Challenge 2023 Reading Challenge!

I am happy to report that I have continued to make progress on my Fanfic To Be Read List, and thus, have also completed more of my 2023 Reading Challenge

1. A fic by your favourite* author: The Best is Yet to Be by one of my favorite authors @Mira_Jade. In this Sense and Sensibility fanfic, Mira does a fabulous job of evoking the language and vibes of the Regency era as well as capturing the clever wit and social commentary of Jane Austen. It is a perfect read for Jane Austen fans like myself, and even if you aren't a Jane Austen fan, Mira will probably turn you into one with her fantastic writing.

2. A fic with two or more authors

3. A short story/one shot: Nostalgic Keepsakes by @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha is a nostalgic (as the title promises) and poignant one shot focusing on Leia's touching memories and mementos from Alderaan with a sweet Han/Leia romance moment at the end!

4. A fic whose chapters have titles

5. A fic starring a non-human character: Career Exploration (with Gungans) by @Seldes_Katne follows the adventures of a Gungan family with wit and clever worldbuilding details like Gungans developing quicker than humans that I really appreciated.

6. A challenge winner: Pull Me Home by @Gabri_Jade is the winner of the OTP Challenge #23. It focuses on Luke and Mara overcoming obstacles in their relationship and features some excellent dialogue that rings so true to the characters and can be heartbreaking, humorous, and adorably romantic by turns!

7. A fic recommended to you by someone else

8. A fic with exactly four words in the title: Collage of Memorable Scenes by @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha is a heartwarming collection of stories focusing on two of my all-time favorite Star Wars couples, Han and Leia, and Luke and Mara respectively.

9. An intimidating fic you have avoided

10. A fic with only canon characters: In On a Sea of Sand, @JediMaster_Jen brings to life Beru, Owen, Luke, and Ben Kenobi during the early days following Beru and Owen taking young Luke into their family. The characters are all portrayed very realistically, and there is much poignant emotion and drama to be found here. Readers will chuckle and get tears in their eyes as they make their way through this triumph of a Summer Olympics Triathlon.

11. A fic by a new^ author: The Talk by @UltramassiveUbersue is a wonderfully humorous and heartwarming fic featuring Luke and his sassy teenage son Ben with bonus appearances from Han and Leia to add even more to the enjoyment factor.

12. A fic you’ve been meaning to try: Heavy the Head by @DarthIshtar was a story I've been meaning to read ever since she announced her intention of writing a Bail/Breha fic for the 2023 Fanfiction Summer Olympics. The Summer Olympics is over, but I finally got around to reading the fic and loved the deft characterizations of Bail, Breha, and their adoptive daughter Leia as well as the excellent worlbuilding and politics of Alderaan, a planet for which I have a massive soft spot.

13. A fic that is outside your favourite time period/show: We Shall All Hang Separately by @DarthIshtar is set during the OT and the Beyond the Saga-Legends eras when the PT and Before the Saga are more my comfort zones, but with this fic I am richly rewarded for stepping outside my comfort zone with some beautiful moments of brother and sister bonding as the Skywalker twins take center stage and are celebrated as they deserve to be.

14. A fic with a great first line: In the Shade of the Wroshyr-Tales of the People of the Trees by @Chyntuck has a breathtaking first line that captures all the power of the best creation myths in our world and in a galaxy far, far away.

15. A fic whose main character is an OC: Night and Night by @Pandora focuses on her vividly drawn OC's Amilia and Florian while providing fascinating insights into Naboo culture and politics all in very poetic prose.

16. A fic whose title catches your attention: Ten Reasons Why Qui-Gon Jinn Is Not On The Jedi Council by @UltramassiveUbersue drew me in with promises of humor it totally delivered upon.

17. A fic that started in the month of your birthday

18. A fic you meant to read in 2022: The Song, The Sea, and the Mand'alor by @Findswoman artfully portrays Grogu in all his adorable preciousness. It's a story not to be missed by any fan of Grogu, Din, or the relationship between these two wonderful characters. Anyone in the mood for some heart melting mush will not be disappointed with this sweetest of one shots!

19. A fic with love, kiss or hug in the title: A Kingdom Where My Love Can Stand by @Mira_Jade transports the reader back to the Victorian era and features an in-depth exploration of what it means for Victoria to be girl, woman, and queen as well as references and memories of Tudor England that will thrill the heart of any history buff like myself. Highly recommended.

20. A fic that states a relationship in the title: Lunch with Tahl by @earlybird-obi-wan is centered around the relationship between Qui-Gon and Tahl, which is one of my favorite Star Wars relationships both as a friendship and later a romance. There is a lot of humor in this story and a glimpse of Dooku being a food critic as well which is sure to draw many laughs from readers!

21. A fic with a five-syllable title: A Lovely Night by @DarthIshtar does an excellent job delving into the nuances and nitty-gritty details of Leia's life in politics following the OT and the development of her swoon-worthy romance with Han. Complete with teasing about nerf-herders and slightly scraggly-looking scoundrels, this is not to be missed by any fan of the iconic Han/Leia couple.

22. A fic with an 'author's note' at the start: A Strange and Dazzling Array by @ViariSkywalker begins with an author's note that she will be treating us to a Decathlon of Delight, and the delight starts in the very first entry with an adorable and moving perspective on Ben Skywalker's birth from the point of view of his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. My heart was just a puddle of mush in the best possible way at the end of reading that.

23. A fic that's written from a villain's perspective: Our Hearts Were Never Meant to Kneel by @Mira_Jade does a compelling job evolving Maul from the bestial villain he is in TPM to a sympathetic, well-fleshed-out character on a journey to overcome his guilt, find redemption, and claim an independent identity. Characters like Madame Nu are also wonderfully and humorously portrayed.

 

Got one!

14. A fic with a great first line: The Kammris Falcon—Jedi Noir by @Kit' . Its first line is "The moment she walked into The Drunken Nerf I knew she was trouble," which manages at once to establish both SW and noir vibes from the very beginning, both of which continue flawlessly throughout this very riveting detective story in true Kit' fashion. We not only get to know more of the backstory of one of Kit's many wonderful established OCs, Tara Tarindae, but we also meet an intriguing new OC, Felacatian private eye Nyx Senka, and the interactions between those two characters show us two very different worlds colliding.

 

I too have been incredibly remiss in adding to my own OP, but, here are my belated additions, collected from my reviews so far this year:


3. A short story/one shot: I am going to be a bit extra here, and include three one shots by authors who have quite perfected the vignette form. [LotR] My Heart is Whole Again, by @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha is as short and sweet as they come, but it's short and sweet in the sublime. (And it just so happens to cover one of my Tolkien OTPs, and brought back all sorts of happy memories for me, which is always a plus.) [Yellowstone] Grey: A Poem of Spencer Dutton, by @brodiew, is written in verse, and packs such a punch in so few words. Then, I am a what? by @earlybird-obi-wan is an excellent response to what I thought was a tricky quote on the Tudor Quote Roulette.

4. A fic whose chapters have titles: I too am going to choose a ficlet collection for this category! @amidalachick's [Stranger Things] A House on a Quiet Street, A Home for the Brave, is another touching look at the characters of Stranger Things in a slight (just right) post-S3 AU. Though this is an Angstober ficlet collection, and angst is definitely the name of the game, this is a soft angst that nonetheless promises happiness and healing, even as the characters go through the ups and downs (and upside-downs) of their lives.

5. A fic starring a non-human character: In the Shade of the Wroshyr - Tales From the People of the Trees, by @Chyntuck not only encompasses a non-human character, but explores the belief system and mythology of the Wookiee people as a whole. This is a sweeping and epic collection of stories, while at the heart being so incredibly intimate and human. After all, we're all storytellers in the end, and the weight of tradition in this story is just as poignant as the truly top-notch world-building. (I also have to give a special shoutout to Color Commentary: 1500 Word Dash, by @Thumper09, for writing from the POV of a Cracian thumper named Hyperjump, and her Toydarian jockey! This was an incredibly unique story, and easily one of my favorite fics that I've read this year.)

6. A challenge winner: For this category, I am going to do something a little different and pick my favorites from this year's Kessel Run challenge. I'm limiting myself to six, but please know that there are so many gems from this year's Run to choose from, and this was so hard to narrow down. All of these are self-explainable in their awesomeness.

• A Draft Memo for Sate Pestage, from @Chyntuck's Intermezzi II (my review here)
• A Good Day, from @UltramassiveUbersue's Rumors and Speculations (my review here)
• Do Not Kriff With the Office Manager, from @Raissa Baiard's Never Tell Me the Odds (my review here)
• From a Holorecording Found in a Cabin Drawer on the Ghost, from @Findswoman's Rose Garden, Evergreen Forest (my review here)
• The Hunt, from @Gabri_Jade's From the Ground Up (my review here)
• Where the Black Sands Meet the Raging Seas, from @ViariSkywalker's Futures and Dreams (my review here)

8. A fic with exactly four words in the title: There's not a category for "a fic that made me keyboard smash and wish that the like button was instead a 'pterodactyl screech of delight' button", so this will have to do. @ViariSkywalker's All These Broken Pieces is the long-awaited sequel to Enter the Foreign. This story is primarily a look at the twisty (and oftentimes twisted) relationship between Allana Djo Solo and Darth Festus; but, even more than that, it's an incredibly nuanced exploration of the human condition as these two characters both deal with (though I use that word very loosely) the trauma that's been inflicted on them (and they've inflicted on others, in Festus' case) over the years. It's a messy and uncomfortable read at times, but in the best of ways; it's so full of heart, and so many pretty words! This story is brimming with a plethora of gorgeous pose, thematic scenery, blistering dialogue, and truly top notch action scenes - and did I mention the utterly delicious enemies to lovers vibes? There's that, too, and I can't wait to see where Vi ultimately takes us with these characters!

9. An intimidating fic you have avoided: The Book of Gand, by @Findswoman is as epic as they come, and I hate to call it intimidating, because it's ultimately not - it's actually a very easy story to get swept up by and lost in. It's a trick, I feel, for any author who writes sci-fi/fantasy to tell a story that balances good world-building with a character-driven story, and Finds always walks that line with aplomb. This story richly expands what we already know about the Gand into a fully realized culture, belief system, and Force tradition - but it's still, at its heart, a story about one Gand's journey (two Gands' journey) as they take their place not only within that tradition and the legends of their people, but with each other. I finished Part One, and am now eagerly gobbling up Part Two - and recommend that you do the same!

10. A fic with only canon characters: For this category, I have to pick @devilinthedetails' [Avatar: The Last Airbender] The Legend of the Pelican Mothers, not only because it focuses on the canon character of Katara (and her mother and grandmother, too), but because it examines what makes Katara Katara at the heart in canon. Here, following her mother's death, she is processing her very fresh, very raw grief, and you can feel her pain and anger and resentment as she goes about the "women's work" of the tribe in her mother's stead. This young girl craves justice and is ready to fight - and you can see echoes of the stalwart defender (quite like the pelicans of legend, just the same as her mother) and passionate warrior that she'll soon grow to become.

12. A fic you’ve been meaning to try: The Mists of Mehr, by @Chyntuck is a tab I opened on my phone back in 2017, when I first returned to SW fan fiction after a long NSWFF hiatus. I was intrigued by the concept then, but never got around to actually reading it - which was entirely remiss on my part! Now, all these years later, not only did I finally leave a review, but Chyntuck succeeded in finishing a long-standing WIP of old - which is quite the feat for any author! This fic is a great blend of horror and mystery, and I was sucked in by the ambiance as much as the plot itself until the very last word.

13. A fic that is outside your favourite time period/show: With This Ring, by @Raissa Baiard includes the Resistance character of Kazuda Xiono, whom I only know through Raissa's work - and that's all I need to know! Kaz and Wren are one of my favorite boards-unique couple, and this endearing (humorous and romantic in such a quintessential Wraz way) story tells of a milestone in their relationship that's incredibly enjoyable from start to finish.

14. A fic with a great first line: "It's a comfort, at first," is the first line of @Gabri_Jade's The Walls We Hide Behind, and the low-level creeping horror only continued to creep and become decidedly high-level horror from there. I don't even have the words to express what an amazing work of art this story is. If you haven't read it already, stop what you are doing and go read it now.

15. A fic whose main character is an OC: The great thing about @Kit's Shadows in the Weave is that it features an ensemble cast of OCs! With this story, Kit returns us to the world of her Family of Scoundrels, as Zallie (my ever fave) and her siblings embark on a typical Indiana Jones style type mission, and, as can be expected with such missions, everything soon goes awry. I won't spoil how and why, but I will say that Kit' gives us some awesome looks at how the Force does - and doesn't - work before the tale is over.

16. A fic whose title catches your attention: Diary of a Very Sympathetic Padawan by @devilinthedetails caught my eye for its title years ago, and it still does now! This is another longstanding WIP that was completed this year, and tells the tale of the tumultuous twists and turns of Bant's time as a padawan learner in a truly sympathetic style, as promised in the title.

17. A fic that started in the month of your birthday: Kittytalk, by @Findswoman is a bit of fluffy fluff (involving a fluffy loth-cat) set in Finds and Raissa's Lasan Series! Every word of this story, detailing a very unique morning between boy (and budding beast-warden) and cat, was so sweet, and purrfectly enjoyable.

18. A fic you meant to read in 2022: Enter the Foreign, by @ViariSkywalker isn't a fic I meant to read in 2022, so much as review. Yes, it rather shamefully took me until 2023 to review the final chapter, but what a final chapter it was! This is a story that took me through every emotion, and was ultimately a tale about light versus dark and the ultimate triumph of that light, both internally and externally, in true Star Wars fashion. This is quite possibly one of my favorite works of fan fic ever, and I expound much more eloquently upon that in my review - but I'll not spoil anything more here!

20. A fic that states a relationship in the title: Guardian, by @ViariSkywalker may not state a relationship, exactly, in the title - except that it so incredibly states a relationship in the title. This story is, in every way, a look at the bond between Ben Skywalker and Allana Djo Solo, and how seriously he takes his role of guardian - and oh boy, does he. But again, I won't spoil anything more than that! You just need to go and read it for yourself if you haven't already.

21. A fic with a five-syllable title: On a Sea of Sand, by @JediMaster_Jen is a beautiful look at the relationship between the Luke and Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru - which is a relationship that I feel we could see more of in fan fiction, for just how pivotal and important it was to turn Luke into the character we know and love. Jen covers a great many moods and scenes in this collection, and I enjoyed every single one!

22. A fic with an 'author's note' at the start: Song of Fate, by @Chyntuck has an author's note that's near and dear to my heart, as she did the ultimate honor of combining an AU of her Ἀνάγκη!verse with my own Song!verse AU! This is a truly transformative look at a much loved cast in another time and place, and I have to give a special shout-out to the bond she explored between Ayesha and Jesse, along with an assortment of various other GFFA artists - which is such a cool and niche subject to see explored in the first place! Seriously: I cannot recommend this collection highly enough!

23. A fic that's written from a villain's perspective: Beneath the Gods of the Bright Sky, by @ViariSkywalker is not only written from a villain's perspective, but tells the story of how one particular villain was made. In this story, a kidnapped Jedi child is forged by the Sith from Veeran Starskip into Darth Ferrus, and, well . . . anything more than that, you'll have to read from there. This is an incredibly intimate and powerful character study, and I yet remain on tenterhooks for more!

 

I continue to make progress toward completing my Reading Challenge with some awesome stories

1. A fic by your favourite* author: The Best is Yet to Be by one of my favorite authors @Mira_Jade. In this Sense and Sensibility fanfic, Mira does a fabulous job of evoking the language and vibes of the Regency era as well as capturing the clever wit and social commentary of Jane Austen. It is a perfect read for Jane Austen fans like myself, and even if you aren't a Jane Austen fan, Mira will probably turn you into one with her fantastic writing.

2. A fic with two or more authors

3. A short story/one shot: Nostalgic Keepsakes by @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha is a nostalgic (as the title promises) and poignant one shot focusing on Leia's touching memories and mementos from Alderaan with a sweet Han/Leia romance moment at the end!

4. A fic whose chapters have titles

5. A fic starring a non-human character: Career Exploration (with Gungans) by @Seldes_Katne follows the adventures of a Gungan family with wit and clever worldbuilding details like Gungans developing quicker than humans that I really appreciated.

6. A challenge winner: Pull Me Home by @Gabri_Jade is the winner of the OTP Challenge #23. It focuses on Luke and Mara overcoming obstacles in their relationship and features some excellent dialogue that rings so true to the characters and can be heartbreaking, humorous, and adorably romantic by turns!

7. A fic recommended to you by someone else: Comfort Food by @Raissa Baiard was recommended to me as an excellent oneshot and absolutely delivers! There is humor, mush, accurate descriptions of the lethargy and misery flu can cause, and of course the delicious details of comfort food that have a personal, familial, and cultural significance. All of which Raissa captures with aplomb in this piece that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end!

8. A fic with exactly four words in the title: Collage of Memorable Scenes by @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha is a heartwarming collection of stories focusing on two of my all-time favorite Star Wars couples, Han and Leia, and Luke and Mara respectively.

9. An intimidating fic you have avoided

10. A fic with only canon characters: In On a Sea of Sand, @JediMaster_Jen brings to life Beru, Owen, Luke, and Ben Kenobi during the early days following Beru and Owen taking young Luke into their family. The characters are all portrayed very realistically, and there is much poignant emotion and drama to be found here. Readers will chuckle and get tears in their eyes as they make their way through this triumph of a Summer Olympics Triathlon.

11. A fic by a new^ author: The Talk by @UltramassiveUbersue is a wonderfully humorous and heartwarming fic featuring Luke and his sassy teenage son Ben with bonus appearances from Han and Leia to add even more to the enjoyment factor.

12. A fic you’ve been meaning to try: Heavy the Head by @DarthIshtar was a story I've been meaning to read ever since she announced her intention of writing a Bail/Breha fic for the 2023 Fanfiction Summer Olympics. The Summer Olympics is over, but I finally got around to reading the fic and loved the deft characterizations of Bail, Breha, and their adoptive daughter Leia as well as the excellent worlbuilding and politics of Alderaan, a planet for which I have a massive soft spot.

13. A fic that is outside your favourite time period/show: We Shall All Hang Separately by @DarthIshtar is set during the OT and the Beyond the Saga-Legends eras when the PT and Before the Saga are more my comfort zones, but with this fic I am richly rewarded for stepping outside my comfort zone with some beautiful moments of brother and sister bonding as the Skywalker twins take center stage and are celebrated as they deserve to be.

14. A fic with a great first line: In the Shade of the Wroshyr-Tales of the People of the Trees by @Chyntuck has a breathtaking first line that captures all the power of the best creation myths in our world and in a galaxy far, far away.

15. A fic whose main character is an OC: Night and Night by @Pandora focuses on her vividly drawn OC's Amilia and Florian while providing fascinating insights into Naboo culture and politics all in very poetic prose.

16. A fic whose title catches your attention: Ten Reasons Why Qui-Gon Jinn Is Not On The Jedi Council by @UltramassiveUbersue drew me in with promises of humor it totally delivered upon.

17. A fic that started in the month of your birthday: I am a November birthday gal, so I chose the recently published Tides of Darkness by @Theodore Hawkwood This story features some very realistic dialogue, witty banter that made me chuckle, and some very clever world building details about Mon Cala that absolutely enhanced my reading experience.

18. A fic you meant to read in 2022: The Song, The Sea, and the Mand'alor by @Findswoman artfully portrays Grogu in all his adorable preciousness. It's a story not to be missed by any fan of Grogu, Din, or the relationship between these two wonderful characters. Anyone in the mood for some heart melting mush will not be disappointed with this sweetest of one shots!

19. A fic with love, kiss or hug in the title: A Kingdom Where My Love Can Stand by @Mira_Jade transports the reader back to the Victorian era and features an in-depth exploration of what it means for Victoria to be girl, woman, and queen as well as references and memories of Tudor England that will thrill the heart of any history buff like myself. Highly recommended.

20. A fic that states a relationship in the title: Lunch with Tahl by @earlybird-obi-wan is centered around the relationship between Qui-Gon and Tahl, which is one of my favorite Star Wars relationships both as a friendship and later a romance. There is a lot of humor in this story and a glimpse of Dooku being a food critic as well which is sure to draw many laughs from readers!

21. A fic with a five-syllable title: A Lovely Night by @DarthIshtar does an excellent job delving into the nuances and nitty-gritty details of Leia's life in politics following the OT and the development of her swoon-worthy romance with Han. Complete with teasing about nerf-herders and slightly scraggly-looking scoundrels, this is not to be missed by any fan of the iconic Han/Leia couple.

22. A fic with an 'author's note' at the start: A Strange and Dazzling Array by @ViariSkywalker begins with an author's note that she will be treating us to a Decathlon of Delight, and the delight starts in the very first entry with an adorable and moving perspective on Ben Skywalker's birth from the point of view of his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. My heart was just a puddle of mush in the best possible way at the end of reading that.

23. A fic that's written from a villain's perspective: Our Hearts Were Never Meant to Kneel by @Mira_Jade does a compelling job evolving Maul from the bestial villain he is in TPM to a sympathetic, well-fleshed-out character on a journey to overcome his guilt, find redemption, and claim an independent identity. Characters like Madame Nu are also wonderfully and humorously portrayed.

 

I have a few more categories to go, and I'm hoping that the Review Race happening this final month of 2023 will help me finish those up at last! But as I was going through my list, I noticed that I actually took care of one of them earlier this year without realizing it; my apologies to the author and to the hostess of this challenge for that! Here it is:

6. A challenge winner—A Sick One with a Smile by @ViariSkywalker , winner of the OC revolution's Fall–Winter 2022 Challenge, "When a door closes..." Vi did an absolutely amazing job writing from the sick, twisted viewpoint of a serial killer who gets his much-deserved comeuppance at the hands of none other than a certain "Sith runt" we all know and love: one Mr. D. Starskip, alias Darth Festus.

 

And one more:

2. A fic with two or more authors—Old Friends by @Mira Grau and @Adalia-Durron, in which Ilona Malek, Alec Fenton, and Adalia Tehanis Durron reunite and catch up at an opening gala for an orphanage, then band together to fight back when danger strikes at the party. I always enjoy these two's collaborations and characters!

 

With the wiggle room of only a few weeks left in 2023, I am excited to announce that I have managed to finish the 2023 Reading Challenge

1. A fic by your favourite* author: The Best is Yet to Be by one of my favorite authors @Mira_Jade. In this Sense and Sensibility fanfic, Mira does a fabulous job of evoking the language and vibes of the Regency era as well as capturing the clever wit and social commentary of Jane Austen. It is a perfect read for Jane Austen fans like myself, and even if you aren't a Jane Austen fan, Mira will probably turn you into one with her fantastic writing.

2. A fic with two or more authors: Dinner at the Hungry Hutt was a marvelously humorous collaboration between two of my favorite writers: @Chyntuck and @Findswoman featuring some magnificent Hutt flirtation. I enjoyed every word!

3. A short story/one shot: Nostalgic Keepsakes by @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha is a nostalgic (as the title promises) and poignant one shot focusing on Leia's touching memories and mementos from Alderaan with a sweet Han/Leia romance moment at the end!

4. A fic whose chapters have titles: Palace, Forest, Stars by @divapilot makes wonderful narrative use of its chapter titles as a unifying story element as each one is named for a room in the palace (such as the library or the balcony) where the main character, Breha Organa, lives, and the drama of her diary plays out.

5. A fic starring a non-human character: Career Exploration (with Gungans) by @Seldes_Katne follows the adventures of a Gungan family with wit and clever worldbuilding details like Gungans developing quicker than humans that I really appreciated.

6. A challenge winner: Pull Me Home by @Gabri_Jade is the winner of the OTP Challenge #23. It focuses on Luke and Mara overcoming obstacles in their relationship and features some excellent dialogue that rings so true to the characters and can be heartbreaking, humorous, and adorably romantic by turns!

7. A fic recommended to you by someone else: Comfort Food by @Raissa Baiard was recommended to me as an excellent oneshot and absolutely delivers! There is humor, mush, accurate descriptions of the lethargy and misery flu can cause, and of course the delicious details of comfort food that have a personal, familial, and cultural significance. All of which Raissa captures with aplomb in this piece that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end!

8. A fic with exactly four words in the title: Collage of Memorable Scenes by @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha is a heartwarming collection of stories focusing on two of my all-time favorite Star Wars couples, Han and Leia, and Luke and Mara respectively.

9. An intimidating fic you have avoided: Graceful as Water by @Findswoman intimidated me with its subject matter and contents warnings, but I am glad that I overcame my fears to read this story that fleshes out the complexity of Tusken Raider culture and captures the lyrical poetry of the Celtic bouncy black murder ballad that inspired it. This piece was as dark and haunting as it was beautiful, and I know that I will be thinking about it for a long time after reading. It is a story that will "stick" with me.

10. A fic with only canon characters: In On a Sea of Sand, @JediMaster_Jen brings to life Beru, Owen, Luke, and Ben Kenobi during the early days following Beru and Owen taking young Luke into their family. The characters are all portrayed very realistically, and there is much poignant emotion and drama to be found here. Readers will chuckle and get tears in their eyes as they make their way through this triumph of a Summer Olympics Triathlon.

11. A fic by a new^ author: The Talk by @UltramassiveUbersue is a wonderfully humorous and heartwarming fic featuring Luke and his sassy teenage son Ben with bonus appearances from Han and Leia to add even more to the enjoyment factor.

12. A fic you’ve been meaning to try: Heavy the Head by @DarthIshtar was a story I've been meaning to read ever since she announced her intention of writing a Bail/Breha fic for the 2023 Fanfiction Summer Olympics. The Summer Olympics is over, but I finally got around to reading the fic and loved the deft characterizations of Bail, Breha, and their adoptive daughter Leia as well as the excellent worlbuilding and politics of Alderaan, a planet for which I have a massive soft spot.

13. A fic that is outside your favourite time period/show: We Shall All Hang Separately by @DarthIshtar is set during the OT and the Beyond the Saga-Legends eras when the PT and Before the Saga are more my comfort zones, but with this fic I am richly rewarded for stepping outside my comfort zone with some beautiful moments of brother and sister bonding as the Skywalker twins take center stage and are celebrated as they deserve to be.

14. A fic with a great first line: In the Shade of the Wroshyr-Tales of the People of the Trees by @Chyntuck has a breathtaking first line that captures all the power of the best creation myths in our world and in a galaxy far, far away.

15. A fic whose main character is an OC: Night and Night by @Pandora focuses on her vividly drawn OC's Amilia and Florian while providing fascinating insights into Naboo culture and politics all in very poetic prose.

16. A fic whose title catches your attention: Ten Reasons Why Qui-Gon Jinn Is Not On The Jedi Council by @UltramassiveUbersue drew me in with promises of humor it totally delivered upon.

17. A fic that started in the month of your birthday: I am a November birthday gal, so I chose the recently published Tides of Darkness by @Theodore Hawkwood This story features some very realistic dialogue, witty banter that made me chuckle, and some very clever world building details about Mon Cala that absolutely enhanced my reading experience.

18. A fic you meant to read in 2022: The Song, The Sea, and the Mand'alor by @Findswoman artfully portrays Grogu in all his adorable preciousness. It's a story not to be missed by any fan of Grogu, Din, or the relationship between these two wonderful characters. Anyone in the mood for some heart melting mush will not be disappointed with this sweetest of one shots!

19. A fic with love, kiss or hug in the title: A Kingdom Where My Love Can Stand by @Mira_Jade transports the reader back to the Victorian era and features an in-depth exploration of what it means for Victoria to be girl, woman, and queen as well as references and memories of Tudor England that will thrill the heart of any history buff like myself. Highly recommended.

20. A fic that states a relationship in the title: Lunch with Tahl by @earlybird-obi-wan is centered around the relationship between Qui-Gon and Tahl, which is one of my favorite Star Wars relationships both as a friendship and later a romance. There is a lot of humor in this story and a glimpse of Dooku being a food critic as well which is sure to draw many laughs from readers!

21. A fic with a five-syllable title: A Lovely Night by @DarthIshtar does an excellent job delving into the nuances and nitty-gritty details of Leia's life in politics following the OT and the development of her swoon-worthy romance with Han. Complete with teasing about nerf-herders and slightly scraggly-looking scoundrels, this is not to be missed by any fan of the iconic Han/Leia couple.

22. A fic with an 'author's note' at the start: A Strange and Dazzling Array by @ViariSkywalker begins with an author's note that she will be treating us to a Decathlon of Delight, and the delight starts in the very first entry with an adorable and moving perspective on Ben Skywalker's birth from the point of view of his grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. My heart was just a puddle of mush in the best possible way at the end of reading that.

23. A fic that's written from a villain's perspective: Our Hearts Were Never Meant to Kneel by @Mira_Jade does a compelling job evolving Maul from the bestial villain he is in TPM to a sympathetic, well-fleshed-out character on a journey to overcome his guilt, find redemption, and claim an independent identity. Characters like Madame Nu are also wonderfully and humorously portrayed.

 

I too am happy to report that I have finished my own Reading Challenge for 2023 with . . .

2. A fic with two or more authors: What could be more mahvelous than a collaboration between @Chyntuck and @Findswoman? Well, a fic starring both Bonvika and Eliskandro the Hutt as a besotted pair of canoodle-newts in Dinner at the Hungry Hutt, that's what! Dinner, fashion, and fanon? Check, check, and check, to a truly fabulous degree!

7. A fic recommended to you by someone else: [Penguins of Madagascar] No Remedy for Memory by @pronker. A line in pronker's signature, expressing her pride in this particular story, recommended this fic to me - and I'm so glad it did! I already knew pronker for her stellar team-as-family vibes and a knack for writing military-esque missions with all of the applicable commando-jargon in this fandom, along with her quintessentially A+ talent for dialogue. This story had all that and more as it tackled a darker mission-gone-wrong early on on Skipper's fledgling (hee ) career. If you read one NSW story by pronker, let it be this one!

11. A fic by a new^ author: @DLR001 is a new author who made a splash with their KotoR stories at the beginning of this year, and Echoes of the Old Republic is easily one of my favorite stories that I've read in this era, period. Emotionally intense, and packed with stellar scenery and interesting and varied OCs, this is the story of another cast of unlikely heroes as they rise up to fight back the darkness once more.

19. A fic with love, kiss or hug in the title: The Word for Kiss is "Mureyca" by @Raissa Baiard. First-kiss fics don't get any better than this! Here, Kaz puts his newfound Mando'a vocabulary to good use, and then Wren helps him expand it even further. Heartwarming and sweet, with Raissa's hallmark dialogue and knack for writing introspective prose and engaging characters, this is another gem to add to her already glittering Wraz crown!

 

Thanks for checking in, Kit’! I’ve just got one more category left in my list: no. 7, “a fic recommended to you by someone else,” and I have a few possible candidates in that one; I just have to sit down and read and review them properly. It’s definitely been busy times, so I’ll do my best!

Congratulations to my mod colleagues @devilinthedetails and @Mira_Jade for finishing this challenge with such aplomb!

 

All righty doo! I am delighted to announce that have now taken care of my very last category:

7. A fic recommended to you by someone else—I have two to put forth in this category: the hilarious Qui-Gon comedy-romance series Ten Reasons Why Qui-Gon Jinn Is Not on the Jedi Council by @UltramassiveUbersue , recommended by @Kahara ; and @Thumper09 's awesome athletically themed OC-based collection Color Commentary, recommended by @Raissa Baiard . Both were written for the 2023 Summer Fanfic Olympics, and although they couldn't be more different from each other in style, content, mood, and premise, both were eminently engaging, entertaining reads that showcase their respective writers' talents to the full. Great job by writers and recommenders alike!