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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Characters Luke and Mara Index & Discussion (2.0)! *New Topic: Change is Hard!*

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Luke_Mara_Index, Dec 1, 2014.

  1. Lazy K

    Lazy K Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 22, 2012
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  2. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Thanks Lazy K, that was actually extremely helpful. And thanks again taramidala Briannakin and ginchy, you gave me a great pretext to go on a fic-reading fest last night :-B
    [face_rofl]

    Seriously though, the reason I'm surprised to find so little about Hand-Mara is that, even in apocryphal dirty romance fics that stick to the canon storyline, the trend is to portray her as a badass. I guess that the fact that she's a badass who reflects a lot on her past actions kind of substitutes for writing about the actions themselves, if that makes sense.

    EDIT: Would anyone of you Mara experts like to beta my story when I'm done? (I'm posting this here because I expect this to be a one-shot thing, Bri please let me know if I should post in the beta reader thread instead.)

    EDIT again: I just saw that we have a brand new beta-reader index that allows requesting help for an individual story, so I'll be posting over there.
     
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  3. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    I think I've only written one fic with Mara when she was the Hand, that I think was lost to the board truncation - there unfortunately are too few Mara fics in that time period.

    i'm happy to take a look if you like, Chyntuck.
     
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  4. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    Well, firstly, that has a lot to do with the actions being secondary to the romance, and we have priorities. ;) Secondly, I think that what's more dramatically interesting is the reflection, because while the action part of her badassery is fun, it's even more fascinating to dig deeply into the soul of a person who can commit certain acts and still turn out to be a good person in the end. Plus, the actions themselves aren't entirely pleasant to consider. While she may have spared people the way she spared those in Choices of One, we must also acknowledge that more often than not, she didn't.
     
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  5. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    That's true - Emperor's Hand Mara is a badass and there's complexity there, but it's more in the dramatic irony that the reader knows everything Mara believes is untrue and that she's essentially been brainwashed since birth but she doesn't. But the real meaty stuff comes after, when she is self-aware and given some real agency.
     
  6. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Yeah. It's kinda like how we rarely see fics about Leia's or Han's time pre-ANH. Yes, there might be a couple of fics and the odd book or comic, and while the action was probably there, there's rarely room for character development since most of that happens in or after ANH.
     
  7. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    I love Hand Mara stories and know I've read a few (and written one), I just don't know that I could point them out. I'm terrible about remembering story names or even who wrote what, which makes recs hard for me to give.

    But I too find that post-Hand Mara to be a more interesting to write, once she knows things weren't really how they seemed, she has to reconcile her past with the person she wants to be, it's fun to get into that mindset. She can be very complex in several ways, but especially from a psychology point of view.
     
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  8. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Yup mavjade your fic is one of those I read last night. I still need to review, I loved it.

    I guess what makes Beyond-Mara a challenging character for me is that I'm not big on writing introspection in the first place -- pretty much every time I tried, I looked back at my text, realised that it's this long, rambling thing and ended up deleting the lot. I expected Hand-Mara to fit better in the sort of story I normally write, but then there's the challenge of developing a character that can credibly become Beyond-Mara at a later stage of her life. Anyway, now I can count on JadeLotus to tell me if what I'm writing doesn't make sense :)

    Thanks for your help everyone!
     
  9. Gemma

    Gemma Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 25, 2013
    Chyntuck you're going to being writing a Mara fic (oh boy insert happy dance here) please tag me in when you post it. I look forward to reading it.^:)^@};-:bb8: (and the BB-8 is here because I love him and could not resist using the icon for the first time)
     
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  10. Stone Jade

    Stone Jade Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2013
    We're past the two week spoiler embargo, but I'm marking some of this using spoiler tags for those who somehow haven't seen the new movie (or those posters who happen to be in China where it hasn't been released yet).

    I don't think I've participated here in almost a year now (edit: two years, wow). With the death of the EU, I really thought I was done. I've told most of the L/M stories I needed to get out of my brain, although I have a couple still sitting unfinished. But,
    The second time through TFA, the look on Luke's face in the closing scene brought me back to the EU, weirdly. I'm obviously reading my own prejudices into it, but in Luke's face I saw all we've lost from the canon. Most of the old EU was somewhere between mediocre and exceptionally bad, but the L/M story was what made it worthwhile for me. That part of Luke's life is gone now, and that saddens me somewhat. I have hopes that Rey will turn out to be Luke's daughter (although I expect that won't be the case). Regardless, I hope the new EU will enrich the SW universe as much as the old one did, and I hope our favorite characters will have found happiness somewhere in those intervening years, as fleeting as it will obviously be.

    Kudos to Mark Hamill for bringing this out of me without saying a single word, even though that obviously wasn't the intention of JJ and the writers.
    I'm sitting here trying to decide whether or not I should try to finish my novel-length fic. That work was what started me on fanfic, although I ended up putting it down in favor of the shorter stories I've posted here in the past, even though it's 75% done. I know just by posting this that those of you who might remember me will urge me to do it (I hope that's not hubris talking), and that might be enough. Regardless, I didn't ever expect to see myself active here again.

    As an aside, I'm glad to see some familiar names still posting on this thread. With the buildup to the new movies it seems to be less active, but I hope that people continue to value these stories. The L/M narrative is too important to be allowed to die, even if the whole thing is now apocryphal.
     
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  11. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Stone Jade

    Go ahead and continue to write Mara and Luke material. Three days ago, far as I can remember, I had never written for the pair; last night, I added Mara Skywalker to that scene at the end of TFA and posted it.

    There is room for that pairing, and to Flamewind with what Disney has done with the EU.
     
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  12. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013

    Exactly! The EU was full of awful plots, but there were a few characters that made the books worth reading...and most of those character were created by Tim Zhan.

    A GFFA without Mara Jade is boring. I am writing a story based on TFA where there is Mara Jade. It is not the same background as in TTT, but she was the Emperor's Hand and became unemployed after the destruction of the second Death Star. There are 30 years missing between ROTJ and TFA. There are plenty of opportunities for Luke to hook up with a certain redhead. :p I don't mind if Mara is not in any of the ST movies, but I also hope there isn't any background on Luke's love life that would counter my personal fanfic canon.
     
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  13. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Stone Jade - yes, yes! Yes! I would read it in less than a minute if you posted it! Mara is so so what made the EU for me! In so many ways! [face_love] [face_love]
     
  14. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
  15. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    The Thrawn Trilogy. Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command.
     
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  16. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Ah, cool. Thank you.
     
  17. Stone Jade

    Stone Jade Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2013
    Me too. I'll just start posting it. That should force me to finish it.
     
  18. Luke_Mara_Index

    Luke_Mara_Index Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    May 23, 2004
    YES! I knew we would get some great "Mara in the D-Canon" fics!

    I've updated the index. If you have anything else to add, let me know please.

    Also, I know it has been a while since we have had a challenge, but it seems to me that people's muses have been pretty active with TFA. I do have an idea for an "insert Mara into TFA" challenge, but it seems to me people are already getting and writing ideas for that. PLUS, there are some great challenges already active right now, SO, I think it is best to wait another few months, yes?
     
  19. Irish_Jedi_Jade

    Irish_Jedi_Jade Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2007
    Alright guys...its 2016, The Force Awakens has been seen by all (hopefully?) and....I have a fever. And the only prescription is more L/M.

    I'll readily admit I've spent the last...bit...of time reading the NJO (meh, it has its issues, but I missed Anakin and I like some of the warrior!Mara in there!) and I'm about to go read the Zahn duo again, and I've read almost every L/M fic I can find (found some more tonight, yippee!!) But could we like...do a challenge or something? Too soon after the holidays? I just need some of them in my life, and I'm unashamedly begging :p

    I loved the new movie (it was everything I was hoping for) but...I guess I'm just having a hard time with saying goodbye? I know that we all still love the two of them, but as the movies start to pile up, I feel like more and more people are going to move away from what is now "legends" and that means L/M will eventually...fade. And that makes me incredibly sad, probably a lot sadder than it should! But I guess, so much of my childhood and young(er) years were spent kinda looking up to her. So its really sad to think that someday (hopefully not!) she is going to fade so much that another little girl won't have a bad-a$$, kick-butt, self-sufficient, hardworking Mara to try to be like. Is that pathetic? Silly? Sad?

    On anther note (and because I feel like waxing philosophical) I disagree with @Lazy_K (with all due respect!!) on her becoming a Jedi. I felt like it was her...finally growing up, and finally shaking off the Emperor for good. I think that when we meet her, she's obviously still wrapped all around and up in Palpy--the last command was obviously allowing her anything like closure! But after that, she's free, and she goes on to be very successful and seemingly happy/content. While (and this cracks me up) Luke goes on to muck things up, wander around looking for love (Akanah = [face_sick]) and go all dark side! But during that time, think Mara is finally getting the chance to be her own person, to be the person she would have been (maybe?) if Palpy had never found her. But then in the HoT, she finally realizes that okay, she's overcome her past and is now free...but she's still refusing to go down the path. (NOTE/SideRant: She IS a strong Force user. I think the books a lot of time downplay her Force skillzzzz because she's married to The Luke Skywalker. But I don't think Palpy would have picked a dud to be his Hand. She's got some impressive stuff, just in different places than Luke does.) But anyways, she realizes on that hill when she crashes the Fire that she'd never wanted to be a Jedi because it felt too much like being bound to someone or something, like she was to the Emperor. But choosing to bind yourself to something and being forced into it are two different things, and she'd blurred that line for so long, she missed out on...almost her birthright. That isn't the right word, but she'd missed out on so much potential and so much she could have and do and be....because she was afraid. And she was able to put that fear to bed and embrace Who She Really Was.

    And then of course...heheh....she ended up embracing someBODY too. Lucky for us ;)

    Sorry for the ramblings. Anyone want to join in or is this going to be just me echoing off the walls? :(

    [face_good_luck] Irish
     
  20. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    It is a long time since I have read any Mara profic, and I feel that she threw herself into all the roles, and all the roles, Emperor's Hand, part of the Kaarde organisation, and joining Luke and the Jedi, were what she wanted to be at those individual times.

    Though maybe the latter two were perhaps when she started to get things back, to benefit from those associations. As the Hand, I can vaguely recall that despite being fairly high in the Imperial hierarchy, she could not attend parties and balls as such an elevated VIP, to preserve her cover. So, she wasn't getting back, all that she could have.
     
  21. Stone Jade

    Stone Jade Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2013
    This has been happening for a long time. Since I've been recently starting here again after two years, some of the changes are acutely obvious to me. This thread, for example, is much less active than the original SJRS thread. The L/M stories additionally seem to be getting fewer reviews and fewer reads than they were a few years ago.

    That said, there's still more of a fan base for these characters than the rest of the Legends cast. The jaded* part of me expects that the majority of this fan base will move on to stories about Luke and his new love, assuming that Disney allows one to be written into the canon and allows her to be given a name/backstory**. For better or worse, many people here love L/M because they fell in love with Luke in the OT and wanted to see him with a woman. For people like me whose interest in L/M are because they fell in love with Mara, this pairing will always be special, but I expect those primarily interested in Luke to move on at some point. I'd love to be proven wrong, but I doubt I will be.

    Being sad about it is a good thing. These characters are important because they bring out those emotions in us. My suggestion is to write a goodbye story. I did that, having felt some of the same things you're feeling after watching TFA, and it's given me some closure. I'll continue to write L/M when my muse dictates, but it's a cathartic way to remember how great this love story is that we've enjoyed all these years, as poorly-written and inconsistent as it sometimes has been, and to acknowledge its passing.

    * pun intended
    ** and assuming it's not Mara
     
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  22. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    I'm with you Irish_Jedi_Jade and Stone Jade - I fell in love with L/M for both reasons. i loved Luke in the OT and wanted him to be with someone. I was all meh what? Then Heir to the Empire came out and I was woohoo! Mara Jade! I liked her for her own grand self, and I wanted her to be with Luke. [face_love] Got all bummed when he wound up with Callista, why? [face_laugh] [face_mischief] I can imagine Luke with another strong woman type - eventually, maybe? [face_laugh] If she's as well-written as Valara in "Red Five." [face_love] Someone you root for and like for themselves and can imagine Luke respecting and loving. Nothing worse than a love interest the audience is going yuck over. :p

    I have a feeling my "elegy" for L/M will be my 50 Titles entry for this year. ^:)^ Although, if the L/M never stops, I'll be happy.

    The quantity might be lower, but the quality remains. Annia Piet's Play Your Hand is a recent example. :D @};-
     
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  23. Irish_Jedi_Jade

    Irish_Jedi_Jade Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2007


    Please, please post it!! I will read every word of it!! I am feeling the same way, and its making me so sad =((
     
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  24. Stone Jade

    Stone Jade Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2013
    It's started and on Ch 3. See my sig for the link. Seeing TFA has made me start wanting to write about L/M again, which is something I did not expect when I went to see the movie.
     
  25. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    I think that L/M becoming less popular is somewhat the nature of the beast. To be honest, it probably would have happened even if we weren't getting new movies. I noticed a drop off after they killed Mara in Legends, not having new EU stories of them seemed to make things drop off.

    But I've seen fandoms of shows that haven't had new material 10 years continue and I think the same thing will happen with L/M stories. There will always be fans and writers, just maybe not as much in the heyday of L/M being a thing in the EU.