Before - Legends Saga - PT Saga - OT Before the Saga Saga - Legends Findswoman's Fragments & Miscellanea (assorted short stories)

I was thrilled—and humbled!—to see that several of the stories in this thread have been nominated for the 2018 Fanfic Awards:

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Beautiful, Inexactly

• Best Story Before 32 BBY
• Best One-shot
• Best Interpretation of a Movie Character (Shmi Skywalker)
• Best Non-Human (the Force)
• Best Original Relationship (the Force and Shmi Skywalker)

Graceful as Water

• Best Story between 32 and 19 BBY
• Best One-shot
• Best Response to a Challenge
• Best Drama

Insert Tab A into Slot B: A Story about Kanan’s Lightsaber

• Best Story Between 18 and 1 BBY
• Best Continuity-Compliant

In Your Vault, In Your Mists, In Your Song

• Best Story Before 32 BBY
• Best Non-Human (Trynfor)

Turn Your Head and Cough; or, The Checkup

• Best Humor
• Best Interpretation of an EU Character (Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios)

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So I would like to take a moment to thank you wonderful readers for those nominations, and generally for your support of this thread and its stories—it's meant a lot to me, and is always an inspiration. You're a wonderful bunch, and I am glad to be here on these boards writing and reading along with you.

 

Going to go for a throwback review to "Graceful as Water" which was written before I even joined this site, because if the Boba Fett TV did anything, it got me intrigued by the surprising complexity of Tusken Raider culture and made me interested in a story from a Tusken Raider point of view focused on their society!

I just love how concise this description of Tatooine's distinctive twin sunset is. It feels unique to describe it as a double sunset as well.

This painted a very beautiful image in my head and already flushes the Tusken Raider culture out as one that can appreciate the beauty of jewels and enjoying wearing them as we see in the case of this chieftain's daughter.

What a gorgeous and graceful simile, and it makes total sense coming from a Tusken Raider narrator given how scarce and precious water would be in the desert.

What a great little cultural and world building detail. Giving us a glimpse into what the Tusken Raiders eat and the role women have in procuring it.

Aww. I love this peek at the bonds between the women of the Tusken Raider tribe here. The sense of female camaraderie is excellent.

Magnificent job with the repetition of the "graceful as water" comparison that becomes almost like a refrain throughout the piece. Calling to mind the musicality of the ballad that inspired it.

This seems like just the right metaphor for our violent, young Tusken raider narrator. Particularly the bludgeoning reference.

And here we see the increasing darkness of the Tusken Raider's obsession for and desire to possess the chieftain's daughter.

And there is also this megalomania and warped perception that seems absolutely fitting from this young Tusken Raider warrior given the crime we know he will go onto commit against the chieftain's daughter.

I really appreciate these insights into Tusken Raider culture such as the nature of their calendar and timekeeping and when and how women come of age in their tribe.

This painted a very vivid image in my head, making me feel as if I were present at the fire for the storytelling, and again fleshed out Tusken Raider culture so well.

This comparison was wonderful. Just wonderful.

Excuse me while I pause to admire the sheer poetic beauty of the phrase "sleepy sands."

Our narrator's pride here again reinforces how twisted his perspective is as he is on the cusp of committing his terrible crime.

The progression of the sand from sleepy to stained by blood speaks volumes.

And talk about a hauntingly beautiful image to give me shivers!

This made perfect sense for how the crime would be revealed, and I also liked the glimpse this gave us off the deep bond between the bantha and the chieftain's daughter who rode her. The bantha's loyalty both warmed and broke my heart.

The sentence our narrator receives for his crime gives us another insight into Tusken Raider culture and beliefs about justice.

And this final sentence just confirms how twisted and unrepentant for his vile crime our narrator is.

Well done from beginning to end! I am in awe as always