Welcome
This is Sleeping With Ghosts, a project started due to our love for the characters Jacen Solo & Tenel Ka Djo of the Star Wars: Expanded Universe (now known as Legends) -- as well as our love for their relationship, as crazy as it is (or was, due to Legends).What started as just costumes, grew into a photo project, then a multimedia sort of project and we figured giving it a site -- as a hub/nexus for every part of the project -- was a good idea. For more information on the project and how it started, check out the about/contact section below. Hopefully, you find something enjoyable here, whether you're a fan of Jacen Solo (or Darth Caedus), Tenel Ka Djo, or both of them together. ♡
July 12, 2024
Added a Legacy of the Force photo to the gallery!
March 26, 2024
Added a Fate of the Jedi photoset to the gallery!
December 14, 2023
Added a new missing moment to the gallery!
September 12, 2023
Added a new image to the Things We Love section! :D
August 16, 2023
So after a giant saga that we still don't have answers about: our IG account was disabled. The first one was suspended and then disabled so we made a new one and the same thing happened again. The best part is we will never know why! We got no explanation for it, it just happened and ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I GUESS!? So all the photos we posted and all the discussions we had with people we met on there are all gone! AND WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHY. :))))))))In news that is way more fun, we got a TikTok instead. Also, we added some commissions we've gotten/loved to the misc. section and some photos to the gallery. We're working on new pieces for the project as well! We've moved AND a bunch of crap has happened over the past year (uggggh it's been the worst) so we're happy to get back into this! <333
October 20, 2022
All these ideas we've had for this project have spiraled out of control and this thing is getting way bigger than we originally envisioned -- not that that's bad though! We've updated the gallery with the newest photos and we're currently working on the AU pages and some new playlists. Also, this project has outgrown only a tag on our zhobot tumblr so we've made SwG its' own tumblr! Stay tuned for more updates in the near future!
Costumes
Shortly after meeting, Heather told Nate about the Expanded Universe (he was a Star Wars fan already, but had never been too far past the movies) and he began to read all the books. Costumes came after that and while Nate enjoyed the fact that all of Jacen's were simple/jumpsuit-ish, he's now kind of wishing there was more variety in his wardrobe since we have all these visual ideas now.One of the things we love about costuming characters from the books is the ability to take the description of an outfit, or even the feel/knowledge of a character, and turning it all into a costume. There's a creative freedom, but also faint boundaries so there's no going too crazy.Below you'll find links to our respective costume pages for J/TK on our main website. There are photos & descriptions of all of them there! Below those links are a few of our favorite photos of each costume to put here if you don't want all the background. ;)
Gallery
Here is the section where you can peruse all the visual aspects of this project! With photos/gifsets/photosets/etc. spread around all sorts of places from Tumblr to Instagram to everywhere, we thought it would be a good idea to collect them all into one place!
⠀⠀Jacen Solo & Tenel Ka Djo
⇝ Young Jedi Knights series moodboard
[ all photos taken/edited by us ]
May 2017 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
TENEL KA DJO [young jedi knights] – equipment/accessory detail #01
⇝ walking / sparring stick
[ The first in a series of detail posts looking at items and props related to jacen solo + tenel ka in canon / costumes as well as all the crazy alternate universes this project holds. we have reasons for doing / including a lot of the weird things we do when we make costumes and other fun things for this project, so we thought we would delve into the details!thanks to Nate for these costume photos from ‘14, Bria for the kickass fishtail braids that day & my dathomirian momma, jesse, who made/carved/beaded the tooth piece on the stick and gave it to me as a gift when we cosplayed tenel ka & teneniel djo together in ‘12! ♡ ]
July 2017 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
⠀⠀“Jacen would have answered our call if he could,” Anakin said.
⠀⠀“Most certainly,” See-Threepio added with enthusiasm. “Master Jacen may be somewhat disorganized, but he is always conscientious.”
⠀⠀Her alarm growing visibly, Leia said, “He would answer – unless he’s in trouble.” She reached some sort of decision and snapped into action, demonstrating one of the qualities that made her a good Chief of State. “We’ve got to go find them. Tenel Ka wouldn’t let Jacen do anything dangerous. But she probably doesn’t think anything is dangerous.”
Young Jedi Knights: The Lost Ones
[ all photos & images used taken/edited by us ]
September 2017 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
With a stubborn lift of his chin, Jacen looked at the stump of her left arm. It made him feel sick, and he wanted to turn away. This was the first time he had really seen her injury. “I… I won’t let you take all the blame. If I’d been letting the Force direct my movements, I would have sensed something was wrong.” He pointed to where her arm ended so abruptly. “And that would never have happened.” Tenel Ka’s eyes flashed with smoky gray fire and, using her right arm to hike up her gown to a comfortable thigh level, she plopped onto the cushioned bench. “And had I been using the Force,” she argued, “I would already have known my lightsaber blade was inadequate.” “Well, I…” Jacen stopped, unable to dredge up a counterargument to convince his infuriatingly proud friend. “I - -.” He cast about furiously for something else to say and finally finished, “Um, want to hear a joke?” His mouth dropped open in amazement as Tenel Ka burst into peals of laughter. He could tell that this was neither polite amusement nor hysteria, but the laughter of enjoyment that sprang from the heart. It was a wonderful sound - one he had wanted to hear since the first day they met. “But…” Jacen shook his head in confusion. “I didn’t even tell my joke.”
⇝ Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers
[ photoset made for the anniversary -- book originally released March 1, 1996 ]
March 1, 2018 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
“Perhaps, but it would be wise to be sure,” Tenel Ka said, glancing in Jacen’s direction. “Do you feel any more?”
Jacen reached out to see if he could locate any other creatures. It took a moment, but he finally located a large group of presences several hundred meters up the canyon.
“There are more,” he reported. “A half a dozen, at least. They seem to be kind of stunned and wary.”
“Good,” Tenel Ka said. “Then that will give us plenty of time to go the other way.”
New Jedi Order: Star by Star
April 2017 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
⠀⠀“Gamblers and spies can afford to dispense with morality,” Jacen replied. “Jedi cannot. It’s too easy for our power to lead us down a dark path, and we’re not the only ones who suffer when that happens.”
⠀⠀“This is so,” Tenel Ka said. “But, Jacen, do you remember my first lightsaber?”
⠀⠀“How could I forget?” Jacen asked, wondering where this was going. Tenel Ka had made the mistake of building her first lightsaber in a hurry, and a flawed crystal had caused it to fail during a sparring match with Jacen. His blade sliced off her left arm – his first painful lesson in the burden of wielding great power. “For a long time I felt responsible for that accident – I still do, at least partly – but I don’t see what that has to do with Anakin and me.”
⠀⠀“The accident was no one’s fault but mine.” Tenel Ka tapped her chest with her one hand to emphasize the point. “What I believed to be confidence in my fighting abilities was arrogance, and that is why I built a faulty lightsaber.”
New Jedi Order: Star by Star
[ Thanks to Valerie & Ash/our Lomi Plo ;) for taking these Jedi Strike Team costume photos at Dragon*Con 2010 // photos edited by us ]
March 2019 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
⠀⠀The young woman’s customary bluntness filled the room with uneasy chuckles.
New Jedi Order: Star by Star
June 2019 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
⠀⠀“You are troubled. The Yuuzhan Vong?"
⠀⠀"Nothing these days is entirely unrelated to the invaders."
⠀⠀"They will come, of course,” Teneniel Djo said matter-of-factly.
⠀⠀“You must prepare.” She suppressed a sigh. “Mother-"
⠀⠀The queen reached over and patted her knee, cutting short the familiar protest. "I know your heart. You have never wanted to rule, and I would not wish it upon you. I chose a man, not a crown. Soon I will have neither. Isolder will find my successor."
⠀⠀"You are getting stronger,” Tenel Ka said stoutly.
⠀⠀The queen smiled faintly. “I do not expect to die anytime soon. But neither can I rule."
New Jedi Order: Dark Journey[ This set of gifs was the very first one we made – all the way back in March '17 – and we never posted them because even though the lighting looked nifty in the video, it didn’t translate well to gifs. We thought we’d try to clean them up/upload them but maybe in the future we’ll try to redo them. We have a soft spot for Dark Journey. ]
July 2020 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
⠀⠀“The Force is too big.”
⠀⠀“And this is what you learned in the five years you were gone?”
⠀⠀“The core of it, yes.”
⠀⠀Tenel Ka studied the ground for a moment, then looked back at him. “It took five years to learn that?”
⠀⠀“There was a lot of travel time,” Jacen said.
⠀⠀Tenel Ka smiled and rolled her eyes.
Dark Nest: The Joiner King
October 2017 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
⠀⠀Tenel Ka shook her head. “Jacen, I can’t risk a rebellion.”
⠀⠀“You can – and you must.” He rose and took her by the arm. “You said yourself that any pretender to your throne would never stop looking for you.”
⠀⠀“I don’t matter,” Tenel Ka said. Jacen was squeezing her arm so hard it hurt, but she didn’t want to appear frightened or angry by trying to pull free. “I won’t put my subjects through another civil war.”
Legacy of the Force: Inferno
June 2017 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
⠀⠀Jacen Solo / / Tenel Ka Djo / / Darth Caedus
May 4, 2018 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
⠀⠀“The Anakin?” Luke closed his eyes and expanded his Force-awareness toward the Star Destroyer. It did not take long to find the familiar, levelheaded presence of Tenel Ka. “What’s she doing there?”
⠀⠀“Protecting Allana, I’m sure. I doubt she needed Han to tell her there was a traitor on her staff – or that her daughter is just as much a target as she is.”
⠀⠀“So she turns to Jacen,” Luke said. He was struck – as he so often was – by how lonely and sad Tenel Ka’s life had become, how much she was sacrificing to ensure a stable and humane government for her father’s people.
⠀⠀“I guess that makes sense.” Mara nodded. “When you can’t trust your new friends, you go to your old ones.” She fell silent a moment, then added, “Especially if one of them happens to be a very close friend."
⠀⠀Luke raised his brow.” You think Jacen and Tenel Ka are lovers?“
⠀⠀"He sneaks off to see someone every few months,” Mara said.
⠀⠀“Tenel Ka?” Luke frowned, trying to imagine Tenel Ka having secret trysts with someone as dangerous to her throne as Jacen, then shook his head. “If she weren’t the Queen Mother, maybe. But there’s no future in it.”
⠀⠀"And you think that would stop them?”
⠀⠀“Maybe not Jacen,” Luke said. “But a Jedi lover would cause too many problems for Tenel Ka. She wouldn’t take such a foolish risk – no matter how she felt about him."
⠀⠀Mara’s expression remained doubtful. "Tenel Ka has to have something for herself. She’s giving everything else to the Consortium.”
⠀⠀“Okay, it’s possible,” Luke said. He did not understand why he found the idea so alarming; was it merely because of his fears concerning Jacen? Or did his misgivings go deeper than that? Perhaps it made him fear that Lumiya’s corruption was spreading faster than he could contain it.
Legacy of the Force: Tempest[ This is one of our favorite passages from Legacy of the Force and for a long time we wanted to do a gifset of Jacen & Tenel Ka that went along with Luke & Mara’s conversation. Mara knows, lolololol ]
May 2021 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
A long time ago there was a Jacen Solo & Tenel Ka Djo fanart shared on DeviantArt called Lovers by saith100 - we were both absolutely in love with it and wanted to do a photo inspired by it for our original J/TK photo set (which later spiraled out of control and turned into this full-fledged multimedia project). Then life got in the way. :P Recently, saith100 did an updated version of this art and we realized that we had never done the photo we planned/wanted to do! We reached out to him to ask if it was okay and he gave us the go-ahead and we used what we could to create something inspired by the art we fell in love with years ago! (We say inspired by cause we changed some things — hex Does Not like her profile so Tenel Ka is more face-on to the camera, we thought it being more dusky vs. the middle of day fit the vibe of a photo version better... also, hey, Hapan nights aren't that dark so maybe it's actual night, hehe. This was a lot of fun to try/do though!)
May 2024 |
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A Galaxy Far, Far Away |
"How much more must she lose before she is allowed to keep?"
[ created with photos of our own (the crown, Tenel Ka, and Jacen) and photos from free stock image sites! ]
March 2024 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
“Did you really think I had brought you all the way to Hapes to introduce you to another man’s child?”
“You can’t blame me for thinking that – it had been a year.”
“Ah, now Jacen. Please remember, I am part Hapan. I always have a trick up my sleeve.”
[ thanks to Roger for this photo! ]
May 2017 |
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missing moments in the gffa |
“The suitor from Charubah? What did he say to you when you entered?”
“Something about me not knowing the Queen Mother as well as he does.”
Tenel Ka snickered. “Their lies are growing worse.”
“They’re horrible at it too. I don’t even need the Force to tell. I could see the sweat on his forehead and hear the shaking in his voice. It was actually kind of funny.”
[ thanks to Bria for these photos! ]
August 2017 |
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missing moments in the gffa |
⠀⠀“Galactic hero? …I don’t know. If I had to pick one word to describe it: Uncomfortable?”
⥇ Jedi Knight Jacen Solo
Interview w/ Chrono on Coruscant [ 31 ABY ]
December 2017 |
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missing moments in the gffa |
⠀⠀Occasionally, Tenel Ka would find herself facing the open windows in her quarters, the breeze from the sea drifting in and bringing with it memories she had thought she locked away forever.
⠀⠀They were never anything extremely significant – a laugh, a touch, a joke – and as much as they pained her to remember, she welcomed them. She never wanted to forget what he had been before Caedus. What he had been to her, his family, the galaxy–
⠀⠀“Momma, are you okay?”
⠀⠀To his daughter. Their daughter.
⠀⠀The Queen Mother thought Allana had been visiting with Aunt Taryn and Uncle Zekk, but her voice was loud and clear, ripped Tenel Ka from her reverie and caused her attention to snap over to the child.
⠀⠀“I’m fine,” she said, adding the hint of a smile to her words. Trying to, anyway.
⠀⠀“You sure, Momma? You lyin’? You told me not to lie,” her daughter teased.
⠀⠀Tenel Ka found she could only stare back out to the sea ahead of her.
[ Us lamenting how little Tenel Ka & Allana content we got post-Caedus -- or, you know, lamenting a happy ending for the 3 of them ]
March 2018 |
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missing moments in the gffa |
⠀⠀“I do not think Queen Mother is a job one ever gets used to. There are too many variables.”
⥇ Queen Mother Tenel Ka Chume Ta’ Djo
Interview w/ Chrono on Mon Calamari [ 28 ABY ]
October 2019 |
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missing moments in the gffa |
“She’s looking over here. Think she can hear us from there?”
“She is Ta’a Chume. I am sure she has every corner of this palace bugged and can hear us from everywhere.”
Jacen scoffed. “What a way to live.”
“Imagine actually having to live it like I do.”
Tenel Ka’s voice held that ghost of sarcasm she’d picked up over the years, but Jacen could see the truth of it in the way she currently carried herself—the exhaustion in her sigh, the emptiness creeping into her gaze. He wanted to reach out and take her hand, but he knew even something that simple was highly dangerous in their surroundings.
[ thanks to Bria for these photos! ]
August 2017 |
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missing moments in the gffa |
December 2023 |
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missing moments in the gffa |
After the lightsaber accident, in the days before they all joined Tenel Ka on Hapes, Jacen found himself drifting around the woods outside of the Jedi Temple, alone and listless. His mind whirled with guilt and fear as he mentally repeated the same questions to himself.
Could he have stopped his swing? If he hadn’t been so desperate to impress her with his skills, could he have realized her lightsaber wasn’t working correctly before it shorted out?
Little did he know that years later, Tenel Ka would wander the grounds of Reef Fortress, the same place they spent time together after the accident, in the same state of mind. She had become the Queen Mother of Hapes and he had been taken by the Yuuzhan Vong, presumably killed.
What could she have done differently? Could she have saved him? Kept him from going with Vergere if she had just stood her ground?
"I thought I saw one of your... your creatures in here, for just a minute. And that's the last thing I remember. Is one of your pets loose?"Embarrassed, Jacen slid his snake-covered hand behind his back. "No," he said. "I can honestly say that all of my pets are completely accounted for."
[ Young Jedi Knight: Heirs of the Force ]
"Whatever Jacen has become, he was a hero once. Jacen Solo saved the galaxy." -- Leia Organa Solo
[ #TBT to the contrasting duo of Jacen & Caedus costume photos that Heather had too much fun messing with some time ago. Here you'll also observe one of the only times Nate's contacts cooperated. ]
“Some called her Lady Caedus for a time until there were whispers of a new designation, which came only after rumors of traitors in the Hapan Council. Those against her went after the most important things: first, her daughter, then the control of her court and finally the safety of her people. She had been a force to reckon with as Tenel Ka Chume Ta’ Djo, but now with supposed new powers and Darth Caedus – often rumored to be Allana Djo’s father – on her side, her grandmother’s supporters finally began to do what they should have done from the start. Fear the Queen Mother.”
[ intro photos to the Alternate Universe "The Galaxy Can Burn" -- this AU gathers some highlights from some odd timeline where Tenel Ka joins Caedus after something happens to Allana. We know that TK would never go dark/give scrublord Caedus the time of day at this point but it's always fun coming up with this crazy stuff so why not have a Sith AU? ;) ]
"I know you aren't really big on jewelry, but I figured this might hold some value to you. Somehow. Maybe.""Is that a piece of gort eggshell?""What else would it be? Come on, Your Majesty."
[ intro image to the Alternate Universe "I'd Give You the Galaxy" -- this AU takes a look at some universe where Jacen didn't go on his five year journey after the war with the Yuuzhan Vong and instead helped rebuild around him -- physically from all the devastation and emotionally with everyone close to him. Also, he visits Hapes a lot for some reason??? Really though, Hapan traditions be damned -- these kids are gonna get married somehow (most likely in secret) and this is the AU where it'll happen! ;D ]
All Nate needs is a pair of pants for his Jedi robes and Jedi Jacen will have a set too, but for now he just had to go with a jumpsuit (because Jacen's whole closet is jumpsuit central) while Heather was able to wear her completed Tenel Ka robes for the first time! Thanks to Erin/TheWhaleBaby for snapping this shot at Katsucon!
December 2017 |
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a galaxy far, far away |
🌊 Sleeping With Ghosts 🍃
– a Jacen Solo/Darth Caedus + Tenel Ka Djo multimedia project –
[ Part of a small thank you note we posted one year into the project: In the past year, we’ve gained a number of followers on both tumblr and instagram and we could not be more grateful. One, cause it lets us know there are still expanded universe fans out there who remember/love Jacen and Tenel Ka. Two, because any of you who have followed us anywhere have done so because you liked something you saw and we thank you so much for that. ♥This project, besides letting us show our love for these characters in a different way than we normally do ( neither of us can art and other than that, Heather writes fic and both of us scream about these two characters a lot ), it’s given us the opportunity to learn some new things here and there ( how to make gifs, filming techniques, editing techniques – all kinds of stuff ) and that’s always a definite bonus. Especially if it’s something we can use again in a later piece of the project!We can’t wait to share with you some of the stuff we have planned! There will be a site revamp and more delving into the AUs, first off. Plus, we’ve been messing with green screening, so we’ll see what comes out of that!Thank you all again ( so so much PLEASE LET US LOVE YOU ) and we hope you have an amazing new year! ( ˘ ³˘)♥ ]
December 2016 |
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the galaxy can burn |
“Some called her Lady Caedus for a time until there were whispers of a new designation, which came only after rumors of traitors in the Hapan Council. Those against her went after the most important things: first, her daughter, then the control of her court and finally the safety of her people. She had been a force to reckon with as Tenel Ka Chume Ta’ Djo, but now with supposed new powers and Darth Caedus – often rumored to be Allana Djo’s father – on her side, her grandmother’s supporters finally began to do what they should have done from the start. Fear the Queen Mother.”
[ intro images to the Alternate Universe "The Galaxy Can Burn" -- this AU gathers some highlights from some odd timeline where Tenel Ka joins Caedus after something happens to Allana. We know that TK would never go dark/give scrublord Caedus the time of day at this point but it's always fun coming up with this crazy stuff so why not have a Sith AU? ;) ]
"You know you terrified Allana, right?""I know. When I see her--""If. If you see her."
[ intro image to the Alternate Universe "The Galaxy's Good" -- a what-if of epic "Jaina not killing Caedus and him possibly being redeemed" proportions. Allana's with the Solo family (as Amelia), Isolder is dead and the Queen Mother of Hapes wonders if there is a chance that the Jacen she knew could fully return. Ruling the Hapan people for so long though, has stifled any optimism she might have had over the years, so who knows? Maybe Jacen Solo will be a scrublord FOREVER. ETERNAL SCRUBLORD DAMNATION. :) ]
⠀⠀“Have you talked to Jaina?”
⠀⠀“Yes, Jacen. She told me she would be visiting you.”
⠀⠀“I haven’t seen her.”
⠀⠀“Give her time.”
⠀⠀“I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to see me either.”
[ Jacen Solo + Tenel Ka Djo / Alternate Universe: “The Galaxy’s Good” (redemption AU) costume shots/edits. ]
September 2019 |
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the galaxy's good |
"You know you absolutely cannot post this photo anywhere, correct?""Ugh, I know. Political matters, families, blah blah blah. Just let me pretend we're allowed to be
normal for once. And it's not just any photo, it's called a selfie.""That sounds ridiculous. Who came up with that?"
[ intro photo to the Alternate Universe "Yesterday in a Galaxy Next Door" -- which will be a modern day spin on Jacen & Tenel Ka and it'll include Jacen the photography nerd, his pets, and his super-secret girlfriend TK -- both of whom would rather not be in the public eye but usually are thanks to the politicians in their families. ]
November 2016 |
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yesterday in a galaxy next door |
"When you're supposedly the artistic one of the couple and your paper snowflake looks like a droopy ninja star.""Do not worry, Jacen. I will always be fond of you even if your paper snowflakes are slightly inaccurate.""Aw, that's sweet. Coming from you, I mean."
December 2016 |
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yesterday in a galaxy next door |
⠀⠀“You want to record a video of me and you – in your bed – and upload it to the internet?”
The trials and tribulations of the eldest son of the famous Solo family, Jacen, as he tries to make a vlog when he’s in a secret relationship with the daughter of politicians.( He kind of gets somewhere with it. Unfortunately, he can only show it to himself and his cats. )
August 2017 |
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yesterday in a galaxy next door |
blaster_bolts Come onnnnn. That’s it, Tenel Ka? You’re not gonna mention the decorations or the hot cocoa or the movies or the lights or the anything else…?
ereneda63 No, Jacen, just you talking to the cats is enough. You covered the rest on your account.
Holiday Season 2017 |
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yesterday in a galaxy next door |
JACEN SOLO [modern au] – equipment/accessory detail #02
⇝ plush sock frog
[ The second in a series of detail posts looking at items and props related to jacen solo + tenel ka in canon / costumes as well as all the crazy alternate universes this project holds. we have reasons for doing / including a lot of the weird things we do when we make costumes and other fun things for this project, so we thought we would delve into the details! ]
September 2022 |
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yesterday in a galaxy next door |
"I know you aren't really big on jewelry, but I figured this might hold some value to you. Somehow. Maybe.""Is that a piece of gort eggshell?""What else would it be? Come on, Your Majesty."
[ intro image to the Alternate Universe "I'd Give You the Galaxy" -- this AU takes a look at some universe where Jacen didn't go on his five year journey after the war with the Yuuzhan Vong and instead helped rebuild around him -- physically from all the devastation and emotionally with everyone close to him. Also, he visits Hapes a lot for some reason??? Really though, Hapan traditions be damned -- these kids are gonna get married somehow (most likely in secret) and this is the AU where it'll happen! ;D ]
About
Here you can find info on the project (in general and stuff like the alternate universes) as well as a little bit about us!
About SWG & US
Who are we?: Nate & Heather. We're married, located on the East Coast of the U.S. and we started talking because Nate freaked out over a photo of Heather in a Little Sister (BioShock) costume.What else do we like besides SW?: video games (Fallout, Silent Hill, Grand Theft Auto, Dishonored, BioShock), writing (Heather), coding (Nate), watching tv here and there (RuPaul's Drag Race, The Walking Dead, Steven Universe), making costumes aaaaaaand watching things on YouTube like Markiplier and the Game Grumps.Just what IS Sleeping With Ghosts?: Over the years since we met, we've done a number of Jacen & Tenel Ka costumes. With all of these costumes came ideas for photos of them that were more than what we could take at a convention, so a photo project sort of thing was born. We mulled over that for a good while and then other schemes popped up for other creative things we could do that related to J/TK, like gifsets/photosets, "in-character" sort of photos, alternate universe albums, fanmixes -- then this whole thing was born!So basically, SWG is somewhat of a haphazard thing with a bunch of disjointed visual, aural and written ideas, but we figured the link between them all was our love for these two characters, which led us to gathering all the work here in one place.Where did the name come from?: It's the name of a song off of Placebo's 2003 album of the same name. The lyric "soulmates never die" stood out to us when this song came on during a brainstorming session. And we all know what happened to Jacen. :|Why Jacen Solo & Tenel Ka Djo?: Heather spent some of her most formative years reading about these two and absolutely fell in love with them. When she introduced Nate to the books and he enjoyed both characters as well, we realized that we shared some traits with them both solo (lolololol pun) and as a couple. For example -- just on the surface, Nate loves animals (he originally wanted to be a herpetologist and study reptiles when he was younger) as well as cheesy jokes and puns, while Heather is quiet, kind of aloof without really meaning to be, isn't too open with her feelings and has many kickass women in her family. Luckily (or HOPEFULLY?), there's no chance of Nate going Sith.Where else can we be found?: You can find us at the links at the bottom of the page! :D
About the Alternate Universes
One thing Heather does all the time is write. Original stories, fanfiction, all kinds of stuff. With fanfic -- Jacen/Tenel Ka fanfic specifically -- she likes to explore the what-if's concerning the two of them and their relationship. What if Tenel Ka went to Jacen's side? (Not that she ever would but WHAT IF?) What if Jaina hadn't killed Jacen? All kinds of stuff.We took some of those ideas and created stories for them, and of course, we're working on photos for them too! Below you'll find short descriptions of the stories and following through will bring you to the words and images for that certain alternate universe.(NOTE: the pages for these aren't done yet so they don't link anywhere at the moment!
They will be up soon -- keep an eye out on our instagram and such for news on them! :D)
The Galaxy Can Burn
What if Allana got kidnapped by someone other than Caedus? Would he try to sway the Queen Mother to his side or save her alone? (We know TK would never ever go Sith, but it's fun to imagine, hehe.)
The Galaxy's Good
What if Jaina Solo caught his warning to Tenel Ka in time and spared Caedus instead of killing him? Could he return to who he once was? Or would Jacen's family and friends still think of him as a monster?
I'd Give You The Galaxy
What if there had been no Darth Caedus and a relationship was able to blossom post-Dark Nest? Or even after the Yuuzhan Vong were defeated? Would it lead to a marriage -- Hapan traditions be damned and all?
Yesterday in a Galaxy Next Door
What if these two were part of our present? Would Jacen text Tenel Ka photos of every single animal he's collecting? Probably. Would Tenel Ka need a serious lesson in emoticons and "air quotes"? Probably.
Links to Our Other Projects
Below are some links to other related sites and projects the two of us are part of, as well as the other Jacen & Tenel Ka related sites we run!
Jacen & Tenel Ka
Fansites for Jacen, Jacen/Tenel Ka & Tenel Ka, respectively.
Tumblr counterparts for each can be found @: sylvan // petrichor // aecoreus
Heather's inspiration (aesthetics, costume ideas, etc.)
and RP blogs for Tenel Ka & Jacen.
Our Other Projects/Sites
Misc. Stuff
Inspiration
Originally we had an inspiration board for this project on our zhobot pinterest account and Heather had separate inspiration boards on her personal account for Jacen Solo & Tenel Ka -- we've re-pinned them all to a new account and separated all the pins into boards depending on whether they're costume/photo/texture/etc. inspiration. Click the banner below to head over there!
MyNoise.net
Sometimes while we're brainstorming/writing/editing photos -- anything, we'll want something to listen to, but not something too distracting (like if we're playing music with lyrics, we'll sing them). So we go to this site called mynoise.net -- which has amazing sound generators! Below are some of our favorites to have on when we're working on this project or to have on to inspire things for this project! We've broken them up into categories of certain things we somewhat associate each generator with that relate to J/TK.
JEDI ACADEMY ON YAVIN IV
These should be self-explanatory, hehe. They work perfectly for Young Jedi Knights era fun (stuff at the academy, at least). Just picture tiny Jacen yelling about some animal he wants to catch and Tenel Ka sitting up in a tree watching him -- these both (played together or on their own) could be what it sounds like. :3
HYPERSPACE TRAVEL
Any traveling, together or apart, or scenes like Tenel Ka shutting Caedus out and withdrawing support or the trip to Myrkr -- these two generators are perfect. Heather uses these for happy space travel fanfic stories too, no worries. The worlds/ideas that comes through with these two generators are amazing and we love these. (Side Note: Space Odyssey is a generator that is only open for people who donate to the site, but let us tell you right now -- mynoise.net is awesome. Besides inspiring us in a lot of ways, some of the generators help us to relax or to get to sleep easier. All of the generators they have are incredible. You should definitely check the rest of the site out if this is something you might like!)
TENEL KA DJO & JACEN SOLO
While Osmosis is more Jacen and Northern Lights is more Tenel Ka, Twilight is a good mix of both of them. It's part spacey, part forlorn, part dreamy and it lends a somewhat nostalgic sound to what they were together and what they could have been had Caedus not been a thing. (Really, take that last one and think of Jacen, Tenel Ka and Allana being a family. Cue Heather gross sobbing.)
REEF FORTRESS
There were beach sound generators but we thought the Irish Coast one fit better due to the fact that it sounds like you're standing on a cliff and there's waves below you, as if you were looking out of the windows of Reef Fortress. :D As far as the Underwater generator, that one tends to remind us of the room Tenel Ka gave Jacen when they were staying at Reef Fortress after their training accident.
HAPAN GARDENS
These are both awesome on their own, but way more fitting when you have them both open at the same time. With Sleeping Dragon as the ambience plus the sounds of Palm Garden over it -- this combo never fails to make us think of time spent by one or both of them in the gardens. (This combo is especially good for their chapter in The Joiner King!)
THE QUEEN MOTHER & DARTH CAEDUS
If you put Anamnesis and Mournful Chimes on together (they're both just as effective on their own too), you'll get something that reminds us of the downfall of their relationship and subsequent emotions Tenel Ka has to carry on with both Jacen and her father dead, and Allana being raised away from her. Saturn Rings has the same feel, but adds the galaxy behind it all and sounds almost somber with a underlying hint of a vast loss. (Aaaaaand cue Heather gross sobbing in the corner again.)
Playlists
We listen to all kinds of music and sometimes that music gets into our brains re: Jacen, Tenel Ka, Caedus, Jacen/Tenel Ka, Caedus/Tenel Ka, Allana -- ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING relating to these two. So we thought we'd stick some mixes Hex put together concerning them here. Just another facet of this whole project! ;D
The Downfall -- Legacy of the Force
[Mix originally posted on livejournal in May of 2008.]I basically hoarded songs from other mixes to put on this one while SW books were being released. Therefore, this is my most emo fanmix, by far. It's like I knew something shitty was going to happen at the end of Legacy of the Force. :|(I will forever be bitter.)
The Everafter -- Darth Caedus
[Mix originally posted on livejournal in November of 2007.]2007 Hex: I know I was one of those little fangirls reading the Young Jedi Knight series and thinking to myself, “OH HAY HE WOULD BE LIEK SO SLICK IF HE WENT DARK U KNOW?” Then he does, years later, and it’s so gorgeous and wrong.2016 Editor’s Note Hex when she went back and looked at this mix later: IT’S NOT GORGEOUS WITH THE ENDING NOW THAT WE KNOW IT, 2007 SELF, SHUT UP)2022 Hex making this site: Still bitter.
Shadow's Pulse -- Dark Nest Trilogy
[Mix originally posted on livejournal in October of 2006.]Tenel Ka appeared in a whole three chapters in the Dark Nest trilogy (one in each book) yet each of those three chapters basically dropped a bomb for these two. So of course, what did I do? Made a playlist for it.
I Will Be Your Apollo -- Sith AU!
[Originally put together in 2017.]A playlist that goes with Hex's fic "You're the Wrong I Need" -- which takes a look at a universe where Tenel Ka has to work with Caedus to save their kidnapped daughter. (i'm a geek i'm sorry fffffff) -- and yes, this was inspired by ideas we kept playing with for the SITH AU for this project. ;)
At Least Smile -- general J/TK-ness
[Originally put together in 2017.]A playlist for my two favorite kids and their crazy ass relationship. Art on the image are from sketch cards by Shea Standefer! (Also, I wanted to make a playlist dedicated to the fabulous people who RP Jacen & Tenel Ka with my J & TK over on le tumblr. <3)
Near to You -- Young Jedi Knights
[Mix originally posted on livejournal in May of 2005.]Hex's first Jacen Solo/Tenel Ka Djo fanmix/playlist from years and years ago covering their relationship from the Young Jedi Knights book and the New Jedi Order series. There is one song missing from this one cause it's not on Spotify ("Fractured" by Zeromancer)~
Things We Love
This is a little section we wanted to include because over the years we've received gifts, commissioned people for things, and stumbled across lots of J/TK stuff that is too beautiful not to share. We are very honored to know a good number of the talented people who have created these gorgeous pieces! ♡
We moved in Feb. 2023 and needed more art for the new SWEU art wall (which is 95% all J/TK related lol). Hex got some pieces without Drae knowing of costumes we’ve made instead of just general J/TK stuff (esp. since they have like 3 outfits altogether :B) cause I though it’d be a nice surprise! These were the first to arrive and they’re by the wonderful Warp Zone Graphics (who you can also find on IG)!
Heather got the first commission (of J/TK in wedding gear) for the 8th anniversary of our first date. Nate returned the next year with Disney Prince sharing porgs with Tenel Ka (we love the one eating her hair). And the third was another commission from the same artist just for fun cause we absolutely love Madeline! ♡♡♡ Check out her work!
Our amazing friend Erin used to work at Build-A-Bear and back in 2006 she made these for Heather for Christmas. We appreciate the attention to detail here, especially with TK's arm, and these will always be on display in our house because of how magical they are. THE OUTFITS TOO. It's all so perfect. ♡
This gorgeous picture was done by Lindsey and she used one of Nate's Traitor costume photos as reference. We have always wanted to get a photo of the costume like this now -- with more amphistaffs and in a Yuuzhan'tar-ish setting!
Another wonderful image by Lindsey, this piece is called In His Shadow and one of our Caedus & Queen Mother costume photos was used as the pose reference! Heather wishes she could get her hair to do that so hard. The squeeing noises we both made when we first saw this image were like a symphony of geeky glee -- we were so excited and touched to see a photo of our dumb faces as ref for an awesome image like this! ♡
Since Heather is an uber-nerd when it comes to obscure trivia about the Solo children, she was able to answer a question that fit that exact category on Facebook once. It was asked by a friend she made through/because of the Expanded Universe named Shea who is fabulous and knows of Heather's obsession with J/TK. The prize for answering the question first/right was an EU sketch of her choosing and of course she went with Jacen, Tenel Ka & Allana. Shea was not surprised. ;D
The amazing ladies of White Hot Room (Bria & Lin ♡) got this piece commissioned from one of Heather's favorite artists, Shea (the same Shea from the image above!) for Christmas one year. Heather's always loved the way Shea portrays TK in her art, especially the fact that she never shys away from drawing Tenel Ka's left arm, and she has this picture hanging up in the living room (with the pencil sketch hanging in the bedroom ;D)~
Heather found this sketch card of Jacen Solo on ebay and instantly bid on it, in hopes of winning it and giving it to Nate as an anniversary gift. Not only was it a sketch card of Jacen, but it was based on an image of his Traitor costume as well! So it was double the A+++! She won it and it is now in a place of honor on a shelf in our house. The artist is Stephanie Swanger!
Fancasting
What are these faces I keep seeing?
These are some of our preciousssusussss who we sort of end up picturing while reading EU stuff. When Heather first watched Supernatural back in 2005, Jared Padalecki as Sam instantly became Jacen in her head (Sam and Jacen are total bros okay and Jared would KILLLLLL as Caedus) and when Nate started watching the show, he saw why. Bryce Dallas Howard became our TK over time due to her hair, her face, dat elegance, and the amazing way she runs in heels. We need Tenel Ka in crazy Hapan heels chasing Caedus down the Fountain Palace corridor while he's kidnapping Allana -- WE NEED THIS LIKE AIR.
Besides JP and BDH, River Phoenix and Laura Prepon (in The Long Ago when she was a redhead) have been our Jacen and Tenel Ka in the past (like really early on) and recently we've been also partial to Eleanor Tomlinson and Sophie Skelton as Tenel Ka Djo and Louis Partridge and Judah Lewis as Jacen. Also, since we're bitches for k-pop sometimes you'll see Lee Hongbin as Jacen and Hwasa as Tenel Ka. Basically, that's why you keep seeing all their faces. ;)
Custom Characters
Don't let us near anything where you can create and customize a character because we will take it and run with it. Below are some of the Jacens, Tenel Kas and Allanas we've made here and there.