Tfw you’re silently shouting at the page, “Don’t stop there!! What happens next?!” and then you realize you’re the asshole writing this thing and you have to continue.
Almost on a whim I wove into this scene a recurring image for all three books. I expected to start using this motif much later, but it felt right to begin in this scene. It’s poignant for me because not only is it tied into deeply emotional moments across the books, but it refers to a milestone in Korean cultural history as well.
I was nervous about writing from the love interest’s PoV, which would also be the first male PoV in this draft, but I really got into it once I started. If I thought the heroine had it bad for him, whew, this boy’s fallen hard–and I do mean hard lol. I was so happy to see the heroine from his point of view, her soft fat beauty all in sparkles and pastel lights while I was trying to figure out euphemisms for a raging hard-on. I guess being a young cis guy is awkward that way.
So the love interest is trapped between a rock and a hard place (no, a different hard place because of course he has an erection at the worst possible time) and the Chinese adversaries can show up at last. Finally I get to use some French-derived fucking words. Will I get the sharp tonal shift I’m hoping for? Only writing it out will tell!
Tfw you’re silently shouting at the page, “Don’t stop there!! What happens next?!” and then you realize you’re the asshole writing this thing and you have to continue.
So who’s got an hour to spend on a plane and Cobalt Squadron downloaded to her phone? This bitch!
What’s that?
A pre-TLJ book starring Rose and Paige! I got the audiobook narrated by Loan Tran and it’s pretty fun!
We were bloody robbed. I hate that Finn was originally in that Cobalt squad and Johnson cut it.
Such a shame about Paige. I really thought she had a lot of potential.
I can’t wait to see how different Rose is with JJ in IX.
Rose is soooo much better in the book than in TLJ. She’s a nerdy, neurotic Deadpan Snarker that I found way too relatable tbh. Her technical brilliance is on full display in a very grungy, down to earth way that also leaves her neurotic from her sensr of responsibility for saving Resistance lives. I don’t think it’s even mentioned in TLJ that she built the technology that Holdo used to try and evade the First Order’s detection of the transports. Which makes it just stupid that Rose wasn’t required for their deployment, since it’s a fairly new tech she herself made (DID I MENTION SHE’S BRILLIANT) and in the book she was in charge of a whole team of flight engineers to get it working right.
Maybe the technology was on its feet by TLJ so it didn’t require her to be so hands on, but it still makes 0 sense that Holdo didn’t keep her close to supervise the deployment of the plan that was supposed to save the fucking Resistance. In fact, from her actions in TLJ Rose didn’t even know of the existence of the plan, which given her technical role makes it look like Holdo deliberately cut her out–which shows yet again that Holdo is a terrible leader who would rather hold her precious secrets close than give the Resistance the best possible chance.
But yeah, Rose and Paige are great and their relationship is the heart of the book. I wish we’d gotten to see them play off this other in the movie, yet another wasted opportunity.
Hold on. Rose developed the technology that kept the FO from finding the transports..? And Holdo acted like she had no idea who she was??
Yup. At least that’s how I recall it, though I don’t have a source on hand right now and can check later to confirm. Regardless, though, Holdo specifically requested Rose stay on board the Ninka to adapt the technology to other ships (link), making her look dense for not remembering Rose or making use of her expertise in TLJ. Hey, why show Rose being brilliant and capable when she can randomly assault a hero just recovering from his wounds and then fly across the galaxy to find a dude who can handle a job her lady brain can’t? The Resistance is in all-out crisis and they couldn’t find a better job for a mechanic of this caliber than tasing deserters? Fuck them, if they’re this incompetent they deserved to be wiped out.
It’s right before Poe relieves Holdo of command. Finn has just asked Poe to buy him, Rose and DJ a little more time to shut the tracker down. And clearly Poe has just explained his plan to Holdo.
Here’s the exchange:
Amilyn Holdo: So a stormtrooper, and a who now are doing what? Poe: They are trying to save us. This is our best chance for escape. You have to give Finn and Rose all the time that you can
Holdo is acting like she doesn’t even know who the hell Rose is. I already hated her for her comment about Finn here, but that she’s using Rose’s skill and work, and then pretending she doesn’t even know who the hell she is…
I didn’t think I could hate Holdo more than I already did, I was clearly wrong.
It’s kinda funny that throughout all of this Poe treats everyone as actual people he cares about, even if he knows that they might die under his command, while Holdo whom we’re supposed to agree with in the end, treats everyone under her as chess pieces whom she can move about as she pleases and never give a fuck about. Holdo is one of the worst commanders and also one of the worst person’s on the “good guy’s side” I’ve ever met.
What I don’t get is, regardless of how much personal interaction Holdo had with Rose–how does everyone not have stars in their eyes when they talk about Rose Tico? “That’s Rose Fucking Tico, the inventor of the lifesaving Baffler technology.” Even if we say she’s an unassuming mechanic type who stays behind the scenes (but come on, there’s a scene in the book where she’s sweaty and stripped to her tank top after working in a tiny crawlspace inside the Baffler, and in what universe are geeky fans not sighing as they watch from afar and write fanfiction in their heads about working in the crawlspace with her), shouldn’t Holdo, idk, care about Resistance lives and have a mega hard-on for the people who make these kinds of contributions? Shouldn’t this stuff be running through her head all the time, how to make stealth missions safer and save more lives? The fact that she didn’t think to tap Rose for her plan, leaving this top tier machanic adrift to do morally repugnant grudge work like tasing deserters, then drew a blank at her name, makes her out to be a shitty uncaring boss who doesn’t give a rat’s ass for any of the people under her command.
You know, I wondered why Rose was so willing to flip the bird to Holdo and go under her nose on a half-baked wildcard mission. After seeing Holdo in action and learning of their history, it’s kind of an unavoidable conclusion that Holdo totally burned bridges with Rose after using her for her technical expertise, and Rose agrees with Poe that Holdo is an untrustworthy and dangerously self-aggrandizing flake.
So who’s got an hour to spend on a plane and Cobalt Squadron downloaded to her phone? This bitch!
What’s that?
A pre-TLJ book starring Rose and Paige! I got the audiobook narrated by Loan Tran and it’s pretty fun!
We were bloody robbed. I hate that Finn was originally in that Cobalt squad and Johnson cut it.
Such a shame about Paige. I really thought she had a lot of potential.
I can’t wait to see how different Rose is with JJ in IX.
Rose is soooo much better in the book than in TLJ. She’s a nerdy, neurotic Deadpan Snarker that I found way too relatable tbh. Her technical brilliance is on full display in a very grungy, down to earth way that also leaves her neurotic from her sensr of responsibility for saving Resistance lives. I don’t think it’s even mentioned in TLJ that she built the technology that Holdo used to try and evade the First Order’s detection of the transports. Which makes it just stupid that Rose wasn’t required for their deployment, since it’s a fairly new tech she herself made (DID I MENTION SHE’S BRILLIANT) and in the book she was in charge of a whole team of flight engineers to get it working right.
Maybe the technology was on its feet by TLJ so it didn’t require her to be so hands on, but it still makes 0 sense that Holdo didn’t keep her close to supervise the deployment of the plan that was supposed to save the fucking Resistance. In fact, from her actions in TLJ Rose didn’t even know of the existence of the plan, which given her technical role makes it look like Holdo deliberately cut her out–which shows yet again that Holdo is a terrible leader who would rather hold her precious secrets close than give the Resistance the best possible chance.
But yeah, Rose and Paige are great and their relationship is the heart of the book. I wish we’d gotten to see them play off this other in the movie, yet another wasted opportunity.
Hold on. Rose developed the technology that kept the FO from finding the transports..? And Holdo acted like she had no idea who she was??
Yup. At least that’s how I recall it, though I don’t have a source on hand right now and can check later to confirm. Regardless, though, Holdo specifically requested Rose stay on board the Ninka to adapt the technology to other ships (link), making her look dense for not remembering Rose or making use of her expertise in TLJ. Hey, why show Rose being brilliant and capable when she can randomly assault a hero just recovering from his wounds and then fly across the galaxy to find a dude who can handle a job her lady brain can’t? The Resistance is in all-out crisis and they couldn’t find a better job for a mechanic of this caliber than tasing deserters? Fuck them, if they’re this incompetent they deserved to be wiped out.
So who’s got an hour to spend on a plane and Cobalt Squadron downloaded to her phone? This bitch!
What’s that?
A pre-TLJ book starring Rose and Paige! I got the audiobook narrated by Loan Tran and it’s pretty fun!
We were bloody robbed. I hate that Finn was originally in that Cobalt squad and Johnson cut it.
Such a shame about Paige. I really thought she had a lot of potential.
I can’t wait to see how different Rose is with JJ in IX.
Rose is soooo much better in the book than in TLJ. She’s a nerdy, neurotic Deadpan Snarker that I found way too relatable tbh. Her technical brilliance is on full display in a very grungy, down to earth way that also leaves her neurotic from her sensr of responsibility for saving Resistance lives. I don’t think it’s even mentioned in TLJ that she built the technology that Holdo used to try and evade the First Order’s detection of the transports. Which makes it just stupid that Rose wasn’t required for their deployment, since it’s a fairly new tech she herself made (DID I MENTION SHE’S BRILLIANT) and in the book she was in charge of a whole team of flight engineers to get it working right.
Maybe the technology was on its feet by TLJ so it didn’t require her to be so hands on, but it still makes 0 sense that Holdo didn’t keep her close to supervise the deployment of the plan that was supposed to save the fucking Resistance. In fact, from her actions in TLJ Rose didn’t even know of the existence of the plan, which given her technical role makes it look like Holdo deliberately cut her out–which shows yet again that Holdo is a terrible leader who would rather hold her precious secrets close than give the Resistance the best possible chance.
But yeah, Rose and Paige are great and their relationship is the heart of the book. I wish we’d gotten to see them play off this other in the movie, yet another wasted opportunity.
L.J.'s Obsessions 