#I love Riyo's art style

[fandom-friday]

Hi Karrde! Happy Fandom Friday! I'm excited to share some fun links today.

First up, @pinkiemme's collection of tattooed clones. I'm losing my mind over every one of them.

Next, this Asajj Ventress art from @vimse that nearly made me spontaneously combust (CW knife).

A self-rec: I finished Stars Beyond Number. It follows Rex, Echo, Riyo, Gregor, and OC Cerra Kilian as they work to build their resistance network. Fireball and Nemec are also major characters. The romance pairings are Echo x Riyo and Gregor x Cerra. This fic does contain mature content and themes, so all chapters have individual ratings and warnings, but as with all of my fics, it's intended for adults regardless of rating. Here's the series masterlist and the soundtrack, which slaps if I do say so myself.

Finally, I'm obsessed with the art style of @ginalongillustrations. They create gorgeous stained glass-style portraits from several fandoms, and I'm obsessed with every single Star Wars piece they've shared. Top favorites: Chopper - The War Criminal Captain Rex - The Soldier Padme Amidala - The Queen

Hey hello there DJ! First off, CONGRATS ON FINISHING STARS BEYOND NUMBER!! That fic has been on my TBR forever, and I am stoked that I can just speed run it when I get around to it! As for the rest of these, ALL OF THEM ARE ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. I will never get over Emme's work EVER, and that Ventress artwork had me grinning like a fiend. I've seen Gina's work on my dash before, and every piece is absolutely breathtaking. Thanks so much for putting this list together! HAPPY FANDOM FRIDAY INDEED!

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

[amalthiaph]

Random ask time!!

How did you develop your art style?

Who is your favorite to draw?

Hello! TYSM for the Ask!

Q1. How did you develop your art style?

It was a three-year journey of self-discovery, art envy, hard work, and fixation to a single OC.

And this is fun to answer because I came prepared and I have a Powerpoint Presentation for this one (I created this for a talk about digital art that I gave to one university earlier this year).

I started with something really close to realism. I did this maybe because I wanted to learn how to draw features like eyes, nose, hair, etc.

A few months into it, I started to develop my own way of drawing these features. One of my moots said that my signature was the nose, that I had this distinct way of drawing nose that once they see it, they'd say "Amalthia drew this."

Once I established my 'own way of drawing things' I started to play with brushes and textures.

I continued on to straying far from realism that little by little, my art becomes more and more 'geometric'. Then I got fucking sick of it. My little sister was watching the Tangled series and it was that moment that I pointed to the screen and said, "that's what I want to do".

However, that was still not the end for me. I went on too saying 'too geometric' and then, 'ugh now it's nearer to realism and I don't like that anymore'.

And that's how I arrived to my July 2023 art style; flat but not too flat, geometric but not too geometric, semi-realistic but not too much.

So, to answer the question: draw till you hate drawing it. Because that is when you try things. You hate how that looks like? Change it. You think the hair's too ugly? Try a new technique.

Q2: Who is your favorite to draw?

Okay, at this point, it's obvious that I love drawing THAT original character. Her name is Shelby. I love drawing her because she's mine, and she was the first ever character to be mine. On the art side of things, I draw her a lot because I had memorized her face so much that I can easily play with her appeareance.

Now, for Star Wars, I love drawing Hunter, Tech, Bo-Katan, Riyo Chuchi, and Hera Syndulla.

I like drawing Hunter because of his hair. Hair is always my favorite part to draw. I always love adding little strays, I like to think that it adds beauty to the artwork, and with Hunter I can just do that (except for that one time I drew him with wet hair).

I like drawing Tech because I think his face screams geometry. It doesn't make sense, I know but that's how I see him. With his design, I can easily play with shapes. So it's really good practice for me.

For Bo-Katan, it was also the hair for me. There's a certain way I draw short straight hair and I think I did it best with Bo-Katan.

Riyo, for me, is one of the best designed characters in Star Wars and that is why I love drawing her. I've drawn her three times by now. I love her hairstyle. And as much as I can't add little strays to it, its texture or having to add texture to it makes drawing her really fun for me.

I love drawing Hera because I LOVE TWI'LEKS.

Last one, I like drawing characters played by Ming-Na Wen. It all started with my Mulan art (which I've been planning to redraw) and then I drew Fennec.

Man, I hope this makes sense.

[lonewolflupe]

@aknightreaderr That's what we call Art with a capital 'A' 👌🏼

But I agree, this is magnificent. I love the sketchy style, how the people in the background are just silhouettes (with some minimum detailing, if you look closely) so the focus is on Fox and Riyo ❤️💙 And the way Fox's helmet was sketched, I love this so much.

Also I'm living for that live reaction, kriffing glorious

Hey! I love to see Fox giving riyo one of the bear hugs that puts everything back together ❤️

Everybody Lives (Except Palps) AU ending. Big hugs. The Clone Wars ends. During the Battle for Coruscant, Fox and Master Shaak-Ti succeed in defeating General Grevious and pushing back the Seperatist invasion. However, Supreme Chancellor Palps is tragically killed when Seperatist forces attempt to kidnap him. So tragic. Later a new Chancellor is elected and the Seperatist surrender. Fox retires to be rich house husband.

Meanwhile...

"Since when does Fox have a girlfriend???"

[utopiozphere]

Riyo!Ace

Edit: I completely forgot about the diamond markings on the arm Orz

[jasmindoodles]

Woohoo!! I had so much fun drawing @flybynite19 dtiys challenge!! Foxiyo is one of my favorite ships! 🥺💞

[xbuster]

Hi, please look at this art Riyo drew in 2008.

[holdharmonysacred]

I wish we got Lancer Artoria illustrated by Takeuchi instead. I mean no offense to Ishida Akira, his art’s great outside of the Obnoxious Boobage, but no matter how many times I look at either of the Lancer Artorias I just cannot register them in my head as being Artoria. I know part of the point is that the Lancertorias have lost some of the critical parts of themselves that make them the Artoria, but the thing is that this is the bad kind of “they don’t feel like Artoria” where they literally don’t feel like Artoria. These are not older versions of the Artoria I know and love, these are two unrelated randos who have usurped Artoria’s role in the Round Table cast herd, who are they, where is Artoria, I want the real Artoria back, why don’t the Round Table Gang ever hang out with Artoria.

Like if the Lancertorias were illustrated by Takeuchi instead this wouldn’t feel as bad, because it’d keep design and style continuity between all the Artorias. I’d be able to actually look at Lancertoria and think “Yeah these ladies are an older Artoria” and not “literally who the hell are these women and why does the game insist they’re Artoria”. As is the style shift is just too big and even now years later it gives me mental whiplash. Also there’s just something sad that like. Riyo’s joke CE for one of the New Years events was better able to keep Lancertoria recognizable as Artoria than anyone else’s art, and that’s just kind of sad. if Riyo’s able to keep character design continuity better than you then something’s gone wrong.

[joshnekuu]

Honestly it’s hard not to be bummed by fgo rn… like, I’m always expecting to be at least somewhat disappointed with fgo, because it is fgo. But I was tentatively excited for this event, I really wanted it to be good, especially since the next thing we have to look forward to is the Riyo event, which I’ve made clear I want nothing to do with :p

And I’m sure the story of the event will be fine, but gosh. I was really looking forward to the Trung sisters. I was really excited for Vietnamese servants, since it’s a region that has been relatively untouched by fate (for better or for worse, ofc I had a healthy dose of apprehension of how they would handle the characters given their history with dark skinned girls), and the character designs for them/art style is really unique for the game.

So ofc one of the sisters is in love with the other. Ofc she’s literally described as a ‘siscon’ and her motivations are wrapped up in her obsession with her sister. I knew they would probably pull some bullshit and make jokes or imply it at most, but I didn’t think they’d outright announce it and make it a literal part of her character :/ I had even hoped maybe they wouldn’t be the Trung sisters, that maybe they’d be unrelated so that this sort of thing could be avoided… but of course not.

I’m not going to write off the event itself entirely, since it’s only day one, but god it’s so fucking disappointing to have the coolness of these characters marred by gross tropes that should have been long retired.

[the196thbattalion]

hi, i just wanted to say i loved your high school au post! all the headcanons were perfection lmao. i was wondering what headcanons you would have for padme? she was only mentioned so i wonder...

ANON! THANK YOU FOR ASKING!

i’m gonna be a basic bitch and start off with how i imagine her looking and her style and whatnot becuase YES

i think we can all agree that padme would be fucking breathtaking???

her whole style is this really pretty white flowery aesthetic sort of thing

and i know her hair is always super long and in these crazy ridicoulous styles, but imagine - padme with a bob? or shoulder length hair?

maybe like mini-braids and a bun sort of thing

the glossier makeup brand? that’s her main bro

sparkly, glossy, cloud blush sort of makeup!

and i’m a whore for padme in glasses so there’s definitely that too.

her and obi-wan do the little anime pushy-up glasses thing together!

anakin finds it both sickening and incredibly attractive that his girlfriend knows anime memes

so now into the whole high school thing ya know?

so, padme is a senior

and she’s this super talented, popular, independent badass right?

applying to really good schools (she wants to get into stanford)

she’s president of the debate club, and has been best friends with the co-leader, riyo chuchi, since they were in like kindergarten

padme has gone head to head with the school board over the amount of pressure and stress palpatine is putting on the students

hell, she’s gone head to head with the pta, and you know damn well she kicked lott dod’s ass at the last meeting

anakin will go to those meetings just to see padme own everyone

and her vocabulary outranks all of the parents, so she’ll be outsmarting and out-arguing them and the parents just can’t understand shit

she’s in the most advanced english and social studies courses

her, obi-wan and cody both share mr. windu as their english teacher

windu doesn’t want to admit it, but that trio are his favorite students

she helps cody with notes for obi-wan when he just passes out

and padme + obi-wan take ap government

those two on the same team together, anime glasses and everything?

you should be scared.

padme tried to get obi-wan to join the debate team, but he spends most of his time after school supporting cody in his football adventures

now some extra shiiiit

she takes self defense and martial arts outside of school

her and ahsoka have sparring matches sometimes if both of them are just chilling out and want to impress some random ass teenagers

also? she can fucking sing bro

a beauty guru who can sing? +100k followers my dude

anakin is so god damn lucky

[muumuumolly]

i really love your riyo-styled twisted wonderland art! would you mind if i used it as my icon, so long as i credit you?

Thank you! <3 

And of course you can use them as icons! Crediting would also be nice! 

That was one of the reasons why I made them as transparents :)

Stay tuned for more coming soon~

[houkagokappa]

Sarazanmai Anthology first impressions

(contains slight spoilers about the anthology, but nothing major)

The Anthology came out at the same time I was heading out to meet a friend to go to the movies, so I only had time to check the illustrations. They’re all great. A lot of Tooi and Chikai, which I wasn’t expecting, but am enjoying (have I ever mentioned I love stories about sibling bonds the most?). The illustrations make me feel things... Mostly angst, but Kasukabe Akira’s piece is heartwarming (until you remember how things ended for them). I find pako’s illustration amusing because Pako (lit. escape) was the Finnish name for the Prison Break tv-series and the illustration looks like it could’ve been drawn for it.

It's nice to see art by Hoshino Lily again, I love her style and I miss her works so much! She drew Sara and she fits her style perfectly! I’m not a huge fan of Saito Chiho’s style, it’s very 90′s which has its own charm, but also I’m scared of the humongous hand she drew for Reo and I’m very sorry but it’s all I can see in her illustration, even though the setting is quite nice otherwise. Saito Misaki’s illustration falls under the category of "my skin is clear and my crops are thriving” - it’s a warm and healing illustration of ReoMabu. Then we have Morishima Akiko’s illustration which is so out of this world amazing words cannot express how much I live for it and for the manga she drew. I need to make it my new wallpaper. If there’s a way to make Sarazanmai better, Yurizanmai is where it’s at.

I began reading the manga on my subway ride home. The first ones are by Saito Misaki and it felt so good to be able to read her ReoMabu manga stories again. Unfortunately her manga began during the era Reo thought Mabu wasn’t his Mabu so it could’ve been a more pleasant read... The universe was also playing a cruel trick on me because I was listening to music on shuffle and the sad ReoMabu backstory track started playing just as I began reading. Thanks, way to rub salt into my wounds... Luckily she also included their happiest moments and declarations of love so it was all good in the end. I feel very satisfied with what she drew.

For some of the other works I really like how there are a couple where Reo and Mabu show up and interact with the trio, along with other bonding moments between some of the characters who didn’t get much of it in the anime and how we get a glimpse of what their lives might look like after the anime.

I was looking forward to Nakamura Asumiko’s manga the most. What she drew is certainly true to her style. It’s quite short and depressing. It’s set during the anime era when things were strained between Reo and Mabu. Some might say that Mabu’s acting out of character because he’s quite aggressive. That was my first impression as well, but thinking about it some more considering how pushy he was about feeding Reo in Saito Misaki’s manga and all the pain and frustration he was feeling when he was unable to tell Reo how he truly felt about him, it’s not necessarily that far off. I get why some might not like it though.

I had to translate Nakamura’s manga as soon as I finished reading it and then the same thing happened with the next manga in line, which was Morishima Akiko’s Yurizanmai. I haven’t finished my work on it yet, but let me tell you it’s absolutely amazing and worth buying the anthology for.

I haven’t properly read the rest yet. Yamamoto Kotetsuko’s 3-koma, Sakuraba Chidori’s 4-koma and Riyo’s works seem to be mostly comedic and somewhat absurd. I really love the art in Ishino Aya’s manga about Chikai. I need to check out her other works, I think they could be right up my alley. Oh and then there’s some horrifying stuff going on with Enta and Keppi that I didn’t need in my life and I’m not ready to get into right now. Consider yourself warned. Luckily the anthology ends with Migi’s manga which works as a nice palate cleanser and beautiful ending to the book.

If you haven’t ordered it yet I strongly suggest you do so. It’s well worth your money!

[lordgoopy]

“The Saturday Interview: I Am In Eskew Podcast” —Recovered

The podcast is called I Am In Eskew; it’s a horror / weird fiction show delivered as a series of dispatches from a vaguely Central European city.

Eskew is a place that is, both spatially and psychologically, off-kilter. The streets wind too far in on themselves, the stairs climb too high, and both buildings and inhabitants can act in peculiar, obsessive, or frightening ways. And every episode we follow the narrator, David Ward, a kind of semi-unwilling immigrant to the city, as he finds himself stumbling into new aspects of Eskew. As for me, I’m a writer in London, working in digital media for the charity sector; I’m writing and narrating Eskew sort-of-anonymously. Not for any kind of grand scandalous reason, but because I think it adds to the fun and helps to keep the conceit alive a little bit.

Ah...that explains why I couldn’t find your name when I was researching for this interview. I thought my skills were slipping! I think it’s very interesting that Eskew focuses on horror based around spaces and buildings. Is this something of particular interest to you?

Yes, definitely! I think there’s a rich ream of horror, from The Haunting of Hill House to Ghostwatch, that delves into the idea that certain places can simply go wrong - and once these bad environments have been established and ostracised by society, they can’t be exorcised. They simply keep accruing power through the individual stories that play tragically out in their shadow.

I mention a real-life example of that kind of bad architecture in one episode; the Pope Lick Bridge in Kentucky, a place that looks and feels so sinister that it developed its own local folklore about a goat-man who attacks people who stray too close to the edge - and which has ended up resulting in deaths as visitors peer over the side trying to get a peek at the monster.

I find this kind of stuff fascinating, because it plays into my own paranoia about environments, and my dislike of ghost stories with explicably human antagonists. Like David says in the first episode, people aren’t frightening. Places are frightening.

If I’m sitting alone at home on a dark and stormy night, and I glance nervously up towards the bedroom doorway, my fear is not that my house is being haunted by a spirit called Mabel who died in the 19th century at the age of fourteen and is constantly seeking her favourite teddy bear...because all of these details both humanise her and make her ridiculous.

My fear is that there will be something standing in the doorway, because the doorway is where things come to stand.

Because unoccupied spaces, in our imaginations, must find something to fill them.

Could you describe some of your creative influences?

Thomas Ligotti is probably the writer I’m trying to crib from the most. Not so much in terms of his pessimism (or his love of puppets as a horror motif, which I can’t really get behind), but I see him very much as someone who bridges the gap between American horror and European absurdism. Some of my favourite stories of his - The Town Manager, Our Temporary Supervisor, The Red Factory - are hilarious as comedies! They’re very much scathing satires on our inadequate human response to the inexplicable and awful.

Junji Ito is also a big influence, in particular, his masterpiece Uzumaki: a collection of short stories about a town that’s driven mad by the symbol of a spiral. The brilliance is in the inventiveness with which he builds an anthology of horrors, with variety and with mounting awfulness, while playing on that simple motif.

I see Ito’s work as very much in the spirit of some of the most classic horror of all; Ovid’s Metamorphoses, where the threat comes not from an external monster, but from our own bodies and minds, transforming at the whim of cruel, fickle and obsessive gods...which feeds into a lot of what I’m trying to do with Eskew!

I usually try and avoid thinking about Lovecraft as an influence, even though David is clearly an obsessive, neurotic first-person narrator in the Lovecraft/Poe mould. I think there’s a lot of baggage around what constitutes ‘Lovecraftian’ fiction, and I didn’t want to set up false expectations by referencing him (like the idea that there might be some monstrous cosmic intelligence behind it all).

I really enjoy Lovecraft too, especially something like “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” I think the idea of monsters living in the sea near the town and the strange, inexorable link the townspeople have with them makes it a lot creepier than something like “The Call of Cthulhu.”

Yeah! I think the elements in Lovecraft that have made him so franchise-friendly (these brilliant alien races and gods) have eaten away at the edges of Lovecraftian horror, bringing it closer to something that can be quite kitsch, even a kind of steampunk pastiche at times. With Eskew, I’m trying to keep to something I see in Ito, or in Ligotti, where any antagonists, whether human or otherwise, are only symptoms of something worse, something that’s simply a force of nature.

I see the city of Eskew as being a bit like a literal cancer in that sense - a highly complex structure where some of the cells (or in this case streets, art galleries, citizens...) have started to lose their original sense of self and are obsessively spiralling off in other, destructive directions...

What made you decide to do I Am In Eskew as a podcast, rather than as a graphic novel or book?

Honestly, it’s a lack of talent in the first instance, and a lack of discipline in the second!

Writing it as a podcast was my partner’s idea (she’s also the occasional voice of Riyo, an investigator looking into David’s disappearance, and she copy-edits every episode with me) - I knew I wanted to write a series of horror short stories based around the theme of urban isolation and weird architecture, but I was really struggling to get started.

She suggested that recording it as a podcast would force me to keep to a schedule, and hopefullyit might even give me some audience feedback to keep me excited about the project.

So it was a pragmatic choice, but it’s one I’ve really come to be thankful for! I think the medium is perfect for bare-bones, atmospheric horror storytelling (Knifepoint Horror is probably the best example of that ‘lonely voice whispering in your ear’ kind of fiction), and there’s an incredibly welcoming, friendly, mutually-supporting community of listeners and creators online.

Once the podcast is complete, I think I’d definitely like to look at compiling all of the episodes, editing and improving them, and turning it into a full-length written anthology. I’ve definitely made a few continuity slip-ups along the way that I’d like to correct, apart from anything else.

I’ve enjoyed Riyo’s episodes too, especially now that she’s directly looking into ‘hostile environments’. I feel like the contrast in tone and narrative style help to strengthen the series overall. Do you intend for the story of I Am In Eskew to have a specific ending in the future? If so, have you decided on the arc of the story?

I think David’s story (and Riyo’s) needs to be a finite one, definitely. In my experience, most successful protagonists in serial horror tend to be investigators, or monster-hunters. That choice of profession makes them witnesses to the story, rather than victims - effectively, they’re exempt from the psychological cost of whatever happens.

With David, I very much wanted to avoid that sense of safety; I want the horror to keep taking its toll on the character, episode after episode - which means that eventually he does need to find some kind of resolution!

Otherwise that psychological cost starts to seem fraudulent, and the whole thing turns into a predictable game of ‘David sees something horrible, then miraculously escapes at the last second’ week after week.

So I do know how the finale is going to play out; it’s really just a question of how many more stories I can reasonably invent for the show, without things starting to feel stretched, before we get there.

Mind you, it’s been established that there are recordings from Eskew that have gone missing, so it doesn’t need to end, even if it ends…

Do you have a favourite episode of I Am In Eskew so far?

I really like Episode 3: Excavation. A mysterious digging sickness takes hold in Eskew, with citizens tearing their own hands to pieces just to get into the ground - and in retaliation, a religious cult starts to form, extolling the virtues of the sky and constructing a grand tower.

It’s not necessarily the best-written episode structurally, and definitely one of the crudest in terms of recording quality, but it was the first episode where I felt I was pushing the boat out towards the kind of outrageous, absurdist horror that I really wanted to be writing, where normal human behaviour was just being given a couple of extra screw-turns towards something awful and monstrous.

It was also the first episode where I really saw a few people begin to respond on message boards, so that was really reassuring to me - when it first went out, I was petrified that I’d gone too weird to sustain anyone’s interest.

I tried to pick a favourite episode in preparation for this interview, but I honestly couldn’t narrow it down past five or six. If I really had to pick, I’d probably choose Illumination - the episode about the sinister and compulsive call of an old railway bridge. Are ideas like this based on real examples?

That example definitely is - it’s based on a railway bridge about a minute’s walk from my house! I love that kind of very modern ruin; old brick stacks stood out in the open, arches filled with ivy, graffiti in a place that seems impossible to reach...

There are a few other specific London inspirations (I based the Fish Market on Spitalfields Meat Market, for example), but with Eskew as a whole, I was thinking specifically of hillier cities in Western and Central Europe: Budapest, primarily, but also Lisbon (the trams and cobblestones), maybe a bit of Rome...

I’m used to flat English cities without any kind of panorama, so I find it a ceaselessly astonishing thing to be lost in a city’s streets and suddenly find myself up high, staring down over a sea of winding streets and rooftops...

How do you feel having wrecked people’s appreciation of AA Milne’s poem Disobedience by highlighting how deeply sinister it is?

I’ve actually been driving myself wild trying to decide if that poem is just a nonsense rhyme celebrating bossy children, or if there’s a class-snobbery thing going on (James James Morrison’s mother puts on a golden gown, and goes to the end of the town...does she get robbed there? Is the end of the town so unsafe because that’s where the low-income people live?)

You may have a point there about class. After whatever happens to her happens, the King himself gets involved with a reward. Clearly, she’s a lady with connections! Could you describe your writing process?

My writing process is very much informed by necessity - I commute in and out of London every day and don’t have a lot of free time, so I have to do most of my drafting while standing upright in a crammed train carriage!

Which may not be ideal, but on the other hand, if you’re writing a podcast about the horror of urban life, there’s no better place to find inspiration than a crowded, sweaty, angry Underground train filled with blank faces...

How long does it take you to put an episode together, from first word to the finished product?

I’m very quick; I usually sketch out the episode concept well in advance, then take about a fortnight to draft it and edit. Recording and audio-editing happens very speedily, again out of necessity, on the weekends! I try and devote a day apiece to each.

Turning to the technical side, what do you wish you’d known about creating a podcast at the very beginning?

There’s still an enormous amount that I don’t know! When it comes to even simple audio editing, I’m learning all the time. I very much am still just a schmuck in his living room, talking into a handmade sound booth on his days off - which is the beauty of podcasting, I suppose.

But I’d probably give my earlier self some very common-sense advice like...

...be brave. Stick to a schedule. Know the signs of burn-out. Listen to other people’s work in the medium before you dive in. Stay hydrated so your mouth doesn’t make those disgusting wet sounds when you’re trying to talk. Never forget that this should be fun, above anything else.

What motivates you to keep producing episodes?

Honestly? Seeing that it’s connecting with people. Spooking people. Entertaining people. That means everything.

If people would like to engage with you or support you online, what’s the best way to do that?

If you’d like to support the show...please do just shout about it! Tell your friends, leave a review on iTunes. It really makes a huge difference.

If you’d like to chat, we’re also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eskew_podcast

[politicalpadme]

PadMay is an annual event in celebration of our beloved former queen and senator of Naboo, Padmé Naberrie Amidala. There will be thirty one prompts, one for each day in the month of May.

Days 1-9: Symbolism

Days 10-16: Roles and Relationships

Days 17-27: The Phantom Menace (20th Anniversary!)

Days 28-31: Favorites and Formats

The full list of prompts is beneath the cut and crossposted to dreamwidth. You may answer as many, or as few, as you like and there is no specific format. Questions and prompts may be considered in universe or meta and answers may take the form of discussion, fiction, artwork, gifsets, vids, vlogs, whatever! It is also fine to post on a different day than that which corresponds with the number (if you miss one, or it is simply easier for you).

Please tag your posts #PadMay2019 and feel free to message me links. I cannot wait to see all your discussion, fiction, art, and creativity! If you have any questions, my ask box is open. 

PART ONE: SYMBOLISM 1. The Amidala Symbol or Naboo Royal Crest 2. The Scar of Remembrance 3. The traditional colored twin cheek-spots of “Balance” and “Symmetry” 4. The Living Force 5. Flower imagery and symbolism in relation to Padmé Amidala 6. Water imagery and symbolism in relation to Padmé Amidala 7. Moon imagery and symbolism in relation to Padmé Amidala 8. Numbers significant to the Naboo, for example 13 handmaidens for a monarch of Naboo required to be on duty at all times; 5 handmaidens to accompany the Queen whenever she travels 9. Padmé’s Wardrobe

PART TWO: ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS

Bulleted lists are merely suggestions, you may answer the prompt however it suits you!

10. Family

Padmé as the baby of the family

Her parents move to Theed to give her more options, why didn’t they move when Sola was born?

Her mother wished for her to pursue music, why does Padmé choose politics?

What protections do Padmé’s parents, sister, and nieces have given that so many factions wish to harm her?

How is Padmé remembered by her family?

11. Monarchs

King Ars Vernua, monarch voted out in favor of Amidala

Queen Réillata, her immediate successor (and former opera singer), who asks Amidala to be Senator

Queen Jamillia, monarch when the war begins, thought to sympathize with Separatist ideologues

Queen Neyutnee, monarch during the Blue Shadow Virus crisis

Queen Apailana, monarch when the Republic and Amidala die

12. Handmaidens

handmaidens killed in the line of duty (Cordé, Versé, Duja, Teckla)

Saché, former handmaiden and later a mentee as a member of the Naboo planetary legislative assembly

Sabé, her decoy

13. Mentors

Sheev Palpatine

Onaconda Farr aka “Uncle Ono”

Silya Shessaun

Mina Bonteri

14. Mentees

Riyo Chuchi

Ahsoka Tano

15. Love Interests

Palo Jemabie

Ian Lago

Baron Rush Clovis, Senator of Scipio

Anakin Skywalker

16. Allies

Bail Organa

Satine Kryze

Obi-Wan Kenobi

PART THREE: THE PHANTOM MENACE

Bulleted lists are merely suggestions, you may answer the prompt however it suits you!

17. “I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.”

How does Padmé’s commitment to peace evolve?

Amidala is introduced with this line but the title and story as previously told require her conviction to waver and fail - how does this influence how we see her character?

In this moment Amidala considers war the worst possible outcome. Is it?

The actions taken in this film and those that follow do lead to war. What actions could she take that might alter that fate? Or was it always inevitable?

18. “We are brave, your highness.”

How is Padmé brave? What are examples of her bravery?

Why does Padmé choose to go with the Jedi to Coruscant?

Describe Padmé and Sabé and the other handmaidens learning to communicate without words.

How would remaining on Naboo change the story?

19. “Her Highness commands you to take her handmaiden with you.”

What are Padmé’s interests in/on Tatooine?

Describe Padmé requesting or commanding Panaka to present her to Qui-Gon.

Describe Padmé dressing as a peasant. Where does she get the outfit? Why arethese particular clothes chosen? Her hairstyle?

Discuss the power differentials between Padmé, Amidala, the Jedi, and her retinue of guards, pilots, and handmaidens.

20. “I can’t believe there is still slavery in the galaxy.”

Discuss the privilege inherent in this comment. How does it color Padmé’s interactions with the Skywalkers?

How/why does Padmé accept Qui-Gon’s decision to leave Shmi behind?

Discuss Padmé’s desires to do good and help individuals like Anakin, Shmi, and Jar Jar with her commitments to Naboo.

How would the story change if Padmé freed Shmi sometime between TPM and AotC as she wanted and planned to?

21. “Well, I don’t approve.”

Discuss Padmé’s impression of Qui Gon, whom she argues with on Tatooine and describes as arrogant and frustrating in various (EU) novels.

Padmé is initially against the pod-racing scheme. What is her thinking and how does it change?

What are her thoughts on Qui Gon using gambling to free Anakin? But not Shmi?

Presenting as a handmaiden, Padmé has far less power during the trip to Tatooine. How does this make her feel?

22. “If this body is not capable of action, I suggest new leadership is needed.”

Padmé is initially against the vote of No Confidence. What is her thinking and how does it change?

Discuss Palpatine’s manipulation of Amidala.

Would she make the same decision if she knew Palpatine would be nominated?

What are Padmé’s thoughts as she speaks before the senate? Immediately before and after?

23. “My fate will be no different from that of our people.”

When, how, and why does Padmé make the decision to return to Naboo?

Queen Amidala leaves fed up with politics, but as Senator she sticks up for democracy. How does her thinking evolve?

Padmé has a tendency to fling herself into danger. Where does it come from? Discuss this as a strength and a weakness.

The prequels are all about ‘fate’. How does it affect Padmé?

24. “I need your help.”

What does Padmé know of the Gungans before she meets one?

What motivates Amidala’s choice to ask Jar Jar and the gungans for help?

The Jedi, Anakin, and Jar Jar all help Padmé achieve her goals, for various reasons, how do these interactions influence her as Queen and later Senator versus as an individual person?

25. “I am Queen Amidala.”

Why does Padmé choose to reveal herself to Boss Nass?

How does Padmé realize she must swallow her pride to convince the gungans to help her?

26. “Well, that is why we must not fail to get to the Viceroy. Everything depends on it.”

Discuss Padmé learning strategy as preparation for being Queen.

Why is it important to Padmé the Viceroy is captured, not killed?

Amidala risks and loses many lives in this battle. How do they weigh on her?

27. “Now, Viceroy, we will discuss a new treaty.”

What would be Padmé’s ideal outcome from this point?

Discuss the antagonistic relationship between Padmé Amidala and Nute Gunray.

Padmé practices aggressive negotiations in this scene; how integral are they to her style?

PART FOUR: FAVORITES AND FORMATS

You are of course free to fill (or combine!) both prompts.

28. Your Favorite Quote said by or about Padmé Amidala or Create a game for the community to solve (puzzle, crossword, a ‘Where’s Waldo’ map, rebus, a game of logic, scavenger hunt, bingo card etc.)

29. Your Favorite costume worn by Padmé Amidala or Create a chart relating to Padmé Amidala (flowchart of her progress in politics, org chart of Naboo, family tree, Naboo censor data, Senate seating chart etc.)

30. Your Favorite Trope or AU involving Padmé Amidala or Create a collage inspired by Padmé Amidala

31. Your Favorite Song on the Official Star Wars Padmé Amidala Playlist or Create a playlist inspired by Padmé Amidala

Thank you and Enjoy!

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