’s very easy to give up and one of the things they give up is marriage." I don't think he's saying that marriage is inherently greedy, but more that non-Jedi have a lot more leeway about moments of being greedy and selfish. It's not that the Jedi are immune to greed and selfishness--they say it's about overcoming those feelings, not that they never exist--but that their connection to the Force, the mystical energy field that's based on the emotions you have inside you, and the lives they specifically lead means that they must be far, far more in tune with the transitory nature of life. If a non-Jedi falls into a greedy spiral or their fears start eating them, it's harmful to them and probably their relationships, but it's not going to do the same kind of damage or have access to the same kind of potential harm that a Jedi Knight has, because of their position and their physical powers. They have to constantly guard themselves because people get hurt if they don't. And I think it's reasonable to look at it in terms of how the Jedi life requires an incredibly serious commitment--Yoda says that in ESB, "A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind." This life and these abilities and this connection to the Force requires that you need to be serious about it. To have that commitment, it’s like having a marriage already, and that you’re married to your life as a Jedi Knight. You can’t wholly commit yourself to two things. The Jedi say romantic feelings are normal, of course they’re allowed, which means that feelings aren’t the issue, it’s the commitment to the other person that is--because they already have a commitment. That’s why Obi-Wan doesn’t get on Anakin’s case for the feelings he shows on the elevator ride up in AOTC, but once Anakin starts getting distracted, once he’s no longer able to be focused and calm, that being around her is intoxicating, then Obi-Wan reminds him, “You've made a commitment to the Jedi Order, a commitment not easily broken.” The Jedi are written to be seeking the ultimate ideal of Lucas’ Star Wars, the selflessness that’s at the heart of all the movies, to be compassionate and caring and loving, but willing to give things up, to let go, to understand that life is mortal and transitory and you can’t hold on to anything, including people. They’re written to this ideal to contrast against Anakin, who desperately wanted to hold on to the people he loved, to possess them, he wanted to devote himself to everything/have everything be devoted to him, and in doing so fell to the dark side. That’s why Lucas answers with that the Jedi do love, but they have to be selfless and launches into an explanation about Anakin’s greed being why he fell. Not because Lucas thinks that marriage is inherently selfish or greedy, but because he’s using them to show off greater themes of selflessness and understanding of life.

#jedi order #george lucas #meta

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nickthetoony · 2 months

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I've been in a prolonged Star Wars mood recently which has coincided with me getting deep into Gundam so I've been comparing and contrasting their different approaches to similar ideas a lot, and I thought I might as well lay it all out in writing to get it out of my head.

I'm specifically comparing Star Wars to UC Gundam, starting with the original Gundam which for context began airing in 1978, after A New Hope but before Empire Strikes Back. You can see a bit of A New Hope's visual influence in some aspects of Gundam.

Both series prominently feature a laser sword of some description. "Lightsabers" in SW and "Beam Sabers" in Gundam. Other than the obvious difference of Beam Sabers being in scale with 18 meter tall mechs, there's also the difference in that the lightsaber is made out to be an elegant weapon, harkening back to a nostalgic imagining of knights and samurai, before the invention of less honorable firearms with future stories ascribing a deep cultural significance of the lightsaber to the people that made them.

The Gundam Beam Saber is in comparison a very utilitarian tool in a Mobile Suit's arsenal, usually carried right alongside rifles and bazookas. It still invokes a little bit of that knightly image, but the fact that it's usually used as a last resort weapon of desperation hampers the idea of it being a weapon of elegance or honorable combat. In a way they're more like real swords in that they're sidearms you only pull out in a battlefield when all your other options are unavailable.

Another superficial similarity they share is their masked villains, I don't think it's a stretch to assume that Char Aznable was inspired a little bit by Darth Vader. Of course, since Gundam was pre-Empire, when so much of Vader hadn't been established yet and his most notable trait was having a cool costume, the two ended up diverging into wildly different characters.

Char is a pretty young man who uses a mask to cover his identity and Vader is old and scarred and needs the mask to breathe. Vader is the main character's father and Char is completely unrelated to his main character until they meet face to face late in the show. In a way Char is kind of more similar to Kylo Ren being masked pretty boys with daddy issues though again their arcs end up wildly diverging. Kylo and Vader both end up "redeemed" but Char isn't really the kind of character who can or should be redeemed.

Somewhat related to the above, both Gundam and Star Wars have enemy factions who are meant to invoke Nazi Germany. Star Wars' invocation of German fascism (at least in the movies) is a lot more nebulous than Gundam's, communicating this analogy through visual reference to Nazi iconography while leaving the actions of the Empire more broadly as just general cartoon bad guy stuff.

The way Gundam compares the Principality of Zeon and the Nazis is a lot more specific and a lot more direct. The way the Zeon arms race plays out in the original is a direct parallel to the real-life Nazi wunderwaffen projects, where the Third Reich's internal friction and investments in ludicrous super weapons ended up costing them more than they gained, contributing to their eventual defeat. Gundam also takes place in our future (or atleast a future envisioned in 1978) so the real Nazis existed in this world and Hitler is brought up as a direct comparison to the original show's big bad.

(Writing this out, I had the thought that you could draw the same comparison between the Death Star and the wunderwaffen program, but idk if Star Wars itself has ever drawn that comparison.)

Another point of comparison is that both series heavily feature mystical, psychic powers inspired by the spiritualist movements of the day. The Force for Star Wars and Newtypes for Gundam. The Force is cribbing a lot aesthetically from eastern spiritualism while Gundam takes a lot more from the visual ideas of psychedelia.

The Force is far more concrete and straightforward than Newtype-ism. A magic energy field that can be used to perform great feats of power, and which has birthed two established sects of thought that are both treated as ancient. Force users are also clearly demarcated into Good and Evil camps, with specific powers and abilities locked behind a character's individual morality.

Newtypes in Gundam are very different from Sith or Jedi though. Rather than representing an ancient struggle of good vs evil, Newtypes represent a supposed evolution of the human soul, when humanity can communicate to each other psychically in an era where miscommunication is impossible. Supposedly.

Because whereas in Star Wars, the conflict of the Force is one of primordial good and evil, the conflict of the Newtype is one of heightened spiritualist ideas butting up against the mundane reality of different people operating under different and conflicting motivations. There aren't dark or light side Newtypes in the way that Force users are categorized, all of them share the core ability to bridge physical limitations to understand each other on a deep intimate level, but does that matter when their material conditions are inherently at odds? What happens when two people understand each other perfectly and they still have to fight and kill each other?

My last point of comparison is between the two "heroes" of both series. Luke Skywalker and Amuro Ray.

In a way, they're very similar characters. Both start out as young boys living relatively comfortable-if boring lives who are Called To Adventure and eventually awaken to their special powers to become great soldiers of their respective wars. Both are defined by the legacy of their fathers. Both are coming of age stories.

Where I find the comparison between them very interesting is the comparison of Luke at the end of his character arc (in The Last Jedi) and Amuro at the end of his (in Char's Counterattack). Luke in TLJ is a sad disillusioned old man who has failed in his attempt to rebuild the order that had been entrusted to him and who has stagnated into a miserable grandpa. For many longtime fans of the character this was a shock, and apparently for a lot of people felt like a disappointing betrayal. Because Luke was the Hero of The Rebellion, the Return of The Jedi. He was brave, and true, and more than just a normal man. So to see him so impotent felt wrong for many people.

I find it interesting that Amuro (subtler than Luke) also ends up in a similar spot, but in a way that feels far more appropriate to his character and to the tone of the narrative.

Because Amuro was not a hero. He was a child forced to become a soldier far younger than he should've been. Pressured by the dire, apocalyptic world surrounding him and the societal pressures of masculinity that hound him. Luke's inheritance from his father was a Lightsaber. A weapon of a great shining order which eventually was mutated by the Disney movies into a sort of Excalibur wielded only by the worthy virtuous heroes. Amuro's inheritance was the Gundam, the Devil's Machine, the first in a long line of military weapons, the image of which would haunt him for the rest of his tragically short life.

Amuro had at one point been a war hero, then a rebel fighting against the corrupt and self-interested Federation that had eagerly turned him into a human weapon. But his childhood of violence eventually left him no choice but to be subsumed into the military hierarchy he had at one point attempted to break free of. In terms of combat skill, Amuro was the best of the best by the end of his arc, but he had failed in every other regard. His Newtype abilities, once seen as a gateway to a future without misunderstandings, were now honed for violence. His final words ones of dumb confusion as he failed to understand the feelings of his enemy.

Luke gets the benefit of a Rey. The ability to once again become heroic and good and brave, to inhabit the comforting role of a gallant knight. And this step in his characterization is still met with confused hostility by most viewers. Amuro does not receive a similar luxury. He dies young and suddenly, with only the suggestion that his actions will eventually make things better, but it feels right with his character even for how unsatisfying it is.

Again, I don't know if I really have a coherent point with this post. Apologies if you've read this far and felt like I have wasted your time. For now, I think my main conclusion is that it's interesting to see how two different kinds of science fiction (heroic science-fantasy VS military sci-fi) approach similar ideas. I think the reason Luke's arc in TLJ fails for many is that the story of the original trilogy was fundamentally unfit to handle it. It's tacking on an unsatisfying tragedy onto a conventional, simple Hero's Journey rather than building on the foundation of societal critique the way Gundam does with Amuro.

Anyway. Bye.

#star wars #gundam #luke skywalker #amuro ray #meta analysis #comparison #spoilers for both series #long post #sorry for barfing a bunch of words at you

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theresattrpgforthat · 10 months

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Afternoon!

You might already be aware of these TTRPG designers, but I figured I'd pass them on if they might add to the knowledge pool for recommendations!

Will Uhl: https://willuhl.itch.io/ Just an absurdly prolific games designer, with a grounding in rules-light action-y games but has a wide range of tones and genres in their work. Mystic Lilies comes strongly recommended, their most famous game, Netbattlers, isn't on itch.io as it's a fangame that uses the Megaman IP (and is also excellent if you like games with in-depth character building)

Nathan Blades: https://sixofspades.itch.io/ More of a performer than a designer but has written a number of games, generally focused on upbeat anime action with queer community subtext. Heartbeats in Perfect Sync is probably their best known; they also have a one-pager in The Ultimate One-Page RPG Book.

Farmer Gadda: https://farmergadda.itch.io/ Explores a lot of system kits (CaltropCore, Lasers & Feelings, etc) to make games that reference specific game series and the like. The energy of picking up your favourite toy and moving it around the room with whoosh noises.

Rook/RJK Games: https://rjkgames.itch.io/ Prime itchio game zine production; passionate, feelings-first releases that each put a spin of a different indie game or system kit. A transformation of the orginal tone of a game to something else, like a magic trick.

Thanks for the recs! I've heard of some of these designers, and some I haven't. Let's look at a highlight of theirs that stands out for each one!

Mystic Lilies, by Will Uhl.

In a sealed-off region full of fantastical phenomena, the land is falling out of balance. You will play to find what people take and what people lose to regain that balance.

It looks like it's a card-based roleplaying game about witches fighting to get what they want. I'm interested in the character abilities, and curious about how the PvP interacts with different player styles. I'd assume that safety tools are a given at this table, and I'm definitely drawn in by the art.

Heartbeats in Perfect Sync, by Nathan Blades. (@theneoncaster)

Heartbeats in Perfect Sync is a tabletop RPG inspired by the shounen battle aesthetic. Play as a group of ordinary people who fight monsters with ridiculously over-the-top weapons.

I have heard of Nathan Blades before! I can see how this game would appeal to folks who love TWEWY, or Persona 5. I'm curious about what kind of dice this system uses - is it safe to assume that you need d6's for this game if the page doesn't specify? Also, folks should check out Iera Entera, a game by the same designer about killing, butchering, and eating gods. I think the concept is amazing.

SW//NG, by Farmer Gadda. (@farmergadda)

Because you have Power, you have Responsibility. Because of your Responsibility, you have to face your Past. And your Past? That's the one thing your Power can never fix.

I love complicated superheroes! I love emotional superheroes! This game gives you complicated and emotional superheroes! It also has some lovely GM advice and I always always appreciate good GM advice.

Our Love Will Destroy Us, by RJK Games.

You did it, exactly what the old fools of the Hunters’ Guild warned you against. Fell in love with your target, the both of you. One of you was barely trained, untested, didn’t know any better; the Guild might forgive you, but the other? You were meant to know better.

I'm pretty sure I've talked about this one before when I covered Tragic Games, so that might be why this game stands out to me. I think the use of Tarot Cards to reveal what the Hunger does to hurt the Vampire Hunter who has fallen in love with a Vampire, is really emotionally fitting.

#game recommendations #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #dnd #asks

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wibzenadarksiderwithasoftheart · 10 days

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The GOOD twin

Happy May the fourth!

Today I want to share the GOOD twin with you.

It's the slightly sad but also hopeful beginning of Anakin's journey as Shmi sends her little boy out into the galaxy with a promise and a kiss.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the EVIL twin tomorrow.

I realized that I had written the same scene twice, at different times and in two very different ways, even if they are deceptively similar. One light and one dark, and I found it fitting to share them as twin stories this SW weekend.

***'

Holding herself still with her arms wrapped around her chest, Shmi watched Anakin say goodbye to Kitster before he followed Qui-Gon Jinn. She also saw the moment his resolve broke, and knelt down to embrace him when he came running back to her. He clung to her as silent precious tears spilled down his cheeks.

The mother allowed her son to hold on to her for a moment, squeezing him just as hard but then released him, resting her hands on his shaking shoulders and brushing his tears away with her thumb. Gently she reminded him that he could do many things he'd never thought possible, how strong and brave he was. That he could do this.

"Will I ever see you again?" he asked, an unusual tone of fear and vulnerability creeping into his voice, revealing how difficult this decision, which was the only right one, was for him.

"What does your heart tell you?" She asked.

She had tried to teach him to trust his heart and instinct, showing him that compassion and kindness were better regardless of their circumstances.

"I don't know. Yes, I guess," came the hesitant reply.

Shmi saw the will return to his bright blue eyes, which reminded her of the sky and the mysterious, glowing moths she had sometimes seen in the desert on moonless nights.

She was so proud of him, her special son, but it was time for him to let go of her, so he could embrace his own fate. It had always been his destiny to become something more, to become a Jedi.

"I will become a Jedi.” He declared, echoing her thoughts. “And I will come back and free you, Mom. I promise."

"I know you will."

However, she would never hold him to this promise.

Shmi glanced at the Jedi, but he seemed willing to give them time.

"Ani, I have one last gift for you, something that no one will be able to take from you."

Shmi leaned in and kissed Anakin between the eyes, letting her lips linger there for a long moment, breathing in his scent of sand, oil, life and power, hoping he could feel her strong and eternal love for him.

"Remember, my son, no one can own a kiss, no one can control it and no one can take it from you, just like the power and the love you carry in your heart. You are free now, your life is your own to decide. Choose wisely and be free my beloved son, and know that wherever you are, whatever you choose, my love will be with you, always."

Taking a steadying breath, she continued, "now be brave, and don't look back."

She also had to be brave and trust that he would be safe, that she had taught him everything he needed, hoping that he would meet good beings and teachers along the way, that others would now guide him safely. Shmi did not care about her own safety as long as she knew he was safe.

"I love you, Mom." Anakin whispered as she hugged him one last time before gently turning him away from her.

"Don't look back, Anakin," she said, letting go of her son.

Shmi watched him walk away with his head held high, and she sent a silent prayer for all the mystical forces in the galaxy to protect him as he embraced the fate she had always known awaited him.

She had offered him the only thing a slave mother could give freely, her love and a kiss, and she prayed it would be enough.

#star wars #may the fourth #fanfiction #star wars fan fic #fanfic #anakin skywalker ans shmi skywalker #the good twin #May the Fourth and Revenge of the Fifth.#24kisses #anakin skywalker #shmi skywalker

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richincolor · 6 months

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Out in December! ❄️

With October in the rearview mirror and November getting underway, the rush of exciting new YA books will slow a bit, but that doesn't mean there won't be a few hot new books to look forward to in December. Here's a peek at what YA books starring BIPOC characters are coming out next month:

The Ruined (The Beautiful #4) by Renée Ahdieh The Sylvan Vale and the Sylvan Wyld are at war. Now that the unsteady truce between them has been broken, lines must be drawn. In an effort to protect the weakened Winter Court, Bastien rallies powerful allies and friends in New Orleans to come to their aid.

Meanwhile, under protection alongside her injured mother in the Summer Court, Celine is uncertain of whom to trust. She cannot get word to Bastien, and does not understand why he has not returned. When she realizes war between the fey courts is imminent, she journeys with Ali in an effort to find the time traveling mirror and change their fate. But when Celine’s rivals realize Bastien has rallied his allies in the mortal world, they decide to take the fight to him.

Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose A fresh, fun contemporary rom-com from debut author Elle Gonzalez Rose, about an aspiring artist who agrees to fake date one of his family’s longtime enemies in the hopes of gathering intel good enough to take down their rivals once and for all.

Devin Baez is ready for a relaxing winter break at Lake Andreas. That is, until he runs into his obnoxious next-door neighbors the Seo-Cookes, undefeated champions of the lake’s annual Winter Games. In the hope of finally taking down these long-time rivals, the Baezes offer up their beloved cabin in a bet. Reckless? Definitely.

So when annoyingly handsome Julian Seo-Cooke finds himself in need of a fake boyfriend, Devin sees an opportunity to get behind enemy lines and prove the family plays dirty. As long as Devin and Julian’s families are at war, there’s only room for loathing between them. Which is a problem because, for Devin, this faux game of love is feeling very real.

Our Cursed Love by Julie Abe Six days to remember. Love or lose him forever.

Remy Kobata has always wished she was destined to be with her best friend, Cam Yasuda. All the way from being neighbors from birth to mixing up magical prank potions together to their “just friends” homecoming date during their senior year in high school, nothing’s a secret between Remy and Cam―except for how much she is in love with him.

Remy is trying to work up the courage to confess her feelings during their winter break trip to Japan, when she gets selected for a mystical tea leaves reading and it reveals that they’re not meant to be together. After they stumble upon a secret magical apothecary in the back alleys of Tokyo, Remy and Cam are offered an ancient soulmate elixir, created before all love potions were banned by the magical government. They each have their reasons for wanting to take it, but what could go wrong with finding your soulmate a little earlier?

Except, after they drink up, their senior year trip flips into the worst vacation Cam has forgotten who Remy is. If she can’t help Cam remember her by midnight New Year’s Eve, they’ll both be cursed to forget each other. To unravel their past and rewrite the future, Remy and Cam must travel through Tokyo to rediscover Cam’s memories and make new ones―and maybe even fall in love all over again.

Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson Sophomore Kalvin Shmelton has finally perfected his underground candy-selling hustle at school. He keeps his prices reasonable, his inventory fresh, and himself out of the drama. But when a heartbroken Sterling Glistern—Kal’s longtime crush— barges into the storage closet where he keeps his candy supply, a new source of income unexpectedly presents itself: relationship therapist. Sure, he only meant to help Sterling realize she’s been dating a jerk—and maybe win her over—but news spreads fast that Kalvin’s not just the master of sweets…but hearts, too! And as the son of two famous therapists, he leans into this newfound reputation and the money that comes with it.

The truth, however, is that Kalvin’s parents’ “perfect” marriage is crumbling. He was supposed to woo the girl of his dreams, fix his parents’ relationship, and lend a listening ear to a school-full of heartbroken teens. But a jealous boyfriend, a vengeful competitor, and Kalvin’s own growing ego threaten those plans, forcing Kal to rethink all he thought he knew about friendship, family, and love.

Lucero (A Forgery of Magic #3) by Maya Motayne In the aftermath of Sombra’s return, the balance between light and dark magic has been destroyed and chaos has broken out in Castallan and around the world. Sombra’s shadows have taken over to create monstrous versions of everyone Finn and Alfie love, and with war between Castallan and Englass looming, the prince and the thief must band together one last time—to save their entire world.

To stop the magical imbalance, they must find the stone relics of Sombra’s body before the god can unite the pieces and regain his full strengthonce more. But the laws of magic no longer apply, and with their own magic—and even the laws of time itself—drastically changing at every turn, Finn and Alfie are left on their own to stop Sombra and fulfill their prophecy before it is too late and the darkness reigns.

Will they restore balance to their world or will its light be gone forever?

Any of these books on your TBR list? What are you planning to read in December? Let us know! And thanks for following along on this reading journey for another year. Next up, we'll be posting our 2023 favorites!

#the ruined #lucero #caught in a bad fauxmance #seven minutes in candyland #our cursed love #long post

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coldgoldlazarus · 9 months

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Apparently people are mad about that new Ahsoka show, because some gal, Satine or Sabine, is trying to become a Jedi, and fans are pissed because she's not force-sensitive and is Mandalorian?

I don't really see why the first is an issue beyond, I guess, lacking the fancy Force abilities, but it's whatever. Seen some weird takes on both sides of that argument today. For the second point, I know Mandalorians and Jedi kinda have a shaky history, but from my understanding that was mostly something pushed in the old EU by Karen Traviss, and that stuff got mostly wiped by the Disney retcons anyway. So I guess they could do some interesting stuff with whatever of that tension is still canon, but I don't see why it would have to be a dealbreaker.

More importantly, it seems to me like she's trying to become the SW universe's version of Samus! If she's Mandalorian, then she aready has the power armor and the T-visor down pat, now she just needs to add the whole "wandering warrior monk from a fallen mystic culture" angle lmao. And a gunship. And that, in my opinion, is an endeavor that should only be supported. :3

#not a reblog #star wars #ahsoka series #metroid #samus aran #also I need to watch The Clone Wars #because Ahsoka sounds cool #(also I know midichlorians are a touchy topic)#(but I wonder if blood transfusions are a thing in SW)

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frumfrumfroo · 5 months

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Let's say, hypothetically, you're writing a story that's going to "borrow" TLJ's Force connection mechanic to build anticipation for the eventual confrontation betweenhero and antagonist. What are your observations/opinions on what makes something like this work? How can/should it be used? Does it only work if they've met in person previously or can it be used as a prelude to a first in-person meeting?

I would say you can do almost anything with it, there's no rules except the ones you create and what you need to keep it an effective device in the narrative. So it just depends on your story and what the connection is doing. How much you want to define or explain it also depends on genre, tone, etc. For SW, eg, it was an infinitely more meaningful and appropriate storytelling element as something mystical and nebulous. Explaining it cheapened and trivialised it, completely robbing it of beauty or power. But if you're writing something less mythical and metaphorical, maybe it actually needs to be defined more sharply.

It's not that rare a trope to have psychic links or some kind of fated apparition to each other or just strange communication or visions, and it's very often between people who have not yet met, so I wouldn't worry about that at all. A sort of similar example is Winds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey, and those characters had not met.

Basically, it's like anything else. How you introduce it to the narrative is what tells the reader what it is for, and so it's important to think about what you're suggesting and what kind of payoff you're implying is coming. You want to sow the seeds of whatever it will eventually mean and you want to avoid steering the reader towards the wrong questions or the wrong expectations (unless you are going to subvert them deliberately in a satisfying way rather than an annoying way- don't lie to the reader about where things are going, the narrative can mislead them and the characters can be wrong, but the truth should seem self-evident and inevitable in hindsight).

A benevolent all-powerful force created the connection? The characters shouldn't be able to directly use it for evil, even if it can be exploited indirectly. The vibe of it should not itself be sinister even if the other character they're being connected to is sinister. Just subtext stuff.

What makes it work is if it serves the story being told and the characters it affects. Let the characters react to it and even though it's a kind of shortcut to force some kind of communication, it shouldn't feel like a shortcut. Its development shouldn't be something the author's voice summarises in a line of prose, you know what I mean? Don't tell me the connection has changed the relationship or how they see each other, show me. Abstraction and metaphor is very, very efficient. That's how reylo was able to cover so much ground in so little screentime, but it has to feel organic, it has to feel like we're going through it with the characters, not that the story is just reporting that it happened.

So to me, this kind of device should be used to create something which otherwise would not be possible. Intimacy, communication, mutual understanding, etc. and therefore the scenes you show of it should always be purposeful and always drive forward in those arcs. And understanding the other person doesn't have to be positive if that's not where you're going, but unless the point is that the connection was never real and it was some kind of deception perpetrated by an evil force, the understanding created must be genuine. It should give insights your characters could never have access to without it and those insights should be pivotal for the story.

#again there's no rules I'm not saying I'm the arbiter of tropes #but I think for this kind of thing to be good writing #it has to be necessary and it has to be dynamic #if they just use it to banter in their heads to no real effect what's the point #that's the kind of thing that regular old telepathy as part of the setting is for #but if there's a special connection it needs to be narratively explicable even if there's never an in-universe explanation for it #I've read a lot of soul bond fanfic and let me tell you #it's so boring if it isn't necessary

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savage-kult-of-gorthaur · 1 year

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"IT'S NOT A DIFFICULT FILM TO SYNOPSIZE. IN FACT, IT IS STRAIGHT OUT OF "BUCK ROGERS" AND "FLASH GORDON" BY WAY OF TOLKIEN..."

PIC INFO: Spotlight on an original "STAR WARS" (1977) unused painting by Dan Goozee intended for a SW promo poster.

POSTER OVERVIEW: "This painting is a varation of the final art used for an advertising campaign art from the original 1977 theatrical release of "STAR WARS" was painted by movie poster veteran Daniel Goozee ("Moonraker," "Octopussy," "Clash of the Titans," and "Superman IV")."

-- SCIENCE FICTION ARCHIVES

FILM OVERVIEW: "It’s not a difficult movie to synopsize. In fact, "STAR WARS" is straight out of "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon" by way of Tolkien, "Prince Valiant," "The Wizard of Oz," "Boy’s Life" and about every great western movie ever made. Our hero, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is a farmboy from an arid desert planet called Tatooine who suddenly finds himself – through a series of unlikely events – smack in the middle of a galactic civil war. His allies include Han Solo (Harrison Ford), a daredevil space-pilot-for-hire; Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), a mystical old gent who is the last of a group called the Jedi knights, and who knew Luke’s father when; Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), who is one of the chief rebels opposing the Empire; Chewbacca, the Wookiee, an eight-foot-tall, intelligent and ferocious anthropoid; and two wisecracking robots named Artoo Deetoo and See Threepio (the former speaks android, the latter English) who practically steal the film.

The chief bad guys are Darth Vader (David Prowse) and Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing), aided by a horde of flunkies and storm troopers. They operate out of the Death Star, an enormous satellite designed specifically to go around the galaxy zapping recalcitrant planets unwilling to side with the Empire. It is clear, early in the film, that confrontations are inevitable. It’s also clear who’s going to win."

-- ROLLING STONE (TV & Film), "George Lucas: The Wizard of "STAR WARS,"" "A conversation with the writer and director, who reveals the voice behind Darth Vader, why robots need love too and where Wookiees come from," c. August 1977

Sources: Science Fiction Archives & www.rollingstone.com/feature/george-lucas-the-wizard-of-star-wars-2-232011/amp.

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shadowsong26fic · 1 year

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Okay SWBB thoughts again…

I’ve got it down to three, I think, just need to settle on one, haha. And I am stuck, because while I am invested in all three, none of them are really Claiming me, the way some of my prompts have in the past? (I’m thinking in particular of how I ended up picking Take a Bond of Fate over some of the others I was considering that year). So, yeah, asking for Opinions!

Two of these were on my prior list, one of them was not.

Option 1: BSG crossover (Specifically the one where the TCW Disaster Trio (Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka), plus Rex and possibly at least one or two more clones (Cody and/or Kix?) ends up stumbling into a basestar somewhere during the timeskip at the end of season 2)

Option 2: Fleshing out Anakin and Ahsoka’s backstory in Devoted!Verse

Option 3: Building on this oneshot with Darth Lectys.

More details behind the cut

Option 1: BSG crossover

Specifically the one where the TCW Disaster Trio (Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka), plus Rex and possibly at least one or two more clones (Cody and/or Kix?) ends up stumbling into a basestar somewhere during the timeskip at the end of season 2.

(I did consider two other crossover possibilities; but the one with some subset of the Ghost Crew hanging out with Sam and his people on Caprica I think is more suited to either a one-shot or a Long Open-Ended AU and nothing inbetween, therefore it’s not really a good fit for the event; the Disaster Trio (with possible bonus Padme) ending up on Kobol while the first landing party is stranded there has both that problem and also that…while Obi-Wan and Ahsoka helping to keep Crashdown from spinning out was a part of it, the bulk of it would be Anakin and Baltar and Vision Quests and Mysticism which is not really my strong suit. Which is not to say I won’t come back to either of these ideas, but not for big bang. ...at least not this year, lol.)

Anyway. There are sort of two main Problems with this one. First, figuring out how to make this first contact instance not Immediately get violent; second...while crossovers are allowed for the event, and I’ve seen/read a few (even beta’d one) the rule is that everything submitted has to be comprehensible to someone who Only knows Star Wars canon (i.e., it has to stand on its own without requiring having read another fic/consumed another canon), and I’m not sure it will be. It would be all (or almost all) from the point of view of the SW characters, but I’m not sure that would quite cover what I need it to. And some of what I want to do (a much less Daunting variation on some of the Vision Quest stuff with Anakin without Kobol’s Vibes playing into it; some of what I want to do with Obi-Wan and a semi-OC of mine [who is technically a canon character but one with like two lines and no Official name]) might rely a little too much on knowledge of the second canon. While the Rex (& brothers) storyline might be a challenge for me since I haven’t touched on it much before, I don’t think it has the same problem. (Ahsoka is partly there because throwing a non-human into crossovers cuts through a lot of confusion and Misunderstandings; she’ll probably hang out with Boomer and/or another Eight who’s an OC of mine.)

…so all of that basically boils down to: I really need to try explaining all of this to someone who’s unfamiliar with BSG to be Sure, so definitely if you follow me and fit that qualification I’d appreciate your thoughts, but even if you are familiar with both fandoms…as a quick sanity check, does it seem feasible to make that work?

Option 2: Fleshing out Anakin and Ahsoka’s backstory in Devoted!Verse

The upside to this one is this is an AU I’m very fond of and have wanted to get back to for a while, and this would be centered on characters I write All The Time; plus the entire story is built on a very tight platonic/sibling/found family relationship which is always fun. And, while it would technically be part of a series, it could easily function as a standalone (without having to read the other stories in this AU) so I’m not worried about it meeting the challenge requirements. Plus, plenty of room for Cameos from other familiar faces/characters I like writing (Obi-Wan, Padme, Bail, and any Surviving Jedi and/or Inquisitors are off-limits but just about anyone else could pop up).

The downside here is sort of two problems, sort of the same one from two angles. Finding a specific/cohesive storyline in the like 7-10 years they’re together before running into Obi-Wan and Padme, and finding the right balance in tone with the awful stuff they go through and the fact that I want to write the two of them just being Siblings and Happy Together and Stealing Stuff Entertainingly. ...also it would involve a Lot of writing Kids, and while I’ve generally gotten positive feedback for Precipice/other AUs where I write Luke and Leia as kids...that’s different from a fic that will involve one focal character who is thirteen At The Oldest.

(I had also considered two other backstory pieces in the same universe; but fleshing out Padme’s backstory has some of the same problems despite having a few more goalposts along the way in terms of structuring the story, plus I’m not super interested in writing out how she and Obi-Wan came together at the moment though I do want to get there someday, and that would be a significant part of it. And Satine and Bo-Katan/Mandalore’s backstory also requires A Lot of thought and has even fewer goalposts, and might work better as background/a sidestory in the next arc of the main plotline where they actually Go to Mandalore rather than as a standalone story.)

Option 3: Building on this oneshot with Darth Lectys.

There are a lot of cool things I could play with in this one, lol. Some of which would be the same “let’s focus on Anakin and Ahsoka as Siblings” reasons I’m drawn to in Option 2; some of which would be that Lectys will be fun to write; some of which would be that whatever’s actually going on with Anakin/Padme/Obi-Wan/etc. is…well, ::gestures at 95% of the SW fic I’ve written/published:: it’s right smack in my wheelhouse, lol. And I do actually have an idea of where this one would go, more or less.

The problem is working out how the heck we actually got here, lol. Which, I mean, while it’s easier to summarize than the problems with the other two, that doesn’t make it any easier to actually resolve, so…yeah. Not an insignificant stumbling block, is what I’m saying.

Anyway, so that’s more or less where I am now. XD Feedback/opinions definitely appreciated, if anyone has any?

((in other news, TOB is very disorganized so no ETA on that because like. I need to get more of the miniseries sequence written before I can post it, lol; I swear I will get back to Protectors and/or Preludes at some point; Incinctus will probably flow if/when I sit down and rewatch the series or actually ask on the Castlevania discord for someone to bounce off of like I keep forgetting to do…anyway, hoping to get at least one of those out in the next couple weeks??? We’ll see where things go, lol.))

#feedback greatly appreciated #miscellania

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lonemacaron · 7 days

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I really hate how many openly pornsick men are in tech. Makes me super uncomfortable that there are real people out there that I might have to deal with that think my only purpose is to be used by men. Same thing with misogynistic breadtube bro types. Luckily, I think they tend to mostly be at the top or bottom of the hierarchy. Either they're too broken to have any power or they're too high up to be a real obstacle to me specifically. I usually get treated with the same respect as my male peers and nobody singles me out for being female, save for a handful. I don't like being told that I should just do extremely traumatic SW or being told I'm some kind of magical special exception. I just like tech for god's sake, I don't need any mystical divine feminine explanation for why. Sexism and harassment really has a way of upsetting me, especially since I can't hide my sex as easily as I can hide my orientation. I'm just relieved that at least I can pretend to be male behind a screen very easily, and I never have to worry about discrimination there. I hate hearing how openly hateful to women people are though. It breaks my heart.

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homeimprovementway · 10 days

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