Characters The Vent Crawler's Lair | A Zekk Index and Discussion Thread | Look, sir! An update!

I personally think he did all he could do to help her, but I agree with you that he comes off as uptight in DJ largely because we see him through Jaina's eyes. She wasn't exactly emotionally stable at that point in time.

Fair enough. I love reading and writing about YJK Zekk, too; he was very much the "fearless, confident survivor" Cunningham described him as in DJ. I still think that a little more Zekk POV in profic would do wonders for fans' perception of his character.

 

Thanks for putting this together! I've found a couple that I hadn't seen yet. Perhaps I'll peruse the old stuff and eventually get some creative jucies flowing.

 

Hurray! A forum just for Zekk.

This was a lovely surprise to come back to the Boards to. Great job, you guys- everything is looking awesome!

 

I know a challenge is forthcoming, but I thought I might add how it is hard gfor me to imagine writing Zekk separate from Jaina. Having said that, I did it in "Tall, Dark, and Handsome', but right now, I'm stumped on how to proceed writing him by himself.

Challenge?

 

Nice thread. It's a shame one of the bigoted rules of this place won't let me link to some of my favorite Zekk stuff...*absentmindedly gestures towards signature*

But oh well. I'll still enjoy talking about him.

 

Ooh, yay! My new must read list. One question though.

(drunk belly dancing? Zekk?),

Is that an already existing story or our first challenge?

 

I'm going to regret putting that image in your mind, aren't I, Marie?

Here's the deal, everyone: I'm going to try and get the first index update + challenge up as soon as my winter break starts late next week.

 

(claps, giddy) A Zekk thread? I am so happy! Zekk is so cool. I mean, come on. Now I can express my enthusiasm without feeling guilty about posting in the J/Z thread, seeing as I am a J/J shipper. Yikes.

 

ROFL!

Only you would ask that particular question, Marie.

 

*squees*

It's good to see Zekk without Jania in tow, I have to say! Can't wait to see that challenge, Joe.

 

Why do you write about Zekk? What aspects of his character intrigue you? Annoy you? How do you portray him in your fanfic?

This is like... four different questions so I'm going to break it up to answer them.

Why do you write about Zekk?

Because he's my favorite male Jedi. Even before he was a Jedi, he was my favorite male expanded universe character. There's just something about his background and growth that really appeals to me - until NJO.

What aspects of his character intrigue you?

His past, for one. I've been toying with the idea of doing a long fic on it, but it wouldn't be suitable for site. It'd be pretty dark and I wouldn't pull any punches. That his past and his history as a Jedi are shrouded in such mystery make him an interesting character to write. Aside from that, I love his loyalty - though it's almost a fault the way he's normally written. I love his compassion, his integrity and his dignity. I adore that he's aware of what his limits are and what he can and can't do - and seems to know instinctively who to turn to for help. His self-sufficiency is almost unheard of when it comes to new Jedi and it makes him a really interesting character.

Annoy you?

The "poor me" complex he's written with 99.9% of the time. That is about the biggest irksome factor I have. Of course, if its written properly where he shows growth beyond it, I haven't really got a problem with it. Only in pro-fic he's never moved beyond her and it's about time, I think.

How do you portray him in your fanfic?

As I feel he should be. I don't see him as the angsty, tragic hero that pro-fic seems determined to make him out to be. Zekk is more than just Jaina's sometimes boy toy and a lot of authors seem to forget that fact. He's got abilities that let him stand on his own and when I write him, I try to get those to shine through.

 

Why do you write about Zekk?

I guess its because I identify with him more than some of the other more outspoken characrters. He quiet, reserved, and yet honest, trustworthy, and loyal. He's a good guy that I wish would get more well rounded characterization. His profic career is pretty cardboard.

What aspects of his character intrigue you?

His past only makes his present thoughtfulness more important. He's not so much fearful of using his power as he is very aware of the power he weilds.

Since he is a minor character, he doesn't get much 'screen time', but I also think he has a good, dry sense of humor.

Annoy you?

The only thing that annoys me is his lack of assertion in regards to Jaina.

How do you portray him in your fanfic?

I portray his as less clueless than some. He is a competent Jedi Knight with integrity and wisdom. I think he has more to offer. He is in love, so I tend to make him more assertive toward Jaina. He is also a good role model for younger Jedi initiates.

 

Why do you write about Zekk?

Because he is such a fun flavor of emo! No, seriously, I think he's a facinating character who is a lot more complex than many otehr EU ones, and he's been through so much that their is just so muc to write about!

What aspects of his character intrigue you?

Umm, the fact that he's totally hot, hellooo! That and the way he can be a fun, adventrous guy who crazks great jokes and also an emo kid at the same time. Like I said, complicated kid.

Annoy you?

Get over Jaina! You've been a creepy stalker for 20 years! Move on!

How do you portray him in your fanfic?

Not gonna lie; more emo than he is in canon, and I don't know why.

 

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December/January Update

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[color=green][b][i]New stories:[/i][/b][/color]

? [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/27522356/p1/?12][b]In the Darkest Night, A Star[/b][/link] by [link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=Charon_Force][color=green][b]Charon_Force[/b][/color][/link]

? [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/23659288/p1/?226][b]Dark Intentions[/b][/link] by [link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=Darth_Intangable][color=green][b]Darth_Intangable[/b][/color][/link]

? [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/27830244/p1/?33][b]Nearly Zero[/b][/link] by [link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=Darth_Lex][color=green][b]Darth_Lex[/color][/b][/link]

? [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/27088152/p1/?17][b]Every Sword Needs a Shield[/b][/link] by [link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=Flowerlady][color=green][b]Flowerlady[/b][/color][/link]

? [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/25970721/p1/?229][b]Yesterday to Tomorrow[/b][/link] by [link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=iamobiwan1970][color=green][b]iamobiwan1970[/color][/b][/link]

? [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/27355313/p1/?44][b]Taerlyndan[/b][/link] by [link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=Idrelle_Miocovani][color=green][b]Idrelle_Miocovani[/color][/b][/link]

? [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/27387228/p1/?84][b]Holocaust[/b][/link] by [link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=Jedi-Ant][color=green][b]Jedi-Ant[/b][/color][/link]

? [link=http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/27886672/p1/?9][b]Devils and Dust[/b][/link] by [link=http://boards.theforce.net/ASP/user.asp?usr=Lusa_Thul][color=green][b]Lusa_Thul[/b][/color][/link]
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[b][i][color=green]New Discussion Topic:[/color][/i][/b]

What do you imagine Zekk?s childhood was like? How did his early upbringing influence his character?
[hr]
[b][i][color=green]December/January Challenge:[/color][/i][/b]

Write a vignette or short story about Zekk?s childhood. Please post a link to your entries in this thread. This challenge will run until [b]January 31st[/b]. [face_happy]
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What do I imagine Zekk's childhood was like? Nothing good, that's for sure.

But I suppose that depends on which part of it you're talking about. On Ennth, he probably had a good life. So writing about his folks and his family would be a happy place... Where as if you're talking about the years before he met Jaina, but after Ennth... Heck.. the years before he was taken by the Shadow Academy, I would say he's not as innocent as people want us to believe.

Street kids see and do things that they wouldn't normally do in a good and happy/caring home. They're exposed to elements of society that children should never see - and yet do.

So I guess my answer is that Zekk's childhood couldn't have been easy. He's too much written as a victim. Something in me says he's suffered traumas - aside from the whole Shadow Academy thing - and they're ones we haven't seen. However the signs are there. He acts in many ways like an abuse victim. His fixation on certain people or places or events makes him not only a character that's survived, but one that's trying to move beyond his experiences.

So how has that affected his character? It's taken a road no other characters have taken through the SW universe - but it's one that we don't really see and is only implied in his actions and reactions. It makes for great speculation. Not to mention, when you take it in this context, it also makes it really easy to understand why going Darkside was so easy

 

This turned out long! Oops! First off, thanks for adding my story to the index! Second, here are my long winded thoughts on the Noble Knight:

Zekk as a boy???

Zekk really is an emo thinker. He?s the kid who wears black to school and writes scary secret poetry in his journal. Zekk wasn?t well adjusted enough to fight off the temptation of being someone by joining the Shadow Academy. He was easily influenced by the wrong people, that tells me he wasn't all that stable to begin with.

I?d like to think he had good loving parents and a stable home for nine years, but I?m not so sure. If his life had been so normal, how would he have had the skills to survive on his own at age nine? He was able to take care of himself and get to Coruscant. Quite resourceful. Perhaps he was already a bit of a street kid on Ennth. Maybe his parents didn?t teach him he was as good as anyone else. And why did they get separated from him during the Ennth destruction? That didn?t seem too smart!

Once he is promised the power and the glory by Brakiss it is all too easy to think that Jaina and Jacen never liked or respected him. He has a strong sense of class issues, and divide, where did these come from? Was Ennth a divided society?

This question has me truly probing his childhood (and yeh, it?s bred some plot bunnies, but I?ll make no promises on that). Was Zekk?s life ever good? Was his time with Peckhum the most love and respect he?d ever received?

Contrast this with Kyp, (I have to since they have the same ?father? KJA and I am convinced KJA created Zekk in Kyp?s likeness) who always seemed to know he belonged no matter where he was. I don?t picture the Imperial Center intimidating Kyp, but it did Zekk. And though one might think those two had similar stories, they really don?t. They have very distinct personalities both as teens and as men.

So what draws me to Zekk? I think it?s the inner turmoil that he fights daily. His incredible strength and convictions, and his deep morality even when he knows how good the darkside ?tastes?. He is an admirable Jedi. The way he is currently caring for Jaina makes him even more master like to me.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that he's tall, dark, and handsome!!!

 

What do you imagine Zekk?s childhood was like? How did his early upbringing influence his character?

I've always operated on the thought that Zekk had a pleasant home life on Ennth, before the disasters, but <b>iamobiwan1970</b> brings up a really good point. I suppose his parents could have been neglectful or something, and little Zekk went a little wild on the streets or something... (Hmm, I can hear the plot bunnies coming now!)

Also- maybe neglectful, distant or even abusive parents were part of the reason that Zekk tries so hard for acceptance (ex: why it was so easy for Brakiss to turn him by promising honor, and his fervent desires to <i>earn</i> his friendship with Jaina and Jacen).

On the other hand, he seems to be a fairly quick learner from what we've seen of him in the books- maybe he was just forced to learn the necessary skills to survive in a hurry, once he was on his own?

Anyway, I think he saw a lot of uncensored suffering, death, etc. on Ennth- he has such a strong compassion for anyone in need. Whether that compassion first developed on Ennth, or when he was suddenly an orphan is an interesting question. His history is so vague, so open...

Certainly though, his history has made him a unique character and shaped him completely.

 

I think Zekk's childhood was very unpleasent. He spent several years alone in the undercity. Peckhum while kind, had to work and was often gone.

Losing his family, and running away had to have been very truamatic. He also had to deal with the sheer amount of violence and death in the undercity.

These conditions of loneliness and truama, I think have made Zekk a very isolated person. He is often been described as silent or tree-like except when he is talking to Jaina.

I think he was a sensitive kid who has never realy recovered from the pain he felt as a young man, and so he clings to the only people he feels care for him.

 

Ya'll knew it was coming - it was a challenge I couldn't resist!

Bravado

 

This thread needs a pick me up.

I never read YJK so I'm not really sure. I've gleaned a few things about that time, but his childhood is a mystery to me.

 

His childhood is a mystery in real fiction too. Supposedly he met Jaina when he was 11, but where was that written? The first I saw him he was 17 and in the Lost Ones.

I think in some books he seems written like he is 12 (like those around the lost ones) but in later books he acts like a 17 year old would.

I want more Zekk fiction!

 

Working on it - just gimmie time :Þ

Seriously, I totally agree - Zekk fiction kicks serious butt!

 

Bunnies are bouncing for a multi-poster with my OC Lens Eli as Zekk's first apprentice after he is elevated to Master...

 

Sorry for the double post.

Well, maybe not. This thread needs an update. I think it would be interesting to go from discussing Zekk's childhood to his post LOTF status as Jedi Master.

Are you out there j_o_e?

 

I'm here! I promise an update is coming; work and school have kept me busy lately, so it might be a few days before I can get something up. But I definitely haven't forgotten about this thread!

His childhood is a mystery in real fiction too. Supposedly he met Jaina when he was 11, but where was that written? The first I saw him he was 17 and in the Lost Ones.

As far as I know, profic hasn't detailed how Zekk met the Solo twins; the meeting is alluded to, but never shown. I think he was sixteen in The Lost Ones, but I always thought he acted much older than the Solo twins, even in the early YJK books.