When did this happen? And why didn't Mr. Zahn mention it if it was the case? Winter after all as far as I know his character. Oh wait! The folks at wherever didn't tell him just like they didn't tell him that Mara was going to be killed until two months before Sacrifice was published.
Supposedly mentioned in this book: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Chronicles:_The_Prequels I'm just going by Wookieepedia completely though.
I think I write my males way too kind and sensitive...but all of my characters (male and female) probably think about sex way too much. I know Luke is a macho guy, but I just can't write about him wanting a pimped out speeder, scratching himself in public, or spitting. Okay, I know all men don't do those things...I was just remembering a memorable scene in the Steve Martin movie "All of Me."
Ridiculously powerful in the Force OCs bother the crap out of me unless they're descendants of Anakin Skywalker or are those mysterious Force Wielders that were mentioned in TCW. And Force Sensitives that join the Jedi Order as teenagers or adults during the Old Jedi Order. They wouldn't take Anakin Skywalker and he was NINE! What makes you think that they'd take your OC that's twenty-four/five/six?
Honestly, I'm having a hard time seeing Luke do any of those things. He'd probably like a fast speeder, but that's because he's a pilot, not because he wants to impress the ladies or whatever. As characters go, you can't really get much more kind and sensitive than Luke, certainly in SW. He's lovely. Well, mostly. In some novels he seems to go on some pretty crazy power trips of awesome. But anyway - I find kind and sensitive Luke perfectly believable. Now, Han or Lando on the other hand... not so much.
Lando would act kind and sensitive if he thought it'd get him in good with a lady. Han? Well, I don't think he knows how to do that - probably just trusts to the 'loveable rogue' thing.
On the subject of Luke, I read a AU FF where he was very spiteful to Padmé the entire story. I just can't see him like that. Especially after seeing him in ROTJ. I always thought Leia would do that, as she did in By The Grace of Lady Vader.
The EU butchered Lando. He's a business man in both ESB and in the Thrawn Trilogy and for a long time in the EU he's an opportunist. I just realized that I most likely write him wrong in 'Dark Angel'!
Lando seems like a chameleon, he constantly changes his attitude to fit the circumstances. I think as long as he has the "ladies-man" and a little bit of a stuck up attitude, you've got it. That's just my opinion though.
Yeah, that's the route I would take if I ever wrote Lando. The thing, is, though, I don't like writing the main characters. I'd rather have them be in the background, so I don't get into their heads. That's another thing that bugs me, and it happens in professional work as well; getting into the villain's head. I feel that villains are more effective when we don't know their innermost thoughts and feelings.
That way they seem more sinister, as each plot detail shows a new aspect of their plan. For me, Vader is just to human to not get into his head in some way or another. But again, my opinion alone.
I would disagree there; showing the villain's viewpoint can be chilling, or enlightening. As usual, the 'if done well' caveat applies. Sometimes it's necesary, to show just how wide the gap is between their thoughts and normal thoughts. You can truly discover, then, how twisted they really are at heart. I wrote a short fic at once point that was from Palpatine's POV right before the confrontation above Endor. Creeped myself out somewhat getting into his head, but I think it worked well enough in showing some of that pride and malice at his core. Sometimes I don't want a villain who is a shadowy figure in the night. Sometimes I want to know more about him than 'well, he has an evil laugh.' Sometimes I want that chilling feeling of coming to understand "Wow, this guy has no sense of empathy or compassion whatsoever. He is warped, and he's on a direct collision course with our heroes. Oh ****..."
Exactly why I love villains more than heroes. You know what the hero thinks and why he is doing things, it's stereotypically obvious, however, the villain is a mystery and it is in human nature to want to know "Why?" So getting into their head and understanding their reasons and motives makes them all the more dangerous and creepy and why books like Darth Plagueis is so well received. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If it's done well, by all means, get into their head. Otherwise, best to let their actions and the reactions of those around them speak for them.
I find villains to be absolutely fascinating--especially when they're more than just an all-powerful "I want to rule the world/galaxy" sort of villain. I like the ones who think they're in the right and that their actions are justified. *shrug* Probably why all my original fiction is focused on more villainous characters. It's to each his own really.
Now, I haven't come across this in many fanfics, but I've come across it in more then enough professional work... Forced "historic" dialogue. It just drives me up a wall. I'm looking at you, Ides of Blood. If you're writing something that is based in ancient Rome, do some research into texts from that period to get an idea on how people spoke. Don't write stuff like "haul you up by your sandal-straps," or "I'm coming, keep your toga on!" Adding buzzwords to modern dialogue does not make it historic.
It's the same with Star Wars/Star Trek and Earth idioms. Star Wars is going to have different idioms than Earth: 'look what the wampa dragged in' or in the future: 'look what the tooka dragged in'. Star Trek's ones are going to have evolved and brought in different races idioms. 'Targ' is a Klingon insult that might range for slightly rude to extremely rude.
The "I want to rule the galaxy" type villains are not that interesting and why I don't find Sidious all that intriguing like I do with Dooku. Dooku wants to fix things, Sidious just wants to rule. It's also why I dislike the one comment TCW had Dooku make to Savage, though I'm thinking he said it more for Savage than really meaning it. That's my belief and I'm sticking to it! I find it entertaining to try and translate Earth idioms into Star Wars. The things you learn of the galaxy as you research. Did you know there are horses in Star Wars? In trying to find a replacement for "Hold your horses!" I find instead that it works just fine. Wtf? XD Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
"Keep your toga on"? Really? Oh wow. *lol* I don't like translated idioms as a rule. Idioms say a lot about a culture, so if you're missing certain cultural aspects, then the idiom makes no sense. In a culture where there's a strong emphasis on money, you'll get phrases like "you look like a million dollars", whereas a communist or money-less culture will probably have a different way of expressing that sentiment. You can't just translate it to "you look like a million sheep" or whatever your character happens to trade with, that's silly. He might say "you look like a fresh spring morning" or whatever. I dunno. Anyway, point is, a lot of the time it doesn't work to just use a different word. Even if it sounds okay, it might not make any sense in the cultural context. I like complex villains. I also like villains who are a little mysterious. I think Thrawn was a really effective villain because he had layers, he wasn't just evil. And also because we weren't shown his thoughts directly; we mostly saw him through Pellaeon, which made him a little more sympathetic while preserving that mystique, because Pellaeon was on his side without ever fully understanding him.
