Trials of the Force: Episode 3- Destiny's Knights

Back to the top- I can't believe we're almost on page three again after hitting 2000 posts. Gimme a break.

excal

 

lol, it's all gravy, man. I'm sure our readers have probably read the questions, but they're taking their time to answer.

Should we revive the Emu Farm whilst we wait?

 

Oh no, I don't blame the readers, I'm just wondering how we dropped three pages after hitting 2000. In any case, I'd rather the readers take their time than rush. Whether it's by PM or email.

EMU FARM!!!

excal

 

1. What did you and didn't you like about Destiny's Knights?

I liked that it was entertaining, and that we finally really got to see the Ghost Fleet in action; it wasn't there as a prop or a crutch.

What I didn't like was the pacing, but that could be the flaw of the Boards playing hell with story tempo.



2. How did you feel about the characters?
A. Arcturus - Turu has come a long way, and I do like that he uses the dark side AND doesn't follow the dark Jedi sterotype. Very few -- on the Boards and in books; in books I only know one author in SW that has done it -- have taken that challenge simply because they're afraid to. You showed no fear; if you did, it would have shown in the writing of his characterization. There could have been more of him.

B. Jace - He was better here than in the previous two fics and he had to stand out here given his connection to Spectre. Although I wished Turu got more time, it isn't necessarily Turu's story it's Jace's. That may not be how you guys intended to write it out, but that's how it evolved.

C. Kelli - Hmmmmmmm. She has her moments in Destiny's Knights. Again, her characterization improvement is reflected by the improvement of the writers. Definitely needed her in Hand of Fate. In importance she reminds me of Mara Jade: you need her at critical moments, but when it comes to, say, a minor moment you don't need her. In short I don't see her going solo; her character works with others.

D. Mazza - She's a little more tricky and complicated than Kelli. Again, she works as a character with others and not by herself. Being Turu's lady helps.

To be fair and trying not to plug: I have the same problem with my writings involving multiple characters involved in one common subject. This gets even more complicated when you have the same characters directly involved in the sum of the plot covering two stories let alone three. Even when it is just four principals. What it is its this: what you do in the current story with, say, Mazza for example could be a lot compared to the previous story, which creates what I call an 'importance imbalance'. Now with secondary characters you can get away with it, but not with the principals in the front; unless you put them in a characterization that allows you to get away with it, like Naressa in TDH as a good example.


3) Were each of the heroes developed enough? Were they believable as not only heroes by humans? Were they too over the top strong or too weak?

Tough, because the question has been flooded towards the Expanded Universe for the last ten years and it?s on a story by story basis. Thanks to all those authors not even being close to being on the same page, we got Corran Horn doing this, Kyp Durron doing that, and then the Vong coming along and blitzkreiging the whole shebang. So, in a way, having that all instilled in us we may not be able to give a fair critique in this regard. I least I know I can't.


4)Were there any problems we should fix in the characters personalities?

Nah. Turu and Jace are ball busting friends, and Kelli and Mazza are the perfect arm holding and scolding mates.


5) Was Spectre finally given the right amount of time? As the series will no be re-invisioned, my original plan to keep him in the shadows for most of Dawn and Hand of Fate will be scrapped. Was he a dynamic enough villain? Any flaws we should fix?

If you keep him in the shadows you will have to have more scenes of him in the shadows since he's the mastermind; that will make him even more of a dynamic villain. If you bring him more out of the open, you will have to have less of him. Strange has this is, it is more or less a literally requirement you can't bypass. I really can't think of anyone that has pulled it off. If you want a glaring example, Palpatine in the Prequels is one like it or not.

4. Reactions on Mephisto. Was he too over the top? Too violent? Just right?

There needed to be more of him for sure. More to his story. As for violent: no, just right. Over the top: not really, but sometimes he

 

Hi guys! Sorry I missed it all. I was hoping to catch up before the grand conclusion but

Anyway Excal did promise to pm me the txt file of this wonderful fic. I'm afraid even to read the feed back in case someone give away some spoilers. So first I'll read the fic then I'll comment.

 

Casper, I cannot thank you enough for the time you took to answer the questionarre. It is most appreciated, of course

And sounding dirty on the climax part? Naaah...dirty? Never

And as for the end of the climax being drawn out, I guess I understand that...it's just that in the summer (as I'm sure you've all noticed) it's a lot harder for us to post.

Of course, you could go back and re-read the climax in one straight shot and not worry about tempo

Ah, thanks so much Casper. I appreciate it. You've been a great reader and a great friend on these boards.


Oh! Before I forget...after the whole questionarre thingy is done, probably when we go back to school (August 24, around that time for me), I'll throw up the cast list. Destiny's Knights: The Movie?

Hey, ya never know

And if you guys feel like peppering us with questions (for whatever reason, story-wise or writing-wise), go for it. Might take us a while to answer, but we'll get there eventually

Adios!

--Jaxx

 

Actually (Sighs, makes faces at something he read elsewhere), I really don't know why I said pacing was the problem. I got that after I visited TheForce.NOT forum and read a rejection letter from the Fan Fiction Archives here. One of their peeves was story pacing.

Eh?

So I kinda hate that negative and I hate I used it.

SLUSH!

 

Sabre- Don't worry! I'll send it to you as soon as I get back to school (the net connection here stinks).

Casper- Your suggestions are already being taken to heart- once again you're helping us more than you could know and we appreciate it big time bud. Thanks so much for taking the time because I know Jaxx and I both value your word so much. I'll try to remember what you said about Spectre- we're going to balance it out with him in the spotlight when he's younger and in the shadows after we've established he has fallen.

As for the ladies, Kelli's story will remain the same but she'll get a bit more exposure in Era 1 when she's teaching Jace and such. Mazza will also gain a little more direction and purpose- we're in the process of thinking it out.

The Tarahumarans will have a bit of history hinted at in Era 1 but it will be cryptic. But Era 3 they will have a lot of exposure because they will be essential to the plot.

And I really think you're on target with the reminders of what has happened before. Good call- Jaxx and I will definitely be using that.

Gotta fly. Later people!

excal

 

I went to that site you mentioned, Casper...scary thing is I recognize one or two of the people there.

I'm still recovering from my 2 week vacation and I'm getting back to writing and catching up on things...including the questionnaire. I should have it done by Saturday with any luck.

I'm also looking forward to the revamped stories. Put me on the subscription list.

 

Ya got it

We'll swing by Canada when we do the book tour. It's on the way

--Jaxx

 

Yes indeed, that's gonna be a murderous book tour. I wonder if the movie junket will be worse?

excal

 

A little late, but as promised...

---

[i]1. What did you and didn't you like about Destiny's Knights?[/i]

I loved the rich storyline and how involved it was. It was a smooth progression of the characters through trials and tribulations to all emerge at the end the same, but changed slightly.

At times the story was hard to follow, but I blame the boards more for that than the writers. I think if I had the document as a whole before me, it would read perfectly.

[i]2. How did you feel about the characters?[/i]

[i][b]A. Arcturus?[/b][/i]
Turu was by far my favourite character, mainly because I?m a medieval nut :p Seeing Turu develop from underpowered Jedi Knight to arcanely powerful Force sorcerer has been probably the most attractive thread

[i][b]B. Jace?[/b][/i]
Jace was by far the epitome of a boy becoming a man and a milksop becoming a warrior. I?m not criticizing his development by any stretch; I just think that in terms of maturing, Jace had come the longest way.

[i][b]C. Kelli?[/b][/i]
When I think of Kelli, the word ?Spitfire? comes to mind. I like how she is self-sufficient, but at the same time loves and needs Jace. She is an interesting dichotomy of characters ranging from hardass independent spitfire of a woman, to someone not afraid to let their emotions show to the one she loves.

[i][b]D. Mazza?[/b][/i]
Mazza is a good fit for Arcturus. I see her as a strong character who doesn?t feel she needs to prove anything to her Jedi friends and husband. In spite of her not having the Force, I find her to be the only one seemingly capable of reining in the storm that is her husband.

[i]3. Were each of the heroes developed enough? Were they believable as not only heroes by humans? Were they too over the top strong or too weak?[/i]
When you?re dealing with the creation of heroes, the notion of ?over the top? can really only be used if the villains haven?t been properly developed. So long as there is a balance of power between good and evil, be it numbers versus skill, skill versus skill, or skill versus numbers.

The heroes had just enough power and development to overcome their adversaries, and what they went through to accomplish this was just the right mix of win and loss to make the characters believable.

[i]4. Were there any problems we should fix in the characters personalities?[/i]
Can?t really see any personality flaws, although I wonder about Turu a bit. As his power as a sorcerer is developing, I wonder if he wouldn?t take on a more wizard-like personality?whimsical and a little aloof. Then again, that?s probably what I?d do and I?m not the author. I liked the way he was written, but if one thing was to change, it would be that.

[i]5. Was Spectre finally given the right amount of time? As the series will not be re-envisioned, my original plan to keep him in the shadows for most of Dawn and Hand of Fate will be scrapped. Was he a dynamic enough villain? Any flaws we should fix?[/i]
No problems here. The guy was pure, cold, calculating evil. I would probably have to go back to the very beginning of the saga to get a real feel for the reasons behind his fall in order to fully appreciate the climax of when he finally erupts in front of Jace and Kelli, and I will someday.

[i]6. Reactions on Mephisto. Was he too over the top? Too violent? Just right?[/i]
Ah, Mephisto?one of my favourite villains of all time. He was the raging malevolence that balanced the cool efficiency of Spectre. I think his arc was perfect for the role he played. As I said earlier, so long as there is balance in everything, nothing should be over the top, and Mephisto wasn?t?he was spot on, IMHO.

[i]7. Reactions on Dulcie. Should we give her more time or less?[/i]
Dulcie was a curveball, I?ll admit, but I liked what you did with her. I find the concept of the Sith Maidens and their ways a fascinating take on the Dark Side in general and with Dulcie?s announcement and subsequent development, you managed to hold that fascination for me. Nice work.

[i]8. How about this whole

 

Don't worry, I'll be posting my answers soon. Just finishing them up! I'll have them up by tomorrow, I hope.

_MTJ_

 

Aaarg! I missed the party the last time and had to read the second part of this fic all alone in an empty hall and now it looks like I've missed the end again. Really, this is the only thread that I enjoy the feedback as much as the fic.

 

I'm at college now.

Thought you should know

 

Whiskey--

Thanks so much for your comments. Like Casper's, they really are appreciated.

We'll be posting the cast list soon...I just want to run over and do a final check with excal to double/triple check, make sure that we have everyone

Adios!

--Jaxx

 

Waves to Jaxx.

Yep, I know your in college and very busy but thats no reason to forget old friends. You can at least say hi!

 

D'oh!

I knew my internet was funky when I got back to school...I just didn't know how funky. Or it's snotboards as usual.

Sorry about that, Sabre. I'm really glad to see that you're back on! I missed talking to you. Does this mean you're back home and everything's all stable, internet wise?

And, as further incentive that we didn't forget about you...you might want to read certain posts carefully...since you're in one of them (sort of )

Anyhoo, welcome back

 

Yep ! I missed you guys too!

I may have to sit all through the night and read this fic. (You've made me super curious!)

 

Take your time

Like I mentioned, excal and I will post the cast list sooner or later. It's just a question of timing, then we'll be ready in a jiffy!

--Jaxx

 

Up! Show us that you care!

 

(Luke Skywalker, from 'A New Hope') I care.

 

Thanks Casper.

Well, looks like this thread is going to die very soon. Once a few of the others throw up their responses here...that'll be it, just about.

Of course, I have no plans of locking this thread, so don't you worry

--Jaxx

 

No worries. More Forwards!

 

I actually went through the cast list, matching names to faces and then to the characters in the story. Nice matches on all of them

Now, if only all of them would work for beer and we could kidnap...er...employ a CGI specialist for a few months, this could almost become a movie.