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

For the discussion:

1. I'd have to say Vision of the Future. The way they grow closer throughout the book only to finish with Luke proposing has been basically unparalleled.
2. My own work...I don't know, I guess the prologue/introduction for The Fragile Peace, because I wrote it specifically for a L/M challenge, and I was focused on that aspect of the relationship.
3. Someone else's fic? Probably A Second Chance by Jedi_Lover. It was a unique take on the relationship.

 

Hello all, I'm new around here but would like some writing inspiration - could I take no. 8 please?

 

Welcome Annia Piet You can never go wrong with L/M. Looking forward to your debut.

 

Okay, so, I'm going to be away till friday, so if anyone else wants a number, I will get your quote to you eventually.

 

Thank you, I've not written L/M together before, so I'm a bit nervous about getting it right

 

Okay, I've written something and posted it, which I may regret, but if I leave it I'll probably loose my nerve and not post at all. The story didn't quite go where I expected, I thought Jedi in marriage counselling would be funny, but things got all serious instead...

Counselling

 

Yup, and you've inspired this question we can discuss if others find it compelling enough to toss around now or later on.

This amazing Force bond of theirs, which we can take as presented in VoTF or otherwise, is it a blessing, a curse, or a mixture? Under what circumstances, and moreso for which one?
Would Mara find it harder to adjust to or not?

Would Luke embrace it because he's so open? How
would they navigate the "spaces" between, give each other breathing room? Would they even want to?

 

I usually see their bond as an amazing, special thing, but as I was writing all those questions popped up. Luke is so emotionally open, he might not see how that could be difficult for Mara to adjust to. And with Mara's history, it might not be so easy to suddenly never be truly alone again. Living with that bond would I suppose require a lot of respect and understanding of boundaries - all important things in any relationship

And of course if things genuinely did go permanently wrong in their relationship (which I couldn't see ever happening, but hey), they really would have a major problem. How do you undo a force bond?

 

I really wish there had been some Legends material about Luke and Mara shortly after they were married - by the time Survivor's Quest rolls around they are pretty comfortable with each other, but I would expect that at the beginning they would have teething problems. I guess that's what fanfic's for!

Mara would certainly have more difficulty with the bond at first, because she has always zealously guarded her privacy. In some way, this is a problem somewhat fixed by the bond, because it's easier to open up to someone when they already know everything about you, more or less. But his constant presence inside her mind would probably crowd her and that would take some getting used to. And while Luke is more emotionally open that Mara, he's not overly forthcoming when it comes to the intensely personal issues, so I think he would struggle with it as well. On some level, he wants and needs Mara to tear down those barriers and not let him hide from them (a she did even without the bond in VOTF). But that level of scrutiny is going to be difficult even for Luke.

 

The way it's presented in some fanfic, I would not want that kind of Force bond. I love my husband dearly, but I would not want to be able to hear his thoughts or sense his emotions. Part of the closeness of a relationship comes from learning all about another person, sharing experiences, and becoming familiar with how that person thinks and acts. I think the reason the bond works with Luke and Mara is because they had 10 years of somewhat friendship to get to know one another, and several high-stress periods where they spent lots of time together. By the time the Force bond rolls along, she'd already start to open up to him on Nirauan. If she hadn't, she probably would have been freaked out about it.

The way it's presented in Legends, though--where it's possible to turn the bond on and off, and it comes out during times of stress, like in battle--I think would be a lot easier to deal with. I can't deny that sometimes it would be useful to not have to wonder what my husband is thinking. On the other hand, do I want him to know what I'm thinking? I think Mara would have the same thoughts and feelings about it. And it's probably a lot worse for her because she doesn't want Luke knowing all of her dark secrets, you know? No matter how many times Luke says it doesn't matter.

 

Like JediMara77 I too think of their bond as something that can voluntarily be ramped up or toned down. And as Jedi_Lover and others express wonderfully, it has its romantic upsides.

 

I've certainly been guilty in fanfic of relying too much on the Force bond - Luke and Mara picking up on each other's surface thoughts and such. That would annoy the hell out of me if I was in Mara's position, but I think they can't really see or read each other's deep dark thoughts or memories unless they make an effort to search for them and the other opens up.

Was it Zahn or Kathy Tyers who first referred to feeling the bond as the "Luke-place" in the back of Mara's mind? I always quite like that description, like the bond was always there, but didn't assert itself unless necessary.

 

That's an interesting phrasing, I might have to try and find it. (I haven't read NJO since it first came out, so it's all a bit vague now. Plus I haven't read further in the chronology than NJO, so I don't know how it's handled after that)

The bond does create a bit of a challenge to authors. It risks removing conflict and drama and making their marriage a bit too 'perfect' I guess. Introducing some limitations makes a lot of sense. I do wonder how different (or not) their characters and relationship after Niruan might have been without it?

 

That was Kathy's invention. *swoon*

 

Agreeing with JadeLotus that the bond is like an awareness of the other, like a door you can invite someone through or not. A Luke-place, is that a gorgeous description or what? I think they can still have conflict. The bond does not take away their individualness or their opinions on things. Just adds a new dimension to conversations, etc. Makes you wonder if they didn't have the force bond after VotF, but embarked on the courtship anyway? Snark ensues. So does the rampant mush.

 

Oh, Kathy Tyers - she was such a gift to L/M fans:

Trim from lightsaber drills and self-imposed gymnastic training, he'd picked up a scar or two himself, and his right hand was only a re-creation. His exquisite empathy gave both hands a powerful sensuality, though.



"I love stability and ease...and you, incidentally. But simply...staying alive isn't everything. Don't you see? We're only trying...to prevent the subtraction of life."
"You've added to mind, Mara," he said softly, dryly. "Come get some rest."
*Ben is conceived*

And of course the "refresh" scene I referred to in my earlier post:

It came at the edge of her spirit, like a touch of white-hot light. It spread strength and unwavering approval, and a love as deep and as strong as a Mon Calamari tide. She plunged into it, inhaled it, bathed in it. She reveled in the surge of renewal, and then she splashed it back at Luke as hard as she could.
When she opened her eyes, she was lying beside him, twining her arms and her body with his, and his lips were pressed tightly to hers.
She shut her eyes and drew him closer yet.



Skimming through BP, there's also these wonderful little character nuggets:

• Luke always chooses to hold councils near water
• Luke keeps up his flying hours for various vehicles and ships so he'd legally qualified to fly practically anything.
• Mara finally understanding Luke's protectiveness of her, because she feels the same way about her child
• Luke, when they don't yet know the sex of the child, calls it a "she"
• Tendra is the one who names the Jade Shadow

 

Them's some pretty words right there! Maybe I need to pick up Balance Point again

I'm also starting to turn thoughts around in my head about a post HoT AU fic where the bond didn't happen, and therefore they aren't all neatly engaged and all set for happily ever after. Does HoT adequately set them up to start a courtship anyway? (I'd say yes, from memory, but I'd probably need to re-read HoT to decide. Another book on my reading list, oops...) How would they negotiate their way through it? Would they still end up happily ever after?

 

SQUEEE on the Tyers quotes JadeLotus

And Annia Piet - yes to all of that. Tag me in please whenever that fic of yours starts.

 

...

Excuse me, I need a moment.

 

I think I've said this before, but I always thought the bond was a cheat - necessary, perhaps - but still a cheat. IIRC, Zahn has Luke thinking to himself as late as three-quarters through the book that he probably can't have a relationship with Mara. I would have preferred their relationship to happen organically simply due to them talking it out and realising their feelings. But I appreciate that Zahn probably thought he had to jump straight to the engagement because he was probably worried if he didn't they wouldn't be married by the next lot of books.

The bond helped them realise, perhaps, the other's true feelings and that there was nothing to be feared, that there was no point hiding from each other anymore, because the other had already seen everything. Without that bond, they may be on their way to a relationship, but they certainly wouldn't have gotten engaged so quickly.

 

The cheat code wouldn't have even needed to be introduced if, y'know, they'd gotten to know each other slowly and spent some more time and adventures together in the rest of the previous EU. But I'm repeating myself too, lol.

 

I think you're preaching to the choir, ThreadSketch. But yes, it's one of many things that were wrong about the old!EU. That first run of Bantam books wasn't thought out as a cohesive story line the way NJO and all that followed was. JadeLotus is absolutely right: the bond was a cheat, but without it the marriage never would have happened.

 

I know, we've all heard each other's gripes already. *shakes fist at kids on lawn and old!EU*

 

It was a necessary cheat. The relationship should have started after TTT for it to develop naturally. But nooooo, Luke falls in love with a bodysnatcher. Ack!

 

The sad part is all the authors knew the end game. They just didn't act on it because the books weren't cohesive back then. (Except for maybe Stackpole and who had some L/M stuff hidden in I, Jedi.)