Latest Posts by foreverforty2 - Page 4

Thanks for giving me a chance ❤

Musings On Thrawn

Let me begin this by stating up front; Thrawn is a villain. A brilliant, fascinating, charismatic villain, but a villain nonetheless. He is Holmes and Rommel and Moriarty all rolled into one. (Please don’t hate me for this.)

And I’ve tried to keep that front of mind as I have been writing this massive Alexsandr Kallus fic, Especially now that I am into the cat and mouse section where Kallus is spying for the rebels as Fulcrum, but having to interact with Thrawn on an almost daily basis. 

To prepare to write this I reread all the Thrawn books. I even read the first Heir to Empire, and if people thought Thrawn was vile in Rebels he was far worse in that Legends novel. I’ve also been rewatching a number of Rebel’s episodes.

In the books Tim tries very hard not to have Thrawn be as loathsome as Tarkin or Vader and succeeds, but it’s still important to remember he is not a good, kind man. Yes, he tries to limit civilian casualties… when possible, but he won’t let the death of innocents stand in the way of a victory. In the end it’s always about the cold equation.

In the Ascendency novels he makes it clear to Admiral Ba’kif that he would have destroyed the planet Sunrise and all of its inhabitants in order to destroy the Grysk threat to the Chiss. And he would have leveled Capital City if Ezra had not capitulated.

He also uses and discards his own troops in the service of tactics and strategy. In Treason he cold bloodily sends a number of Tie pilots to their deaths to verify his theory about the alien’s battle tactics. War for Thrawn is like a giant game of tactica or chess.

I do love the fact that Thrawn was the perfect Chiss to send into Lesser Space to serve in the Empire. While Thrawn, unlike many of his fellow Chiss, is able and willing to work with aliens he comes from a culture that is every bit as bigoted as the high human cult in the Empire. Which is another reason he can so easily slide into serving Palpatine.

Basically, he seems to be a man who has great difficulty forming personal relationships. (To be fair Tim has no choice, but to write books that focus on battles and strategy and political skullduggery and not much on the inner lives of the characters, and it certainly provides fanfic authors a rich playing field. Actually that is one of my complaints about the books. Nobody seems to have any personal attachments. Eli blithely waltzes off to the Ascendancy without a thought for his parents, but I digress). 

So, to lay our Blue Meanie on the coach for a moment….

All of his relationships take the form of mentor to mentee whether it’s with Thrass or Ar'alani or Samakro or Che’ri or Faro or Eli. And his emotional reactions to Thrass’ death, or sending away Eli seem very muted. The books do give us a potential reason for this reticence – the loss of the sister. The fear that he would be hurt again makes him avoid deep relationships and leaves him isolated. 

At his core, I think Thrawn is a man of the mind and not the heart. I think he fears strong emotion, passion because it might cloud his judgement, and open him up to pain again. 

All of which combines to make him a tragic figure. Which really is the best kind of villain. The ones who had the possibility to be heroes, but are brought low by their own fatal flaw.

😭😩🥹😍

@foreverforty2 It’s an illustration from her beautiful fanfiction, Miithrawn. You can find it HERE

Thank you so much for sharing that with us! And of course thank you for your help, I’ll be forever in your debt! 

Thrawn and Politics

Look, Thrawn is bad at politics. Yes, he’s a genius at military tactics and reading his opponents, but that doesn’t automatically translate to a new field!

For one, his reading of people’s body language is clearly practiced, not natural – in Thrawn (2017), he notes changes in muscle, expression, and body heat before determining emotions; someone who notes this naturally would note the emotion first, and might even struggle to describe how they could tell (much like Thrawn struggles to describe what he sees in art!).

He’s also tactless and blunt – he straight up compares the head of the ISB to his AIDE, mostly unfavorably! He might just want people to improve, but doesn’t seem to notice how his words can come off as condescending or rude.

Most importantly, politics rely on a completely different priority system, one that, honestly? Doesn’t make logical sense. And Thrawn thrives on logic and practicality!

Politicians (especially in the GFFA) are generally known for putting their personal goals first – or at least equal to – the good of the whole. We see this in both the Empire and in the Ascendancy (where they put individual families first). This breeds a network of under-the-table deals, games, and power shifting that Thrawn is completely blind to.

(This got a bit long…)

Keep reading

My second Thrawn Fanfiction is up! Complete!

Now with a fanart drawn by @blackmonitor !!!

This scene launched alotta fanfics

as the pain sweeps through makes no sense for you every thrill is gone wasn’t too much fun at all

LABYRINTH (1986) dir. Jim Henson

I approached your Imitation with admittedly more than a little trepidation. The description said that a clone — Thrawn’s clone — was to be babysat. I skipped the fic several time. What I almost did was bypass the chef-d'oeuvre of you catalogue!

Partially, we have an elaborate what-if had Thrawn not experienced life as he did, but this evaluation would be selling the story far short of the masterpiece that it is. It is also a parallel story of sentience, and the realization that the clone — the “it”, the object owned — is indeed an independent, thinking, breathing individual quite apart from its Prime, Thrawn. Echoes of my all-time favourite episode of Star Trek TNG, The Measure of a Man written by the incomparable Melinda M Snodgrass, are tickling my memory…

We know that Thrawn did indeed have a clone in the EU, and when Mara Jade & Luke encountered that clone (still developing) there was a moral/ethical dilemma regarding his right to live, as independent of Thrawn’s crimes (not visiting the sins of the father, etc) When the same dilemma comes to pass in your fic, we are all delighted in the outcome (I know; I read all 60+ comments) Let’s discuss your point of departure in writing this fic:

We’re you inspired by the initial story of Thrawn’s clone (as mentioned above)?

We learn as much about Thrawn as we do about the clone, which I found pleasantly satisfying. Did you intend to make these revelations from the start?

There is altogether a sensual, bittersweet, and incredibly tender mix in this fic. It is powerful & it leaves an imprint. Do you feel these emotions, yourself, as you are writing?

Please feel free to depart entirely from my queries & discuss the genesis of this story as you will.

I am sure that it is patently obvious that I really liked this fic — as intense & cerebral as it often was (with a bit of kink thrown in to keep us warm) I do appreciate the time and effort it took to write, the pleasure it brought me, and most importantly the time you are giving me as you read this overwrought “Ask”

Thank you for this marvellous ask @beebee-76 that is (as is your wont) full of wonderful questions and generous with beautiful praise! Come follow me below the cut as I get to provide background and detail on this clone-centric story!

I first have to comment on your reveal that the summary of this fic—that the clone was to be babysat—put you off it! I am so glad you read it anyway, and I hope that future readers won’t skip it due to that info. I admit I don’t angst too much about summaries but I clearly didn’t do justice to this fic with that one! 😊 But wow, so happy you've dubbed it my chef-d'oeuvre and I can only wonder if it will remain in that #1 position when you’ve finished exploring my fic mansion 😊 What a glorious compliment. I’m just blushing with this “masterpiece” characterization and absolutely thrilled it inspired such interest and these fabulous comparisons (TNG has so many classic episodes and it’s an honor to be an echo of one!)!

So as to your questions and my “point of departure” when writing Imitation…

I usually start writing with just the idea of one thing I wish to accomplish. More often than not, it’s smut related to a specific pairing (since you read all the comments on this fic, you can see how shocked some of my regular readers were at the ‘no smut’ tag!). In this particular case, it was merely to contribute to the Attack of the Clones collection (hopefully with smut).

I am blessed with two online communities of enablers, one for each of my men, and we all decided to write clone-centric fic for a fun challenge. Thus I intended to write a clone Luke fic and a clone Thrawn fic to satisfy both camps 😊 For years I had been threatening a clone gangbang for Mara, and that one came easy (hahah pun assuredly intended). So my pervy general idea going into this one was to give Pryce a little double team action with Thrawn’s clone joining my evil OTP. You can see it didn’t work out quite like I had hoped hahaha!

I also try to (with all my stories) snug them into canon/Legends as close as possible, so I definitely wanted to use the actual existence of Thrawn’s clone in the Hand of Thrawn duology here. Naturally, I decided to set the fic on Nirauan, where we knew our blue stud had a clone in Vision of the Future, and I pulled all the details about the actual room and building/planet where the clone was “grown” from Zahn's book. The difference of course was I had to get Pryce there! But the inspiration from that book pretty much was limited to location and the fact of the clone being a thing in the EU, as well as the Chiss being its intended guardians at the tower. It made sense to me, that Thrawn’s ego would want a clone, so easy enough as a setup right?

You know Mara’s thinking Thrawn must’ve had a nice ass...

You also ask if I intended to make revelations about Thrawn from the start, and the answer is (almost always) to any “did you intend to” “did you plan to” a big loud “NO”.

I wish I could take credit for being smart enough to strategize how to use Thrawn’s clone to teach us about Thrawn himself, but it was accidental! I am the very definition of a pantser and I never outline or plot, I truly let my hands do the typing and follow and discover the story as it comes from fingers to screen, more often than not entirely bypassing my brain. It’s one of my favorite things about writing and of course one of the most frustrating. I can have a very clear idea about what I’m going to achieve with a fic--here it was “Sexy Threesome with Thrawn Clone” and obviously this fic is Not That. The characters always do whatever they want and I just witness and channel. It’s a kind of magic, really, and I know not all writers work the same way as I do, but if I had to put any actual planning or work into writing, I don’t think it would be the same kind of fun it is for me.

As for your beautiful question about feeling the emotions of the fic when I write, that answer is most definitely a big loud ‘YES’, but it’s even louder and bigger when I reread. It’s the ultimate test for me to review and read my story after the fact and if I have those butterflies in the stomach, the chest tightness where it’s warranted, the disgust or dismay or whatever the words are trying to convey, then I know it’s working and I’m pleased. In fact, I have a “butterfly” test when writing smut…there has to be at least one (hopefully more) parts where I have a physical reaction (squees are valid! Covering eyes with “omg did I really write that” mortification is also valid!) or I have to go back and work on more details to capture some sort of visceral, deep feeling with words.  I give myself bonus points if the flutter happens even after repeated rereads 🥂

It’s probably another reason I tend to only write fic with happy endings. I don’t want to finish a story and feel disappointed or sad, I want everyone to be sated, pleased, content, or at least have hope. The few fics I have written that have more ambiguous ends sort of haunt me as a result…

I’m so thrilled that you took a chance on a fic you had doubts about and wound up really liking it! As a fanfic writer, it’s the most rewarding thing in the world to not just have people read my stories, but know that they inspire thought after the fact, that you want to know more about it, the characters, the process, any of that is just warm-fuzzy inspiring and wonderful.  I also love knowing that my story didn’t disappoint, despite your misgivings, and I hope that my “Works” page never does!  Thank you for being such a fabulous, engaged reader.  Please have a Thrawn gif in thanks for this opportunity to gush at you this evening!

discuss

I have another question. I'm guessing u use digital art, and I wanted to know what kind of program and if ur using a drawing tablet, and if you have suggestions regarding these things? Thnx

I have an ipad pro and apple pencil and they’re wonderful, (although those are big bucks expensive… but should last me a long time) and I’m using the free Sketchbook app for the digital art. I’ve used Photoshop in the past, and there are definitely tools it has that I think Sketchbook does not, so sometimes I have to use Gimp (freeware Photoshop) on my laptop to do some image manipulation afterwards. I also put my images through the photo editing optimization on my iPhone before publishing to brighten and fine tune it because everything directly out of Sketchbook comes out really dark and will look like shit if you straight publish it. Best format for Instagram is 4:5 width:height and I also may convert the image to jpg to reduce the file size so Instagram doesn’t kill the quality when it gets compressed for the post. And that’s just a few of the things I’ve discovered with the last few pics :p

And with the keyboard cover for the ipad, I can also type my fanfics in bed which wasn’t really feasible with my laptops. <3

[ T H R A W N ] Sunset by @foreverforty2

MUSIC MEME TAG GAME

Directions:  you can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. put your favorite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs then tag ten people! no skipping!

I was tagged by @cryinginmycybernetics thanks!

Here are 9 randomly from my only playlist that I think represent pretty well.

10. And my favorite song for the last long while:

Tagging 3 ppl no pressure: @handbaskethell @mysticalgalaxysalad @myevilmouse 💝💕💖

I love it when the lizards get cunty with each other

again with feral thrawn, trying to improve the image quality

What's the story behind ur username

I was 42 when I picked it, it’s a play on the very popular teen girl clothing store Forever 21, so it implies that I’m older yet immature; but also, if you’re familiar with The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Thank you for the ask.

SOURCE. - I’m just posting it here as an aid and taking no credit.

Galactic Standard Time Measurement

60 Seconds = 1 minute

60 minutes = 1 hour

24 hours = 1 day

Galactic Standard Calendar

5 days = 1 week

7 weeks = 1 month

35 days = 1 month

368 days = 1 year

10 months + 3 Fete (Festival) weeks + 3 holidays = 1 year

Fete/Festival Weeks

New Year Fete Week = first five days of the new year (takes place before the first month)

Festival of Life =  five days between the sixth and seventh months. It was marked by parties, get-togethers, and gift-giving.

Festival of Stars =five days between the ninth and tenth months of the year that celebrates interstellar space travel. It was marked by vacations to other worlds most often.

Days of the Week

Primeday (first day of the week)

Centaxday (second day)

Taungsday (third day)

Zhellday (fourth day)

Benduday (fifth/last day of the week)

The Galactic Standard Calendar is based on the luno-solar calendar of Coruscant (from before the official founding of the Empire). It is the ‘standard’ in both the Republic and the Empire for basic measurements. However, there are many, many variations for various species, planets, etc. This is just the ‘standard’ used; similar to measurements of weight, etc. 

Basically, this is not the ‘only calendar’ but the one used most often by governments, the military, etc. to be the ‘standard’. I thought it might be useful for people writing or roleplaying in the Star Wars galaxies to have a rough idea.

NOTE: There is mention in some sources of a 12 month/368 day calendar, but it doesn’t mention length of weeks, months, etc. other than ‘30-31 days’ so basically seems to be a ‘real life calendar’. I’m not 100% sure which is considered ‘canon’ so I choose to list the one that was a bit more ‘different’ for fun.

SOURCES http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Standard_Calendar http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Fete_Week http://swtor.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Standard_Calendar http://starwarsrp.net/topic/63474-resourse-galactic-standard-calendar/

1 second of every star trek tos episode enjoy

💙

Thank you

In honor of Thrawnezra week (March 7th-13th, mark your calendars lol) I made a playlist, dedicating a song to each person who has reached out or touched my artistic life in some way, especially through the tough times when anti’s seemed to get me down. When I think of all the people who reached out with love and support versus anti’s hate, the lists don’t even compare! I hope you enjoy the song I picked for you (if you don’t it just means we need to get to know each other more).  

Anti, Anti

Seize the Power by YONAKA - For anyone out there who is afraid to write what they want, out of fear of being harassed. 

None of Your Business by Salt-n-Pepper - For @labextia​

BOO HOO by Neoni, RIELL - For @diamonddove​

Therefore I Am by Billie Eillish - For @forever42​

Mean by Alyssa Reid - For that one anon with a fire tongue (I don’t know who you are but I love you). 

Obsessed by Mariah Carey - For @draculard​ (LOL, XD love you Drac)

I Spit on Your Grave by ZAND - For me (gotta have one for myself, after all)

Fighter by Christina Aguilera - For @twodragonsflying​

F** You by Lily Allen - For @cheeriosandwine​

Crazy, Mad, Insane by Beast in Black - For @hjbender​

Don’t Kill My Vibe by Sigrid - For Everyone!

Happy Thrawnezra week!

AO3 Thrawnezra Collection

STAR WARS: REBELS (2014—2018) OBI-WAN KENOBI (2022)

there's something so compelling about stories where a character's virtues intensify into flaws that lead to their downfall. loyalty and love becoming so all-consuming that compassion outside of them ceases to exist. duty overwhelming any moral compass until order becomes more important than justice. selflessness so intense it becomes self-destruction. let me watch while whatever saved the hero in the beginning destroys them. let me see them fall to their own worst impulses disguised as what once made them good.

okay so i just finished the first thrawn book right? and like all of it is making me feel insane and i am sure someone has pointed this out already but do you wanna know what makes me feel extra insane?

thrawn send eli away to protect him

like sure he also sends him away to help the chiss and so he could reach his full potential and bla bla but look - thrawn realizes very early that eli is a target as long as he's with him

and then that is proven over and over again throughout the book until it finally accumulates in this - pryce outright threatening thrawn right after she showed how incredibly ruthless she is

and then the very next scene is thrawn and eli talking about that very conversation, it's eli first acknowledging how dangerous pryce and the high command are and then confirming - even if he might not be fully aware himself - that he is loyal to thrawn not to the empire

which, let me remind you, comes after yularen just pointed a blaster at thrawn and accused him of treason

and i think that moment of eli pledging his allegiance to thrawn is the first time thrawn realizes both the depth of which he cares for eli and that he will be eli's downfall if he keeps him around

which then leads to him sending eli away to the chiss and this fucking devastating journal entry:

like for a moment i was confused bc it happend so fast without a goodbye, plus he offered it to nightswan first and it kinda felt like eli was just an afterthought but no oh fuck no

like nightswan thrawn would have send to help keep the chiss safe, to utilize his abilities to help them fight whatever enemies are lurking in the dark, but eli, oh no, thrawn never planned on sending eli away in the first place, not until he realized it was the only way he could keep him safe

and yeah eli will obv also be beneficial to the chiss, like ofc he will, he's smart as heck, but below all that is the simple fact that thrawn is doing all this empire shit to keep his people safe so even if the empire falls that is still the safest place for eli to be

and I'm just feeling very emo about that

I think if you really want to know what kind of a person Thrawn is, all you have to do is to look at the Empire of the Hand, which is described thusly on Wookieepedia:

“…a confederacy composed of native species that Grand Admiral Thrawn founded in the Unknown Regions that adopted the order and efficiency of Emperor Palpatine's New Order, but without the Emperor's megalomania, the Tarkin Doctrine, and the institutionalized xenophobia…

…an original combination of Chiss and Imperial tactics personally arranged by the Grand Admiral, such as respect of the enemies, careful consideration of soldiers' lives, surgical strikes, demonstrative invasions, preventive strikes and the significant use of intelligence gathering.”

So the Galactic Empire at its most effective without the tyranny, bigotry, fascism, and compulsory membership. Not bad for an organization founded by a warlord.

Also, for anyone who is unfamiliar with the more obscure Legends Thrawn books (pssst! you’re missing out, I gotta say 😉), the Hand is like the little group of friends he made out of the aliens and Chiss at the end of Lesser Evil. Now take that, add everyone in the seventh fleet, and multiply it by a couple tens of thousands, and you have an idea of what it was like.

Plus they eventually developed Chiss-built star destroyers and Stent. How dope is that?!!

Samakro for the @cedfcharity Pin-up Calendar! 

He was designated for September!

Bowie as Thrawn; part image edit, part painting. base image is David Bowie; background by @nasa : “A view of crescent Jupiter from Juno.”

template image under the cut:

Thrawn’s first time using Imperial technology.

Instagram @ forever_42

Does this fanfiction make sense? Hold water? Not an ounce! Does that mean I’m going to stop writing it? Not an ounce! I’m a moron with a keyboard and half an idea and that’s your problem now. God couldn’t stop me and neither could my dad, and now I’m on your screen with another thousand words of whatever the fuck this is. Bon appetite bitch!