#swst

[hanukkahbingo]

Panfandom Hanukkah Bingo

WHAT: A fanworks bingo celebrating Jewish (and Jew-ish) characters across any and all fandoms. Write fanfiction and/or create graphics (moodboards, edits, vids, whatever you like) to fill prompts on this overall bingo card. During the 8 nights of Hanukkah, submit your fills to the AO3 collection and/or post them on Tumblr to be reblogged and added to the Bingo Masterpost.

WHY: Jewish characters and Jewish fans are often overlooked or erased during the Winter Holiday Season in favor of “Secret Santa” exchanges, Christmas-themed fics, and the idea that ~Hanukkah is Jewish Christmas~ (which spoiler for all fics in this bingo: it’s not). This panfandom Bingo challenge is to celebrate Hanukkah on its own terms and give Jewish characters and fans a place to breathe. :)

MORE INFO!

[a-pale-azure-moon]

I promise I won't make a habit of this, but it was one year ago today that I officially completed my opus, so I've been reminiscing about it. Feeling a little melancholy about it too, probably because I'm currently between projects and looking for a new idea to embed itself into my brain, though TBH, I don't know if anything will ever consume me quite the way this story did. 😅

Anyway, for those who maybe missed this fic when it was new and might be interested, here's my promo. It's an Azure Moon AU inspired by Revolutionary Girl Utena, but you don't have to know anything about it to follow the story; the Utena elements are pretty much just the skeleton supporting the meat of the plot. Byleth is a student newly enrolled at Garreg Mach Academy, and on the first day she accidentally gets embroiled in the Academy's unusual dueling game. The top competitor in the game gains ownership of Dimitri and gets to use Areadbhar in the duels, and the ultimate winner of the contest is promised a prize of "immeasurable value." From there, Byleth slowly learns about the secret history of the world and the various forces working to keep that history buried. She also learns some shocking truths about herself. Meanwhile, Dimitri has plenty of secrets of his own, and as he and Byleth grow closer, she learns the awful truth about his position as the near literal trophy prince in the school's game, and how his story is connected to the true history of the world as well as to her own past.

I'll warn in advance that this thing is a TOME (over 200K words), and there are parts of it that are very dark (be sure to check the author's notes ahead of each chapter for specific content warnings), but it does have a happy ending! And since it's complete, you're free to take it at your own pace if you're in the mood to sink your teeth into a nice long Dimileth fic. ❤

[Steps away from the podium]

[a-pale-azure-moon]

OMG!!!! <3 <3 <3

I was definitely not expecting three pictures! I don't even know what to say except that I love these! Dimitri and Byleth with her birthday cake is just too cute and I LOVE LOVE how in the other two you used some of Utena's imagery. Byleth's mental disconnect with her prince versus the one-eyed demon styled like Utena's fairy tale narration, and then the one of them in the greenhouse that's just like the still from the opening credits!!! (Rondo Revolution is now playing in my head again!) PERFECT!

I'm resisting the urge to keysmash because I feel my response should be coherent, lol. I'm so honored my fic inspired you to draw these! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! <3

For @a-pale-azure-moon and her amazing Utena AU of FE Three Houses, Someday We'll Shine Together.

Aesthetically, Utena goes surprisingly well with FE3H, with the academy setting, European-style architecture, and military-inspired uniforms. Basically, this meant I didn't have to change their designs at all for this setting lol.

[cfmartyrs]

@jundlcndwastes​ / Juniper liked for a starter from Saufa!

     “It’s very early. Like, very, very early. What are we doing again?”

[desertbcrnnobody]

I feel like Rey from the SWST and Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries have similar personalities and that makes me sad that Rey never got involved in poison making because I know for a fact that she had to make some salves for burns and cuts scavenging.

[incognitajones]

numbers meme

@anghraine tagged me - thanks for the trip down memory lane!

rules: give us the links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

Most hits: surprising absolutely no one, Last Train, the long fic I wrote at the peak of SWST fandom

Second most kudos: I fought the war (but the war won) which makes me happy as I think it still stands up

Third most comments: True and False (and I cherish every single one of them for helping motivate me to finish it ❤️)

Fourth most bookmarks: Unexpected, another fic that benefitted from timing

Fifth most words: pulse to pulse at 19,560 - which is encouraging because I want to write a similar-length novella this fall and I managed to complete this in 3-4 months

Fewest words: I’ve written multiple 100-word drabbles, most recently Son of Ferrix

It's truly fascinating how much of an advantage long stories have over short ones in gaining a readership on AO3. I don't believe that's where my strengths as a writer lie - I've written much better work in the 1-10K range - but I guess that's why I keep trying...

Not tagging anyone in particular since stats memes can be tricky, but anyone who wants to do it should join in!

[redrascal1]

Okay, yet another quote from the JCF, but this one actually sums up an attitude I will never be able to understand:

LFL seeing Adam Driver’s Solo Boy as the “true” male lead 

Finn fans are constantly wanting to know why so many of us see Ben/Kylo as such.

It's because it was the Skywalker Saga.....and he was the last one.

For all DLF's eagerness to push forward with new characters and leave Lucas's legacy behind, the entire nine film saga was about the Skywalkers. It began with Shmi, mother of Anakin, and ended with Ben, her great grandson.

DLF made a fatal mistake in 'villainising' Ben Solo - and also, if they wanted us to forget him, hiring a fine, twice Oscar nominated actor to play him plus giving him a tortured, conflicting soul. As a result of this, they created an antagonist that was far more interesting than their lead character.

Compare Rey - especially in TROS - to Kylo. She is nowhere near as compelling, and their eagerness to show her as so superior ( because she's female and they are anxious to show they aren't sexist), only makes her irritating.

Finn meanwhile, who his fans argue was the 'rightful' male lead, is even less compelling,being little more than comic relief.

The big flaw with the characters of both Rey AND Finn is that they are far too good to be true.

Look at their history.

Rey was sold into slavery at four. She spent the next fifteen years scraping an existence salvaging scrap in return for third rate food rations. Someone like this would grow up with a lot of anger in her. But, instead Disney decided to make her into a 'paragon of virtue' rather than the damaged person she should have been. TFA at least showed her very understandable capacity for darkness, but sadly the following films - even TLJ, which I love - didn't develop this further. At the end of the film it would have been a powerhouse twist if Rey had accepted Ben's hand and joined the FO, believing she could have a positive influence on him. Instead, she flounced off to a Resistance she hardly knew because it was the 'right thing to do'. From there we go to TROS, where Rey is essentially allowed to do what she wants without any consequences.

She faces and conquers her 'dark side' in five minutes - unlike Luke, who took several years, and very nearly fell at the end - only being forcibly reminded that he was on the cusp of becoming exactly like his father stopped him.

She accidentally kills Chewie with Force lightning - only to find out, that 'oh, it's ok, he's on another ship'.

She almost kills Kylo by stabbing him with his own lightsabre while he's unarmed - but they decide to give her healing powers (never canon in the films, and rightly so), so she can get away with that as well.

In short, Rey never really gets to challenge her own capacity for darkness and as such, never fulfils her real potential as a complex and intricate character.

Then we get Finn.

Okay, now why should I mention the tv adaptation of Halo along with SW?

Because this series features a character who shows just what Finn should have been.

Pablo Schreiber's MasterChief (aka John) is exactly like the stormtroopers in the SWST. He was abducted as a young boy, and brainswashed, genetically engineered, and trained to do one thing - kill for the organisation that kidnapped him. Like Finn, MasterChief has an 'epiphany' (in his case, coming into contact with an alien artefact), and it compels him to turn against his conditioning and seek a new life, and a new purpose.

But the big difference is.....unlike Finn, MasterChief has killed. He has served his time as a ruthless assassin, and thus his journey isn't just to gain his freedom, but to regain his humanity.

And he has to earn this.

If Finn had been depicted as such, he would have been an amazing character. Instead, he is a 'virgin soldier' who never shed blood before Jakku. People can argue that DLF, after all, are 'for children'. But, SW has always had a 'dark' edge to it.

Han Solo shot first and I refuse to accept anything else. In ESB, Luke loses his hand - gruesome - and we see Han being tortured. In ANH we see the agonised, burned skeletons of Luke's aunt and uncle. And ROTS....the darkest film of all.....ends with Obi Wan, our hero, dismembering Anakin and leaving him to die in agony.

In DLF's Rogue 1, Cassian Andor is seen shooting an innocent man because he would spill secrets of the Resistance if allowed to live.

SW can do 'dark'....it doesn't have to be X rated, of course, but it can do it. And if they had taken this direction with Finn and Rey...what interesting characters they could have been.

Once again, the ST is so full of failed opportunities it breaks my heart.

And as a footnote....Kylo's backstory and his 'grooming' by Snoke should never have been left for supplementary material.

[hanukkahbingo]

Panfandom Hanukkah Bingo

WHAT: A fanworks bingo celebrating Jewish (and Jew-ish) characters across any and all fandoms. Write fanfiction and/or create graphics (moodboards, edits, vids, whatever you like) to fill prompts on this overall bingo card. During the 8 nights of Hanukkah, submit your fills to the AO3 collection and/or post them on Tumblr to be reblogged and added to the Bingo Masterpost.

WHY: Jewish characters and Jewish fans are often overlooked or erased during the Winter Holiday Season in favor of “Secret Santa” exchanges, Christmas-themed fics, and the idea that ~Hanukkah is Jewish Christmas~ (which spoiler for all fics in this bingo: it’s not). This panfandom Bingo challenge is to celebrate Hanukkah on its own terms and give Jewish characters and fans a place to breathe. :)

MORE INFO!

[a-pale-azure-moon]

This is it, folks! The final chapter of SWST is here and I sincerely hope all of you enjoy the ending. It's been a long and winding road to get to this point, but I can truly say that I'm proud of this opus. My deepest thanks to all of my readers (past, present and future) for your support. I'm so happy I could share this with all of you! <3

[bubblesandpages]

I'm still not entirely unconvinced that a lot of Raylo drama wasn't just trolls and I say this knowing someone who during peak SWST relevance would go online and impersonate different people to start fake anti/pro-ship fights then sit back and watch the ensuing flame war they'd started. No I can't get them out of my life.

[fred-the-curator]

I just listened to this little gem and it deserves to be shared with other ears Tenor Fly - Rudeboy Talk Jungle dub - SWST Uploaded by Selecta J-Man via SoundCloud https://ift.tt/9keWIqr Make the community vibrate: a like, a share, or even a comment can transform our cultural mosaic together. 🔊❤️

[sheepfulsheepyardinspace]

i cant believe the irony of kylo ren being this huge vader fan when darth vader. was like. the One and Only True Luke Skywalker Stan before luke was even born.

kylo ren: but grandfather luke tried to MURDER me!!!

anakin “it was the highest honor of my life having my arm cut off by luke skywalker on the second death star” skywalker: then u shouldve died lol

[cfmartyrs]

@jediaceanik​​ / Kina liked for a starter from Leika’le!

    “I’m sensing a bit of a negative vibe here.”

[sicksicksixx]

lazy morning reylo snuggles

[winterskywrites]

something fluffy with the trio from the sequels? but no reylo pls

“So, what’s the point of this?” Rey asked, tugging at her jacket. “And do I have to be dressed up?”

“It’s a costume,” Poe replied, adjusting his belt. “For the party. It’s fun. Everyone dresses up, and then we have a party with treats.”

“Treats?” Rey asked, her eyes widening.

Poe grinned. “Yeah, treats. Like cookies and chocolates.”

“This is so baggy!” Finn protested, messing with the poncho that Poe had forced him into. “Why do people wear such baggy clothes?”

“We just need to wear them for a few hours,” Poe assured him. His face fell slightly and he added, “I mean, we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Rey and Finn looked at each other. “We want to do it,” Rey declared, reaching up to properly tousle her hair. “So, when do we go?”

“Are you ready?” Poe asked BB-8. The responding trill was a bit indignant, but BB-8 rolled out anyway. Rey stifled a giggle.

“Are you two ready?” Poe asked Finn and Rey.

“I guess,” Finn replied, adjusting his poncho one last time.

“Let’s go get some treats!” Rey declared, taking Poe and Finn’s hands and dragging them out the door.

The party was in full swing when they arrived. Jess laughed when she caught sight of them. “Finally found people to help you live your dreams, Poe?”

“You just wish you’d thought of such great costumes yourself,” Poe shot back.

“Can we see these great costumes?” a voice asked from behind them.

Rey and Finn both looked at Poe before turning around. Leia was standing behind them, an eyebrow arched. To one side of her was Luke, who had a hint of a smile on his face, and on the other side was Han, who was clearly trying very hard not to look amused. Chewbacca was making no such effort, and even R2-D2’s beeping sounded amused.

“Kids all across the galaxy dress up like the heroes who took down the Empire,” Poe said with a winning smile. “I thought Finn and Rey deserved a chance to do it too.”

“So you three dressed up as us,” Leia said flatly.

Poe looked at Finn, dressed up as Luke, and then at Rey, dressed up as Han. “I think we did a pretty good job of it.”

“Did you draw the short stick, kid?” Han asked. “No one else wanted to wear the dress?”

Leia smacked him upside the head.

“No, I insisted,” Poe replied, adjusting his long white dress. “Besides, Finn rescued me from the First Order dressed as a stormtrooper, and then Rey flew a droid with a secret message back to the Resistance in the Millennium Falcon. I think it’s pretty clear who’s who.”

Luke grinned. “But Rey is a Force-user from a desert planet, and Finn almost left before coming back to help his friends.”

“You’re not arguing Poe being me?” Leia asked.

Luke shook his head. “No, I think he’s pretty much got you covered.”

BB-8 trilled indignantly. “Really?” Poe demanded. “After how hard it was to get you to agree to that paint job, now you’re offended people aren’t admiring it?”

R2-D2 beeped his compliments, and BB-8 preened. The blue paint job did look a little strange on them when Poe was so used to their normal orange, but it was necessary to complete the costume, and he’d specifically chosen a paint that would come off easily. Besides, BB-8 idolized R2-D2 enough that it hadn’t actually been that hard to get them to agree to dressing up like him.

“You don’t have a Threepio,” Han remarked. “Or a Chewie.”

Chewbacca roared and went over to stand next to Rey. Han gaped at him. “Seriously?”

Chewbacca tousled Rey’s hair and gave Han a very smug look.

“Now it looks like you don’t have a Chewie,” Rey said, sounding just as smug as Chewbacca looked.

“You can keep Threepio, though,” Poe said. He didn’t mind working with the droid on occasion, but his neuroses definitely started getting on Poe’s nerves after a while.

“Does this mean I can pass off some of my paperwork to you?” Leia asked. “Since we’re apparently so similar?”

“Only if I’m in costume,” Poe joked, hoping Leia wasn’t about to pull a stack of datapads out of nowhere and foist them off on him.

“We should stop hogging you three,” Luke said, giving them a smile. “Have fun at the party. And those costumes are really spot on. Han, that jacket even looks just like yours.”

Han studied Rey’s jacket, his eyes narrowing slightly. “That looks just like the jacket that went missing three days ago,” he said suspiciously.

Rey and Finn, who had both seen Poe sneak the jacket out of the laundry, shot him a nervous look. Poe winked.

“Run.”

They scattered instantly, and Han started yelling for them to come back, and Poe couldn’t help but laugh, feeling younger than he had in years. He’d promised Finn and Rey that this would be fun, and it was. He hoped they were enjoying themselves as much as he was.

And maybe Jess was right in teasing Poe about fulfilling his dreams, but even still, he couldn’t help but think their costumes were pretty great indeed.

[incognitajones]

I know it's been a million years and you're totally over this pairing but my fave fic of yours from the Reylo days is your "Reconstruction Site" series. <3

Awwwwww, thank you! I wouldn't say that I'm over Reylo; it's more that the current state of the fandom doesn't do much for me. But I'll always be happy that the SWST dragged me headfirst back into fic writing - it was a great time & I met so many wonderful people (like you) 💜

(Also I am totally going to finish that last chapter, I swear)