disgruntled_owl | Entries tagged with star wars

Netflix reports that it will be removing Star Wars: the Clone Wars TV show from the streaming service on April 7. I feel like this is a threat they make about once a year, but as Disney expands its media empire, maybe this show is being snapped up for one of its streaming services. So, I'm frantically re-watching the final episodes of Season 5 (the Jedi Temple bombing ones), which are space noir perfection. Doing so reminds me how much I LOVE the Clone Wars Tarkin, who was so clearly created by a dedicated Cushing fan.

LOOK AT HIM. Those cheekbones, that widow's peak!

He's even better on video! Stephen Stanton's voice work is pretty good, but what really brings Tarkin to life is the way the character moves. He does the Cushing finger thing! I watched S5E18: The Jedi Who Knew Too Much and almost fell off the couch when I noticed it this time.

Damn, I'm gonna miss having easy access to this show.

Here are my Fandom Stocking entries, 'cause why not:

Conquered
723 words
by

disgruntled_owl for

calliopes_pen
Fandoms: Dracula - Bram Stoker, Dracula & Related Fandoms
Relationship: Jonathan Harker/Brides of Dracula
Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply
Collection: Fandom Stocking 2018
Additional Tags: Jonathan Harker, Brides of Dracula, Vampires, Gothic, Blood Drinking, Vaginal Sex

Summary: Once Dracula leaves for London, his women lay claim to his castle and to the victim inside. Now fully in the Brides' clutches, Jonathan Harker must choose whether to resist or to surrender.

AND

Turning Time
340 words
by

disgruntled_owl for

MiriamKenneath
Fandoms: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel - James Luceno, Star Wars - All Media Types
Relationship: Galen Erso/Orson Krennic
Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply
Collection: Fandom Stocking 2018
Additional Tags: Galen Erso, Orson Krennic, Missing Scene, Angst, Manual stimulation, Memories, Backstory, Betrayal, Hand Jobs, Intimacy, Tragic Romance, Minor Canonical Character(s)

Summary: Galen gives in to Orson's affections to keep him from discovering Bodhi Rook's flight to Jedha. But once he takes Orson in his arms, Galen succumbs to memories, desire, and a longing to change their fate.

If you like Star Wars, and cyborgs, and creepy things happening to Clone Wars-era Obi-Wan Kenobi, then maybe this is for you!

Warrior's Body
by disgruntled_owl
for shanlyrical

Collection: Trick or Treat Exchange 2018
Rating: Teen and Up
Word Count: 1,388
Fandoms: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media TypesStar Wars - All Media Types
Tags: Grievous | Qymaen jai Sheelal, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Psychosexual Encounter, envy - Freeform, Nudity, Trick or Treat: Trick, Fight Scene, cyborg, Jedi

Summary: Obi-Wan is compromised during a stealth mission and wakes to find himself wounded, exposed, and in Grievous's clutches. As he tries to make his escape, the Jedi is forced to reckon with the creature within the machine.

Notes and thoughts:

One of the blessings I've experienced writing for exchanges is that I have gotten better at empathizing with, or at least appreciating, characters that don't naturally attract my interest. Here's hoping these experiences are making me a better writer overall. At the outset, I struggled with what I was going to do with Grievous, but by the time I finished the story, I found him to be a lot more intriguing (and I found Obi-Wan a lot sexier, too). It helped to watch both Clone Wars TV shows, which put the horror villain Grievous in horror-type settings (as opposed to sunny jungle planets surrounded by giant lizards). He's actually at his most terrifying in Tartakovsky's cel-animated Clone Wars series, where he's this nigh-unstoppable murder machine.
I've seen countless Force pushes and throws in Star Wars movies and TV shows, but writing about how the Force works and how Jedi use it turned out to be pretty hard.
I debated whether I could define this as a slash relationship when I was tagging it. I wanted to include a sexual undercurrent, but it's probably one the characters only subconsciously realize. There's no actual sex, but a lot of weird touching. I'm still feeling my way towards where the slash boundary actually lies, and what tags might be false advertising.

In an effort to talk more about my fandom interests while celebrating alliteration, I meant to post this Fannish Friday content two days ago. But, it was hot and I had too many mashed potatoes with dinner Friday night, and then Saturday happened, and now here we are.

1. I am trying to tweet (@disgruntledowl3)! And Tumble (thegrouchyowl)! I'm mostly lurking and hesitantly retweeting or reblogging, but baby steps. It's still hard to figure out what to write that doesn't feel like yelling about things I like off of a high precipice.

2. I've been devouring Star Wars content in an attempt to get myself to finish a Rogue One fic. Here are some things I've been checking out:

Rebels: The later seasons of this show seem pretty interesting, but to get grounded for them, I'm starting at the beginning. So far, Ezra Bridger is...force-sensitive space Aladdin? The upbeat heroism and found-family elements remind me a lot of the 90s Aladdin TV show, which was one of my favorites growing up. I'm still getting a feel for the main characters; meanwhile, this series does not play coy with the tie-ins to the original Star Wars trilogy. The first few episodes feature the appearance of a rather moving holovid from Obi Wan, and it's not long before C3PO and R2D2 show up to do their thing. I'll see how this show goes, and how it stacks up to its lauded animated predecessor, The Clone Wars.

Novels and Novelizations: I'm alternately reading Rebel Rising, a YA novel about Jyn Erso's childhood with and eventual abandonment by Saw Gerrera, and Tarkin, which is about Wilhuff Tarkin's rise to power and his relationship with Darth Vader. So far they're both...fine. In each book, the prose style leaves something to be desired—in Rebel Rising it is pretty heavy handed, while Tarkin is weighed down with exposition, which in turn is chock-a-block with technical details. Still, both books hold enough promise to keep me going. I have found myself feeling glad to have read Luceno's (Tarkin author's) Catalyst, even though I was bothered by its style initially, because it gave me just enough emotional juice and content to inspire my Rogue One fics. Rebel Rising has a similar potential for emotional resonance, and Tarkin will give me more of a flavor for my beloved sharp-cheekboned villain. (Here's Peter Cushing being charming while talking about playing the Grand Moff.)

References: My fic isn't getting done that quickly, but I've been having a lot of fun going down the research rabbit hole with tools like this cool Star Wars Galaxy Map and my detail rich Edge of the Empire RPG rulebook. My current obsession is with Gands, insectoids whose most famous members are shamanistic bounty hunters. Probably a fun thing to be aside from having to breathe ammonia.

3. I've never seen Phantom of the Opera. Anybody have a film version that you'd recommend? I have Hammer's version starring Herbert Lom, as part of a Hammer DVD box set. I'll watch that version one way or another because I'm a Herbert Lom fan, but I'm curious what else is out there.

My entries for the recent Multifandom Drabble Exchange (and treats!)

Awake for mergatrude
Fandoms: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Characters: Cassian Andor, K-2SO (Star Wars)

Additional Tags: Pre-Canon, Drabble

Words: 100
"The rebirth of a droid"

Feast for theprokaryotekid

Fandom: Dracula - Bram Stoker

Relationship: Brides of Dracula/Mina Harker

Characters: Mina Harker, Brides of Dracula, Abraham Van Helsing
Words: 100

"En route to Dracula's castle, Mina is tempted by strangers in the forest."

Our Moment

Fandoms: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel - James Luceno, Star Wars - All Media Types

Relationship: Galen Erso & Orson Krennic

Characters: Orson Krennic, Galen Erso, Jyn Erso, Lyra Erso

Additional Tags: Double Drabble, Drinking, Coruscant, Project Celestial Power
Words: 200
"During a toast, Orson Krennic contemplates his and Galen Erso's rise to greatness."

Stuff on Screens

The Beguiled (Siegel, 1971). In my continued pre-gaming for the Coppola remake, I watched this one. A wounded but lusty Union soldier recuperates in a Southern boarding school full of repressed girls and ladies, and things get out of hand. It’s as lurid as you’d expect a movie made in 1971 to be, but disappointing on a number of counts. The screenwriters promptly trade in the suspense for the sleaze, revealing a major piece of character backstory within the first several minutes. This reveal both neuters said character and eliminates the slow burn unfolding of that information, which made the book interesting to read. I came for the Southern Gothic atmosphere, which takes a distant backseat to softcore sex scenes and gauche visual metaphors. While the book shows both sexes struggling under the confined, upside-down circumstances the war has brought, this movie seems to be more sympathetic to Clint Eastwood’s injured soldier than most of the women, who either want to possess him or castrate him, regardless of their age or backstory.

Still, if you have three minutes, the trailer is hilarious. It’s a solid example of the “so bad it’s awesome” trailer formula: Authoritative Voice Man barks craziness over the most sordid or ‘splodey parts of the movie.

I’m still interested in seeing where Coppola will go in her version. So far I agree with those criticizing her for not including the black house slave character in her adaptation, which is a loss not in only terms of representation but also as a counterpoint to the privileges and restrictions the white women experience. But I’m holding out hope that she’ll bring back the mysterious environment and languid pace, and approach the story from a feminist direction.

Big Trouble in Little China (Carpenter, 1986). So, okay. I didn’t do my homework on this movie. I went on Netflix looking for 80s goofball craziness and landed on this one. At first watch, it makes negative sense. I never figured out who some of the characters were or what motivated them. Exposition is either shouted over gunfire or occasionally blurted out as though the characters were being given Heimlich maneuvers. With its underground booby-trapped labyrinth filled with Claymation and puppet monsters, it looks an awful lot like The Goonies for grownups.

Then there’s the pan-Asian-pop-culture candy coating poured over the whole thing. ( Gonna stumble through my thoughts about this, from a white perspective. )

Life Stuff
Last weekend I was in Geneseo, IL for my cousin-in-law’s wedding. The wedding was enjoyable, the bride lovely, and the events on either side--a firefly lit barn party and a small-town Father's Day parade--were quite fun. The parade was like drinking America from a fire hose: marching bands and tractors and beauty pageant winners and Trump and Jesus. While I had a good time, the heavy dose of religion I encountered throughout the weekend (wedding ceremony + fundamentalist Lutheran community) and the youthful innocence of the bride brought up some complicated, bittersweet thoughts and feelings. I found myself mourning my past as a religious teenager, when life often seemed more straightforward and I had fewer regrets (thought maybe that’s just because I was younger…). But I also reflected on the many reasons--intellectual and spiritual--why I’m not that person anymore.

This week I'm competing in the Grownup Field Games, including work wardrobe shopping and *gulp* dipping my toe into the waters of the metro Boston real estate market by meeting with a realtor. It’s all making me long for simple summers with nothing but my library's summer reading program to worry about. But I had a good time at Sunday's Fannish Brunch, which is a good reminder that you can be random and nerdy and fun no matter what age you are.

Projects
I’m taking a break from Hunchback to write a Rogue One Orson Krennic fic that came to mind in (relatively) whole cloth while reading James Luceno’s Catalyst Star Wars novel. I’m learning that “one does not simply write fic in the Star Wars Universe.” There is lore for fucking everything. For what it's worth, I am now very adept at writing about bug people.

Looking forward to…
July 4th weekend in Acadia National Park. Atomic Blonde (opening July 28). Charlize Theron AND John Goodman AND Toby Jones? Oh, my!