One Of The Fun Things About Writing Is How, Sometimes, You Accidentally Write Things A Certain Way, And

One of the fun things about writing is how, sometimes, you accidentally write things a certain way, and then, weeks later, you realise that what you wrote actually has significance to the story, and it adds a cool little detail to some aspect of the plot or characterisation.

In Fortune's Rule, I've written Starkiller bowing in the presence of his master. Just today, though, I realised that the more proper Sith thing would be to kneel. The true explanation for the bowing instead, of course, is that it was entirely unintentional and in fact carries absolutely no meaning whatsoever. I was a little sloppy and didn't think things through sufficiently.

However, in-world, it looks like some sort of choice on Vader's part. He taught his apprentice to bow (more a Jedi thing, I think?), rather than kneel (a Sith thing, and more subservient). Perhaps Vader's Anakin is showing a little bit, in not wanting to make Starkiller demonstrate the extreme subservience that a Sith master usually expects from their apprentice (i.e. that Sidious expects from him). At the same time, I think it also fits with Vader's character. He's a military leader, not a political one like Sidious, and as such probably prioritizes utility over ceremony. There's no need to bother with the whole kneeling thing, when a bow will do.

I love things like this, because they show how, for all that a lot of planning and intentional symbolism may go into writing, sometimes what the reader sees as significant is just a surprisingly functional mistake. (And it also makes me wonder how much of the stuff we analyzed in high school lit classes was intentional, and how much was coincidental.)

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2 years ago

Noticing something funny about my fanart

So, a few weeks ago, I did a drawing for one of the chapters in Fortune's Rule—a little digital sketch of Padmé and Luke. And then I'm looking at this drawing, and wondering why the heck does something about this picture look familiar, and then I realise:

It's Star Wars meets Mary Cassatt.

My sketch:

Noticing Something Funny About My Fanart

A couple of Mary Cassatt paintings:

Noticing Something Funny About My Fanart

Young Mother Sewing

Noticing Something Funny About My Fanart

Mère et enfant (Reine Lefebre and Margot before a Window)

And then, last week, I did another drawing, to use as a sort of banner-thing for the story. And I'm looking at it. And looking. And getting this creeping, yucky feeling that a certain painting style always inspires in me. And asking myself why I've just created Star Wars meets Hudson River School, because something about the lighting and the semi-desolation of the landscape is very reminiscent of that style.

My drawing:

Noticing Something Funny About My Fanart

Hudson River School paintings:

Noticing Something Funny About My Fanart

A View of the Two Lakes and Mountain House, Catskill Mountains, Morning, by Thomas Cole

Noticing Something Funny About My Fanart

Mount Washington from the Valley of Conway, by John Frederick Kensett

Seriously, why does this keep happening? Have these things have just been lurking in the brain since middle school, waiting for an excuse to escape? And what the heck is going to be next?


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1 year ago

Now playing: III-VII. Small Mercies

Now Playing: III-VII. Small Mercies

In which Ahsoka's faith is shaken, the Rebels head to Shili to do Rebel-y things, and Vader returns to the Executor to train Starkiller.


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11 months ago
More Art For The Vaderkin Creative Exchange 2024!

More art for the Vaderkin Creative Exchange 2024!

From @sinvulkt ‘s prompt “Vader being kidnapped by someone, not happy at all and loudly complaining”

This was pretty fun, i wonder what kind of hijinks these four can get into on Sakaar >:)

Bonus:

More Art For The Vaderkin Creative Exchange 2024!

Wonder how disappointed Rex would be to hear that the 501st is now called “Vader’s Fist”


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1 year ago

I really do like you capturing that the galaxy is big and that Palpatine is of course wanting to pick every single fight that he can just cause blood suffering pain and death, spread it all around? kill jedi cant leave them to build roots anywhere but still. the not giving you the option to surrender to occupation, forcing a fight on you cause WANT the fight blood and death some of that being less capability to fight later and clean sweeps? but still galaxy is a huge place and Palps wants it all

Thank you! :)

He absolutely wants it all, and he's not going to think twice about a little violence (or a lot of violence, as the case may be) to get it! Plus, with the economic factors at play, that's just all the more reason to go full-on systemwide occupation instead of settling for diplomacy or surrender of the Jedi in the Sevret system.

And, after all, what's the point of having thousands of Star Destroyers at one's disposal if one doesn't intend to use them for a little bit of conquest every now and again? :P

On a more serious note, though, part of the reason that I made up a system outside of the Republic was that, apparently, a great many of the worlds in the GFFA were not part of the Republic, and I wanted to show how Palpatine is a threat, not only to the worlds that were formerly Republic and immediately became Empire, but also to any world with valuable resources or any world that harbors someone who could possibly be a threat to his power and his security.

And although the Jedi on Errece didn't pose much of a threat in and of themselves---allowing that ideology to survive, allowing them to exist anywhere in the galaxy and possibly go on to spread that ideology to future generations who could build up the Jedi? Who could perhaps continue the Jedi in secret, in the manner of the post-Bane Sith? He absolutely cannot allow that to happen.

(Also, just wanted to add that from a writing point of view, this chapter was pretty entertaining to scheme up because of how Palpatine thinks he's getting it all with the Sevret system. Destroy some Jedi? Check. Gain access to valuable raw materials for the Empire? Check. Humiliate his foolish apprentice? Check.)


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1 month ago

Fic recs: From the Sidelines

Fics revolving around the normal people who get sucked into the cyclone of drama and nonsense that surrounds the main characters of Star Wars. These all are on my main fic rec list, but I wanted to sort them out into a separate, genre-specific list as well!

Bioethically Speaking, Mr. Sheev; T, 10.5k, ONESHOT. The bureaucratic fallout and potential PR nightmare that result when a grad student follows up on some interesting records from the Grand Imperial Medical Facility.

The Agony of Tarkin; G, 4.8k, ONESHOT. "An extra in the Imperial Opera Company discovers he has been assigned the role of Darth Vader in its upcoming production of The Agony of Tarkin." Another hilarious fic in the vein of The Sith Who Brought Life Day and Accountant Non-Heroes of the Republic.

Accountant Non-Heroes of the Republic; G, 7.0k, ONESHOT. "Palpatine makes a choice to hide his fiscal manoeuvres in the Financial Department. The Financial Department takes advantage of this lack of transparency to do whatever they want. This saved the Republic." It's always fun to watch Palpatine shoot himself in the foot, and all the

PRojects IN Controlled Environments, version Sith; G, 5.2k, ONESHOT. "The overworked project manager on the redesign of the Imperial Lambda-class shuttle gets surprisingly competent feedback from an unknown official on Coruscant. She promptly decides that anyone bored enough to do a technical review of their own free will should be found proper employment for their own good."

The Sith Who Brought Life Day; G, 13.3k, COMPLETE. A rather entertaining take on how Vader found out who blew up the Death Star.

If you've got any more recs fitting this category, do comment below!


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1 year ago

the more i think about it, I don't think Star Wars should be considered scifi. I know it already probably isn't by some, but i think that it should instead be thought of a space fantasy.


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2 years ago

Missing Pieces No More

Trying something new, thought I'd do a fluffy ROTJ fix-it oneshot. Excerpt below!

“No, you're coming with me.  I'll not leave you here.  I've got to save you!”

Anakin looked up at Luke with mingled pride and sorrow.  “You already have, Luke.  You—”

“Luke!” an unfamiliar voice shouted.

Luke looked back over his shoulder to see an old soldier in the green of a Rebel unit hurrying across the hangar bay toward them.  Instinctively, he leaned over his father in a defensive attitude, reaching to his waist for a weapon that wasn’t there.

“It’s okay!” he told the soldier.  “He won’t hurt you!”

“I know, kid.”  The soldier clapped a reassuring hand to Luke’s shoulder before turning to his father.  “Another close one, eh, General?”

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1 year ago

Now playing: III-IX. Questions, pt 2

Now Playing: III-IX. Questions, Pt 2

In which Vader persists in being a Sith, Ahsoka and Padmé make some surprising discoveries, and Piett and Veers have a dubious celebration.

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2 years ago

Now playing: II-XIX. Know Thine Enemy

Now Playing: II-XIX. Know Thine Enemy

The final chapter of Part II, in which Vader's hope and Ahsoka's fear are confirmed, and Padmé realises the truth about her Imperial contact.

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2 years ago

Hey uh, just a heads up, I'm going to use some of your art in a presentation that I'm doing for my English class. it's about something we are an expert on and I chose to do mine on fanfiction, and one of the questions we have to anwser is what things do you like and not like about the chosen topic, and I wanted to choose your fanfic as something that I like because it is awesome. hope you don't mind?

OMG, I don't mind at all! Thank you so much! 💛💛💛 Also, I think it's really cool that you're doing a presentation on fanfic. Good luck with your presentation, I hope it goes well!

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wendingways - Salmagundi
Salmagundi

A hodgepodge of things relating to Fortune's Rule, my Star Wars fix-it fic: behind-the-scenes-type writing stuff, maybe some sneak-peekish bits, art that may or may not make it into the story, and thoughts and questions about the SW universe.  Plus, probably, some memes and other random stuff as well!

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