#this book was written in consultation with Lucas

[the-far-bright-center]

People in the notes seem to be confused and interpreting this as somehow being negative about canon (??), which is ridiculous and missing the point because this line is from the RotS novelization which was written 100% in support of the Lucas-era canon. It's appreciating the aching beauty and of the tragedy that is the Prequels, particularly in the sense that our knowledge as the audience is informed by 'already knowing the ending' due to our prior familiarity with the Original Trilogy. The 'story' that is 'already over' refers to the six-film Lucas saga which was completed in 2005. So I'm not sure where people are getting the idea that this is about anything other than the REAL Skywalker saga. This was written solely in reference to the Prequels and the Original Trilogy. The Disney stuff did NOT exist in 2005 and was never meant to be included in this statement. So, if you have a problem with Disney's version of events, then certainly, please override or ignore their shitty fake-canon all you want, but this quote isn't about Disney's Star Wars and I'm so incredibly tired of fandom just assuming that it is. However much Disney wants you to think otherwise, 'Star Wars' doesn't just magically emanate into existence on its own as part of the same continuous 'canon'. There is the Lucas saga, and then there is the big budget fanfiction that is produced by Disney. These are absolutely not the same thing. Disney's content may reference the saga whenever it's convenient to them, but it also eagerly ignores, discards, or even destroys the saga at its whim as well. By doing so, Disney also ironically ignores everything this quote stands for. So, no, Disney's faux-canon has no place here. The story that 'cannot be changed' is the PT x OT saga. Because it's literally the only part of the story that existed when this quote was written.

[lieutenant-teach]

I really dislike it when anti-Jedi and Jedi-critical crowd uses EU books as a prove for their points. Why they’re all wrong:

a) The books were written by various people who didn’t consult George Lucas about what they’re going to write. Everyone understood SW as they did. When an original author has never claimed such art as canon and actually refused it – this is a definition of fanfiction, isn’t it? Paid, yes, but fanfiction nonetheless.

b) Most of these books were created way before PT. They didn’t know about the Jedi things what we know now. It becomes quite hypocritical – I mean, in the EU the clones were enemies, not allies, but somehow I don’t see any claims ‘but the clones are enemies! The EU says so!’. Even in Karen Traviss books not all the clones have a personality, but we all ignore it now, aren’t we? She wrote her books before the TCW, not knowing how the series would spin the story. So EU retcon works for the clones, but not for the Jedi?

[crimsonwing62]

Stranger Things HC (Based around the Christmas holiday but not really a Christmas HC)

Its the late 2010s? Everyone's grown up, they have their own families, their careers, their own lives.

Steve's a support worker at the local all through years school.

Robin currently teaches a humanities subject at the local university. 

Nancy worked as a journalist eventually building her own paper from the ground up and just celebrated its 10 Yr anniversary. She and Robin have travelled the world and still plan on new adventures.

Eddie's was discovered in '88 he toured throughout the 90s and early '00s. He still makes music but likes to focus more on Music Producing so he can spend more time at home with Steve and the kids (15f, 10f, 6m). Robin and Nancy are their Godparents

The four get together for an adults only dinner at least once a week, alternating who's hosting - everyone secretly prefers Steve's cooking but no-one ever says it. Robin often pops in to the Harrington-Munson household for a cup of tea and a gossip throughout the week anyway.

Dustin works at NASA (or an equally impressive physics institute), in Florida which they all simultaneously give him shit for and are jealous of bc he can go to Disney and Orlando whenever he wants to. 

Lucas and Max have been married for 7 years now. Max still skates, Lucas still plays basketball with his friends on Saturdays. They have a two kids (12f, and 4m). 

Erica is also a world renowned scientist in her field. She often gets brought on to teams as a consultant and has worked with Dustin on a couple projects.

Will has his own Gallery in California which Jane (El) sometimes volunteers at. Mike works across the road at a job he loves but not as much as his Husband, Will.

Jane's taking life easy taking in experiences, learning what she can about the world. Max and Jane often meet up for girlie days.

Jonathan tours new exhibitions, releases photobooks, does photography around the world. He travels with his partner (or roommate depending on which country) Argyle. His most recent photobook has been his biggest success. It featured a collection of his earliest work of the Upside Down Gang. Themes of Queer Platonic Family and Queer Joy could be explored through the photos and the accompanying pieces written by Nancy.

Hopper and Joyce retired together and finally married in the 90s. Hopper gets antsy so he still does some volunteer work here and there.

Karen finally left Ted Fucking Wheeler after his reaction to the revelation of the the '86 earthquake actually was, was less than appropriate (he under reacted, which made her realise how much of an ahole he was) she remarried to a lovely chap called, Dan, a few years later. The Wheeler kids warmed up to him eventually. And Holly Wheeler exists somewhere but doesn't really apply here.

Anyway every year they made a promise to go away for Christmas.

Robin usually researches the place to go, Steve co-ordinates the kids, hopper-byers', and Karen and her Husband's Schedule to find the best dates to book it for, and everyone's order of arrival. Nancy organises the travel for the four and Steddie's kids whilst everyone else organises their own. (Will books Jim and Joyce's flights for them. Joyce is okay with a computer, much better than Jim, but if it goes wrong she can't fix it) Eddie wrangles their kids, packs and gets their family ready to go as Steve is often to focused on the craziness of  school the run up to winter break.

Steve, Eddie, their kids, Robin and Nancy are the first to arrive, two days after their schools finishes. Eddie and Nancy are usually sent into the village to get a Christmas tree whilst Steve and Robin unpack the food, the drinks, snacks, the decorations. The kids, after exploring and claiming beds, get involved in the decorating part, often making paper rings, snowflakes. The eldest acts like she hates it but secretly loves making them better than last year.

When Eddie and Nancy get back, most of the decorations are up except for the Tree. They do that together, Christmas music blasting in the background.

The Jim, Joyce, Will, Mike, Karen, Dan, arrive mid morning the next day having met up  after the airport and drove up together.

Lucas, Max, their two kids and Jane, Jonathan and Argyle arrive at the same time mid afternoon.

Dustin's the last one to arrive late evening that day.

The whole time is full of fun, buzzing energy, exchanging stories from the year and generally enjoy being in each others presences after being away for so long. A family walk outside on Christmas Eve. One day, They play in the snow and end up in a massive snowball fight. Inevitably there's at least one evening, when the kids have gone to bed, and a couple bottles of alcohol have been consumed so the everyone's a little tipsy and honest, the topic of that place comes up. Most of them have dealt with the trauma it caused, gone to therapy (either paying for it themselves or via Eddie, Jonathon, or Nancy covering the cost). Night terrors were few and far between, paranoia about flickering lights or animal screeching noises have turned into a dulled response. The initial flinch will always be there but panic and worry that used to follow doesn't anymore. This particular year, it hits the party that Lucas and Max's eldest is the same age as the younger party members were when Will went missing, and Jane turned up on Mike's door step. And Steve and Eddie's eldest is a year younger than the elder party members were, and their middle daughter the same age as Erica when she was brought into the fold. Lucas, Max, Steve and Eddie make a mental note to keep a closer eye and hug them a little tighter this year.

----

Jonathan's photography book is based on one of my favourite head canons by @schrijveer

I

This headcanon was inspired by a house i saw in an interior design book and thought it looked like a perfect place for the Party's Christmas get together…

I'm also 60% sure my brain was also consulting the Music video for Last Christmas for ideas of activities...

[askshivanulegacy]

^^^^ This.

I can't emphasize enough that if it isn't published, it isn't canon.

The experience of any piece of artwork, writing included, is inherent exclusively to YOUR interaction with that work. It's about what YOU find in it. It's about what YOU think it says.

If you're going to the author for anything deeper than clarifying a simple point, whatever you're gonna get back is non-canon. At best, you'll receive what THEY think about the work, but the only thing that matters is what YOU think. If they failed to publish their ideas in that work, those ideas might as well not exist. Most people aren't going out of their way to consult with the author to get the secret Part 2 of the story, or to dig up little niche interviews. The story is in the book or it's not there at all.

This is a huge problem in fandom, where people are raising the creators to godlike levels so they can exist or die based on what the creator says.

Star Wars is just one obvious example. Massive sections of the fandom quote every minor thing George Lucas ever said in the most obscure forums in order to form their basic understanding of the universe ... and these things are not written or published anywhere. And then they can't handle when people quote from the real material instead of some other producer's report of what this guy said.

Lucas is not a god, and what he says about Star Wars doesn't matter. It's fun from, like, a concept art perspective. But the concept art is not the finished product, and if you're harping over his quotes as "evidence" to shoot down things drawn from published work, you're wrong.

You HAVE to understand that the author's interpretation, unwritten and unpublished, is no better than yours ... or anyone else's. Stop using someone else to tell you what to think, and stop putting yourself and your special little personal interpretation on a pedestal above other people trying to enjoy things too. What you have is a headcanon. It's nothing more official than that.

If you don't like the published work as it stands, too bad. That's your problem. The published work isn't going away or becoming invalidated because you think one little interview said so.

ALSO if the creator has some stupid opinion on something or has done something stupid, it has nothing to do with their published work and doesn't invalidate any of it. Someone's enjoyment of media doesn't make any statement about whether they support an author. That's a logical fallacy to think so.

Social media as a whole desperately needs to stop their invasive parasocial obsession with authors and creators. You're all fanatical followers even of the people you hate, which is hilarious. You live, breathe, die, and hang upon every word that even your most detested creator says. You talk about other people letting go, yet there you are still obsessing over their every word.

The irony is incredible.

Of course, be a hate!fan if you want to. That's up to you and your enjoyment(???) of life. But stop attacking other people living perfectly normal lives who are not obsessing over the Entertainment Weekly drama of creators. The media people enjoy is not a reflection of their character or personal beliefs. There's no exception. If you think there is, then boy do I have news for you about your favorite ships, tropes, and kinks.

Folks act like "maybe the author isn't the final authority about what their work means" is some wanky post-modern nonsense and not a simple recognition that a lot of authors are perfectly prepared to bullshit about their own work. Like, leaving big-name popular media aside, I have personally encountered authors being actively disingenuous about their own work for all of the following reasons:

A true answer wouldn't fit the image they've cultivated.

They've decided they like the explanation the readers/viewers have come up with better than what they actually had in mind.

Something that was originally intended as a standalone work ended up growing into a franchise or series, and now they're pretending that was the plan all along for some reason.

They don't want to admit that the bit you're asking about is genuinely just a plot hole.

The real answer gets into some shit they don't care to discuss, so they've prepared a cover story to explain away the parts they don't want to talk about.

Their politics have changed since they wrote it, but they don't want to acknowledge that, so they're constantly trying to re-interpret everything they've ever written to be perfectly consistent with whatever their positions are this week.

They wrote it decades ago and they honestly don't remember what they were thinking at the time, so they're just making shit up; sometimes they also don't remember what shit they made up the last time, so the answer is different every time they're asked.

The work in question is at least partly autobiographical and they can't tell the truth without confessing to a crime in the process.

Most of the good bits are plagiarised and they don't really understand it themselves.

They're lying to you on purpose, for evil reasons.

[danijimenezv]

Jill Valentine: What the Future Holds

For @openheartfanfics Meet My MC Event ☺💕

Career

After her residency ends, Jill takes over the Diagnostics Team, after the three other team members vote for her.

When Ethan steps down, Jill immediately jumps into action and starts interviewing possible candidates to fill the fourth spot of the team.

Finally, she decides to appoint Jackie. She’s proved herself time and time again, and she’s an exceptional doctor, so it made sense. And Jackie fits right in with their dynamics.

The team, and the hospital with it, thrives under Jill’s lead. They help a lot of people and earn a lot of worldwide renown.

The team was already known because of Naveen and Ethan, but there were doubts flying around when Ethan stepped down to become Chief of Medicine. Those doubts were quickly put to rest.

Jill is stubborn and determinate, and she works her hardest to make her team succeed. And the team succeeds more than ever because of her idea to work along with other departments at the hospital, creating a huge teamwork effort.

Harper is often busy, so Bryce and Ivy are her surgeons on call, and both of them give Harper a second and third opinion, so they consider every possibility out there. Rafael is the one she consults when physical therapy is on the table. Elijah, Baz and Zaid also help from time to time when they contemplate experimental treatments or when they need to research a new alternative, and Baz’s input is invaluable when it comes to immunology. Sienna is her pediatrician of choice. Even Esme and Gary come in handy from time to time. And even in retirement, Naveen is more than happy to help and give his input when the team hits a particularly hard slope. That applies for Ethan too; though, as much as he loves diagnostics, he tries to get involved the minimum, instead he lets Jill do her thing, and she’s damn good at it.

Jill’s management of the team also meant a new project she had been working on with Aurora. As soon as Aurora takes over Mass Kenmore’s Diagnostics Team, the two of them collaborate on projects and cases. And even if Kenmore’s renown isn’t as big as Edenbrook’s team, each group has something to contribute. They even collaborate on publishing articles and case studies. They work as well on their own as they do together. They help twice the amount of patients working alongside instead of competing with each other.

With Ethan as Chief of Medicine, she works perfectly with administration. They constantly help each other. He has the power to approve her projects and budget requests, but he only does it after hearing her pitch, just like other doctor, and he recognizes the true potential she shows.

She implements a program that gives third-year residents the opportunity to work with the diagnostics team. They are assessed and evaluated since their intern year, and when their third year comes by, Jill picks the two best residents. They’re not a part of the team per se, but they do a two-month internship with the team, work with them and learn from the experience.

Jill also dedicates part of her time to researching and working on zoonotic diseases. With her family of veterinarians, she’s more than qualified to do this, and after the maitotoxin incident, she knows there’s a lot of work to be done in that area.

Jill quickly becomes one of the most respected doctors and earned world-renown. She even becomes a published author.

Her books: “From Animals to Humans: Understanding Zoonotic Diseases”; “Diagnostics: A Comprehensive Science”; “The Challenges of Diagnosing”; “Solving Medical Mysteries: A Team Effort” (co-written with Aurora Emery) & “A Guide to Zoonoses” (co-written with Lucas Valentine).

A few years later, when Tobias decides to move to New York to marry Katherine, and inevitably has to leave the team, Jill is once again left with the task of looking at prospects for team member.

When that happens, Ethan is more than ready to step down as Chief of Medicine, after his fair share of working with administration, and he presents his curriculum to Jill, as if he was any other doctor.

Of course, Jill doesn’t have to think twice. She knows the kind of diagnostician he is, and she’s missed working with his brilliant mind.

Jill doesn’t just accept him into the team. She announces they’re both gonna be Co-Heads of the Diagnostics Team. After all, they’re better together than apart. Ethan tries to fight it at first but, well, he has never been particularly adept at denying Jill, and that was a matter she wasn’t willing to change her mind.

Though, as years working well with administration, both Ethan and Jill have earned other administratives favors, and working with them goes without a hitch as well. There are no more problems with the board like there were when Jill was a resident, and Ethan has learned to work with them, so the fights are almost non-existent.

Still, Tobias quickly earns his place as diagnostician in New York Presbyterian Hospital, and he continues to work along with Jill and Ethan.

Relationship with Ethan

Since confessing his love for Jill, Ethan was completely sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

The idea of proposing hadn’t made it to his mind yet, but he knew he was ready for them to move in together.

Even if the question had been at the tip of his tongue every time they were together, Ethan held back. Jill was already trying to adjust to the transition from resident to attending, and to Head of the Diagnostics Team. He didn’t want to add to it by having her move to his place.

But he had his mind made up, and he would ask her to move in with him as soon as things settled back. He wasn’t going to be deterred.

Except he hadn’t contemplated something, and that something made him stop in his tracks and reconsider asking her.

Because Jill, as Head of the Diagnostics Team, had a new salary. And with that new salary, the first thing Jill had done was get a puppy.

And no, not a little Yorkie or a Chihuahua. No. It was a damn Bernese Mountain Dog, that was going to grow into a seriously large dog.

Ethan already had Jenner, and even Jenner spent more than half of the time at his dad’s place in Providence. He didn’t think his penthouse could take a hyperactive Bernese Mountain puppy.

But he also knew his girlfriend. Coming from a family of veterinarians, Jill wasn’t going to leave the damn dog behind. From the moment she got him (“Satchmo”), Ethan knew they were a package deal. If he wanted to live with Jill, he also had to live with the dog.

He didn’t know how that could work with Jenner and in his penthouse, but he was willing to risk it. He knew he wanted to wake up every day by her side and go to sleep with her.

So, in September, just a couple of months after settling in their new positions, Ethan and Jill moved in together. Unsurprisingly, Jill knew how to handle the transition for both dogs, and made the move easy for all of them.

And just a few months after moving together, in December, Ethan popped the question. Jill cried through his whole proposal speech and couldn’t say yes, but she nodded fiercely and kissed him.

They had a relatively long engagement, until finally, they got married the following year, on October 16th, 2022.

The reception was huge, hundreds of people invited (because of the Valentine’s connections), though neither of them seemed to mind too much. They were just happy to be marrying each other. According to the media and tabloids, it was the wedding of the century.

Naveen was Ethan’s best man, and Luke (Jill’s older brother) and Tobias were his groomsmen, while Sienna was Jill’s maid of honor, and Kat and Ivy (her two sisters) were her bridesmaids.

About six months into their marriage, they decided to move to an actual house, and started looking.

Funnily enough, Jill’s childhood best friend, Hunter, told them he was currently working on a few construction and design projects in the area of Boston. He was the one who hooked them with a house and was their architect, helping them design their dream house.

A few months later, they were moving into a bigger house in suburban Boston, along with Jenner, Satchmo and Vienna (the roomies figured Jill had more space than them and could take care of the fennec fox better than them).

Starting their own family

It was about a year after their wedding that they sat down and talked about having children. Ethan had already worked through his trauma, and his past with Louise no longer held him back. Jill stopped her birth-control, and they started trying to get pregnant.

It took Jill a couple of months, and deep down she was terrified to let Ethan down and not be able to give him children, now that he had decided he wanted them. Ethan obviously eased her worries and told her the only thing he needed in life was her; children would be nice, but he really only needed her.

Still, Jill anxiously took a fertility test, and once it came out that she could have children, she tried to brush it off as stress, but still worried inside.

A few months later, Ethan surprised Jill by taking her on vacation, to ease her worrying and stress. He took her to a wolf sanctuary in Alaska she had mentioned she wanted to visit a few times.

Jill and Ethan found out Jill was pregnant by accident, and it definitely took them by surprise, but the news were very welcomed. At the wolf sanctuary, the wolves changed their whole demeanor and body language around Jill, and the keeper congratulated Jill on her pregnancy. Turns out, wolves are excellent at telling when a woman is pregnant even if she doesn’t know it yet; the animals get all odd and careful around the pregnant woman and take defensive postures around her. It was definitely a reveal worth telling.

Her first pregnancy, thankfully went without a hitch, and soon, their first-born came into the world, through natural birth.

Their son, Nicholas Jonah Ramsey, was born on August 24th, 2024.

Everyone was enamored with the little baby, with his dark hair and intense blue eyes, the spitting image of his father.

Ethan and Jill decided to appoint Rafael and Jackie as Nick’s godparents.

Six years later, their second child came along, also through natural birth.

Their daughter, Brooklyn Marie Ramsey, was born on November 8th, 2030.

She has her mother’s distinctive ginger-bronze hair color, but her father’s blue eyes.

Brooke’s godparents are Hunter and Sienna.

After little Brooklyn was born, though, Jill was informed that a third pregnancy could be fatal for her, that her body wouldn’t be able to sustain another pregnancy. And, after much deliberation and talking it out as spouses, Jill went under a hysterectomy procedure, which meant no more children for them, but they were beyond happy with their two little blessings.

Family and Friends

The gang remained tight-knit close, to the point where their children called the others aunts and uncles.

Even when they no longer lived together, they promised to hang out constantly and see each other. It also helped that they kept working together.

Eventually, Elijah and Phoebe eloped, and Sienna moved in with Raf. Bryce and Ivy already lived together. Aurora and Jackie were the last remaining ones, and they got a smaller apartment for the two of them for a while.

Then Aurora moved in with Hunter (once he fully moved to Boston) and Jackie got a place for herself and her new boyfriend, which she keeps a secret from the roomies until she’s completely sure the relationship is the real deal, because it’s the least expected pairing in the world. (Spoiler alert: it’s Baz 😂)

Even paired off and building their own lives, the gang kept up some of their traditions and kept in touch.

They even celebrate a few milestones and holidays together.

It tends to get a bit chaotic, given that it’s double the people, counting the spouses, but they all get along great and enjoy spending time together.

Tobias moved to New York once he married Katherine, but both of them still visit from time to time.

After traveling the world, Kyra moved to New York as well, where she met and married Jill’s older brother, Luke. Just like Tobias and Kat, they visit constantly.

Jill remains close with her family. She’s always been close with her siblings, and even more when they married some of their friends. And she grew closer to her parents once her own kids were born. Haley and Matthew Valentine definitely spoil their grandchildren rotten.

Jill and Ethan, along with Ivy and Bryce, make the trip to New York once every other month, to visit Jill’s parents, Kat and Tobias, and Luke and Kyra.

And once every other month, alternating with them, Kat and Tobias, and Luke and Kyra make the trip to Boston.

Jill and Ethan also drive down to Providence to visit Alan every few weeks.

All in all, they’re a big, happy, messy and extended family.

Tags: @jamespotterthefirst, @takeharryandgo, @aestheticartsx, @choicesfanaf, @fireycookie, @liaromancewriter, @trappedinfanfiction, @tsrookie, @genevievemd, @lucy-268, @writinghereandthere, @queencarb, @gryffindordaughterofathena, @ohchoices, @anntoldst0ries, @bluebellot, @schnitzelbutterfingers, @mysticaurathings, @iemcpbchoices, @itsjustamesshonestly, @shanzay44, @lsvdw-blog, @heauxplesslydevoted, @starryeyedrookie, @casey-v​, @mercury84choices, @chaoticchopshopheart, @quixoticdreamer16, @a-crepusculo, @peonierose

[pocketmouse18]

Thank you so much to @herosofmarvelanddc @cloudypaws and @mtab2260 for the tag! This was so much fun to think about :)

(fair warning, I wrote too much for many of these...)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Just 2 :)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

450,577 if I did my math right!

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Officially? Just 1 - Agents of Shield (two, I guess, if you count MCU as separate, since I use characters from both...). Off the record, many more than that! I have lots of bits and bobs from other fandoms that I tinkered with when I was younger, still getting the hang of writing, not brave enough to post things, etc. etc. Some of those include X-Men, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, the Fosters, Star Wars, the Hunger Games, the 39 Clues, and a few others I can’t remember. None of those will likely see the light of day, mostly because they’re unfinished, not very good, and just not reflective of who I am as a writer anymore, but they were fun to play around with at the time :)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I just have the two, but The Important Thing is to Try wins, hands down, with 1227. Shoulder to Shoulder has 95, though, which I’m also very proud of! Important Thing has a definite advantage, being as long as it is, so I don’t know if that’s really a fair comparison between them.

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! Or at least, I always try to! I just can’t believe someone would be kind enough to take the time to tell me what they thought of my story, so I always want to take the time to thank them and return the favor :) Plus, as I’ve learned, it’s a fantastic way to get to know some really lovely people!

6. What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Well... I technically only have one story that has an ending, at least on Ao3, and it’s not an especially angsty one, since it ends in Phil and Melinda getting married :) I have some angsty chapter endings in Important Thing, if that counts? I’m not even sure if any of my unpublished fiddlings have angsty endings (most don’t have endings at all lol)... I don’t mind writing angst, but I don’t know if I’m capable of making something without a happy (or at least hopeful) ending.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you've ever written?

Not really, unless you count AoS/MCU crossovers (which I guess technically count, but also I would argue it’s not a true crossover since (and I will die on this hill) AoS is a part of MCU canon). When I was younger I was a fan of playing around with crossover AUs more so than the actual characters crossing paths (so like, what if these characters from XYZ were demigods or went to Hogwarts or what have you, and not so much what would happen if the X-Men met Luke, Leia, and Han on one of their space adventures). I started writing a crossover between AoS and the Marvel Rising cartoon once (which again, not sure if that’s a true crossover, since Daisy was in Marvel Rising, but I digress), where Coulson tasks Daisy to work with Kate Bishop and Rayshaun Lucas to collect and train a team of young Inhumans, starting with Kamala Khan, but I ran out of steam pretty quickly when it got too plot heavy.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don’t think so. I’ve had some people not understand some choices that I made, but they asked it in a way that I thought was perfectly nice, and I was happy to talk about it with them. Sometimes people get “mad” at me when I cause pain and suffering, but I know that’s all in good fun :)

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

Nope, not for me. I don’t read it or write it, personally. Writing a kiss is hard enough!

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge! Important Thing is probably too long and unwieldy to ever steal :P

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Someone once asked me on FFN if they could translate Important Thing to Russian, which was basically the coolest thing I’ve ever been asked!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

A fic, no. I’d love to try sometime! I had a friend in college who I co-wrote with A LOT, though, so I know I enjoy that process, given the right partner. We wrote several short plays together (ranging from ~15-50 minutes in length, including one that we wrote in a single afternoon!), selected scenes from a larger (unfinished) play inspired by historical letters we found in an archive that were sent between a man from Massachusetts serving in the American Civil War, his wife, and his 8-year-old son, and several scripts for TV sitcoms (2 pilots for 2 different shows, plus additional eps for those pilots, and a couple of later eps for a different show that a classmate of ours wrote the pilot for - we were trying to practice what it would be like to be on a staff with a showrunner haha). The sitcom scripts in particular I’m very proud of, and could talk somebody’s ear off about if asked (one’s about ghost hunters and one’s about a DnD party!), but maybe that’s better saved for another post ;)

13. What's your all-time favorite ship?

That’s a very hard question for me! Mostly because shipping stuff is usually one of the last things to register for me when I’m thinking about shows/books/movies I like haha... I’m always a sucker for Philinda, and younger me was rather taken with Percabeth, I suppose.

14. What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Hmm, several, really. The aforementioned AoS/Marvel Rising crossover I think could be really cool if I got it to work, but I don’t think that’ll ever happen. I also have a WIP that’s like an angstier version of a Hallmark Christmas movie AU where Daisy has to come home to her small town right before Christmas and figure out what she wants out of life, but I’m a little stalled out on that one, mostly because I’m waffling on who the charming love interest should be and because I don’t have enough of a plot, just lots of feelings about coming back home to a place you thought you had left behind lol.

I’d put Important Thing and it’s (as of yet) untitled sequel on here as things I want to finish, but I’m much more determined to see those through, so I don’t think they qualify for the “never will actually write” part of this question :)

15. What are your writing strengths?

I don’t know if other people agree with this, but I think I write pretty decent dialogue. My “training” (if you can call it that) is in, as you might have figured out by now, script and screenplay writing (those were the only creative writing classes I took in college). So having a sense of the rhythm a conversation needs to have and how to write dialogue that sounds mostly like how people really talk (but shined and tightened up enough so that it’s not actually like verbatim dialogue, which is far less interesting to read!) is something that I feel like comes pretty easily. I also think I do okay with similes and metaphors - my brain tends to work in that way. It’s easier for me to think of stuff (feelings, especially) in terms of comparing it to more familiar things than to just think of the thing directly, if that makes sense?

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

If I was being honest, this would be a very long section, but I know it’s not fun to read a big ol’ paragraph of someone self-criticizing, so I’ll keep it to one or two items ;) A big one for me is pacing, I think. I tend to write more than I need to and to over-explain things, so my chapters get very long and sometimes don’t really go anywhere? Until all of the sudden, they DO, because things need to HAPPEN! I’m a pretty rigorous self-editor, but I do have a really hard time cutting out sections (unless they’re really just not working), so even if it would help the pacing to leave out this conversation between character A and character B, I often can’t make myself cut it. I also think I struggle sometimes with balancing my ‘showing’ and my ‘telling,’ especially in the sense of me over-explaining certain things - like when it comes to feelings/facial expressions/etc, for example. I compensate for that in Important Thing by making it a part of a few people’s POV, but it’s not really a good habit to have in general. Also spelling! I’m really bad at spelling and run my stuff through robust spellchecks and text-to-speech before I post anything to make up for it :)

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I do it with some regularity, although I always get nervous about doing it wrong! It’s hard to avoid in AoS, where characters are spies and should (in theory, at least) have a working knowledge of multiple languages (”We’re spies, I thought we all learned languages?!”). Even in an AU, where characters aren’t spies, I like to try and pay homage to that, plus pay homage to certain characters’ native languages or just general multilingualism. I’ve spent a fair amount of time around people who speak more than one language, so I feel like it’s a natural part of groups of people to have more than one language spoken. I have a pretty good handle on written Spanish, a patchy idea of French, plus I know some Russian phrases from my dad and some German words from my grandfather, but I do rely on internet translation a lot. I usually run stuff through google, then run it backwards to see just how far off the initial translation was, then consult some actual, like, language learning sites to see if there’s particular idioms or common phrases that use different words than what google will give me, then run those words through backwards in the place of the original words to see if I can massage the whole thing to sound reasonably competent. Languages like Russian or Mandarin (which have their own alphabets/characters) are the hardest, since I have to also try and do a transliteration. I always try to put an apology/disclaimer in the notes any time I write in a language that isn’t English, because I’m sure I make lots of mistakes.

Also, I tend not to italicize words that are in other languages, because it looks weird on the page to me to set the other language apart like that (and because I italicize mainly for internal thoughts or emphasis, and usually what’s being said in another language isn’t internal or being emphasized). I put a rough translation at the end so we don’t have to pause the story for a parenthetical translation, but because the translation’s not right there, I try to either put in enough context clues that a person can still understand what’s going on, or I make sure that what’s written in another language isn’t critical to the overall understanding of the scene.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Officially, it’s AoS, since that’s the only fandom I’ve published for. I think the first true fandom I wrote fic for was probably either Harry Potter (entirely populated with OCs lol, I just liked using the world/setting), Percy Jackson (a mix of OCs and canon characters), or X-Men (all canon characters). I was a bit of a latecomer to fanfiction, though, like, I wrote a ton as a kid, but mostly original stuff, because I didn’t know that fanfiction in its current form was even allowed until I was in high school lol.

Oh! I almost forgot one! I’m not sure if this really counts as a fandom, but it’s definitely the earliest version of fanfic I wrote haha... I was like 12 and I wrote more than one story of an OC joining Robin Hood’s band of Merry Men, and then also one of that same OC becoming a knight of the Round Table, so like... do what you will with that information haha.

19. What's you're favorite fic you've written?

I can’t choose between my two darlings :( I mean, okay, technically it’s probably Important Thing. That story’s my baby. It’s huge and I’ve been working on it for almost 2 years, and I’ve poured a lot of my heart and soul into it. I’ve fallen in love with the universe I built in it, so much so that I wrote an entire prequel and have very concrete plans for a lengthy sequel. But I can’t not crow about Shoulder to Shoulder (the aforementioned prequel!), too... I’m just really proud of that one - it has a lot of firsts for me. First completed story. First romance-focused story. First foray into expanding the Important Thing universe. But yes, if I have to choose, then Important Thing wins. That’s a story that I started writing exclusively for myself - to give myself characters I could relate to and to explore a style of AoS fic that I loved reading - and that’s a story I will always and forever be proud of.

I think most people have probably answered this tag game at this point, so I don’t want to accidentally retag anyone! If you haven’t yet, and would like to join in, please do! This is your invitation <3

[dailyaudiobible]

10/03/2021 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 1:1-2:30, Philippians 4:1-23, Psalms 75:1-10, Proverbs 24:17-20

Today is October 3rd welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it's great to be here with you today as we greet a shiny sparkly new week. And this is the first time we get to do this in the month of October, the first time we’re moving into a full week in this month. And we have other new beginnings. We’re beginning a brand-new book today. We concluded the book of Isaiah yesterday, which brings us to the book of Jeremiah.

Introduction to the book of Jeremiah:

And we’ll find Jeremiah to be very intriguing. It's one of the major prophets. So, we’ll kind of camp out for a while as we move through it, but we’ll see that it has a different complexion than Isaiah. It's written by a different person. And part of what's compelling about Jeremiah is Jeremiah. He was a prophet. He was devoted to God, but he didn't like everything he was instructed to do, and he felt alone and unheard, and that nobody was listening. And there were definitely times that he was frustrated and wanted to just kinda check out, just be released and not have to speak to people who aren't listening, to just wash his hands of it. And he wasn't like delusional or needy or whatever. It was true. Nobody was listening. Israel did turn her back on God. And, so, for a couple of decades Jeremiah is this lone voice, warning of where they're going and that it's not where they want to end up. And for these warnings he got into a lot of conflict and arguments and was imprisoned because it didn't look like what he was saying was true. Things were going really well for the people. It was a prosperous time. And, so, Jeremiah with this message is just a disruptive message that brings doom and gloom in a prosperous time and that isn't good for business. And, so, Jeremiah just finds himself kind of in conflict. Most of the time. And as we will discover, what Jeremiah warned about for a couple of decades eventually came to fruition. The Babylonian Empire invaded, and they conquered Jerusalem in 587. And at this time…this is…Solomon's Temple is in Jerusalem and the Babylonians wipe it out, destroy it completely. And, so, let's dive in. We’ll read from the Common English Bible this week. Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 1 through 2 verse 30 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this new territory that we are entering into today into the book of Jeremiah. We look forward to the new territory that we will enter into tomorrow as we move forward in the New Testament. We thank you for this brand-new week, this first full week of the 10th month of the year of the final quarter of the year. We thank you for your faithfulness. We thank you for instructing and guiding us through your word every day. We thank you for your patience with us and your compassion toward us. And we invite you into everything that we do and say this week, all of the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. We invite your Holy Spirit, and we invite our spirits to be aware of your Holy Spirit that is always present to us, that we might walk in fellowship and friendship, but that we also submit ourselves to your authority and guidance. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Victoria Soldier just calling to pray for some of the DABbers and I just wanted to let everyone know something that…that happened to me today. My precious brother died, the one who had COVID and just continue to pray for him. He was staring and…and everything for…for quite a few days and he finally closed his dies today about 6:00 o'clock. I just thank God that he…he’s in his destination and knowing that. I want to pray for Sharon. Also, I want to pray for my brother who had said that he had lost everything. I wanted to pray for him and let him know that…that God has…has some of the plans that he…he needs to consult God on what is his next move because God says…David said I'm young and I'm old, but I've never seen the righteous forsaken or seen begging for bread. I'm going to ask God to open up doors for him and him to begin to see. And Tara from Texas, I want to also pray for…for Maggie. I want to pray for those who are…Treasured Possession. I want to pray for those who…those who are going through, those who lost their precious son, my sister who lost her precious father. And I'm going to pray for Lisa who is supposed to be having surgery and…and it was good to hear Drew from the Bay Area and my sweetheart of a friend Blind Tony. It’s always so good to hear from you Tony and…and all the people of God and God's Smile, all of my precious, precious sisters and brothers. And congratulations Jill and Brian on being a grandmother in grandfather again. Gracious father I just lift you up. What a wonderful day. Today is such a wonderful day because you made this day, and you have everything that every one of our DABbers need. You have life and favor. You have healing, you have hope…

Hi, thank you Daily Audio Bible for being so wonderful. I'm so happy to listen to the Bible and listen to the people praying in God's name, in Jesus’ name. I wanted to give a message for God’s Daisy, God’s Crown of Daisy. It really touched my heart when I heard you speaking about wanting to reconnect with your dad and how much you have been touched by the Daily Audio Bible by the Bible by the people praying and how only in one year you've…not even…you found energy and resilience to come back towards your father and your mother-in-law…oh…I mean your stepmom. God bless you and I will keep you in my prayers that everything will go smoothly during your meeting, that the Holy Spirit will take possession of your heart and your mouth so that you know what to say and not say and to just say a prayer that the whole space that you guys are in in their house or wherever you meet that it be filled up with God's holy power and His love and His peace and to really touch them both whether they believe or not in Christ. I want to say also that it…it brought some tears to my eyes, joyful tears because I've been struggling with my relationship with my sister for over a year now. And she has decided to not talk to me or my mom or my dad. They are very, very sad. I've been praying for her every single day, and I felt if it was God's wink when I…

Good morning beautiful sons and daughters of our one true Father. My…I've been given the name of God's Glory. Although it's hard to receive I still claim it here every day. But this is my first year listening through the DAB, this is my first time calling but I'm calling __ morning just to respond to Jonathan in Denver. Brother man you've been in my thoughts, hearts, and prayers since the first time I heard you called several months ago. So, it's good to hear your voice and just let me tell you like how encouraging that first call was because the amount of strength and courage that it took to make the call. Here I am making my first call. So…so, thank you again for being here. And I know all too well what it's like to be the prodigal son that ran away. But let me tell you brother this Father is waiting for you looking searching and he runs out to meet you. God…ah…thank you. Brother, we lift you up in your struggles God and just be with…be with him. And…and let me tell you brother I join in the feast that God is preparing for you as you return home. I know there's not much time but Val in Vegas you bring me so much joy. Thank you, sister. I'm praying the peace of Christ over you. Just know that there is healing in the scars, and I know it's hard but your loved, you are beautiful. And just stay strong. So, thank you.

Hey this is Linda from Southwest Florida and calling in because I just heard Jonathan from Denver for the second time since I started listening to the daily audio Bible back in springtime, I can't remember exactly when. But Jonathan from Denver you broke my heart. You're a young man with an addiction that you're very ashamed of and I’ve…I’ve been praying for you. You're on my physical written prayer list in my little home office and when I heard your voice today, I just was awestruck. And I want you to know that I've been praying for you. And I wish there was a way that we could speak to one another. I'm an old woman. I could probably be your grandmother. I could be your grandmother. You're young. But I understand your addiction and I hear the agony in your voice, and it breaks my heart. The fact that you're a young man and you're seeking in the right area brings me joy. So, it's a big contrast between how it breaks my heart and how it brings me joy at the same time that you are seeking help, you are seeking to be right with God, and you will be right with God, and you will find peace. I can promise you that you'll man. I love you. I love your heart. You will find the peace that you need. Don't ever give up looking for it. In Jesus name. Amen.

Dear DAB family I want to continue to ask you to pray for my little boy. He's not really little. He's a big guy. He's 45 years old but he has COVID. My sister-in-law has COVID, and I've got five kids 14 and under and I ask you to pray for him because he has bad respiratory issues, he has a bad heart, he has a lot of weight to lose, and Jesus loves him so much. And I was just thinking about the other day when we were talking about fasting and praying and everything and how, you know, we're not supposed to brag about and everything. And I remember when my brother was a little baby and how my granddaddy because when my brother was born, he was born with a collapsed lung and so I remember my granddad praying for him and so it just brought back memories and brings back memories now. And anyways please…please keep my brother Lucas and his family in your prayers. And I thank you guys. I'm praying for you guys all the time. I keep little yellow tabs in my Bible to remember to pray for you guys all the time. And I love you guys. And I'm really thankful for you. And this is Heather from California by the way. Sorry I didn't mention that. But anyways take care and thank you. Thanks for praying for Lucas and his family. God really loves him. He's very special. He's a real special guy. And we know that Jesus loves everybody and…and…and Lucas is one of those that just been around the block. But anyways I better go because I'm running out of time. Thank you. Thank you. We love you guys. Bye.

[monabela]

ha! here I am for the last day of @aphrarepairweek2020, magic, with another pairing I think is very interesting but had never written before. this was a lot of fun, and I really like this little au, tbh. I feel like there could be more stories in here. I guess I alluded to a bunch of pairings, but they’re really not important and can be Ignored :)

~~~

the bard’s song

pairings/characters: Iceland (Egill)/New Zealand (Riley), Liechtenstein (Erika), Hong Kong (Leon), Taiwan (Mei), Seychelles (Angélique), Latvia (Raivis) + mentioned Moldova (Luca), Australia (David) & Norway (Einar)

word count: 3182

summary:

Egill really wishes Riley’s stupid D&D character would stop trying to seduce his own character. Mostly, he wishes Riley would try to seduce him instead.

~~~

“Well, Riley, if you insist…”

Egill can feel his eye twitch while Erika gestures wearily across the table at Riley, who looks poised and ready and far too pleased with themself.

“I guess you can roll to seduce the Owlbear. You know what to do,” Erika finishes. Riley is already throwing the twenty-sided die. On Egill’s other side, Leon is shaking with suppressed laughter, like he wasn’t the one who brought the menace of Riley Greenwood and their weirdly seductive halfling bard into their D&D group.

Riley actually pretends not to know what exactly they’re rolling for or what to add, as if they don’t try to seduce literally every NPC Erika throws at them, and then triumphantly declares it’s a seventeen. Egill pushes his hands into his hair, groaning. Erika just gives a resigned sigh, planting her elbows on the Monster Manual behind her little wall of books.

“It’s going to attack you anyway, I hope you know.”

“Can’t hurt to try,” Riley replies cheerfully.

“It literally can!” Egill says, and then he has to bite his lip and look away when Riley grins one of those mischievous grins of theirs, one that makes their eyes crinkle up and pulls at one corner of their mouth. Leon, who had just managed to calm himself, starts giggling again, and Egill elbows him.

“Egill, it’s your turn,” Erika says. He consults his character sheet.

“I could see Riley’s dumb bard being stupid, right?”

“Don’t talk about Minto like that!” Riley interjects, crossing their arms. “He’s wonderful and everyone loves him.”

“His wisdom modifier is minus two,” says Mei, who somehow always remembers everyone’s stats. Well, not that that particular tidbit is hard to remember. “I didn’t know you could get minus two.”

“Minto is special and I bet Yawen is jealous.” They raise their eyebrows at Egill. He sighs again.

“Well, I guess Dûrion is going to try and get Minto out of harm’s way.”

Riley beams from across the table, and it somehow makes Egill’s skin tingle. 

It’s very likely that everyone in their casual little D&D party is aware that it isn’t an accident, at least on his part, that Minto and Dûrion, Egill’s high elf artificer character, are so often off on their own or just helping each other out in their sessions. It’s embarrassing as fuck, of course, but Egill has long since given up on trying to do anything about it. Soon enough, Leon or Raivis or another one of their friends will do something dumb, and Egill’s crush on Riley will be completely forgotten. Maybe even by Egill himself, although that seems unlikely to him at this point.

Riley might be aware of it as well, or they might not. They’re notoriously difficult to get a read on. Even Angélique, who has known them the longest, seems to have trouble with it. Egill thinks Riley enjoys it that way. 

“Right, that’s fine,” Erika is saying, pushing her short hair behind her ears. “Tell me what Dûrion’s going to do, then.”

Egill manages to save Riley—well, Dûrion saves Minto from being eaten—and the rest of the party make quick work of the monster guarding the cave that contains whatever horrors Erika has in mind for them. For such an innocent-looking woman, she sure has a twisted imagination.

“Now that we’re out of combat,” Riley says, once Angélique’s druid has distributed some healing spells, “can I roll to seduce Dûrion?”

“Yes!” Angélique shouts, adding, “That’s in-character. Rovanon’s very keen on love.”

“Aryax hates love, and also Rovanon,” Leon puts in.

“Aryax hates everything, he’s just an excuse for you not to help.”

He finger-guns at her, and she shakes her head, smiling. 

“So,” Riley says, “can we get back to Minto seducing Dûrion?”

“Maybe Dûrion isn’t interested in being seduced,” Egill replies, raising his eyebrows and hoping he isn’t blushing.

“Does Dûrion want a long-term relationship?”

“Aryax vomits in disgust,” Leon says.

“No!” Raivis yells. “Daina immediately hides. Last time Aryax vomited, he barfed lightning everywhere and nearly killed her.”

“Not my fault Daina’s human.”

Erika, as per usual when they go off on tangents like this—which is most of the time—looks both pained and amused.

None of them are really cut out for Dungeons & Dragons, Egill thinks, at least not in any serious way. The whole thing started as a joke in his first year of university, with just him, Leon and Erika, because the three of them were procrastinating on assignments and wanted to have something to do. Egill had been the DM, because it was his idea and his brother did tabletop RPGs, so it was assumed he’d know how it worked. He did not.

His brother, Einar, was the one who pointed out how crap he was at it and that Erika would probably enjoy being the DM more. Leon keeps trying to convince Einar to join a session, and Egill spends much of his time trying not to think about his best friend’s weird crush on his brother.

In the four years since then, the three of them have accumulated the rest of the party. Raivis dated Erika for a while, and took over her character, Daina. He stayed after they broke up, having become a good friend to Egill over that time. Mei was Leon’s roommate for a hot minute, and Angélique was her friend. Riley, in turn, was Angélique’s friend, but Leon is the one who convinced them to join after they came to watch one day. Their last party member, Luca, is studying abroad at the moment, so his character has been captured and they’re technically always on a quest to free him, but Egill thinks it seems likely Luca won’t return to be Raivis’s roommate ever again, so their wizard will probably die.

It’s a shame. Luca was the only useful person. Certainly more than fucking Minto.

“Don’t take off your clothes!” Mei is yelling at Riley. Egill blinks dazedly.

To his disappointment, Riley isn’t actually taking off their clothes, just crossing their arms petulantly, only the edge of the intricate tattoo on one of their forearms visible.

“You’re on a mountain,” Erika reminds everyone. “If Minto takes his clothes off, I will need a saving throw to see if he freezes.”

“It’s fine,” Riley says, “he’ll bask in Dûrion’s hotness.”

Dûrion only knows ice spells because Egill thought that would be a cool theme to have, but he doesn’t point that out.

“Aryax vomits lightning,” Leon says, reaching for his dice.

“No!” Mei yells.

“At Minto,” he adds.

“I can’t believe Minto died,” Angélique says drily. “Can Rovanon have his bagpipes?”

“No one can have Minto’s bagpipes because Minto isn’t dead yet,” Erika interrupts before they descend into chaos again. “Leon, is Aryax actually attacking him?”

Leon nods, in response to which Riley throws Egill an imploring look, which is just unfair. He tries to frown back, but Riley just smiles in a surprisingly soft way he’s never seen before, pushing their brown curls out of their face, as if they know Egill will help anyway, and not just because Dûrion has a good alignment.

Leon elbows him, and he snaps back.

“What?”

“Aryax missed,” he says sadly.

“Oh!” He turns to Erika. “Is anything on fire?”

She considers this for a moment.

“Yes. Minto’s bagpipes are on fire.”

“Nice.” Leon grins, and even Riley has to laugh at that. Egill decides Dûrion definitely won’t use a spell to douse those flames, and hopes Riley doesn’t remember anytime soon that Minto has more bagpipes. He exchanges an anxious look with Mei, who obviously does remember.

“Are we ever going into this cave?” Raivis asks.

“Daina is hidden, no one can hear her,”  Erika reminds him.

“Guys, where’s Daina?” Angélique says, pretending to be distressed. “She must have gone into the cave! We have to help her! Rovanon charges into the cave.”

“I can’t believe Rovanon died,” Riley says. “He will be remembered. Minto composes a song for him on his… Flute, I guess.”

“Make… Make a performance roll for how good the song is,” Erika says, probably just to annoy everyone by making Riley look at their character sheet and remember they have no flute, because Minto traded it for more bagpipes.

Riley rolls the die, and starts to giggle. Angélique and Raivis peer over, and groan in unison.

“Erika, I’m delighted to tell you… It’s a thirty-three on how good the song is. Does everyone cry?” They lift the die to show off the twenty they got.

“Everyone weeps and your bagpipes are magically restored,” Erika confirms, much to everyone else’s horror. And, while Riley holds both hands up for high-fives that go unanswered, “And I think we’ll have to end it there, because I have to go.”

“Boo,” Mei says, winking. Erika ducks her head, cheeks turning rosy, and Raivis raises his eyebrows, looking between them. That’s pretty interesting.

“Sorry. Everyone, remember where you are.” She makes some notes behind her book partition before starting to dismantle it.

“Well, Rovanon is apparently in heaven,” Angélique says. “Mei, can Yawen come and get him? She can fly.”

“Possibly,” Mei muses. “We’ll see what Erika thinks.”

“I think Rovanon is in a cave and can see in the dark because he’s a half-orc, so he’s probably not dead,” she says, putting her bag on her lap and starting to stuff her books into it.

“Aw, I never get to fly,” Mei says, sadly. Angélique pats her hand. “Thanks.”

“I’ll find a way to make you fly,” Erika tells her, pushing herself backwards. Mei makes a face at the whole table. That sounds ominous.

Everyone puts away their dice and character sheets. Leon sweeps the blueberries he was eating into his bag wholesale, as he usually does. Egill is afraid to find out what the inside of his bag looks like.

Mei pushes the door open for Erika, who smiles gratefully up at her and wheels herself into the front room of her brother’s bakery. They’ve been meeting here for a while now, but he still won’t give them any free pastries. Luca had been getting through to him, but, well…

“Hey, Riley,” Angélique is saying, walking backwards to the door while looking at her phone, “do you want a ride? Me and David are going to the beach, we could drop you off. Or you can come along, if you want.”

“Ah, sure, because my middle name is Third Wheel,” they joke. “I’m good, thanks. Tell Dave he’s an idiot for me.”

“Will do. Bye, everyone!” She flits off, almost tripping over Erika’s wheelchair as she somehow always manages to do. “Sorry!”

Raivis just waves, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and picking up his longboard. He hurries through the bakery, apparently still convinced Erika’s brother hates him for breaking up with her. Riley chuckles next to Egill, hands in the pockets of their maroon pants. They rock back on their heels when Egill looks down at them and smile at him while Leon exits as well, crunching on something he unearthed from his bag on the way.

“Well,” Egill says, absently pushing his tongue against his lip piercing, “guess I should go.”

“Yes. No.” Riley blinks and takes a deep breath. They smooth an errant curl off their forehead. It bounces right back. “Actually, I wanted to ask…”

“Do… You need a ride with me?” Egill asks. “It’s no problem, I’ve got a spare helmet.”

“No. Well, I mean, hell yeah, that sounds amazing,” they reply, hazel eyes lighting up. “But no, that’s not it.”

“Okay.” Egill watches curiously while Riley fidgets with their belt buckle. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Riley fidget before; they always seem to know what they’re doing, even when what they’re doing is pretending to be unaware what’s going on when they most likely caused it.

“I wanted to know… Well, I know Dûrion isn’t interested in being seduced and all, but I kind of hope you are.” They gesture helplessly as Egill’s breath hitches. “I’ve got a feeling you are, and I’d like to try, eh? I’d like to—I like you, is what I’m trying to say. And I’d like to take you on a date?”

“Okay,” is all Egill can say, dumbstruck. And then, “Really?”

That, thankfully, gets him one of those smiles that pulls at Riley’s eyes and makes them twinkle.

“Yeah, Egill, really. You’re interesting, and I like that.”

He pushes his tongue against his piercing again.

“And also, that’s ridiculously hot and I don’t think you’re aware,” Riley blurts, eyes wide. 

Egill stills, biting his lip, and just blinks down at them.

“It’s offensive.”

“Sorry?”

“Minto almost died because of that, you know? It’s distracting as fuck.”

“You’re, hm… You’re better at hiding it than I am,” Egill stutters. Laughing, Riley grasps his forearm, thumb stroking the pale skin as if on instinct.

“You do realize I’ve tried to seduce you and no other party members during every session for the past six months?”

“I—Riley, it doesn’t work like that!”

“Yeah, I get that now.” They shrug apologetically. “I thought it was fairly obvious. Everyone else seemed to know. I thought maybe you weren’t interested, but then it seemed like you were so I thought, you know, take a page out of Minto’s book and try it.”

Looking back, sure, it’s perfectly Riley to go about—about flirting so completely backwards, because just flirting like normal people do seems to be how Riley communicates with almost everyone. They can’t seem to help it. Egill thinks it’s charming. Mostly.

“That’s fair,” he says.

“I guess it works better for me than Minto, eh?”

“Unsurprisingly, yeah.” He wants to say something about Riley being much more attractive than fucking Minto, but doesn’t quite know how without embarrassing himself to death, so he just bites his lip again and smiles. Luckily, Riley seems a little unsure of themself as well, for once. It’s strangely bolstering. Egill leans a little towards them, catching the hazel gaze.

“Woo!” Mei suddenly says, from by the door, and Egill jerks up. “Sorry! I left my hair tie.”

Flushing, Egill just stands there awkwardly, with Riley still holding his arm, while she grabs the accessory and then pauses by the door on her way back out.

“Good for you guys,” she says, then flashes a peace sign and disappears back into the bakery. Riley clears their throat. Egill huffs.

“Well, that saves us the trouble of having to tell everyone,” Riley says, chuckling. 

The idea of this being something that’s serious enough to tell their friends about is exciting. Mei is a notorious gossip, so Egill thinks Riley might have a point. He leans back over again, cautiously touching their shoulder, and they grin up at him, hair brushing his hand. It’s as soft as he always imagined it would be, and the curls bounce as they move their head. 

By the quirk of Riley’s mouth, they can read the desire to run his hands through their hair on his face, which is probably still red too. Riley’s tan skin is only slightly flushed.

He bites his lip. Watches Riley’s eyes widen again, lips parting. Some eyeliner has smudged on their eyelid, and this is the first time he notices just how many faint freckles there are scattered across the bridge of their nose. It’s exhilarating to be able to look.

“So, you said something about a spare helmet?” Riley asks, a little breathier than usual, their eyes still fixated on his mouth.

“I did.” He takes a step back, then a step forward, back into Riley’s space. A wayward curl brushes against his nose, where the top of their head is, as they look up. “Where do you wanna go?”

“Well… I’m hungry. We could go eat something.”

Egill pulls out his phone to check the time. It’s going on five in the afternoon. He nearly drops his phone when Riley touches his hip, but smiles when they aim a questioning look at him. He isn’t very used to dating, hasn’t done so in a while, but this is good. And, really, he didn’t know if Riley dated at all; he’s never heard anything about it.

Evidently, they do.

“We could go for dinner, then?” He thinks about it. “We should take something out to the boulevard, it’ll be nice.”

Riley nods, grinning. 

When they both start towards the door, Egill bites his lip and reaches for their hand, knocking their fingers together. Grinning even more, so much it almost looks painful but is very flattering at the same time, Riley grasps his hand and swings it between the two of them as they leave through the bakery.

Outside, they wave merrily at Erika and Mei, who are chatting on the sidewalk. Mei grins. Erika raises her eyebrows, resting her elbow on her bag and her chin in her hand. Egill blushes again, and Riley squeezes his fingers.

“Have fun,” Erika says, sketching a little wave. Just then, Raivis flies past on his longboard. He slows down and grins an uncharacteristically vibrant grin before speeding off down the winding street. Egill blinks after him.

“Hey, Erika!” Angélique calls from the passenger seat of a Jeep reversing out of the parking lot next to the bakery, poking her head out of the window. “I have—”

She hits her head on the top of the car when she spots him and Riley, and swears loudly, which is rare. Riley snorts, knocking their shoulder into Egill.

“Yeah, me too!” Erika calls back to Angélique, laughing.

“I regret this already,” Egill says, turning his head just enough that Riley’s hair blows into his face again. Riley just grasps his arm with their free hand and leans even more into him, so it isn’t all bad, really.

From the Jeep’s driver’s seat, Riley’s best friend, David, shouts something as he drives by, and they flip him off in response, letting go of Egill for a second. Angélique laughs, and David honks as they drive off.

“Come on,” Egill says, pulling Riley with him to the parking lot, where his motorcycle is. It used to be Einar’s, but he finally painted over the emblems his brother put on it, and it really feels like it’s his now. Riley gets an excited spring in their step as they near.

Of course, Leon is there, because why wouldn’t he be, sitting on his bicycle and looking at his phone. He glances up, thick eyebrows twitching.

“Oh, nice,” he just comments, and looks back down.

“Text Luca while we’re at it,” Riley says, dry as bone. Leon smiles.

“Maybe. Hey, I could text Einar.”

“Fuck off,” Egill tells him. He winks, puts his phone away, and bikes off.

So they finally leave, Riley hanging on to Egill and whooping excitedly at every turn and bump on the way to the boulevard, and the evening is wonderfully sun-soaked and bright, and Riley tastes like cheap wine at the end of it, so all in all… Maybe that dumb bard is good for something, after all.

[vloggerparker]

what’s love? || s.h

↬ pairing(s): Steve Harrington x Hopper!reader

↬ genre/warnings: kinda angsty, fluff.

↬ word count: 2.8k

↬ synopsis: Steve’s been acting differently lately -jealous, distant, irritable- and (Y/n) doesn’t know why. it isn’t until Steve consults the Chief of Police, (Y/n)’s father, that he lets her know what’s wrong.

↬ a/n: for @melxoxo23 who said “jealous steve and the readers dad, hop, is the one that makes him feel all better. :) please and thank you.” I realized halfway through that I kinda strayed away from your initial request, so sorry about that :c but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!!

(Y/n)’s hands slapped the steering wheel in tune to the heavy bass blaring from every angle of the car, the music so loud she couldn’t even formulate a proper thought and all she knew in the moment was song lyrics. Mike, Dustin and Lucas all bounced in place in the backseat, music filling them from head to toe. Steve was in the passenger seat watching the chaos unravel as he tapped his foot to the rhythm, one corner of his mouth upturned in a facsimile of a smirk. His heart cried as he watched her drive, head bopping to the song. Moments like these are the only times he gets to stare at her until his heart’s content, and she’s so immersed in what she’s doing that she doesn’t even realize his literal heart eyes as he watches her from the passenger side.

“Tell Ms. Byers and the boys I say hi!” she calls out to the boys that file out the backseat of her car.

Lucas bobbed his head, hand readily laid on the car door to slam it shut as he says, “sure thing, (Y/n), thanks for the ride. We’ll see ya’ later!”

“And tell Jonathan he needs to bring his butt back here so we can hang out!” she added just before Lucas could close the door.

Lucas swung the door back open. “Okay!” he shouted, nodding his head wider, emphasizing his understanding.

(Y/n) laughed to herself as Lucas hurriedly shut the door before she could get another word to him. The boys waved their goodbyes as the car pulled off, and a terrible silence filled the car as soon as it was just her and Steve alone. She thought to turn the radio back on, but it felt like her hands were glued to the wheel, too tense to make a move.

(Y/n) thought it was pitiful how jealousy controlled Steve Harrington’s life, so lost in the torment his brain was in. Sometimes it was so severe that the rational Steve Harrington would switch offline and suddenly his liberal opinions were gone, and his ability for empathy and emotional generosity were gone, too.

The relationship hadn’t always been this complicated and Steve hadn’t always been so jealous. In fact, it all started very recently with their first real fight. (Y/n) made a new friend, Buddy, a cop-in-training while at the police station. He was funny, sweet, charming, but he was no Steve Harrington. Except her boyfriend failed to see how (Y/n), the living embodiment of perfection, wouldn’t fall for the sweet-mouthed Buddy. Dustin tried reasoning, but by then Steve had waved it off with the decision that he was over it. After that first occurrence, petty arguments had seemingly manifested from nothing, things that they never argued over, whether that be pizza toppings or what movie they should see that evening.

“Oh no,” she whispered to herself as the car sputtered, “no, no, no, no, please!” she begged all in vain as the car emitted a low and inarticulate sound, rolling to a stop and (Y/n) was forced to pull over onto the side of the road. “Damnit.” she cursed softly, resting her head against the wheel.

Steve sighed dramatically and slid out the car, going to investigate the sudden break down. He stopped at the front of the car, rolling up his sleeves as he tried the hood, only to feel a resistance when he realized it was locked. His eyes flickered to the front windshield to meet (Y/n)’s through the glass, and when she shrugged he rolled his eyes. “Sugar, pop the hood.”

(Y/n) complied, ignoring the flutter in her chest hearing the cutesy pet name, something she hadn’t heard much of in the past few days. As soon as he flipped the lid and she could no longer see him through the window, she emerged from the car and met him outside. “So, we’re alone now. You mind telling me what’s bothering you?”

Steve always did his best to never yell at (Y/n) or even raise his voice in the slightest, but (Y/n) would take the screaming and shouting over the silent treatment, at least then she would know how he was feeling. Silent Steve is impossible to read, like a book written in an entirely different language, he was foreign.

“There’s nothing wrong,” he looked down at her, one eyebrow quirked up quizzically. For a moment she thought she was getting through to him, that he was finally going to speak to her, but instead he slams the hood of the car shut without breaking eye contact and tells her, “the car. There’s nothing wrong with it. Did you… did you fake that?”

“I mean,” she starts, but presses her lips together to stop herself from saying anything more. Steve rolls his eyes for the uptenth time knowing his accusation was called correctly. (Y/n) puffed her cheeks out and folded her arms across her chest. “Are you being like this because you’re jealous over Buddy again? I don’t know how many times I have-”

“Just stop.” a breathy laugh fell into sync with his words, but it wasn’t the sweet sound she was accustomed to. It was forced and caustic, like he wanted (Y/n) to know he was annoyed with her. “I’m not mad at you and I don’t care about Buddy.”

She didn’t wait a second to reply as she said, “well, have you always been this negative? If there’s something wrong, talk to me.”

Steve ignored her practical begging, brushing straight passed her as he slid into the driver’s seat with (Y/n) in tow. She was standing in the doorway, hand on her hip as she exasperated, “Steve, we’re stuck here so why don’t you just take a deep breath and tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been using me as an emotional punching bag for the past week and if you don’t just tell me what’s wrong then I’m-,” she halted, taking a deep breath through her nose, “just tell me what’s wrong.”

He outstretched his hand to her expectantly, “cough ‘em up.”

“What? These?” she teased, dangling the keys tantalizingly, closing her fist around them just before Steve can take them from her. “No, no. You can have the keys when you decide to tell me what’s wrong.”

Steve stepped out of the car all while making eye contact, and for a moment he looks so intimidatingly breathtaking that she thinks to just give him the keys. His hands came up to cup her face and before she can make a remark, his lips are on hers and he’s kissing her feverously.

He pulled away seconds later with a cocky grin as he slid back into the car, and (Y/n)’s jaw is hanging gaunt as he sticks the key in the ignition and the car grumbled awake. He hikes a thumb over his shoulder to the passenger seat, smile ever present. “Guess not. Get in.”

* * *

There’s a series of knocks on Hopper’s front door and immediately he was up and alert, relaxing only when he familiarized himself within his own living room. Reading the clock hanging on the wall let’s him know it’s just past midnight, and he can’t help but wonder who the hell is showing up at his house in the middle of the night unannounced.

When Steve impulsively jumped in his car in the middle of the night to drive to the Hopper residence and beg for (Y/n)’s forgiveness, he didn’t stop to think if Hopper was awake or that he would be the one to answer the door. So, when the door swung open just a minute after he knocked, he wasn’t expecting to see the Chief of Police standing opposite to him.

Steve’s mind switched offline, and Hopper could practically see the sparks flying in his brain as it tried desperately to connect the dots and formulate a sentence, but instead caused a short circuit. “Hi H-Hopper, I mean- Sir- Chief,” he blabbered anxiously as the Chief stare back, expression resolutely stoic. “I mean Chief Hopper. I was wondering if (Y/n) was home to talk?”

Hopper crossed his arms across his chest, leaning his weight onto the doorframe. “You want to speak to my daughter and you thought the best time to do it was now?” his eyes swiveled back as he nodded. “She’s in, but I was told she doesn’t want to speak to you. Told me to kick your ass to the curb if ya’ showed up.”

Steve’s nervous stare averted down to his mud streaked converse as he shrugged. “Yeah, well, I deserve that.” he brought his attention back to the Chief’s unrelenting stare. “Are you going to, though? Send me on my way, I mean?” he asked, and right about now it felt like he was digging his own grave.

There was an excruciatingly long pause where Hopper scrutinized the young adult, and Steve’s never felt so uncomfortable under someone’s gaze. To say Jim Hopper might be overprotective of his daughters would be a misconception, because Jim Hopper was absolutely, undoubtedly, unquestionably overprotective of his daughters. El and (Y/n) were his life, and for Steve to think Hopper would so graciously forgive him after essentially breaking (Y/n)’s heart was stupid.

Hopper opened the door wider and took a step inside, wordlessly inviting him in. Well, call Steve Harrington stupid. “She’s in her bedroom. You know where it’s at.”

Steve nodded gratefully to her father before entering through the door, and it’s like he’s home again taking in all of the familiarities of the place he’s visited too many times to count. The Chief was right, Steve knew exactly where he was going, and just as the oak framed door came into sight, he froze. He debates for a minute before turning back around, finding Hopper on the living room couch with a can of beer.

“She not let you in?” he puzzled, almost feeling sorry for him.

“Well, I- uh, didn’t knock.” he took a step further into the living room, taking the open spot on the couch. “I… Do you mind if I vent to you about something? I mean, it’s a little weird, and you don’t have to say yes, but-”

Hopper set his can of beer down as he said, “what’s up, kid?”

“I think I try too hard. How I look, what I do, what I’m saying.” Steve mumbled. “I’ve been so hard on (Y/n) these past few days because I feel so self conscious about our relationship. Insecure. I keep lashing out over the small things, and getting jealous over guys I know she doesn’t want. I just- I don’t mean to, but-”

“So you need to work on some things? So what?” Hopper shook his head, resting a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Listen, Harrington, if there’s anything you should know about my daughter is she, like me, doesn’t stick up for bullshit. You either lay it all out or get the hell out because she values honesty. She’ll give the damn shirt on her back if you asked for it, but you gotta earn that from her. And don’t make her regret it, because then you’ll have to face me.”

“I just…” Steve tries, but he just can’t seem to find the right words. Hopper doesn’t mind though, doesn’t rush him or insult him, just listens. “What’s love? When did you know, like, for sure that you were in love?”

There was a pause where Hopper was at a loss for words, his brain conjuring no thoughts other than registering his initial shock to the straightforward question. Steve saw the way the chief’s face washed blank, knowing he’d struck something in his mind that not even Hopper himself hadn’t considered a thought.

Finally, the chief answers him. “It’s that first taste of coffee in the morning or the smell of dirt after it rains. It’s joy, where you know it’s safe and secure.”

“Love is just really, I mean really, knowing someone and wanting a life with them in it, because a life without them sounds terrifying enough to wake you out of your sleep. It’s happiness. It’s when their happiness equals yours, so much that you’d rather them be without you if it makes them happy. It’s enjoying the arguments because at least you know they care. That even when they’re annoying, you wouldn’t trade the moment for any other. Love is just… knowing, and being sure that you know you want to spend the rest of your life with someone.”

There’s knocking on (Y/n)’s bedroom door as she groaned, rolling out of the comforts of bed only to be greeted with the surprise of Steve at her door. For a moment there’s a smile on her face just before she’s reliving the day before all over again and erupting with anger. She turns back into the room and Steve followed. Now they’re standing face-to-face in the middle of her room at midnight, both just staring before she cuts through the silence. “What?”

“I came over because we need to talk… about us.”

(Y/n) can already feel her chest tighten at his words, and she grabbed the hem of her shirt to squeeze. It happened to be an old basketball jersey, a gift from Steve. The urge to cry amplified as she watched him fiddle with his thumbs nervously, and she knows what he’s going to say before he can even say it.

He nods, encouraging himself to just say it. “So, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking-”

“That’s dangerous.”

“Forget it.” he threw his hands up as he spun around to leave.

(Y/n) hastily swiped the tears from her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “We both know what you’re about to do, so why don’t you just do it so I can go back to bed.” she told him, a mischievous tear sliding down her face just to dribble off her chin.

Steve’s expression is tense as he turns around, storming right up to here until there’s space barley left between the both of them, and with every breath they take, there chests touch. “You wanna know what’s wrong?” he huffs. “It’s that. You’re stubborn, hard-headed, and you’re so passionate about everything that you’ll argue with me over what’s better: chocolate or vanilla? I don’t even care! They’re just ice cream flavors! But I do it because even though you press nerves in me I never thought possible, I want to spend every irritable moment with you. I’ll argue with you over ice cream flavors from dawn until dusk as long as it’s with you.”

“What’re you saying, Steve?”

“I’m saying that I love you. I love you, (Y/n).”

“Then why, why did you push me away? I tried relentlessly to fix things, to talk to you, get you to open up, but you were being so distant that I thought you wanted to break up with me.”

Steve shrugged loosely, unsure of himself. “I thought that you were getting tired of me so I tried distancing myself. Hearing about all the fun you and Buddy were having because I was too busy made it seem like you two were better off together. You work the same job, he’s funny, your type, and he could keep you safe better than I ever could. Hell, I mean, we could’ve died a hundred times over between fighting weird alien dogs with baseball bats and getting interrogated by Russians in an underground secret base.”

“It sounds like you’re naming reasons why I should date you.” she gave him an easy smile, something contagious to wipe the worrisome look from his face, and it worked. “Steve, I wouldn’t care if I died because I would die knowing I got to love and be loved the most amazing man on earth. I don’t want Buddy or anyone else. I want you. I want the adventure, the pain, the ups and downs- all of you. If you’re ever insecure and doubting yourself, please just talk to me. Don’t push me away because one day you’ll end up losing me.”

“Someday, right? Not today?”

“No, not today.”

The gesture was simple enough- a hug, affectionate in the states of body, brain, heart and soul. She’s all there for him, every part of her, and he’s there for her, every part of him. The room was somehow made warmer, and for the first time in days, though it’s at his expense, (Y/n) feels carefree.

She pulled away with a smile that seemed so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that an unexpected warmth spreads through him. “You are so strange, Harrington,” she giggles, “but I love you for it. I love you. Bunk over?”

“Well, I can’t say no to that.”

↬ a/n: if you liked this, you should check out my other Steve fics on my masterlist!

[ramblingromance]

Crystal Gardens: Book Review

For those who celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving! I promise it actually only took me a few days to read this book, but unfortunately I had to take breaks in between that time, and I only got the chance to finish it last night. My review on this one might be a little on the shorter side, but without any further delay, her’s my thoughts, feelings, and ramblings on....

Evangeline Ames might be a hired companion, but she’s far from an average one; what with her desire to write gothic fiction, and oh yes, her psychical abilities, life often takes very....interesting turns for her. After her most recent attack in London, she moves out to the countryside in order to clear her head, but it seems there is more than meets the eye to this threat on her life when a second attempt to take it is made, and  by a hired killer no less! Quite literally running for her life, she seeks refuge in the mysterious Crystal Gardens, their owner even more doused with mystery than the strange plants that seem to thrive in the soil there. 

Lucas Sebastian might not be quite as eccentric as his uncle, the man who once owned these strange gardens with a supernatural energy all about them, but he has his own unique hobbies and abilities. Strong in his psychical powers, Lucas often does consulting work for Scotland Yard, tracking down terrible killers. Always the type that loves to unfold an interesting mystery,  it’s really no surprise that he lends a hand to the young woman skulking about in his gardens during the middle of the night.

 ______________________________________________________________

Crystal Gardens is a story that could have had a lot of promise. With its interesting premises of mystery, romance, and some supernatural elements, one would think that it would have everything going for it. While well written, unfortunately this novel fell pretty flat for me. There’s no suspense or thrill in the mystery, and all of the characters are rather forgettable. In fact, the whole story kind of is. The psychical abilities that several of the characters possess are never fully explained either, and the most I could garner from it in the writing is that it all deals with some sort of supernatural energy that they are able to control in their own unique ways. So in the end, this is one of those stories that I probably won’t be able to recall to my memory all too well come the future, but again, this is all just my opinion. While this novel won’t stand the test of time for me, it could very well be a favorite for someone else. 

If you’ve read it, how did you feel about Crystal Gardens? What’s your favorite book by Amanda Quick? Is there something I absolutely need to read from her?

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of rape, Attempted murder, Violence, Mentions of suicide, Mentions of death

Heat Level: 2/5

[bookmarksanddogears]

Book Review: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

My rating: 4/5 stars

Review: This intense novel begins with a terrifying scene at a family birthday party in Acapulco in Mexico. Sixteen people - men, women, children - are gunned down by the ruling drug cartel. Only two people manage to escape - Lydia and her eight year old son Luca. Still reeling from the brutal murders of their family members, Lydia and Luca are forced to flee for their lives. The rest of the novel follows their harrowing journey to reach the United States and the hope of safety there.

Though devastating and poignant, I thought this was a beautifully written story. The character development is on point and you can’t help but become emotionally invested in Lydia and Luca’s safety, along with all the other multi-dimensional characters along the way. Even the villains are given a fair chance and occasionally display a potential for good in this book.

It wasn’t until after I finished the book that I started reading some of its criticisms, and I think they’re worth mentioning here. First and foremost, it’s written by a white woman who has never lived in Mexico. It does seem like she thoroughly researched for the book and had Latino/Latina consultants helping her along the way. However, there’s no way for me, a white person, to know if she adequately and accurately captured the situation. Was she the right person to write this in the first place? The author herself mentioned in a note at the end of the book that she felt compelled to write this story, but she did question whether she was qualified. I think these are all good questions to consider and discuss, but maybe that’s the point...it’s good that the discussion is happening in the first place.

Please like and follow for more reviews!

[lol-jackles]

Do you think George Lucas hates Star Wars fans? He can't do anything w/o us bitching. He adds unnecessary crap to the originals and we complain. He makes the prequels and we complain about every tiny detail that isn't right/doesn't match up with the originals. Maybe that's why he sold it to disney? He figured he's take the money and let them deal with us over zealous fans?

George Lucas likes Star Wars fan alright, for the money!  His original plans for episode 7 through 9 was make them “new”, meaning new planets and new ships so that it could sell new toys.  Star Wars under Lucas was turned into a pure franchise to sell licenced byproducts.  Lucas is a brilliant businessman and he was miffed that Disney made The Force Awakens “retro” by re-using the ship designs from episode 4-6 and not selling “new” ship toys.

The latest revel was Lucas was going to double down on the midichlorians mythology if he was in charge of episode 7, which was the first thing that Disney threw out.  So he didn’t care that vocal fans didn’t like the prequels because they made insane amount of money from box office and merchantise so obviously enough people liked the prequels.  What bothered Lucas a teeny tiny bit was Gary Kurtz, who produced episode 4 and 5 and was instrumental in getting Star Wars on the screen, didn’t like ROTJ and the prequels.

Two reasons why Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd, including Star Wars, to Disney.  First to secure the future of the company he had worked so hard for most of his working life to build from scratch. Disney is a huge corporation that could protect and grow the company.  Lucas want Star Wars to live on and grow after his death and he wanted the transition to happen while he was alive.  Which brings us to the second reason, Lucas is old.

In the Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens book, co-production designer Rick Carter met with Lucas in 2012.  Lucas told him when he “was a young filmmaker, images appeared to him as if he were looking through binoculars - very close and vivid. Now that he was getting older, imagery appeared as if the binoculars were turned around and he was seeing it all from a greater distance, with a deeper perspective”. Lucas was ready to let go of what he created.  Not everyone can remain at the top of his game forever; some of the saddest moments in life comes from holding on to past glories and becoming disillusioned when one realizes that the world has moved on.

Gene Roddenberry created the groundbreaking Star Trek tv series.  By the time the second Star Trek movie The Wrath of Khan was being developed, Roddenberry got “kicked upstairs as executive consultant” (sound familiar?) which is just another way of saying he was removed from all involvment with the movie while it was produced, written and directed by a crew with zero Star Trek experience and, thus, approached it from a totally fresh perspective which led to the success of the sequel and a revival of the franchise - again, without Roddenberry’s active involvement.

As for “overzealous fans”, having seen the all out war between the classic Disney fans and the furry fandom over the movie Zootopia, I doubt Disney is all that worried about vocal Star Wars fanboys.

[loopy777]

Random question: do you think Koh could/should have been added to the story in Book 3? Despite only having like 3 minutes of screentime, he remains a fan favourite to this day, and back then many thought he would appear again judging by his last words to Aang in Book 1. But he never did. I personally never really minded his not appearing in Book 3, since the series wrapped up so beautifully. But most importantly, I loved Koh so much that my expectations for his character were way too high (cont)

(cont) and thus, if the writers had decided to use him again, I would have probably ended up disappointed no matter what they did with him. So, what do you think? Could there have been a way to add his character to the main story in a way that felt organic?

Well, speaking in purely vague and theoretical terms, I suppose there’s at least one possible way for Koh to have been included. If I wanted to try to disrupt things as little possible, I guess I’d say It could be brought back for another consultation, perhaps to point Aang to the Lionturtle, or even in place of the Lionturtle as the source of the Energybending technique, but that would just be rehashing Its prior appearance.

So, to answer the greater question: No, I don’t think Koh should have been brought back. I thought what we got of It was perfect.

For me, it’s not so much a matter of being afraid of Koh’s return not living up to my expectations (although, considering that Book Fire as a whole is a step down from Book Earth, and LoK is a step down from AtLA, and the AtLA comics are a step down from literally every ‘Book 4′ fanfic ever, we’re probably lucky that Koh was left alone) as I never saw the “We’ll meet again...” as foreshadowing of any kind. Rather, I saw it as the logical pairing to Koh’s first lines: “My old friend, the Avatar. It's been a long time.“

The placement and nature of Koh’s introduction don’t hint at all that It’s tied to Aang’s existing quest to restore balance or defeat the Fire Nation. If they had, then sure, maybe I’d be open to It returning as the secret corrupter of Sozin or whatever, but without that, Koh’s true nature is revealed: flavoring, worldbuilding, one of those fun little things that make us believe that the stuff on the screen exists beyond what we can immediately see. Kohw shows that Aang’s world extends ‘beyond the corners.’

The style of worldbuilding is what makes the classic Star Wars trilogy stand out in our pop culture mythology, as well as Lord of the Rings. In both of those, there are frequent references to events and cultural elements that aren’t explained to the audience, and yet they have obvious meaning to the characters are even presented in a consistent manner. It feels like the storytellers know what these strange things are, despite not revealing it all, and that mystery gives life to the setting. If everything the characters talk about is known to us, that’s pretty artificial. After all, in real life, how often do you hear references to history or pop culture you don’t know? By replicating that, Star Wars and LotR do a sleight of hand trick to make themselves feel bigger, richer, and more alive.

(For the record, George Lucas probably didn’t know what all those references actually were, or didn’t have them nailed down at least. The fact that all the various prequels have such a poor track record actually lining up with the original reference is proof of that. J.R.R. Tolkien, on the other hand, had probably already written six poems about each reference by the time he got to that part of LotR, as well as translated all six into two different dialects of Elvish. For fun.)

Koh is the exact same trick. It’s a long-lived spirit who encountered at least one Avatar before, alludes to that in a vague way, provides a quick plot function, and then bows out with an assurance that It’ll have at least one encounter with an Avatar in the future. It adds to the worldbuilding behind the spirits by showing an Unknowable Elder God variant not previously seen (This thing steals faces? Why?! Why couldn’t the Avatar stop It or take It out?! Why’s It helping Aang now?), adds to the history of ‘the Avatar’ by revealing a rival and drama from a past life (like when James Bond says, “Oh, yeah, I encountered that terrorist before, and stole his girlfriend before shooting him in the knee,” when it wasn’t in a movie), and of course the info on the Moon and Ocean spirits adds to what’s going on with the Water Tribe. (Koh is an efficient little plot device, isn’t It?)

Honestly, my ideal future use of Koh keeps It off-screen: either some distant prequel makes a reference to It and/or Its ‘hobby,’ or some post-LoK Avatar makes a vague allusion that Old Lady Korra (or one of her successors) had a drama with It. After all, what can possibly be done with Koh that wouldn’t just echo what we already have?

Koh should be considered a necessary part of the background of the world, something that Avatars have to deal with, but nothing especially important to Aang.

On the fandom side, I’ve never understood the desire to make Koh a full-on villain. The most egregious use was in Vathara’s Embers, where (SPOILERS, although I dropped the story long before these revelations and so am just going off what I’ve seen summarized by readers) Koh turned out to be the Ultimate Big Bad who wiped out a race of two-element-Benders in a grand scheme to destroy the Avatar and unbalance the world. It boggles my mind. Why would the spirit who actually helped Aang find the Moon and Ocean Spirits be at all interested in unbalancing the world? Sure, Koh tried to take Aang’s face and was all creepy, but that just seemed like Its nature. You talk to Koh, you take a chance on losing your face, but if you don’t, you get what you want. It’s like a fairy tale.

I guess that’s why I see Koh as a one-scene wonder. It was designed as a peril more than a character, at best serving as an impetuous for a plot that doesn’t otherwise involve It much. And Aang already had an impetuous for his journey.

I flatter myself to think that, for Traitor’s Face, I’ve come up with the one thing left to do with Koh that there is. Hopefully, I won’t get hit by a bus before I publish it.

[mariaca718]

Serie Viajes #5: Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean 2017

Advertencia: este texto lo escribiré en inglés porque es muy importante que mis amigos Joe y Caroline lo lean, sin ellos esta experiencia nunca hubiera sido lo que fue: mágica! 

Disclaimer: This text is written in English because I want my friends Joe and Caroline to read it. Without them, this experience wouldn't have been what it was: magic! 

Around February 2017 my friend Jay sent me an invitation to the Socorro New Year´s trip. My good friends Joe and Caroline signed up right away but I had to turn it down since I didn´t have the money to go on a 9-day liveaboard. Actualy I did have it, but I had other plans for that money, I was still living the scuba instructor life so spending all my savings on a trip, seemed a lot to me by then. Around July that year, I received a job offer in Mexico City and with it came the possibility to make better money so I asked Jay if he still had room on the boat for me. It happened around October, someone had to cancel so I was able to take her place! Joe and Carol were very excited to have me on the trip, the gang was going to be together again. 

I flew to San Jose del Cabo on the 24th of December, once at the airport, I walked to the international terminal to wait for my friend who was arriving from around the corner: Iceland. I was very excited to see her and I gave her a big hug despite the two backpacks she was carrying. We took the shuttle bus to Cabo San Lucas and we met at the Air BnB that Joe booked for the three of us. When Jay dropped Joe at the place it felt like the family was together again. I gave them both a big hug, Jay went running errands and Joe Carol and I went to Mega to buy the ingredients for our Christmas Eve dinner. We ended up paying 200 Mexican Pesos to the taxi who drove us there and we figured he ripped us off because Joe looks way too gringo, so we decided he needed to hide next time we had to arrange the taxi price. 

Back to the apartment, Joe cooked an amazing Christmas dinner: shrimp etoufé (a.k.a the Gumbo no Gumbo), skewers with beef and shrimp and white rice. We had a nice dinner with Camilo, Sabina, Jay and his colleague Mary but as usual on the diver's community, we went to bed before 12:00 because we had to wake up early. The next couple of days were really nice, we cooked together, laughed and shared our adventures, we also gossiped a little bit just because we enjoy it. We went whale watching and did a couple of dives, we relaxed and we prepared for our trip to Socorro. The last day in Cabo San Lucas we had a nice Spanish Omelette I cooked for breakfast and then we went to Jay´s dive centre to burn some time before going to the pier where our boat was. 

We boarded the Undersea Hunter the night of the 26th, we spent all the next day meeting the crew, setting up our gear and listening to the boat, safety, and dive briefings. I got to meet a bit more the new members of the gang: Chrissie, Sabina, and Camilo and also I had the time to sleep and eat, sleep and eat.  The next 5 days were all about diving, eating, chillin’, laughing and sharing with these amazing persons. We spent New Year's Eve on the boat, as good divers we pretended that 10:00 pm was the new 12:00, we gave our Happy New Years hugs and everyone except Carol and me, went to bed. We stayed up talking about our days as dive instructors in Cozumel and also about the plans to come for both of us. She as a glacier guide on Iceland and me as an IT consultant in Mexico City.

We arrived in San Jose del Cabo on the morning of January the 3rd, we took our bags and went straight to the car rental place to pick up the car Carol had rented for our last adventure together: Cabo Pulmo. We went to the supermarket to buy the groceries, had some fish tacos for lunch and hit the road. That little town in the middle of nowhere reminded me of Xcalak, but Cabo Pulmo is always gonna be remembered because of one thing and that is Joe singing for two days to the song of the Roadrunner (in Spanish) “Correcaminos! Beep Beep, El Coyote te va a comer!” all because Carol saw an actual roadrunner while she was driving and I couldn’t help singing to the song. We went diving the next day in such cold water that we canceled the afternoon dives, then we chilled, laugh, talk and ate Joe´s amazing Chicken Picatta. The next day we prepared our stuff and left to drop Joe at the airport, we said our goodbyes to the rest of the group and Carol drove back to San Jose del Cabo.

That trip has been one of the most beautiful experiences I´ve had and not because I got the chance to dive under Giant Mantas (several times), or because I saw schools of Hammerhead Sharks, or snorkeled with silkies wearing my flashy green pants, it was amazing because I shared it with this incredible group of friends (some old, some new) and especially because seeing this two again was much more than a Christmas gift. Love you to the moon and back!!!!

[aion-rsa]

Why Star Wars Trilogy Editor Marcia Lucas Hates the Sequels

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The divisiveness of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy remains powerful nearly two years after its conclusion. Yet, as topically wide-ranging—and, in some cases, strangely political—as debates over the Disney-dealt follow-ups to the sacred Original Trilogy became, the cold-hard metric of box office grosses confirms their status as Star Wars’ least-lucrative mainline movies (excluding the anemic Solo). Now, the camp of sequel detractors has apparently gained a surprisingly authoritative ally in film editor Marcia Lucas, who, besides being the ex-wife of George Lucas, was a crucially grounding visionary in the franchise’s formation.   

One of Star Wars’ early guiding forces, Marcia Lucas (born Marcia Lou Griffin), has offered some scathing criticism of Sequel Trilogy films The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), rife with the kind of adjectives that don’t beat around the bush. The stinging words stem from Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life by J.W. Rinzler, a recently-released biography on the legendary, Lucas-collaborating film producer. In the book’s foreword, Marcia delivers a devastating rebuke (via Inverse,) of the franchise’s most recent films and their stewardship under veteran producer Kathleen Kennedy—albeit with the rhetorical analgesic of a complimentary preamble.

“I like Kathleen. I always liked her. She was full of beans. She was really smart and really bright. Really wonderful woman. And I liked her husband, Frank. I liked them a lot,” says Lucas. “Now that she’s running Lucasfilm and making movies, it seems to me that Kathy Kennedy and J.J. Abrams don’t have a clue about Star Wars. They don’t get it. And J.J. Abrams is writing these stories—when I saw that movie where they kill Han Solo, I was furious. I was furious when they killed Han Solo. Absolutely, positively there was no rhyme or reason to it. I thought, ‘You don’t get the Jedi story. You don’t get the magic of Star Wars.’”

Interestingly, Marcia Lucas’s role behind the scenes of the original Star Wars Trilogy—and the George-penned, Steven Spielberg-directed Raiders of the Lost Ark—as an editor and informal story consultant has only recently started to become widely known from a handful of tell-all books and behind-the-scenes television specials. However, it does seem clear in hindsight that the world-altering pop culture groundswell that was 1977’s original Star Wars was a gestalt effort that saw George’s early, allegedly-vague Flash Gordon-esque serial sci-fi designs refined by personnel such as producer Gary Kurtz and, most notably, Marcia. Indeed, as alleged, Marcia—as his wife—primarily possessed the clout to criticize George’s wilder, unfeasible ideas and constructively refine them in a way that bore pathos on the screen; the Apollo to his Dionysus, if you will.

Lucasfilm

However, the acrimony in their marriage metastasized beneath a public façade in 1982 during production of the trilogy closer eventually titled Return of the Jedi. In hindsight, this arguably affected the flow of the film, which is widely believed (an admittedly anecdotal qualification,) to be the weakest and most out-there entry of those first three films. Unfortunately, the chemistry that conjured some of the most beloved and influential movies of all time unceremoniously dissipated upon their divorce and professional split, which was announced shortly after Jedi’s 1983 release. In fact, a frequently-cited reason for the also-divisive direction of George’s eventual tenure on the 1999-2005 Prequel Trilogy was that their production occurred against an untenably hierarchical situation, in which George bore unchecked power as director, writer and studio bigwig. Indeed, notwithstanding today’s newfound nostalgic love conveyed to the prequels, conventional critiques frequently point to convoluted plots, generally dry performances and artificial green screen aesthetics—aspects that conceivably could have been neutralized and/or salvaged by the splicing and advice of Marcia.  

Contextually, Marcia’s Star Wars excoriation, is being made nearly a decade in the aftermath of Disney’s 2012’s acquisition of Lucasfilm (and the Star Wars franchise as a whole) in a $4 billion deal that notably saw George capitulate any control he had over the franchise, business-wise and creatively. So, this is hardly a case of decades-preserved sour grapes being spewed onto an ex-spouse. Rather, it can be perceived as the case of the franchise’s de facto mother watching from afar as her child makes what she believes are terrible choices. In fact, she doesn’t mince words when addressing the elephant in the Sequel Trilogy room, Daisy Ridley’s Rey. While her status as the trilogy’s clear protagonist meant that she was destined to become a powerful figure, even proponents of the films have to admit that Rey’s rise was, in the very least, unnaturally quick, going from solitude as a scrap salvager on desert remote planet Jakku to besting the powerful scourge of the galaxy at his own game—something that took Luke Skywalker three films to achieve.

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Regarding Rey, she sounds off, “And they think it’s important to appeal to a woman’s audience, so now their main character is this female, who’s supposed to have Jedi powers, but we don’t know how she got Jedi powers, or who she is.” Marcia’s criticism is obviously destined to be met with opposition from the segment of the fandom that connected with Rey in a meaningful way. Yet, it is worth noting that Rey, by the end of 2015 sequel opener The Force Awakens, showcases an inexplicable preternatural ability in the ways of the Jedi, notably in the film’s climax, in which she—without any lessons whatsoever—picks up a lightsaber for the very first time to duel and defeat Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, who—having been depicted as skilled and powerful throughout the film—had been trained in the Jedi arts throughout his entire life before his Dark Side turn. In conjunction with that, the scenes on the Millennium Falcon in which she is giving Han Solo advice on how to repair the ship has also facilitated claims of her being a “Mary Sue,” which refers to a know-it-all character without any substantive flaws, who is often a vicarious manifestation of the author.

However, the Sequel Trilogy initially seemed destined to laugh its way to the bank with the J.J. Abrams written/directed The Force Awakens going on to gross $2 billion worldwide, having tapped the well of nostalgia hard—so hard, in fact, that film’s structure arguably renders it a remake of the original Star Wars, a.k.a.  A New Hope. Yet, as one could expect from a sequel that’s 32 years in the making, the movie manifested as a passing of the protagonist baton from returning heroes like Harrison Ford’s Han Solo, Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 to a trio of new heroes in Daisy Ridley’s would-be Jedi Rey, John Boyega’s side-jumping former Stormtrooper Finn and Oscar Isaac’s heroic-but-cocky pilot Poe Dameron, along with a rounder-built droid in BB-8.

However, the trilogy’s follow-up films would suffer from storytelling that went in disparate directions, first with 2017’s The Last Jedi, which saw writer/director Rian Johnson make bold, but controversial changes in tone and plot developments, specifically regarding Rey, who, in that film, seemingly had her Chosen One status revoked when she learned her parents where just ordinary people. Tellingly, that film yielded a box office decline, which saw it gross $1.3 million worldwide. Consequently, upon the abrupt removal of the third film’s appointed visionary, Colin Trevorrow, Disney brought Abrams back for 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, which retroactively rescinded those developments in lieu of a hastily-concocted climax that revealed Rey to be the granddaughter of a clone-resurrected Emperor Palpatine, who had been hiding behind the scene manipulating events the whole time. Additionally, she was given a pedantic, quasi-romantic connection to Kylo Ren as part of a “Dyad” of the Force. The result was a final box office whimper of $1 billion, cementing a steady decline that led to much soul-searching over at Disney.

“It sucks. The storylines are terrible. Just terrible. Awful. You can quote me—J.J. Abrams, Kathy Kennedy—talk to me,” says Marcia with an emphatic stamp. Yet, whatever one might think of the Sequel Trilogy, Rey or even Daisy Ridley’s performance, the bizarre malleability of her arc certainly boosts the point Marcia conveys about the weakness of her backstory. Indeed, the accelerated skills of a protagonist across multiple films (akin to Luke’s unexplained upgrade between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi,) can be a forgivable offense if said skills drive the story forward. However, in Rey’s case, it seems to be an example of a character being driven by what’s expedient to the story.  

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For now, though, the Star Wars franchise is taking a break from the big screen as the recent success of live-action Disney+ television series The Mandalorian will soon yield subsequent offerings like The Book of Boba Fett (which will arrive in time for Christmas), Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor. However, a monumental comeback is set for the far horizon when the Patty Jenkins-directed Star Wars: Rogue Squadron eventually hits theaters, the first of more films on the docket.  

The post Why Star Wars Trilogy Editor Marcia Lucas Hates the Sequels appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[tiefighters]

Ken Liu  Discusses “The Legends of Luke Skywalker” Book

For a generation in the galaxy far, far away, and for several generations here on Earth, Luke Skywalker is a character of legendary proportion: a Jedi in a time without the Jedi, the hero who saved the galaxy with his friends and his Force abilities. And just as Luke’s disappearance in his galaxy opened up a lot of speculation as to where he went and what he has been doing from the people who knew him, fans around the world also have been wondering what he’s been doing in the years after Return of the Jedi and before his appearance on Ahch-To. Filling in those gaps from a certain point of view is the newly released book The Legends of Luke Skywalker, written by the Nebula, Hugo, & Ken Liu. 

This middle grade novel is published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press as part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi publishing program. StarWars.com caught up with the legendary Ken Liu, and he shared his insight into his book, the character of Luke Skywalker, and the nature of larger-than-life stories.

StarWars.com: The Legends of Luke Skywalker introduces six different tales about Luke Skywalker, passed along from one being to the next, and shared among the crew of a freighter bound for Canto Bight. What is it about Luke Skywalker that makes him more than just a hero, but a figure of legend?

Ken Liu: Just listen to his name! How can you possibly not be a figure of legend when your name is larger-than-life?

Fantasy logic aside, Luke is the perfect mythic figure onto which we in the audience are free to project our hopes and fears. In the films, he walks a fine narrative line between destiny and free choice, and that is the narrow ledge on which all of us struggle as we construct and invent the plot of our own lives. It’s human nature to yearn for our actions both to be born of our own agency and to have meaning in a grand design, and that yearning is the rich soil in which legends and myths flourish.

In our world, as the deeds of famous men and women are distorted, simplified, and exaggerated into bare, impressionistic outlines, we fill them in with vivid colors according to our own understanding of the human condition and our own needs for the right story. The same person may be seen as hero or villain, as martyr or hypocrite, depending on who is doing the seeing and what colors are in their Crayola box.

As it is in our universe, so it is in the galaxy far, far away.

StarWars.com: How does the telling and retelling of a tale change the nature of a story, and how does that play out in your book?

Ken Liu: It’s worth recalling that the Star Wars we’ve come to know and love isn’t a single vision, but a collection of different visions in time and place.

Most fans will remember that Lucas himself said that the theatrical releases of the original trilogy were only [a fraction of his original vision]. He had a chance to create the Special Edition versions of the films later, which could be viewed as a re-telling of the story of the original trilogy.

Lucas certainly had an opinion on which version was definitive, but that isn’t necessarily the final word in fandom. There have been so many think pieces about the changes that I need not add to the heat and noise, but I do think that as Star Wars fans, understanding that stories change with each retelling comes to us as second nature.

I’ll use myself as an example. My initial exposure to the Star Wars saga came not from the films at all, but from the Chinese translation of the novelization of The Empire Strikes Back, which was the first science fiction fantasy novel I ever read. Back then, as a kid in China, I didn’t have access to the films, and so I had to flesh out the descriptions on the page with my own imagination. Thus, later, when I finally got to the see the films (and in a different language than the translation I had read), I had the perhaps uncommon experience of seeing the original as a kind of “re-telling” of a story I already loved in a very different form.

Perhaps this isn’t as unusual as it sounds. Today, many fans new to Star Wars see the original trilogy only after they already know the story in detail and can even quote famous lines from it. So, like any other classic that has become part of the fabric of our culture (e.g., Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet), new fans only get to experience the original as a kind of re-telling.

Bonus digression: check out this collection of Star Wars posters from around the world to see how the story is transformed in each poster’s “re-telling.”

The point isn’t to argue over which version of the story is more “definitive” or “truer” — I find it far more interesting to think about how stories change as they’re re-told and re-understood. In fact, even viewing the exact same film a second time when we’re 48 will give us very different feelings and reflections as compared to our first viewing when we were eight — it’s a re-telling in which the story changes because the listener has changed.

I love thinking about how different versions of the same story help to illuminate the fact that the storyteller is inseparable from the story and also from the audience.

This dynamic plays out multiple times in Legends as the same events are recounted by different narrators and as Luke himself is refracted into a multitude of Lukes. Every storyteller has an agenda, as does every listener. In that narrative instability we discover the grandness and richness of the Star Wars universe itself — a galaxy with only one story is not a galaxy I want to live in.

StarWars.com: The main legends all involve a supposed first-hand encounter with Luke Skywalker from some rather unique narrators: a conspiracy theorist, an Imperial serving at the Battle of Jakku, a construction droid reprogrammed into being a mine overseer, and more. How did you create these characters and inform their points of view?

Ken Liu: One of the things about Star Wars that has impressed me the most is the lived-in feeling of the universe: scuffed armor, scorched hulls, jury-rigged engines. Every object has a history behind it, and every character has a backstory.

I wanted to write a book that honors that aspect of Star Wars. The galaxy is a large place, and it needs to feel that way. I worked hard to construct distinct points of view that were interesting to me and also hinted at the full spectrum of disagreements and opinions. Then I dug deep in research to flesh out their backstories to build solid foundations for how they’d come to hold the views of Luke that they did. It was such a joy to delve deeply into a universe I’ve loved all my life and to bring to life characters I wanted to get to know.

Without giving away spoilers, I do want to caution the reader against assuming that any of the Luke-like figures they encounter in the book is in fact Luke Skywalker. Sometimes we retell legends not just by recounting the stories, but by emulating their heroes.

StarWars.com: What opportunities and challenges are there to creating not just one but a whole series of different stories that fit into the realm of tall tales, campfire stories, or urban legends within Star Wars?

Ken Liu: Writing a series of stories linked together by a framing story poses a special challenge in that I believe in a book like this, the sum must be greater than the parts. I had to make sure that the different levels of narration and the disparate stories work together as a whole to tell a grander myth about Luke that the individual stories cannot. I had to do a great deal of planning, sequencing, and careful adjustment of the individual tales to make this meta-narrative work.

And of course, writing a book like this is just plain fun. Because the narrators are assumed to be unreliable (but are they really?), I can do all sorts of things that would not be possible otherwise. I could question consensus and pose outrageous speculation. It gave me a chance to explore how legends and myths can grow around a kernel of facts in one of the richest narrative universes ever created by the human imagination.

StarWars.com: Who are some of your favorite characters in this book and what makes them stand out for you?

Ken Liu: I love Redy, the conspiracy theorist. She dedicates her considerable intellectual powers to motivated reasoning to defend a story that fits her worldview. While the reader is free to dismiss Redy, I think we all have a bit of Redy in us — it’s just much harder know when the inner Redy is spinning her tales.

I also love Aya-Glon, a girl from a world covered in water. She and a mysterious visitor to her world challenge each other’s deepest held beliefs while also learning from each other. Some of my most cherished friendships have been like that.

StarWars.com: You also recently wrote “The Sith of Datawork” in the New York Times-bestselling From a Certain Point of View anthology. What made you want to explore the bureaucratic side of the Imperial Navy?

Ken Liu: As a law student, I had a particular interest in administrative law, and after that I worked for years as a corporate lawyer, having to deal with the government often. Bureaucracy, as a technology of organization and collective decision-making, is one of the crown jewels of human intellect.

I simply could not resist the chance of portraying the Imperial bureaucracy at work and the exciting stories hidden behind the stacks of datapads being pushed around.

StarWars.com: How does writing Star Wars compare to writing your own fiction? For readers who enjoy your style in The Legends of Luke Skywalker, what other of your works would you recommend?

Ken Liu: With my own fiction, I get to make all the decisions, but I do have to create everything out of my imagination. There are no reference books or experts to consult, and I’m always forging into terra incognita. It is exhilarating to work that way, but can also be very lonely.

With Star Wars, I’m working in a beloved universe that has been built up over the years by many legendary creators, and to be able to stand on their shoulders and participate in this joint storytelling effort is a dream come true. Moreover, I’m celebrating my love for Star Wars with hundreds of millions of fans around the world. It’s also a thrilling experience, but feels a bit like exercising different creative muscles.

If readers enjoy my work in Legends, they may also like my silkpunk epic fantasy series, “The Dandelion Dynasty” (The Grace of Kings and The Wall of Storms), which also plays with the idea of legendary history, fantastical machines, and magical creatures. They may also want to check out my collection, The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, which features short fiction in a variety of genres like hard sci-fi, magic realism, cyberpunk noir, and near-future thriller.

StarWars.com: What do Luke Skywalker and Star Wars mean to you?

Ken Liu: Star Wars may be the closest thing we have to a modern mythology. Its characters, images, vehicles, ideas, and magic have become a language of metaphors that we invoke in discussing everything from politics to baseball. As new stories are told in the Star Wars universe, the mythology grows and expands to better reflect our society and to comment upon our strides into the unknown future.

Just as Luke grows as a hero in his journey, I’ve also grown as a writer and as a human being in the years since I first met him. With this book, I hope that fans of Star Wars of all ages and backgrounds can come to appreciate the many facets of Luke, and I’m especially looking forward to introducing my daughters to this grand saga.

The Legends of Luke Skywalker is available in hardcover and as an ebook from Disney-Lucasfilm Press, with illustrations by J. G. Jones and as an audiobook narrated by January LaVoy from Penguin Random House Audio.