FanFic Ask Me Anything ~*~ Version 3.0 Daily Questions (See list on pg 164 or 1)

Fanon you have about something in SW?

 

Now you're catching me totally unprepared, because that's something I never gave any thought to. I don't think that I have any other ambition than trying to come up with good stories that I'll enjoy writing and that a few people will enjoy reading. I really started doing this purely for fun. It's a nice change from printed publishing, in the sense that fanfic is not competitive since there's no issue of a publisher harassing you about sales, promotion of your book, etc, and real-time interaction with the community is invaluable. I know that this isn't much of an answer, but it's really the only one I've got

You're most welcome. I may be the first person to say it, but I'm sure I'm not the first one to think it

Oh, this is really a minor spoiler. The second part of my story takes place in the Unknown Regions, so I'm going to have an alien-fest there. Other than species that hail from the Unknown Regions in the EU, I'll have EU species that migrated to the Unknown Regions and developed in a slightly different way than the part of those populations that remained on their homeworlds, and some I'm making up. It's all going to happen 50+ chapters away from now, so I haven't made a final decision yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll have a Gree colony and a Talz colony. As for invented species, I have plans for a sort of tortoise-like sentient with a powerful tail muscle and a prehensile tongue , and for a primitive civilization of equine aliens who will be all nice and fluffy

I don't have an answer to your first question, but I'll answer the second one and anticipate on your questions about architecture and fashion Because Istanbul is my favourite place in the world, I'd like to see more elements of Byzantine and Ottoman culture in SW, particularly in the Imperial world. I'm actually surprised that there isn't more already - I mean, Istanbul must be the only city in the real world that was the capital of not one, but two empires for a total of nearly 17 centuries.

One aspect of either or both of these cultures I'd like to see in SW is their architecture. I was actually quite disappointed when I saw that the Jedi Temple was modelled on a ziggurat in TPM; I thought that was a bit of a cliché and would have preferred a domed structure like the basilica of Hagia Sophia or the mosque of Sultan Ahmet. Another Istanbul landmark I would like to see in SW is Topkapı. I like the fact that its layout is based on a nomadic encampment with little kiosks here and there, and I could easily imagine venues for the Imperial Court designed around that structure (maybe the Retreat on Naboo?)

One aspect of Byzantine culture I may actually integrate in my story (you're giving me ideas here, Gamiel!) is the fact that the person who sponsored a piece of art is often portrayed on that piece of art, e.g. in this icon from the church of Saint Dimitri in Thessaloniki where the saint is represented with the donors. I think it fits Palpatine's personality cult quite nicely.

One specific period I'd like to see more of is the decline of the Byzantine Empire and the transition to Ottoman rule. The decline of the Byzantine Empire was a period of intense cultural activity but total decay when it came to politics. I'd like to see a narrative of e.g. the fall of Coruscant to the New Republic that incorporates the atmosphere described in this poem by C.P. Cavafy. This was done to some extent for the fall of Coruscant to the Vong, but I found that it was really poorly done, and the Vong don't have the sophistication of the Ottoman armies.

In terms of fashion, I'd like to see more of the extravagant types of fabric and embroidery used by both the Byzantines and the Ottomans, but also the very codified ceremonial wear and how it denotes social status and political power.

Lastly, I'd like to see something based on the administrative structure of the Ottoman Empire, that was centralized and highly structured but also flexible and relatively tolerant. That wouldn't apply to Palpatine's Empire obviously, but maybe to one of its successor states or to the Empire of the Hand.

That's not a dangerous question to ask a Greek, but it could be a dangerous question to ask me The answer fortunately fits in three words: mother, grandmothers, nanny. We all live in the same building (yeah, we're a big fat Greek family that way) and I grew up in the middle of four food-obsessed women who came from very different backgrounds and had very different ideas of what a dish should be. This resulted in Homeric arguments in the kitchen and I always found that it was great fun to watch So my cooking is a combination of Egyptian-Greek, Epirote-Romaniote, Zakynthian and rural Maniot cuisine. Phew! It's quite eclectic, I can tell you. Then to make things a bit more complicated, I also learned about Greek Istanbuli cuisine when I did my masters' degree in Thessaloniki, which is the Greek capital of good food. I don't know if the foodies among you ever saw the film A Touch of Spice; if you haven't, watch it, you'll be drooling all the way to dinnertime!

We still all disagree on how to prepare pretty much everything, but over the years there was a convergence of sorts, so one thing we all agree on now is that a dish cannot be good if it isn't made from good ingredients, and good ingredients means fresh ingredients or at least ingredients in their most natural form. So abominations such as pre-packaged sauces, powdered mashed potatoes or canned chick peas are banned in our home. My nanny/stepmother-in-law (it's the same person), being from a small village, takes this principle very, very far, and spends her days preparing homemade pasta, drying herbs and processing fruit and vegetables in any shape or form. It's a miracle we're not all overweight, although if she keeps it up, we'll be getting there soon

Do things that I consider didn't happen count? If yes, I'd drop a lot of the Vong story arc and all of the Galactic Alliance bantha poodoo. The concept of a species outside the Force was interesting, but I found that it was poorly developed, and as for Daala becoming chief of state? Puh-lease! It just didn't happen.

As for events/characters that were developed in fanfics, it's both all of it and none at all. To me fan fiction is one big exercise in intertextuality and what I like is that we get to pick and choose what we want when we want without having to justify ourselves about it. Dealing with all the profic EU canon issues is complicated enough as it is

And now I have to run, I'm going to be late for work!

 

Do you like mountain or ocean/beach views more?

 

Are there any fanon/fanfic tropes that you dislike?

 

Do you like feta cheese? (I love it in omelets - baked with veggies, in salads.) What's your favorite feta dish?

 

If you could change something in SW, what would it be?

Why not both at the same time?

 

What would you want to see more of in SW?

If you need anybody to discus world building for your non-humans or the worlds in Unknown Regions so would I be glad to help.

I am glad that I could give you ideas.

something that may be of your interest is the swedish RPG Coriolis

it is a science-fiction RPG whose world i inspired by north Africa and pre-monotheistic Arabic cultures with some elements of Byzantine and the Ottoman empire. You can find some free downloading material on the current publisher’s home page, here to be exact, it is all in Swedish but you may find the illustrations worth all the foreign gibberish. Some of the files need a password to be read, a rest from when it was first published, but now a-days they have the password - avlossats - written below the files that need it.
There also exist an e-book in English that take place in the Coriolis-‘vers – Coriolis: The Dark Between the Stars – I have not read it so I can not comment on it but thought it worth mentioning.

I say it counts.

 

*Bounces!* Any other fandoms you like and are itching to write for?

 

If you could have one piece of technology from the GFFA, what would it be?

 

I actually like both. I live near the sea here in Athens, and the place where I go on holiday in northern Greece is also on the coast but with a fantastic, evergreen mountain in the hinterland. However, I have a slight preference for sea views because of the open horizon - as long as it's the open horizon like in the Aegean or the Ionian sea, where you'll see an island or a peninsula in the distance pretty much anywhere you are. The first time I went to Crete and saw the open sea, I found it a bit scary

I really don't like slash. It's not that I don't like mature content in fics, and there are several SW characters that I imagine as gay/lesbian, but I've yet to see a slash fic that remotely made sense to me in the SW universe. Every single one I read was (badly) written by someone who seemed to need an outlet to express their fantasies, and while I'm happy for people to do that, I just won't read it.

I put a piece of feta cheese on my plate with nearly every meal! I have several feta dish faves. One is feta and spinach pie, which is conveniently available in any bakery, so I get that at least three times a week. Another is baked feta with slices of hot green pepper, tomato and oregano (you bake it wrapped in aluminum foil), and the ultimate delicacy is feta cheese wrapped in filo pastry, deep-fried and served with a dash of honey and a sprinkle of black sesame

I'd ask someone with talent (from the top of my head, there are a dozen people on these boards who match that description) to rewrite those god-awful romance scenes in AOTC. I know that this is SW and I wasn't expecting elegiac poetry, but that was simply embarrassing.

I'd like to see more female protagonists who are NOT the warrior woman type. I like my warrior women, but there's a moment when it becomes a bit repetitive. I'm reading A New Dawn right now, and I'm a bit disappointed because the female protagonist is, again, a warrior woman, while there are other female characters in the book who in my view could be better developed and who could play a more proactive role in the story. I'll defer my final verdict for now though, because I'm not done reading it yet.
I'd also like to see more aliens in lead roles. More Admiral Ackbar please?

Thanks for all that info, Gamiel! I'll definitely PM you about the UR, this is going to be fun

I'd like to have Dooku's ship. That solar sail was really elegant

 

What SF technology that have not appeared in SW would you like to see appear?

I fully agree on this, it is actually one of the resons I dislike that they made Jaina just another fighter ace instead of continue having her as wrench wench

Fully agree on this, also

 

Argh, I skipped that one! I read fics from other fandoms from time to time (I read recently a brilliant Harry Potter fic that was written from Snape's perspective and I'm furious at myself because I didn't bookmark it) but I can't say that I'm into other fandoms the way I'm into SW. I think availability of such a vast resource of EU literature helped me go into fandom mode for SW. One universe I'd like to write a story for at some point would be Firefly, because that group of characters are so endearing, but I don't have any sort of idea for a plot. Maybe it'll pop into my head some day, maybe it won't

I kind of like the idea of hybrid organic/mechanical fighters like the Cylon fighters in BSG, because being living, sentient creatures, one or more of them could be somehow Force-sensitive. If they were the bad guys, they could make an interesting enemy.

 

Which is your favorite non-Jedi/Sith Force tradition?

Which non-Jedi/Sith Force tradition would you like to see more of? They can be the same

 

Have you ever played any Star Wars video games?

 

What kind of food pie do you prefer? Meat, chicken, cheese, ham & broccoli or something else?

 

What would you do if you woke up tomorrow to find that you are suddenly Force-sensitive?

 

Which would you rather have, a lightsaber or a phaser?

 

Hmmm... None of those I know. I liked the Aing-Tii monks when I first read about them in VOTF, but I hated what they did with them afterwards But I'm woefully ignorant about the "before" era and I plan reading about it over Christmas, so maybe I'll find something there. Ask me again in 2015, will you?

I've never played any video games at all! My knowledge of electronic games stops at Tetris. Video games were invented by Satan to make life difficult for technologically challenged people like me

Does everyone here know that I love food? I can't imagine why

The bakery near my office makes the most amazing squash pie. They use this variety of sweet giant zucchini that's the size of your forearm, and they put it grated in the pie with red bell pepper and sharp yellow cheese. I'm unfortunately not the only person to like this, so unless I turn up the moment they bring it out of the oven, I don't get any and I have to settle for a classic cheese or spinach pie.

I'll put this answer behind a spoiler tag because some people might find it gross.

Spoiler: Gross stuff

I love it all! I eat everything in an animal except the eyes. There are many dishes made with innards in Greek/Cypriot/Turkish cuisine, like seftalia (minced meat wrapped in the membrane found around a pig's stomach), gardouba (a roll of intestines roasted in the oven) and kokoretsi (offal on a skewer, wrapped in intestines and roasted over an open fire). For Easter, because Orthodox Lent is vegan, we eat a whole lamb, and by whole I mean whole. Everything. We roast the lamb, make kokoretsi with the innards and use whatever is left to make magiritsa, a thick, lemony soup with finely chopped heart, lung, liver etc. Magiritsa is eaten at midnight on Saturday just as you come back from church (okay, we don't go to church, but we eat the magiritsa anyway) and the roast lamb and kokoretsi are eaten at lunch on Sunday. Then we argue about who will get the head. Before my cousin from Egypt came to live downstairs, it was always Mr Chyntuckopoulos and me, because we were the "children" of the family until we reached the age of 30 or so. I'd take the brain, he'd take the tongue and we'd share the cheeks, but the eyes... that's just disgusting. Some people think of it as the greatest delicacy, but I just can't get used to the fact that they're looking at me

I'd start using mind tricks left, right and centre. The Greek judiciary would never know what hit them Then I'd probably go and have my head checked.

Definitely a lightsaber. Because, you know, phasers are "so uncivilized."

 

What non-Star Wars species would you like to se implanted into Star Wars?

 

If someone were to help you learn basic computing, would you try out some older PC games? Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is pretty simple in its controls; like Tetris, it's easy to learn but difficult to master.

 

Please choose:
(a) an alien race in the GFFA; and then
(b) a style of clothing from a/some real-life culture/s (or time period, or both) that you think would be well-suited to that alien race.

Have to ask: what did they do with them?

 

I don't want to see any non-SW species in particular implanted in SW. I want the SW creators to continue being creative and to come up with more fancy aliens that we've never seen before. I did however enjoy the ET cameos in TPM and I'd like to see more of those cameos in the background, just for our entertainment

I don't think that the person with the patience to teach me basic computing is born yet, but if s/he is, I'll try. (Will it hurt?)

I could imagine the Weequay in this sort of samurai garb:


Also, the Nemoidians in this sort of Chinese imperial garb (especially Nute Gunray; I found that his costumes in the films weren't quite elaborate enough for someone that powerful):




However, as I said earlier, I'm not much of a fashion person and my knowledge of anything east of Tehran is very limited, so these are not very well thought-out ideas.

That was badly phrased on my part. What I actually disliked was the whole story arc with Jacen turning to the Dark Side and everything that followed, not the monks themselves, but I dropped out of the EU books at that point, so I never got to learn much more about them.

Lamb innards are just yum-slurp-drool. The problem with all that stuff is that it's hell to prepare, which is the reason we cook them once a year. The result is ab-so-lu-te-ly worth it though.

About raw/rare meat: I discovered that when I went to France the first time (in Greece we overcook the meat - like overcook it until it's as stiff as the sole of your shoes) and while it was a acquired taste for me, it became something I really enjoy, but the meat has to be very good and very tender. Greek beef tends to be too hard for a rare steak. I luuuv steak tartare. When I was a child I would steal chunks of the mix for keftedes (meat patties) while whoever was cooking looked away and I always got told off, so when I went to France, it was a pleasant surprise to find raw meat in restaurants. The one meat product I won't eat rare is liver. I find it tastes too much like blood.

RED ALERT: yes, there's a sort of food I don't like!

As for the other dishes you mentioned, I haven't had sushi very often. There are very few sushi restaurants in Greece and those that exist are expensive, unlike western European cities where there's a sushi place on every corner. I'll eat it if you put it in front of me, but I won't go looking for it either, although that may have to do with the fact that I never had really good sushi. Kitfo and ceviche I had to look up on Google just now, so I can't tell From the description I saw, I think we have a few things in Greece that are similar to ceviche, like lakerda (pickled mackerel) and gavros marinatos (anchovies marinated in vinegar) and that's mouth-watering stuff

 

What do you find most challenging and fascinating about Thrawn and Chiss culture as a whole, writing and reading?