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

Resource Fanfic Writer's Desk: Your Place for Writing Discussion, Questions, and Advice

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Luna_Nightshade, Nov 24, 2011.

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  1. Grievous2003

    Grievous2003 Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2019
    When I am saying how powerful, I am just referring to overall mastery of the Force. I am not referring to specific force techniques or abilities but just overall strength in the Force. I look at power levels in terms of "could this guy beat this guy". To explain, I will use weightlifting as an example. Two guys lifting weights and one guy being able to lift more than the other demonstrates that he is the stronger one. Similarly, two Force users use the Force to move stones; the one who is able to lift the larger stone demonstrates that he has more mastery and control over the Force than the other, making him the more powerful. I know that is a pretty simple way of looking at it and there are other factors in a fight, but that is what I am looking at in terms of power.

    I know in fanficitions that characters can be as powerful as the storyteller wants them to be, but I just wanted the power level of the characters to be reasonable and in agreement with the canon. I am not going to make Grievous the most powerful Force user in the galaxy because that would be out of place, and I am not going to give him the ability to use Force lightning because I know that requires living flesh hands to pull it off. I was just looking for opinions of how powerful certain characters would be under certain circumstances. I know there is no definitive answers but I was looking for other opinions of what reasonable power levels would be in order to get an idea of how to approach it. Anyway, I appreciate your input.
     
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  2. darkspine10

    darkspine10 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Dec 7, 2014
    Also, question, but is Savage actually Talzin's son? She never treats him reverentially, the way she does with Maul in Son of Dathomir for instance. She seems perfectly happy using him as a stepping stone to get Maul back.

    She also has no qualms about the death of Feral, Savage's other brother, which is what led me to the idea that the three must share a father instead, with only Maul being the child of Talzin.
     
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  3. Grievous2003

    Grievous2003 Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 31, 2019
    Well originally Maul and Savage's mother was the Nightsister Kycina, but after Disney bought Star Wars and cancelled the Clone Wars they changed the mother to Talzin.
     
  4. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    How do I know if something is a little too risque for the Forums? I know what the rules are and I am trying to make sure I follow them for this one scene and allude to certain things but what is too much? If I'm worried should I send the scene to a Mod for feedback?


    Never mind; I thought of a way to convey everything in a Board Friendly way in the middle of the night.
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2020
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  5. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    What do you call it when you have a VIP visiting and you have soldiers/similar standing beside the gangplank/such and a group of your own VIP:s meating the gal/guy?
     
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  6. pronker

    pronker Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2007
    I'd call it a delegation.
     
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  7. Mechalich

    Mechalich Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2010
    The event would probably be called a 'field reception' or something like that. The VIPs would be part of a delegation or mission. The soldiers would be an Honor Guard and might be part of a specific unit with special training and uniforms specifically for such events. Most modern militaries and many large law enforcement agencies have Honor Guard units, they do things like attend ceremonies, show up at funerals, and stand outside important buildings (in the current and former territories of the British Empire they have a distressing fondness for bagpipes).
     
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  8. gaarastar58

    gaarastar58 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 19, 2010
    Since this is your fic you get to choose the rules of how to establish a character's power level, however I would like to offer an alternate viewpoint.

    Giving a character a specific power level as if power is some kind of "Top Trumps" or video game seems bizarre to me, particularly in a Star Wars fanfiction. By this logic, Obi-Wan Kenobi should have been beaten by Anakin since he is stated as being stronger with the Force, yet he is defeated. I could point to many other examples within the Star Wars canon (at least in the OT and PT when things seemed to make sense!).

    Although Savage may have more raw power than other sith, his rage and inexperience results in him loosing to several opponents, so I think the most important question to ask yourself when working out how strong Grievous could be is to consider not how "powerful" he is, but what his strengths and weaknesses are. He is a strong tactition, which he can use to his advantage to defeat suprior opponents. On the other hand he is consistently portrayed as being a coward, and highly insecure, which also has an impact on his tactical ability.

    As I say, this is your fic and you can define your characters power level any way that you see fit, but I think that there are many other ways to consider what makes one character more powerful than another.
     
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  9. Bel505

    Bel505 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 2006
    So, fans of the Clone Wars/people who are more knowledgeable about the prequel era than me, I could use some help. I need a character who could have been a teacher of Stormtroopers or commando tactics at Carida or Anaxes around 10 BBY until 10 ABY, someone who ideally has a solid moral compass (not just an Imperial fanatic). For reference, I am in particular interested in someone who might have taught multiple generations of students, including General Madine. I'm happy to share more, but I'd rather not do so publicly for fear of spoiling what I intend to do with this character (this is for Interregnum although really in that story it would just be a side mention, I want to keep a door open for future use). I've seen much of the Clone Wars show but it's been a while, and I haven't seen the most recent season (I'm not currently paying for Disney+). I'm okay inventing a character for the role, but it might be more fun to find someone appropriate.

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2020
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  10. pronker

    pronker Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2007
    Would El-Les and Bric fit for you? They both were mean DIs, with El-Les being marginally nicer.

    @Bel505
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2020
  11. Bel505

    Bel505 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 2006
    Hmmmm. So, on the one hand they would be great. On the other hand, though, there won't be any non-humans working as educators at the Imperial Academies, the Empire's non-human biases would have long ago seen to that.
     
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  12. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    Is it called anything special when you have the hair infront of your ears braided but the rest of the hair lose?

    Like Kahvi from Elfquest
    [​IMG]


    or Shishman, Prince of Vidin
    [​IMG]
     
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  13. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2013
    @Gamiel
    Some things I could think of related to braiding hair in general:
    1) fashion
    2) cultural significance, like in Indigenous and some African cultures
    3) symbolism of strength, wisdom, wealth, identify

    In terms of why THAT specific pattern...no idea and I don't think it has a special name but I could also be wrong.
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2020
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  14. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    I was mostly looking for if there was any specific name for that kinds of hairstyle or way to have your braids
     
  15. pronker

    pronker Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2007
    I entered 'braiding anime styles' on a search and didn't come up with a particular name for it. My first impression was 'Viking' if that helps any. I'm not very knowledgeable about anime.
     
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  16. Cynda

    Cynda Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 20, 2014
    Is it a fool's errands to write a fanfiction with solely original characters and expect other people to read it?
     
  17. Kit'

    Kit' Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 1999
    [mention]Cynda [/mention] - that’s all I write. All my stuff is OCs and the people around here are pretty wonderful in that they read it.

    OCs just take longer to build a fan base but I find them a lot more fun to write and far less anxiety inducing then trying to get a CC right all the time.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  18. gizkaspice

    gizkaspice Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 27, 2013
    Well, if you really think about it, all the SW sequel characters, Rogue One and characters in the Mandalorian are pretty much someone's OCs--yes, 'official", "canon", whatever but they're all new and we had no idea who they were before that and to me there's absolutely no difference from an OC in a fanfic--I think it's a matter of the audience getting warmed up to them and what their place is the setting and what makes them tick. If you care about your characters and are able to have them be relatable and have them actually act like people instead of stereotypes or otherwise cookie-cutter characters, people will also be interested and will be naturally drawn to their stories.
     
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  19. Starith

    Starith Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 5, 2020
    Not to mention there are probably more OC stories around right now than there are stories about the OT 3. Let that sink in for a moment.
     
  20. Raissa Baiard

    Raissa Baiard FFoF Artist Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 22, 1999
    @Cynda We're a pretty OC-friendly group here. One way to help your OC find an audience is to join the OC Revolution discussion thread and take part in the challenges.
     
  21. Bel505

    Bel505 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 2006
    Ugh. So, Interregnum is so close to being written in its entirety. I'm trying to start writing Chapter 31, and I've been trying to start writing Chapter 31 for the last two days (after having some very, very productive days; I wrote about 15,000 words in less than a week). The thing about where I am now is ... Interregnum has a lot of moving pieces, a lot of important characters, and this is the only part of the story where everything comes together and everything happens all at once. And I'm finding it overwhelming.

    I know, if this is anything like writing my dissertation was, that the answer is just to start writing and break it down into smaller parts, but I've got this mental hurdle and it's kicking my ass right now. Usually, when this happens, I'd sigh and pause and go start writing other parts of the story but ... there's almost nothing else left! I'm just about at the end!

    (Or, it means I need to find a different coffee shop and try to change my perspective, but I haven't set foot in a coffee shop in a year.)

    It's really kicking my ass today. I hoped I'd write a whole chapter today, it's Saturday, I didn't have anything else to do, and I don't even have one word yet. :confused:
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2020
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  22. pronker

    pronker Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 28, 2007
    Oooh, it sounds unexpectedly daunting to you. Would it help to plan a sequel? Not that you have to write one, just a "twenty minutes later, X and Y bubbled in the space jacuzzi as they discussed recent events." That might lessen the portentous feeling nearing the conclusion.
     
  23. Bel505

    Bel505 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 4, 2006
    It might! I've found my head has gotten filled with little moments for characters in the aftermath, so I'm just starting to jot those down. And I'm allowing myself the distraction of watching my MLS team play for a championship this evening (they're winning!). Can't be all Star Wars all the time, after all. I'm writing a little Luke/Mara scene that popped into my head during halftime. :)

    Snippet:

     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2020
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  24. Kit'

    Kit' Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 1999
    Trying to think of a gang to haunt the lower levels of Coruscant. Don't need them for much time, they are basically a reference - but for some reason my brain is like "MUST BE CANON" even though I've never really cared about canon in the past.

    *sigh*
     
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  25. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    Can't help you with a canon gan but from the Fanon thread I give you:
    If you want to creat your own all new Coruscant gang, or do something with one that's just a name do I have some suggestions.
     
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2020
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