#also my sister has finally accepted that she is in fact Anakin
Text
Clone wars headcanons about everything and nothing
Ahsoka has a decent amount of allergies but only a handful are actually life-threatening and no matter how much she tells Anakin that it never stops him from treating them all the same
And by treating them all the same I mean he’s slapped some snacks out of her hands because he knew she was slightly allergic to it
In his defense the clones are really bad at keeping track of her allergies and because of that they have fed her a couple of things that were lethal to her and ever since then Anakin’s never really trusted them with food
Also in his defense Ahsoka once ate something she was highly allergic to on a dare (the poor clone didn’t know she was allergic) and all she did to remedy the situation was hand said poor clone her EpiPen before passing out
Unfortunately the clone didn’t know how to use the EpiPen so Ahsoka ended up passing out and Anakin and Rex had to rush her off to the med bay because they didn’t know how to use the EpiPen either
Because of this incident the clones weren’t allowed to give Ahsoka food and there were a couple of signs that said “blue to the sky orange to the thigh” around the ship
I feel like everyone in Clone Wars is simultaneously touch-starved and tactile which is a very fun mix especially when I think about Ahsoka and everyone else because I like to think whenever Ahsoka asks for a hug 9.5/10 she gets one
Master Plo is the most used to this cause Ahsoka’s been like this since she was a child and he’ll admit he’s spoiled her with hugs
If you were to ask her what his hugs feel like she would say they feel like childhood or that feeling you get when you smell something that you could only find in your home when you were a kid
Obi-Wan is an interesting can of worms because he’s as tactile and touch-starved as the rest of them but he’s also incredibly touch-adverse which results in him declining hugs 5/10 because he just can't fathom touching someone in that moment
But when he does give Ahsoka a hug she’ll say there’s nothing like it and she would often describe it as a breath of fresh air and very soothing on stressful days
Rex is most likely it give Ahsoka a hug bro is simply the hugger™ and she would describe his hugs as comforting if not a little awkward but grounding none the less kind of like hugging a weighted blanket just out of the drier
She doesn’t get to see Padme nearly as often as she would like which means she tries to get a hug whenever she can and Padme will never decline her hugs if anything she initiates most of them
Ahsoka doesn’t remember her mom or her hugs well but if she had to give an example of what a hug from her mom felt like she would say Padme’s
Anakin honestly isn’t comfortable with touching people he doesn’t know well but when he does feel comfortable with someone he’s clingy
Ahsoka will never admit this half cause it’s embarrassing and half because she fears it would hurt the other’s feelings but Anakin’s hugs are easily her favorite something about the all-encompassing hug makes her feel safe and secure like nothing else
But the funny thing is that sometimes he doesn’t really have the energy to hug Ahsoka so he’ll just put all of his dead weight on her which usually results in one of two reactions from her
one. Is usually her saying “Hug me like you love me” or something along those lines to which he will squeeze the everloving force out of her or two. “Hug me like a normal person” which usually gets the smartass response of “Who said I was a normal person”
So it’s pretty obvious that Anakin and Ahsoka have their bigger competitions but they’ve also got little ones like who can make the funnier face when Obi-Wan is trying to do his work which normally ends with the duo hunched over laughing and Obi-Wan finding another place to work
The: “Who can accurately make the noises Obi-Wan makes while stretching” challenge which just usually results in the clones worriedly checking in on them cause it sounds like they’re in pain
The: “Who can eat more ice cream” challenge always ends with Anakin regretting his life choices and Ahsoka doing the dishes because she feels bad
Long story short they’ve got a lot of challenges cause they’re competitive little weirdos but the funniest part is they rarely keep score of who the winner is so they’re in an endless cycle of useless competitions
Obi-Wan has slowly collected mugs for everyone he’s close with and they have a nice little home in his otherwise empty mug cupboard
Anakin and Padme have matching from Naboo because Obi-Wan took them shopping when they were pretty young
Padme can’t drink tea with them as often as she would like but when she can schedule a small tea break Anakin makes sure to smuggle all their mugs out of Obi-Wan’s kitchen
Ahsoka’s mug is possibly one of Obi-Wan's favorites it’s a good size and practical but’s also got nice intricate color-changing details because they both thought it looked cool
Cody and Obi-Wan’s mugs are pretty similar but their main difference is the childlike handwriting on the bottom of one that says “to: Obi from: Ani”
Rex doesn’t get a mug until later and it’s the most unconventional and inconvenient mug in all of creation the poor dude has to hold it from the sides because his hands don’t fit in the handle
And its design pisses Obi-Wan off every time he sees it the only thing that’s stopping him from smashing it into hundreds of little pieces is that Rex picked it so in the cupboard it stays
Sometimes the group forgets that Ahsoka isn’t human which leads to very funny circumstances
Like Rex losing a decent amount of credits trying to call Ahsoka’s “bluff” of being able to bench twice his weight
Or at the fact that Obi-Wan was once hiding from Ahsoka and Anakin because he didn’t want the duo to see the extent of his injuries from a solo mission
But he forgot that Ahsoka could smell and hear better than the average being so she was able to track him down pretty fast (she was also freaked out cause she could hear his erratic heartbeat and smell the blood so that wasn’t a pleasant experience for her)
Or the number of times when she’s eaten an unholy amount of food just for Anakin to wake up at 3 am to find her scavenging for more cause she’s still hungry
And let me tell you seeing some small hunched-over little creature with reflective eyes at that time of night would make even the chosen one screech like a banshee
#star wars#star wars clone wars#the clone wars#star wars headcanons#anakin skywalker#ahsoka tano#obi wan kenobi#padmé amidala#captain rex#snips and skyguy#disaster siblings#disaster trio#this has so much chaos#literally all of the chaos#I feel like I forget this family is comprised of strange little creatures#I love them dearly#also my sister has finally accepted that she is in fact Anakin#now all i gotta do is convince her to do Halloween costumes#One small step for man and all that bull
189 notes
·
View notes
Note
Do you have some elaborate dinluke mpreg headcanons?
Is riding a Bantha easy? Hell yes I do. Din is Manda'lor because I said so.
TW: mpreg, some graphic content, NSFW.
Fact: Luke is adorable pregnant. Fact: poor Luke gets morning sickness so easily and its usually caused by the Mandalorian's fatty meat diet. One wiff of grilled fish, smoked bacon or sausage or cooked meats and poor Luke is headed to hug the refresher for the next hour. Din compromises this by telling the cooks that meat in the Palace must be cooked elsewhere and served with his Consort is not present at certain meals due to bed rest. Din makes sure Luke gets lots of ginger ale and sweet breads to calm his tummy. Din is pleased that with Luke being pregnant he's gained an appetite, it's one less thing for him to worry about.
Luke pregnant and ROUND?! Uh, hold the F up. Hot Jedi, bubbly personality, badass warrior and now he's got these wonderful round curves to him in his ass, thighs and tummy? It's amazing Din bothers to wear pants in their private home.
Grogu is a little bit difficult to explain to that he's going to be a big brother, yes he understands threw the Force that other Buir is having a baby, but what he doesn't get is why can't he sit in soft Buirs lap anymore? How come other Buir is asleep and not reading his bedtime stories so much? They don't train hardly anymore either and that hurts Grogu a lot because that was their special time. These things are what confuse the toddler the most but of course Luke makes it up by having Grogu pick out nursery items and toys for the baby. Hell Grogu had a field day when he was allowed to paint on the walls of the new nursery. If soft buir having a baby means he can color on the walls without punishment then Grogu wants as many siblings as he can. Luke pales hearing that threw the Force.
Din has always been so protective of him, but some things are downright silly. Luke can't so much as walk down the stairs by himself, he "needs assistance". "I swear Din that's just an excuse to touch me." He pouts. Din only chuckles back, "Maybe. It worked didn't it?" Luke also isn't allowed to fly on his own, if he wants to visit his sister on Naboo or elsewhere then they can all go on the family ship.
The king of Mandalor is still getting used to Luke and Grogu's "Jedi stuff" but the day he woke up to Luke sitting up in bed with his large tummy exposed and another man was gently caressing his belly and murmering sweet words, Din grabbed the dark saber and was ready to kill before he realized he could see right through the man. Anakin wasn't too pleased and glanced down annoyingly at the blade "piercing" him threw the heart. "Oh, uh, Din meet my father, Anakin."
"it's embarrassing" Luke blushed. Din wouldn't say so. In fact, he claimed the opposite. This was hot. Blushing and turned away from his husband as Din toyed with his chest like he was some girl. "I find it cute, you making milk for our little one. I bet it tastes even better." Of course Din has a sample and he was right, anything that came from Luke tasted so sugary sweet.
The birth is here and everyone is tense. No one more than Din and Luke. Luke is so scared, he's been frightened of this moment for weeks and Din tried everything he could to console his Prince. But the fears are real this time as Luke sobs, "I don't want to die like my mother." Din grips his hand. No. Luke will NOT die, he will fight death itself to ensure Luke lives of he must. Nearly thirteen hours of labor left and the baby is finally here.
She's as beautiful as her Daddy with soft baby blonde hair and a piercing wail to let the world know she was alive.
"You know, we could adopt next time." Luke softly speaks in a sleepy hushed voice as their daughter has finished her feed and is resting in her Papa's hold. Din chuckles at that. They could. And they would. Babies born or found, they accepted them all with loving arms.
#star wars#luke skywalker#dinluke#din djarin#dinluke family#din x luke#anon asks#anon#holy fuck#i need to write the fic
130 notes
·
View notes
Text
A Case for Rexsoka
I’ve been around the block when it comes to ships. I’ve seen people obsess over them, and I too have been driven mad by obsession. I was a hardcore original avatar fan and I was OBSESSED with shipping Toph and Sokka together. Any time they so much as made an interaction I over analyzed it and picked it apart looking for clues that somehow would prove that my hunches were correct. It was because I related with both characters, and I loved their chemistry. I wanted them to have a romantic relationship because it would feel like some sort of personal validation.
I’m an adult now and nothing has changed. But it has been a while since I’ve desperately shipped two characters together that are not obviously romantically involved with one another, or who could be romantic behind the scenes or beyond the story shown.
Until Rex and Ahsoka.
And I’ve seen people be adamantly against it.
“No no no it’s just a brother/sister relationship.”
“No it’s gross she is a child”.
And of course being disagreed with on the internet can drive a person crazy, and instead of individually arguing with dozens of people online, I’m making this post once and for all to explain why I think Rex and Ahsoka have romantic feelings for each other. Especially Rex.
The argument I’ve seen, that their deep passion, commitment, love, admiration, and respect for one another (which are all so obvious you’d have to be...silly to not see it) are felt in a platonic fashion. Which, for the first 6 seasons and 8 episodes, I would totally agree.
But then Ahsoka comes back. And let’s face it. She is a woman. Age wise, she’s around 17, but everything from the maturity of her Lekku (which weirdly don’t get all that longer, especially compared to other Tagrutan women) to her poise and confidence, to her prowess as a warrior, a user of the force, and her ability to command soldiers as well as control her emotions points to her being an adult woman. She’s no Snips anymore; she’s no child. She’s grown up. And how her peers react to her illustrates how they now view her as an adult.
First there is Obi-wan. Obi-wan has always been a mentor to her, a sort of second Master. Obi-wan never hesitated to guide and Ahsoka or offer his council. He is proud of her when she succeeds, and will admonish her when she makes mistakes. When she returns and he sees her as a woman, he changes the way he treats her. He acknowledges her maturity by addressing her as an equal. He doesn’t admonish her. Instead he discusses with her, challenging her ideas and letting her offer an argument for them instead of putting them down and telling her how she should think or act. He also comes to her in his time of need, trusting her to help him with Anakin.
Then there is Anakin. We all know of Anisoka shippers, and they are perfectly able to ship and enjoy said ship, but we can all acknowledge that it is a crack pairing with no basis in the canon. Anakin portrays the perfect kind of brotherly love. He is excited to see Ahsoka, and is stunned by her unexpected reappearance. Things are harder for Anakin because he is used to their fun banter and sibling-like companionship. He’s constantly shut down with her business like manner and he struggles with coming to terms with the fact that she isn’t a little kid sister anymore. She is an adult with a mission and a plan. When he looks at her, he is endearing. He loves her. Admires her. And he can’t wait to pick up where they left off. There’s joy and adoration in his face. He is proud of her and what she has become, but he also feels alienated and even hurt because of how her adulthood has changed their dynamic.
Then there is Rex. When he first sees her, he wants nothing more than to reassure her that she still belongs. The clones had accepted her into their family. As far as they were concerned, she was one of them. When he looks at her for the first time, he’s beaming with the same adoration as he had had for her before, but also with a solemn awe at what she has become and what she has grown into. He welcomes her back into his life without hesitation.
But then there is a moment things shift so drastically that I paused the show and re-watched it half a dozen times. We all know it and love it. This face he gives Ahsoka. The Look.
What we see here is something we have never, EVER seen in Rex for 7 whole seasons. And it is my opinion that this is the first time Rex has been able to feel and express that he is attracted to Ahsoka. In other words, Rex has a sexual awakening.
Up until this point, Rex has been a sexless character. Nothing he does is flirtatious, sexy, or at all suggestive that he has those feelings inside him at all. Every sexual being has a moment where they are first animalistically drawn to another being. Characters who have already had this moment are easy to pick out. Obi wan. Anakin. Ventress. These characters have already experienced their sexual awakening. Ahsoka has too. Lux was her first object of attraction.
But Rex has never had this moment. Until this reaction.
I know some of you might be thinking “but Ahsoka gives a very similar look to Anakin, does that mean she is sexually attracted to HIM?” It’s a very good point. Ahsoka and Anakin share some cheeky playful looks during “Old Friends Not Forgotten”. We see many characters give similar looks to other characters, but does this mean it means the same thing as when Rex does it? The short answer is no.
When animators design a character, they establish the “range of emotion” for that character. You can easily see this when you look back at how many times you see Rex break from his stoic, captain’s face. He rarely laughs, smiles, or emotes in any way. This is why when we see him emote it is exciting to us as an audience. A character like Ahsoka or Anakin commonly show a wide variety of expressions. Ahsoka is much more likely to give a cheeky look than Rex is. So “the look” for Rex, means a lot more when he is doing than it does when another character does it, say Fives or even Obi-Wan.
Which means the writers are trying to tell us something about this moment.
This moment has changed Rex’s and Ahsoka’s relationship.
Now does this mean that they are going to go bang each other immediately? Does this mean the second they are alone after “Victory and Death” they start an intense, sexual relationship? Of course not. That’s not what this ship is about at this time. But the reason many of us ship it is because suddenly they don’t feel like brother and sister anymore. It isn’t entirely platonic. And the show does a good job to further emphasize this as they come closer and closer both emotionally, and physically during the finale.
Blocking is a huge factor in visual storytelling. During the finale, Rex and Ahsoka are blocked in a way that makes them as close as physically possible on the screen. This communicates to the audience that they are closer now than they have ever been. As Jedi and Clone Trooper. As friends, and as companions, their bond forged in the fires of war, struggling to find meaning in life as soldiers.
In contrast, look how Ahsoka and Anakin are blocked in their scenes. There is nearly always a gap between them, illustrating that they are distanced from each other emotionally. Rex is even visually inserted into the gap between them in several instances. Anakin and Ahsoka are growing apart, but she and Rex are growing closer.
We get to experience Rex and Ahsoka engaging in actions and conversations that we had rarely seen before. From casual banter, to moments of intense intimacy, to emotional peaks, Rex and Ahsoka interact more in these four episodes than in the previous six seasons. Part of this is because their maturity gap has closed. Ahsoka is finally Rex’s equal in experience and maturity. It is also in part because it is a unique dynamic. No Obi-wan. No Anakin. Rex and Ahsoka are equal leaders of the 332nd. There’s also the fact that they are put into life threatening situations and have no one else but each other.
But there is that “look” that is given at the beginning of all this that suggests something else, that as their bond undoubtedly becomes strong as beskar, there is an element of it that takes their relationship from the platonic to the romantic.
I feel every detail, moment, and piece of dialogue in the finale tells the story of this bond.
Many instances of their strong emotional bond have been spread throughout the internet, with most ready to acknowledge that they have a connection unlike any other, one that may even be described as a “force” connection. These last four episodes are so exciting because we see two friends reunited, but then we get to watch as their relationship transforms.
Even disregarding their implied attraction to each other physically, they dive into each other and hold on tight. Ahsoka shares deep personal worries with Rex, and Rex and her are shown opening up to each other in ways they have never opened up before.
We were all floored and dumbfounded at scenes such as these that show these characters at their most vulnerable. But they decide to be vulnerable together. Is it because they are all that is left of their 501st family? It part, this is definitely true. But by being this vulnerable they transform their relationship into something very different from what they had before. It will never be the same again, and it will be near impossible to back out of the emotional intimacy that these two have participated in. Once you have formed that kind of an attachment with someone, there is no going back, and as is seen in rebels, these two maintain that strong connection even after years of being apart.
This goes beyond their sexual desires or needs. They’ve forged a bond that cannot be broken. They have shared minds, shared pain and agony that only the other can understand. They’ve been isolated from the world, and all they have left is each other.
And at the end of the series, when we have Rex and Ahsoka broken, their world flip upside down and everything they ever valued or cared about lies in ruins before them, the idea that they still have each other is that beautiful seed of hope Star Wars is so good at preserving. Those of us who believe that their relationship could be romantic want good things for Rex and Ahsoka. We want them to have that love and share it with each other. Maybe only for a few moments, but having known it would be better than both of them living and dying without having that experience.
When we see the two in Rebels, for me it confirms that these two love each other deeply. But their lives can never be lived in a normal fashion. They cannot even be together as partners in life. The Empire has stolen this from them. The tragedy of this ship is that it can never be the way we want it to be. Rex will age and die long before Ahsoka is even halfway through her own life. They cannot live with one another. They cannot wake each morning with each other, at least not at the point we see them in rebels.
But they continue to love each other. Even over distance, even knowing that mortality will claim them with only a fraction of the memories that they deserve with one another.
So please, the next time you see some art or a fic, or a post like this, think of what I had to say. Rexsoka is about two adults, their lives destroyed at the hands of Sidious, but in defiance they still forge a bond that he could never break or take from them. And that to me is beautiful and something to celebrate.
Side note: I spent a ton of time making gifs but they never would work and so I had to use screenshots instead :(
EDIT: At the request of the OG poster of a few gifs, I have replaced them have also made some grammatical changes.
1K notes
·
View notes
Note
so…now that we all know what you DISLIKE about star wars (and 400% fairly so, you have my full support here)…
what drew you into the universe, what keeps you around?
favorite characters, ships (OTPs or actual spaceships lol), overall themes, do you have a favorite random weird creature or robot that you adore? whatever you wanna talk about!
go off honey (again, but supportively 💖💖💖)
tax paid: the very nerdy star wars punk vest i made and the even nerdier matching vest i made for starsky
Lmaooo, entirely valid. You were like "star wars?" and I was like the drunk person at the bar who can't stop shouting about how much their ex sucks. But now that I have gotten all that off my chest, let's talk about why I love it (since if I didn't love it, I wouldn't have such strong opinions). Basically my feelings on the OG SW trilogy are similar to my feelings on the OG LOTR trilogy, as that tumblr post floating around somewhere put it: sure, they have flaws, but also, they're perfect. I have a complicated relationship with the prequels, as do we all, since George Lucas cannot write dialogue or direct actors to save his life (stick to what you're good at, George, hire other people to do the rest), but even they have their moments. Like. Hit me with that "Across the Stars" love theme, John Williams. Gahh. Just like that.
Because... Star Wars wasn't actually this omnipresent corporate global entertainment monolith when it started out. It was a dorky low-budget indie sci-fi film in the 1970s which everyone thought was going to bomb. But it told a simple and compelling story in an interesting way, everyone agrees that ESB is one of the best films/sequels ever made, and then ROTJ gave it a happy ending while it was still okay to do that. My main thematic gripe with the Disney trilogy (I will try to keep those to a minimum, lol, but I have to bring it up to compare) is that it very clearly fell into the "actual happy endings are naive and unrealistic and a cynical postmodern audience won't accept anything less than things being Bad" trap that, yet again, we have GOT to thank for. It obviously existed to some degree before that, but GOT blew it up to huge levels, where the only valid situation or character is that which is Grimdark and Depressing. Which, in my view, misses the heart and soul of what SW is all about??
Like. ESB is genuinely dark. ANH was this fun plucky little sci-fi film where the scrappy good guys won the day against the Nazi stand-ins, as they were supposed to, and then ESB comes along (speaking of John Williams, let us all chant together, DUH DUH DUH DUHDUHDUH DUHDUHDUH, DUH DUH DUH DUHHHH DUHHH DUHHH DUHHHH) and things go... wrong. Leia and Han are on the run for most of the movie, then get captured and tortured by the Empire and and betrayed (however unwillingly) by Lando. The Rebellion is attacked on Hoth (I tell you, those fuckin AT-AT walkers were SCARY when you see it as a young kid for the first time), and forced into hiding. Luke loses his hand, doubts Obi-Wan and Yoda and realizes that his mentors are fallible, makes dumb mistakes, and of course gets hit with The Most Famous Line In Movie History. But it's also just adrenaline and excitement. THE ASTEROID FIELD! THE HAN-LEIA BANTER! THE FIRST LUKE-VADER DUEL! THE FACT THAT YOU HEAR TWO FRICKING NOTES OF THE IMPERIAL MARCH AND YOU'RE JUST LIKE OH YEAH OH YEAH OH YEAHHHH!
But also then... Return of the Jedi. It gets shat upon for the Ewoks and reusing the Death Star as the Big Bad and being supposedly cheesy and not as Thematically Dark as ESB. Which is all kinda silly, in my opinion, but also, can we talk about Luke Skywalker's character arc and how he chooses possibly the most radical compassion ever demonstrated by a hero in an action movie, let alone a space opera. He insists that Anakin Skywalker is still in there somewhere and puts his own neck on the line to prove it. Luke doesn't save the galaxy by being a Badass Jedi. He saves it by throwing away his lightsaber and saying "I will not fight you, Father." He saves it by trusting that even in the depths of darkness, Anakin can come back from the charred ruins of Darth Vader and finally do what he was supposed to do all along. He can end Palpatine for good and all (we don't talk about "Somehow Palpatine has returned" because it's nonsense, obviously). Anakin can avenge the Jedi and what was done to him and all the lies he believed and the pain he wreaked on the galaxy, even then. It's not too late. It's not too late. Like. I don't care if this is Lightweight or Childish or whatever. It makes me CRY every time I watch it. Especially the moment where Luke takes off Anakin’s helmet and sees how ruined he actually is under there, and yet the downfall and death of the trilogy’s chief villain is not triumphant at all but instead utterly heartbreaking. “You were right about me Luke... tell your sister... you were right.”
Excuse me, I need to just /CRIES INTENSELY/
Luke won't be tempted to the dark side for his own sake, but Leia's ("If you will not join me, then perhaps she will"). I likewise hold firmly that Anakin/Vader is one of the best movie villains/antiheroes of all time and likewise have many feelings and Strong Opinions about his arc, prequel writing clumsiness and eye-rollingly tepid love story aside. (See: he and Obi-Wan were deeply in love and in a way they still are, don't @ me. I have no problems with Padme and obviously stan Natalie Portman at all times, but Anakin and Obi-Wan’s relationship is the real love story, the heart of the prequels, and in some ways even the subsequent movies, the end.) And “so this is how democracy dies, with thunderous applause” is... raw af as a line. For being in a Star Wars prequel movie. What?? (Also, the Revenge of the Sith novelization had no business being as good as it was. If only that dude had also written the movie.)
Anyway, my point is: the OG trilogy had plenty of moments of staggering emotional weight and where things genuinely sucked for the good guys and the outcome wasn’t entirely clear. The difference is that it didn’t choose to dwell on them, and it allowed for a transformative fictional space where a happy ending, fiercely fought for and squarely earned, was the right outcome. We didn’t need to go back thirty years later and make everything suck for fear that a cynical modern audience couldn’t connect with it otherwise. (Like I said, we didn’t need the new movies at all, but Disney heard that Cha-Ching of the Almighty Dollar). Star Wars was sci-fi, sure, but it also had the fantasy elements that allowed a happy ending to be the right choice for what we saw the characters go through and the philosophy that carried us through the original trilogy.
Likewise it’s just... Peak as far as dynamics go. C-3PO the fussy metal butler who worries about Everything and R2-D2 who is the droid embodiment of YOLO? Flawless. Sassy scruffy space pirate and badass politician warrior princess bicker constantly, butt heads, drive each other crazy, and then fall in love? Iconic. (And has shaped my ship tastes for... all of eternity, oops.) The above-discussed transformation of Luke Skywalker, whiny ordinary teenage kid, to the truly great man who fulfills what Obi-Wan, Yoda, AND the rest of the entire Jedi order couldn’t manage to do, because of their own flaws and blind spots and black-and-white moral views that didn’t know what to do with a man who loved as passionately as Anakin Skywalker, for better or for worse? The guy who managed to save the galaxy with love? STAN.
So... what? The Disney trilogy decides to retcon all that, throw everything that they’ve fought for out the window, make Han, Leia, and Luke miserable and rejecting the roles they grew into in the original trilogy, and die without ever really reuniting or seeing each other again as a trio? The underlying message was that “these happy endings aren’t satisfactory/realistic/sophisticated enough” and idk, maybe it’s just the shitshow of the last few years, but I’d like to see some entertainment that had the cojones to tell me that despite all the darkness and despair, maybe there’s a chance for hope. (”Rebellions are built on hope,” thank you Only Valid New Star Wars Movie Rogue One.) And Rogue One worked so well, despite being utterly GUTTING as all the heroes died one by one, because we knew what was coming next (A New Hope) and that their sacrifice was going to be worth it. I don’t care if that’s “realistic” or not. As I’ve said before, that’s what stories are for, and if I only wanted things that were Real Life, I would only read the news. Besides, the idea that happy endings never happen in reality is equally bullshit. We as a culture need to accept that more, instead of finding reasons to tear everything down.
So just... yes. The original trilogy might have flaws, but also, it’s perfect. And do I want to rewatch it all now? Kinda.
(Anyway. I warned you this was gonna be long. Oh look, it’s long, and I’m sure there is even more I could say, but still. Ahem.)
sleepover weekend asks
25 notes
·
View notes
Text
Remember how I had Thoughts about Jedi and Clone cultures mixing post a happy ROTS ending? Yeah so I wrote fanfic for that.
Read on AO3
Privately, Rex was starting to think that life might have been easier if he had just chosen to go with Trooper or his serial number for his legal last name. Hell, Fett would have done just fine as well, many of his brothers had opted for that solution, especially the older ones, those who had actually known Jango. A couple of them had even set out to actually track Boba down, much to the youngster’s frustration likely.
So the simpler choice really would have been Trooper, Number or Fett, but Rex, of course, had to make things complicated for himself. He was a part of the 501st battalion and they never took the unchallenging path.
Therefore Rex had to watch as his General and Commander were currently attempting to utterly trash each other on the mats of the temple’s training rooms, cheered on by a variety of vode and Jedi.
“Don’t look so miserable,” Padmé said as she sat down next to him, the twins floating beside her in their cradle. “They are fighting for your honor after all.”
Padmé looked tired. Rex knew for a fact that she had been running herself ragged attempting to reduce the damage Sidious had inflicted upon the Republic. Many Senators who had been in Palpatine’s pockets before were now turning on her, trying to make it seem like she had been his pawn as well since she’d been his protégé for the longest time. Of course, it helped that her Delegation of 2000 knew that Padmé would never support a Sith Lord, but before she could get her plans on the Senate floor, she had to spend an unreasonably long amount of time proving her ideas worked to support the Republic. She hardly had any time for her family and Rex was honestly expecting Anakin to walk into the Senate any day now to shut everyone up, which might work for a military campaign, but not for politics.
Despite her exhaustion though, Padmé was obviously enjoying the spectacle in front of them.
“I’d rather they didn’t,” Rex sighed. “They look two seconds away from starting to brawl.”
Padmé only smiled in reply and took one of the babies out of the crib and handed them to Rex. Bright blue eyes stared up at Rex and a quick glance at the bracelet the child was holding told him he was now responsible for little Leia Naberrie.
“Be good for Uncle Rex, yes?” Padmé told her daughter as she took Luke into her arms.
He let out one short unhappy cry for being separated from his sister – drawing Anakin’s attention away from the fight for a split second, something Ahsoka immediately made him pay for – but settled as soon as he was in his mother’s arms and Leia close again.
Force-sensitive twins were apparently very attuned to one another from the moment they were born and hated being separated, which didn’t make things easier for their parents and rather large circle of aunts and uncles.
“She’d never misbehave for me,” Rex said confidently. “Right, verd'ika?”
Leia only yawned in agreement and began to dose off again. Asleep like this, she didn’t look like the tiny terror with the incredibly loud voice Rex knew she could be. She’d be a great General someday, or simply a Jedi. If Rex could help it, neither Leia nor Luke would ever have to be called General by anybody. They shouldn’t have to lead battalions anywhere, they had fought so hard for the peace the twins ought to experience.
Now that Leia was sound asleep in his arms, Rex could actually focus on the fight in front of him. Ahsoka was still holding onto her two ‘sabers while Anakin was experimentally spinning his new lightsaber. After Sidious had destroyed his in battle, Anakin had walked around with a modified training ‘saber until he’d been able to go to Ilum and get himself a new crystal a week ago.
Ahsoka jumped forward, one ‘saber high and the other low. Anakin blocked the one above his head and sidestepped the other, tripping Ahsoka.
“You already have two Skywalkers more running around!” Ahsoka shouted and evaded Anakin’s grip. “Let me have this!”
She launched another assault, forcing Anakin on the defensive again, but it was becoming quite clear that if the fight continued on for much longer, Anakin would start getting the upper hand. Ahsoka seemed to realize this as well as she began to fight dirtier, less with the stances she’d been taught at the temple and more with the underhand guerilla warfare tactics she’d learned in the various campaigns.
“Luke and Leia both have Padmé’s last name,” Anakin argued and then, in a tone more befitting of a youngling, added, “And Rex was my Captain first!”
Ahsoka huffed and jumped over Anakin’s head in one of those flashy moves that had the younglings cheering.
“But he likes me way better!”
“Liar!”
Their bantering continued on for a while, entertaining their spectators and Rex too slowly found himself enjoying the spar. He only looked away from the fight when Padmé tapped his leg, drawing his attention.
“Trouble’s coming,” she said and pointed in the direction of the entrance from where Obi-Wan was slowly approaching the ring.
The Jedi Master watched his former apprentice and his grand-Padawan spar for a couple more minutes, highly fascinated by their snark
“What are you two even actually fighting about?” Obi-Wan asked finally, his face blank but his tone colored with amusement.
“Rex’s last name,” Ahsoka answered immediately and ducked beneath another strike. “Master, don’t you also think he should have mine?”
Obi-Wan only blinked in confusion and if not for Leia still asleep in his arms, Rex would slowly make his way out of the training halls.
“Looks like the secret has been discovered. I’m using Luke as a shield, you can use Leia,” Padmé laughed and not a second later Ahsoka and Anakin both turned to Rex, matching expressions on betrayal on their faces.
“Rex!” They shouted. “What does he mean you already picked a last name!”
“Well, Sir,” Rex coughed. “Senator Amidala was very kind and asked me the moment the Clone Citizen Recognition Act was finalized and I accepted. General Kenobi helped me with my registration.”
Ahsoka dramatically fell against her Master’s chest, pretending to be heartbroken. Anakin held her in his arms and gently sunk to the ground, finalizing their tragic breakdown.
“Betrayal!” Ahsoka exclaimed. “I fought for your honor and it didn’t even matter to you!”
“My own Master and wife collaborating against me! How shall I ever recover from this?” Anakin added and theatrically raised his arm towards the ceiling.
The younglings in the room giggled again while the Master and Padawan duo began lamenting their pain. Obi-Wan only rolled his eyes and moved past them over to Rex.
“They’ll be inconsolable now,” Padmé said.
Obi-Wan only shrugged and sat down next them. “Not my problem.”
“I thought those two would always be ‘your problem’,” Rex spoke up, quoting one of the lines he’d heard the other General mutter under his breath when he’d seen what antics Anakin and Ahsoka had gotten up to.
“You be silent, Rex Amidala,” Obi-Wan said and paused.
Rex Amidala, nobody had really called him that yet, he’d only had his new last name for a very busy day after all, there had been no time to tell anyone.
“It suits you,” Anakin said. Ahsoka was still half draped over him, but the two of them were watching the others now.
“Not as good as Skywalker or Tano,” Ahsoka teased, “but pretty good all in all. It is the name of a royal.”
Rex smiled and let himself enjoy this. Months ago he wouldn’t have ever dreamed about this, living at the temple and calling it home. There were still so many problems they had to overcome, but they had gotten this far – they’d manage everything else as well.
They were as unstoppable as a sun.
“I thought so too, Commander,” Rex replied.
#star wars#clone wars#captain rex#ahsoka tano#Anakin Skywalker#obi wan kenobi#padmé amidala#leia organa#Luke Skywalker#HAPPY FIX IT#fanfic#technically speaking both twins go by naberrie
261 notes
·
View notes
Text
A Shadow of What You Used to Be (4)
Chapter 4: Brother, Brother | Cal Kestis x Irele Skywalker
Requested by Anon
Summary: There is another! Years after young Anakin Skywalker departed Tatooine, his mother Shmi delivers a second child—this time, a daughter. Whilst the circumstance of the girl’s birth remains unexplained, Irele Skywalker has yet to choose the true path between those laid out for her.
Tags: Fem! OC, Irele Skywalker, Force-sensitive! OC, Anakin’s Younger Sister, Skywalker! OC, Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice, Long-lost Sibling
Also in AO3
Chapters: Prelude – 1 – 2 | Previous: Part 3 | Next: Part 5 | Masterlist
5 of ?
They arrived at the moisture farm, the exact one that Watto told them. The domed abode stood out across the surrounding dunes, behind it were the suns hoisted in its point for high noon. As Anakin and Padmé approached, a dark-colored figure got into their better view—little did the Jedi knew that the figure posted outside was the droid he had created years ago.
“Oh!” startled, the droid turned around to face the visitors. “Hello, how may I be of service? I am C—”
“3PO?” Anakin squinted some more, unsure whether the sunlight was playing tricks on his already narrowed eyes.
The droid paused, its photoreceptors processing the face of the young man before him, and then it dawned on him.
“Could it be? The Maker!” the black droid exclaimed. “Master Ani, I knew you would return! Oh and Miss Padmé, oh my.”
At least Padmé was delighted to have been remembered by the droid she has not seen in a decade.
“Bless my circuits! I’m so pleased to see you both.”
“I’ve come to see my mother,” the droid’s maker said in the same steely tone he used when speaking with the Toydarian, affording no moment for the droid to celebrate this small reunion.
C3PO stuttered, unsure how to begin responding to that purpose.
“Yes, well, I do believe it is best I bring you inside.”
The droid stiffly turned around, expecting the human pair to follow, and they were escorted into the ground floor of the Lars homestead.
From the kitchen, Owen could hear C3PO speaking like a tour guide. He had figured it might have been the person he thought would come, he just didn’t realize it’d be today. Out of common courtesy, he—along with the Whitesun girl—came out of the kitchen to greet their guests.
“Master Owen, might I present to you the two most important visitors.”
“I’m Anakin Skywalker.”
“Owen Lars. And this is my girlfriend, Beru.”
Beru managed a smile to both visitors before softly saying “Hello.”
“I’m Padmé.”
“I guess I’m your stepbrother,” he swallowed. “I had a feeling you might show up someday.”
Anakin didn’t take that kindly, he had no emotional reaction to it—he’s just here for his mother.
“Is my mother here?” he demanded, stepping away from his apparent stepbrother.
“No, she’s not,” a gruff voice drew everyone’s attention to its direction, followed by the soft whirring of a hoverchair.
Cliegg had aged, though not quite well, given what had happened in the past. He extended a hand as he introduced himself.
“Shmi is my wife,” he added. “We should go inside. We have a lot to talk about.”
Owen quickly came to his father, taking the two handles protruding outward from the backrest of the chair.
“Where is your sister?”
“She hasn’t come back yet,”
“Well, she better come home quick.” Grumbled the elder Lars only within Owen’s earshot.
They all gathered at the dining table. Cliegg began with how he met Shmi, how he bought her, and eventually freed her. The old man chuckled once as he studied the boy’s features while he was listening in carefully, even while he stares at his hands clasped together.
“You know, it’s funny,” he began, the remark caught Anakin’s attention. “I never realize that you and Irele have the same eyes—but I think she resembles Shmi’s the most.”
Anakin’s eyes shifted shakily, his lips parted but no words escaped from it; he looked alternately between Cliegg and Owen, wordlessly demanding some clarification to what Cliegg said. Anakin blinked once, dramatically so, and finally managed to let out the words: “I… Irele?”
Everyone on that very table exchanged looks, but the other party was more confused and perhaps curious on who’s this Irele person that they don’t know of. Cliegg’s last words also got to Anakin and he decoded it quickly—but as he solved the minor riddle, more questions piled up after the answer. Has his mother given him a sister without his knowledge? Why hasn’t he felt her through the Force? Is she not gifted with the same abilities as he is?
“W-Where… Where is she?”
“She’s probably out in town with the other children her age. Irele is coping, you see, but I don’t think it’s not doing her much good. Overworking, finding and taking one too many odd jobs—more than she can handle—”
“Coping?” Anakin asked for elaboration.
Cliegg guessed there’s no way of sliding his way out of that question. They will come to the point in the conversation on what had happened to Shmi. The mood in the dining room changed significantly. A gloomy silence befell Owen and Beru as they waited for the head of the house to begin the tale.
“Your mother went out early—just before dawn—to pick mushrooms, like she always does. But this one time, she was ambushed by the Tusken Raiders, they had been prowling by the ridge waiting to raid the farms when there’s no one looking—but they saw your mother. They attacked her and took her with them, kept her hostage. And your sister, well…”
The elderly man sighed, taking and then letting out a deep breath, he attempts to continue.
“She left the house to search for her the moment she got out of bed. I found her woken up by a cold sweat, then she insisted that something was wrong. I trusted her, believed her, and let her go find her mother in the fields. She came back empty-handed, I had already prepared a search party. Those Tuskens walk like men, but they’re vicious, mindless monsters. About thirty of us went, only four of us came back. I’d be out there with them, but after I lost my leg… I just couldn’t ride anymore until I heal. I don’t want to give up on her, but she’s been gone for a month.”
The silence was distrupted by the sound of light footsteps, the only noise that rung across the homestead apart from their voices.
“I’m home!” a girl’s voice announced. “Dad? Owen?”
Her voice and her arrival caught the attention of both her family and the two visitors. Anakin stood up and stepped out so that he can see—and be seen—the rotunda. Just a meter and a half away from him was a girl of ten years—nearing eleven—standing from the stairs from where he came when he himself arrived in this house.
Irele was immediately taken aback by this stranger, not because it was a new face—but because she was bothered by how familiar he looked and felt. A good minute has passed and it dawned on her. She knows who this is.
Anakin examined the girl: black hair tied back into a ponytail, donning a woven scarf to protect her from the sands, and a pair of earthy hazel eyes hooded with a somber, unreadable gaze—nearly similar a hue to Shmi’s eye color. Looking at her was like seeing Shmi in her girlhood, for Irele could perhaps grow to be the spitting image of their mother. This is his sister, he thought, but he wasn’t sure what to do or how to react and interact with her—neither of them have known much about the other. And they’ve only just met! To Irele, it felt like she had waited a lifetime to meet him; she always had that feeling, perhaps over time, she didn’t anticipate him as much.
“Irele…?” Anakin uttered.
“H-Hi…” she stuttered shyly, reacting to her name.
Cliegg spun his hoverchair, “Irele, this is your brother. Your real brother.”
Irele’s brows furrowed, she blinked several times as she examined Anakin’s features. Perhaps she could not spot any resemblance yet, but eventually she would have—if she gave it time. As the siblings stared at one another; thoughts, questions, and even comments about each other’s appearances flood their minds.
What does she know about me? Did Mom ever tell her about me?
There’s something I feel about him… though it’s making me too nervous. It’s almost like it’s something bad… or maybe because he just looks a little mean.
Before giving a proper reaction or even speaking a single word, she sprang to her heels and fled to her room, flimsily holding her satchel loosely by the strap, dangling just inches away from the ground as she ran.
The adults dismissed it as bashfulness and also surprise. Anakin did not go after her anymore and went to the direction of the front door.
“Give her time,” Cliegg advised.
“Where are you going?”
Anakin’s eyebrows slightly pulled, but Owen did not notice, “To go find my mother.”
“Your mother’s dead son, accept it. There’s little hope she’s lasted this long.”
In fact, he didn’t. He could never ever. Then Cliegg sighed in defeat, knowing that this boy might be just as stubborn as his little sister. He reached for Anakin’s forearm and clutched it weakly, slightly startling him.
“If you can’t do that… at least talk to your sister.”
The sky had burned into a golden orange hue, sunset was nearing. Night will be upon them soon. Anakin found Irele in the workshop, he recognized some of the apparatus to be Shmi’s—apparently, she had brought those with her when she and Irele were bought.
As he was approaching her, he caught a glimpse of what she was doing—she was piecing together a sort of tech that seemed familiar, along with a little help from her friends in town.
“Irele, I…”
“She told me about you,” Irele matched her brother’s firm tone of voice, though the hint of uncertainty rang along her words. She did not look at him, she spoke to him while keeping her eyes on her handicraft. “A long time ago. I just didn’t think we’d meet at this time.”
Anakin got close enough to get a better look at her tinkering, he examined the small machine and discovered that she was retrofitting a podracer’s dashboard.
Attempting and hoping he’d establish a connection with her, he caved in to listen on what Irele has to say.
“She told me that you were a great racer. You won against Sebulba.”
“Sebulba? He still races?”
Irele turned to Anakin, not exactly surprised that he still remembers the cheating Dug, though a decade’s worth of not knowing anything happening in Tatooine would at least fog his memory. His sister nodded slowly and then returned to fixing the dashboard.
“No, it’s…” she trailed off when she got too focused on arranging the wires. “It’s from a customer in Anchorhead. I used to be in a podracer’s pit stop entourage, when I was like six.”
“Do they still race?”
She shook her head, and answered the question she knew was coming, “Accident. Can’t drive a pod with just one arm, huh?”
Her posture straightened, she moved the magnifying lens away from her, and then secured the dashboard in a leather sleeve before settling it down neatly in the center of the workbench. Irele finally afforded a good long look at her big brother.
Big brother… kinda weird to call him that.
“Ani,” she uttered, though she meant it as a practice of getting used to addressing him when talking to him. She didn’t really intend to call him, but he looked at her anyway. There was a pause before she continued.
“How much did Dad tell you—about Mom?”
It slightly baffled Anakin how casually she called Cliegg her father, he cannot blame her anyway if this is the father figure she grew up with.
“Just enough for me to know,” Anakin answered.
She hummed. Then Anakin decided to ask the question that has been lingering in his mind. If this was his birth sister, was she born in the same way he was?
“Irele, perhaps you can tell me something,” he began.
Detecting the seriousness in his tone, she swiveled the chair to face him, propping her elbow on the table. Staring back at him with those hazel eyes that he cannot gaze upon without remembering Shmi—because he could definitely see his mother within his sister—he licked his lips before speaking.
“Cliegg isn’t really your father, is he?”
His sister stared at him some more with squinted eyes, bobbed her head to the side as she got the idea of his question. She wordlessly shook her head; when she did, then Anakin’s presumptions have been realized—she was exactly like him. Within their moment together of just conversing, he could feel the Force flowing in her, although it was faint and seemingly dormant. In that case, her Force-sensitivity might be still untapped—what seemed to be a small stream on a quiet summer morning will eventually turn out to be a powerful, raging dam. And so it begs the question: will he report her to the Jedi Council?
“He told you about the Tuskens, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Oh…” Irele’s eyelids drooped as she looked randomly on the floor, avoiding her brother’s gaze. Another moment passed, both siblings were inept in speaking to one another casually—unlike how Irele is to Owen—but then she lifted her head again, and this time, she looked at her real big brother with pleading eyes, suggesting a sense of longing for their mother and sadness. The latter being a dangerous emotion to dwell on. “You’ll bring her back, won’t you… Anakin?”
Then at that moment, Anakin was both determined and burdened to keep such a promise. He was confident and hopeful that he would rescue Shmi, but with such a motivation fueled by the fear of loss, Irele was beginning to sense something ominous from him. In the back of her head, she was regretting what she asked of him. She saw a shadow loom over Anakin, as dark as his long robes that sweep the sand as he strode. Her heart pumped slowly and heavily, it suffocated her and made her nervous.
There’s something not right with him. Something… bad. She thought to herself, her fingers twitched with anxiety. It’s too late to take that back. Anakin has sealed a contract forged from her behest—which was also his. Now she wanted to stop him, because she know something bad was going to happen—executing the same foresight she had for Shmi.
“Anakin, are you alright?” Irele asked, and that seemed to snap him back to reality.
He stammered as he answers, “Yes. I… I just blanked out, I guess.”
“Right…” she groaned with a growing suspicion. “Just… Just don’t lose sight of what you came for.”
Her vague warning would allude to the preceding events. Anakin took her words to heart, and his being a Jedi gave him the advantage to read people better than most, to analyze their motives and desires. Hearing Irele say something like that hints her Jedi-like abilities: her foresight, which was something Qui Gon had noted of Anakin himself when he was still a child.
“I won’t,” he said with conviction, and then he managed a smile in the hopes of easing her spirits. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring her back.”
Irele’s thin lips pursed and watched her big brother turn around to leave her be in the workshop. When his back turned to her, that smile instantaneously melted away; her stomach slightly churned at the sight of his robes shadowing his figure—he looked broader and more intimidating, and quite ominous.
She had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling about this.
#cal kestis#cal kestis fic#cal kestis x fem oc#cal kestis x irele skywalker#cal kestis x irele skywalker fic#fem oc#irele skywalker#skywalker! oc#force-sensitive! oc#anakin's younger sister#darth vader's secret apprentice#long-lost sibling#anon request#anon#requested by anon#fic request#anon fic request
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Greatest Teacher...
…is failure, isn’t it?
In Star Wars, we often see people fail; but often they do not learn from their mistakes. Logically, this is telling us that failure alone is not sufficient.
Prequels
The Jedi Order was stagnant because they did not learn from their mistakes. They practiced a discipline of detachment and indoctrination, remaining aloof and convinced of their world view. In itself, that may not seem so wrong; after all, the Jedi were well-meaning and they did not purposely hurt others.
But like every living being, the Jedi were flawed. Their great weakness was that they clung to their flaws never seeing them as such even when their house (the galaxy) was burning down around them.
I have repeatedly wondered what Darth Maul meant by “revenge”. What did the Sith want revenge for? After all, they are Force-sensitive beings the way the Jedi are. Both sides are convinced of being right in their way; this eventually leads to disaster because they never communicate with one another. (Perhaps one of the reasons why we hardly hear Darth Maul speak during the whole of The Phantom Menace.)
It was Anakin in the end who took the revenge in his own hands, and when we see how the Jedi behaved towards him, it does not wonder that he wanted revenge for very personal reasons. The Jedi never took him seriously; the ignored his criticism; they stifled his emotions and played down his intelligence; they sent him on dangerous missions unnumbered and in the end even denied him the rank of Master. Obi-Wan ignored Anakin’s nightmares about his mother and Yoda the ones he had about Padmé, pretending that he was wrong when he cared about others. Again, this goes to show how much they rejected and despised any form of true communication.
Anakin could not stand the idea of being isolated, without anyone to love; the idea literally drove him mad. But the conviction of being right was downright obsessive with the Jedi, to the point where we saw Obi-Wan maim and leave to burn the man he had raised like a younger brother and who had repeatedly saved his life.
Classics
When we first meet Luke in A New Hope, he is naïve and hotheaded; he is slowly learning about the Force but far from mastering it. And yet he is our hero.
Luke has one great strength throughout the classics which may be overlooked because we usually expect coolness from a hero: he is excellent at communication, always at his strongest when he reaches out to others. It is he who befriends everybody founding his legendary “family”. Luke always gives everyone a chance, as varied as the people he meets are. He would have died in the trench run had Han not rescued him; Han didn’t even believe in the Force, but Luke had given him an opportunity to join the Rebellion, and his offer of companionship won over the scoundrel’s heart.
Obi-Wan, the hermit who still thinks of a world long past, is the exact contrary. He spends twenty years on Tatooine waiting for the son to grow up so he can kill the father; a terrible thing to do when you think about it. Neither he nor Yoda lift a finger for the populations of the galaxy through the Empire’s tyranny and the Rebellions’ struggles and sacrifices.
In The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke finally finds out the truth about Vader, he is appalled not only at the fact itself but at his master’s betrayal, blaming him for not having communicated with him: “Ben, why didn’t you tell me?” Good Jedi that he is, Obi-Wan remains silent, although he had formerly appeared to him in ghostly form more than once.
Still after death, Obi-Wan shows that he does not understand the reasons for his failure; it does not occur to him that there might have been some error in his convictions. He says to Luke that “The truth is merely a point of view”, but he does not live by this wisdom. We never saw him accept anyone else’s point of view, at least not to my knowledge.
Vader traumatized Luke on Bespine, but his friends gave him comfort, helping him overcome his terror and become stronger and wiser. Luke learned from his mistakes, one of the reasons why he was not only the last Jedi but also the strongest. His connection with others made him strong.
Sequels
The Last Jedi is all about communication (one of the reasons, I think, why it is mostly loved by females 😊). Luke is shaken from his isolation by Rey; Kylo and Rey share a Force Bond; Luke finally speaks to his nephew again; Poe gets in conflict with both Leia and Holdo; Finn and Rose quickly realize that they can communicate very well.
The conflict between Holdo and Poe is a masterly lesson when it comes to communication. Poe does not trust her; he angrily demands she displays his intentions to him instead of obeying her, although she was chosen by Leia herself as her substitute. Headstrong, Holdo refuses to communicate with Poe altogether, which seems unnecessarily stubborn from her side but is her right, since she is his superior. And the outcome, as well as her final sacrifice, prove that Holdo was right all along. Poe failed because he did not listen, and because he did not accept that not saying something can also mean much.
Kylo / Ben is a person who is literally starved for communication. It must feel like a miracle to him when Rey finally listens to him, and it pushes him to do the right thing: getting rid of Snoke after he had heard him in his head his entire life.
Yet without their Force Bond, when they are communicating from face to face instead of between their souls, Rey and Ben miscommunicate. He tries to possess her, he expects her to need him; she expects him to become the way she is, i.e. someone who deflects and projects the Dark Side, which he can’t do because he is the deflection.
Feelings and connections with others are often painful and complicated, yes. But they are the only thing that can make us learn from our failures and mistakes.
Luke’s actual mistake had not been his moment of terror about his nephew, but his self-imposed isolation. We do not learn why he took Ben and his other students away to study on some distant planet of unknown name, apparently without any contact to the outside world; but that loneliness obviously did no one good. And even more importantly, after the damage was done, Luke did not go after Ben to get him out of the mess he had inadvertently caused. He shut himself off from the Force, his family and his friends, ashamed of himself and refusing any kind of contact.
Rey finding him on Ahch-To was necessary because Luke urgently needed someone to communicate with again: Rey listened to him, but she also called him to account. After she left, he searched for his sister again, was visited by Yoda, apologized to Leia and Ben. The connection with the people he cared about infused him with new strength and resolve.
Failure alone is not enough if all it makes you do is retire in some distant spot where no one can find you so that you won’t do any more harm. If there’s something the ST also tells us, it’s that in order to learn from your failings, you need communication with others.
Though set up as the heroine, Rey is not a satisfying one. Why? Because she is more or less thrown into action, makes mistakes, and hardly learns from them. She does communicate sometimes but is mostly a loner (probably due to her upbringing).
The stagnancy of the old Jedi Order came from their utter refusal towards new impulses. Luke himself said in The Last Jedi that the ways of the Jedi have to end. They do, because in order to remain strong, the new Jedi urgently need to learn communication. And I believe that only a Skywalker can teach them how to do it, because Force or not, ultimately this was always their greatest strength: the desire to love and be loved.
Which is why I still am not accepting that the last of the Skywalker blood is supposed to be gone for good. Ben Solo has a quality that I have never noticed in any other character in the saga, at least not in this intensity: he is a good listener, introspective and emphatic.
His grandfather Anakin also was the central character in six films; he was left for dead, but he wasn’t, he came back with another name and in another role. So let’s keep our heads up. We’ve been salty enough since TRoS came out. 😉
...Although, to be honest... If Rian’s trilogy doesn’t bring Ben Solo back, I myself might be tempted to give up on the saga for good...
#star wars#yoda#luke skywalker#rey#palpatine#ben solo#kylo ren#bendemption#han solo#leia organa#rian johnson#the last jedi#poe dameron#amilyn holdo#anakin skywalker#darth vader#jedi order#revenge of the sith#a new hope#darth maul#reylo#read more
71 notes
·
View notes
Text
Star Wars x Percy Jackson
Okay so this was a LOT harder then I thought it was going to be on the account that literally everyone in the GFFA is related to one another. So for the sake of my sanity (and yours) let’s just assume that no one is related so I can figure out what kriffing Olympian attributed to them (also we are keeping them all Greek to save me that headache)
Also to keep my sanity I split everyone up by Trilogy/TV Show so just assume each each are a new generation (with some overlapping)--
Also I’m not doing everyone because there is way too many kriffing characters so get ready for highlights and personal favorites. If you have anyone to add, comment or feel free to add! (Last “also”, promise! I stuck mostly with the big twelve to, you guessed it, preserve my sanity!)
Prequels:
Yoda is from Dionysus cabin--FIGHT ME ON THIS. I could not figure out why he talks like he does and came to the conclusion is he is definitely “drunk” on Kool-Aid. Also I like the idea of him growing vines and plants because of Dagoba. He is a camp councilor that’s been around for longer than anyone can remember by Chiron likes him well enough.
Mace is a child of Hades. ... I honestly don’t know why, but as soon as that image popped into my head I accepted it. Maybe it’s because of his stoic personality or maybe the fact he fights in a very angry style, to which I say, “skeletons ripping up from the earth”.
Qui-Gon-- for some bizarre reason the idea of Hypnos popped into my head and I now I cannot get it to leave me alone. So Qui is from Hypnos cabin. He gets a lot of sleep and even more visions of the future (such as a very powerful half-blood coming to camp and he’s now determined to find that kid)
Obi-Wan was tricky. I debated between a lot of cabins and none of them seemed to work for him. I finally settled on Hephaestus, which seems weird but let me explain. Obi-Wan feels like someone who would totally be into arts and crafts, if he could have. Hephaestus cabin usually has a good head and are quite smart
Anakin is from Zeus Cabin. Did you expect anything less? This kid is Mr. Lightning summoning, sword wielding, insane power with way too many emotions. (It was either that or Hephaestus but... “Chosen One” and all that)
Padme is 100% from Athena cabin. That’s it. Fight me.
Palpatine is a weird one because I’d usually just make him a monster or something like a Titan but... eh. I’m going Hermes because this boy knows how to lie and trick people (a lot like Luke, now that I think about it...). A friend of mine also suggested the child of Nemesis, the goddess of Revenge which could also work so pick your pick.
R2-D2 and C-3PO are satyrs. Very annoying, very loud, satyrs. 3PO goes on and on about the importance of nature and R2 follows behind him creating his own form of chaos. Most people avoid them.
Clone Wars:
Ahsoka is also from Athena cabin. I just like to picture her fighting with two knives and flipping around like a gymnast. But she’s more chill then Ares cabin--although she does love hanging out with those boys. She’s unofficially adopted by Ares cabin as a sister in arms so that’s cool.
Ares Cabin just consists of all the clones, okay? It was either that or Hermes but I just couldn’t imagine my boys without their military structure. Cody’s head of the cabin and has to try and keep all of his siblings in line-- very poorly, but he’s doing his best.
Satine is in Demeter Cabin. I wasn’t sure where else to put a pacifist but I thought it suited her well enough. Ex-girlfriend of Obi-Wan but they are on friendly terms (and there is a running bet on when they will get back together)
Rebels:
Kanan was really hard to figure out. I decided to make him Poseidon’s kid because he’s usually really chill in the show. For the most part, he’s really laid back and doesn’t use any water abilities unless he has too. Prefers to fight with a sword, but can use a crossbow surprising well. Has a street kid background so he gets along with the Hermes cabin really well and has kind of “adopted” one of the kids there (three guesses as to who)
Hera has to fly, okay? She has to be able to fly either a Pegasus or actually fly which leaves either Zeus, Apollo, or Poseidon as the main picks, which I don’t think any of those scream Hera. In fact, flip them, she’s a mortal that see’s through the Mist. She somehow got dragged into this world of monsters and demi-gods and is now chilling at the camp just for the heck of it. It may or may not have had something to do with her now-Boyfriend Kanan who may or may not have been on a quest at the time when he accidently destroyed her apartment because of a stupid hellhound.
Ezra is in Hermes cabin. This tiny little thief is wonderful and is a cute little blueberry. Kanan kind of unofficially adopted the kid so Ezra is usually drenched from swimming in the lake.
Zeb is from Athena cabin. Very skilled with a staff and very into battle meditation. Not super into the “intelligent” side of Athena, but he is in no way an idiot. Get’s into a lot of trouble with Ezra because why not?
Sabine I could totally see being the child of Apollo, but she joined Artemis Huntresses (maybe out of spite to her Dad but also because a bunch of warrior women? Heck, yeah!). Very artsy, excellent shot with a bow, and is much, much cooler then her dad.
Chopper is a very lazy, very stubborn Hellhound, fight me on this (and may have been the Hellhound Kana was fighting when he met Hera, but he’s now attached to this strange mortal woman who literally told off these two for destroying her house).
Original:
Luke was almost a child of the big three (specifically Hades for some bizarre reason--don’t ask me why, I don’t know how my brain got on that) but then I remembered that Hecate was a thing soooooo... Luke Skywalker, the son of Hecate, goddess of magic. He manipulates the mist and stuff like that. Also likes to fly Pegasi.
Leia... okay, this is going to sound really weird but I kind of see Leia as a child of Aphrodite. Not obsessed with how she looks and all that stuff, but more like Piper. Very strong willed, determined, and keeps your attention. She fights for what she believes in (loves) and can kick butt. It was either that or Athena but... eh, let’s turn that on it’s side, shall we?
Han is Hermes. What did you expect?
Chewbacca is a satyr. I don’t know if you expected any differently, but I’m picturing Coach Hedge just not... insane. Very much likes to fight monsters and is very protective of Han.
Lando is... tricky. I’m going to go with Dionysus simply because of the party factor, but don’t cross him. He can mess you up.
Sequels:
Rey is unclaimed. She chills in Hermes cabin and has no idea who her Godly parent is... which she mopes about a lot. ((I literally could not figure out who’s daughter she would be because that’s kind of the whole Trilogy. And then it hit me like an out of control Pegasus.))
Poe is from Apollo cabin and can usually be found on a Pegasus. His favorite is nicknamed BB and is white with “orange” spots. Very good at flying and shooting a bow at the same time. Yes, he’s a show off and yes, he’s very good in a fight.
Finn is in Ares cabin. But he’s more like Frank in the sense of he’s definitely nicer then most of his cabinmates. Excellent fighter but does not have that stupid Ares temper... most days (don’t cross Finn or he will mess you up)
Rose gets to be a child of Hephaestus. She’s smart and is an engineer, simple as that.
Kylo/Ben is in Aphrodite cabin simply because I want him there. He’s prissy, full of himself, and a jerk and if that isn’t Aphrodite, I don’t know what is (I’m sorry, I just hated Aphrodite in the books and Kylo was kind of a “meh” character soooooooooo...)
#fandom meets fandom#percy jackson#star wars#star wars original trilogy#star wars prequels#star wars sequals#star wars rebels#star wars the clone wars#too many characters to tag#au#au's galore#would you believe luke and leia were the hardest to come up with?#seriously#i could not figure them out for the life of me
15 notes
·
View notes
Note
When you find the time, would you please write more about Vader helping Luke adjust to becoming a vampire in Blood Red Love?
Luke heard the familiar thump of feet of approaching. He couldn’t help but smile a little. He knew those steps. Their beat was like that of his own heart. It was the march of his sister, who was angry and on the warpath. He had grown up hearing these steps storm down hallways in the Skywalker homes over the years, and now it was coming for him in the basement of his parent’s new American home. The door slammed open and Leia stood in the doorway full of anger and determination.
“Luke!” she shouted as she rushed over to him. She wore a nice dark green dress and her hair was carefully braided and pinned up. Luke was sitting on his bed, and Leia plopped herself down right next to him and tightly hugged him. He wrapped his own arms around her and held her tightly. “Is it true?” she whispered into his hair.
He didn’t reply, only just held her. She felt so warm, so alive. She pulled away slowly. Her eyes searched his, but Luke couldn’t keep her gaze. He looked down at his lap.
“Luke . . . I . . . It’s . . .”
“True,” he whispered. “What Mother and Father told you. It’s true.”
She bit her lower lip. She wanted to argue. She wanted to say that it was illogical and foolish and a million other things, but she didn’t.
“Vampires,” she said. She let out a small angry huff.
“Still don’t believe it?”
She gave him a pointed look that clearly said she did not. Ever since Luke’s . . . accident, as his parents were calling it, and his transformation into a vampire by his father to save his life, he had been living in the basement as he adjusted. His parents had told his siblings he had gotten a sudden and base case of the flu, which meant he needed to be quarantined and the others had to stay away. They still exchanged letters. Ayamé sent him colorful drawings mostly of flowers and animals. Jonin wrote about his day, but Leia’s letters were filled with angry fast scribbled words. She knew something was off. Something was wrong. She demanded to see Luke and knew something was wrong when her parents had told her no.
But Anakin and Padmé Skywalker could only keep their children apart for so long, especially the twins. Luke had told his parents there was no way he could keep a secret about being a vampire from Leia, and his parents agreed and decided they would be the one to tell their oldest daughter. Finally told the truth, Leia was permitted to see Luke.
“You don’t look any different,” she said.
Luke gave her a weak smile. “It must be all on the inside because I feel different. Completely different.”
“Yeah? Is it . . . hard?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
It was hard. The hunger was the worst. It couldn’t be stopped with regular food, though he luckily could still eat such things. The only cure for the gnawing hunger was blood. Thick, warm blood. He was surprised at how good it tasted. How he constantly thought of it. Constantly wanted it. He had only drunk blood from cups and pitchers given to him by his parents or their servants, who were clearly well informed of his parents’ dual identities. He had yet to bite and drink blood straight from a human.
A human like Leia. She wasn’t the first human he had seen since he had been turned. A few of his mother’s handmaidens were humans. But none of them had been this close to him. None of them had lingered around him. His eyes looked at his sister’s throat. He could feel the blood pumping through her veins. He could hear her heart beating strongly in her chest. His mouth salivated as her smell filled the air with promises of delicious blood. His fangs were starting to grow longer.
“Luke?” Leia asked. “Your eyes!”
No doubt they were turning gold as his vampiric side slowly revealed itself.
“Leia it’s time to go.”
Both twins looked up to see their mother. Neither one had heard Padmé enter, but she stood there and grabbed Leia’s arm. She pulled her daughter up and started to push her to the door.
“Wait! Mother!” Leia tried to wiggle free. She constantly looked over her shoulder at her brother.
“Luke needs to be alone right now,” Padmé said as she finally managed to get Leia out into the hallway. She gave Luke a knowing and comforting but sad look before she closed the door.
Tears instantly welled in his eyes. What was he thinking? Was he thinking of biting Leia and sucking her blood? How could he ever do such a thing? The door opened and Luke wiped the tears away with the sleeve of his shirt. He was ready to tell Leia or Mother to go away, but it wasn’t either of them.
It was his father who entered holding a small silver tray with a large pitcher filled with red liquid and a single glass. Anakin Skywalker said nothing as he closed the door then placed the tray on the bedside table. He poured the blood into the cup and held it out to his son. Luke took it without a word and instantly started to chug it down. Anakin sat down next to him sitting in the same spot Leia had occupied moments ago.
“Your mother and I were in the hallway,” Anakin said softly. “We knew it was your first real time being around a human. We wanted to be there just in case.”
“In case of what?” Luke asked. “That I attacked my own sister? That I drank her blood?”
He couldn’t look at his father. Shame and guilt burned through him. His father’s hand rested gently on his back.
“You wouldn’t have hurt her,” Anakin said.
“But I wanted to! I could smell her blood and it just smelled so good! I couldn’t stop myself. My fangs started to grow and my eyes changed and if Mother hadn’t come in . . .” He finally looked at his father. His vision was blurry as tears filled his eyes again.
“If Mother hadn’t come in, you still wouldn’t have hurt Leia,” Anakin said.
“Then why did she come in and whisk Leia if nothing was going to happen?”
Anakin closed his eyes and sighed. He rubbed Luke’s back in small circles.
“You weren’t going to hurt her, but you’re going through a rough time. You still haven’t gotten control over yourself yet. Most likely you have bottled yourself up and tried to return to being a human.”
That was what Luke was going to do. Anakin squeezed Luke’s shoulder.
“That isn’t the way to master your desires. It takes baby steps.”
Anakin took the empty cup from Luke’s hand, stood up, and refilled the cup with more blood. Luke took the cup and held it in his hands without drinking it.
“You don’t need to rush through this. It takes time,” Anakin said.
“You keep saying I wasn’t going to do anything, but I don’t believe it. I was so hungry all of a sudden. And . . . “ He looked at his father. “I don’t think I can be around Leia anymore. Be around anyone.”
“Luke,” Anakin said. He placed his hand under his chin. “I have been a vampire your whole life. Look at me. I have never thought about drinking your blood. Ever. The same goes for your sisters and brother. Your mother feels the same way. Neither one of us has ever had any desire to harm any of you regardless of how hungry we may be. We would rather starve than harm any of you.”
“But you-- you have more control! You’re used to it.”
Anakin let out a soft chuckle. “Exactly. Control you’ll learn. Control you’ll get used to.” He sat back down next to Luke. “It’s hard when you didn’t choose this life,” he said softly. “Though your mother and I didn’t freely choose to become vampires, we both still made a choice.”
Luke looked at his father questioningly.
Anakin sighed. “I am sure you remember Sheev Palpatine.”
Luke couldn’t stop the scowl of disgust from growing on his face. Duke Palpatine had died when he was four years old, but yes he remembered that foul man. Anakin laughed at Luke’s reaction.
“He was a vampire. In fact, he was the leader of the vampire underworld. He killed your mother’s family. He offered your mother a choice: die or become a vampire. Clearly, she picked the latter. He then captured me, plotted so Jedi knights would invade his home, and your mother, who was very pregnant with you and your sister, was kidnapped. I was desperate, Luke. I couldn’t let anything happen to your mother or the babies. So I accepted becoming a vampire. It was the only out I could see at the time. I wasn’t afraid of dying, but I was afraid of losing you and your mother and Leia.
“But because we choose to be vampires, though both in cruel ways, our transition perhaps wasn’t as hard as yours has been. We had already mentally accepted what we were becoming. But I don’t think you have yet. You haven’t completely wrapped your mind around what has happened to you and what you’ve become. Once you’ve accepted what you are, I think it will be easier. Do you know who you should talk to? Mr. Piett. He was also turned due to similar circumstances like your own.”
“Mr. Piett?”
He was his father’s assistant and had traveled with them to America. Luke was quite fond of the man. He had always been kind to Luke since he was a child and entertained him. Though Luke couldn’t believe he was a vampire. His parents he could believe. There was always this mysteriousness to them. They always had parties and meetings to go where they wouldn’t give details or allow the children to go to. But Piett was so normal. Luke never would have imagined it.
Perhaps Luke should talk to him. If Piett could pull off being a normal human so well, then he could as well. Luke nodded to his father and smiled. Anakin smiled back as he pulled his son into a tight embrace.
“No matter what,” Anakin whispered into Luke’s hair, “I love you and am so proud of you.”
“I love you too, Father,” Luke whispered back.
#blood red love#my writing#ficlet#one-shot#ask silver#i have two vampire au's#that can be confusing#anakin skywalker#luke skywalker#vampires#Anonymous
54 notes
·
View notes
Text
Quick response to Mandalorian season finale
Behind a cut because, well.
Okay, yes, I am in this show for Dadalorian and Found Family etc. But I am at least as invested in the plotline this season about various factions of Mandalorians and their, for lack of a better word, sectarian disputes. Which frequently result in barfights. Because Mandalorians.
(AKA that scene where they picked up Bo and her minion was. A Delight.)
(Also, I love my girl Bo-Katan. Even if she’s very much a blunt instrument/not a politician going at this in all the wrong ways and was Very Rude to Boba but tbh I wasn’t 100% sure she was going to show up in this episode and I would’ve been Sad if we hadn’t gotten to see them meet. Either here or next season.)
(Still Sad at the lack of Sabine, though :( )
Leaving aside anything re: Gina Caranno (because that has been discussed by people much smarter and better-informed than myself), I’m kind of thrilled that the strike team was Almost Entirely Ladies.
(On that note. Uh. Does anyone else kinda. That little “Anyone else, we can take” smirk. And I just. Uh. Bo/Fennec, anyone??????)
(I kind of already ship Bo with Ventress tbh but a) multishipping ftw and b) threesome??????)
(Hi I’m shallow sometimes lol)
Anyway moving on.
Also the sound/almost-music when the Cylons Dark Troopers were activating was Excellent I approve.
And that Visual of the one trooper Din set on fire. ...honestly that whole hallway fight sequence was pretty Brilliant.
And the sort of...almost casual layer of the scene in the elevator. Even if these women haven’t worked together before, just that, “sure you don’t need any help with that?” “I got it. Excuse me.”
And that whole thing where Gideon was trying to Manipulate Din and he was like “...dude, I legit just care about the kid. I’ll fight for/with Bo-Katan because she’s pretty badass and I Might As Well plus she gets me what I want but I don’t...actually...Care about her Greater Cause?”
(Side note, I’ve spent a lot of time writing Bo-Katan/figuring out how her head works and literally all she cares about is Mandalore and its survival. It’s why she broke away from her sister in the first place, and has informed every single thing she’s done since. A lot of why she makes the specific choices she does goes back to the Mandalorian Civil War and her experiences there--especially since all the evidence indicates she was not with Satine and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. The way that separation and their different experiences of that conflict probably contributed to the eventual destruction of what seems likely to have been a Very Close Relationship before that is fascinating to me. And the subject of a fic I’ve been working on off and on for a couple years now, lol.)
(...anyway, where I was going with this was--I mean, yes, Gideon knows everything in terms of facts, but he doesn’t always interpret them correctly. IMO, Bo-Katan’s desire to rule Mandalore is less about power (for herself) than it is about Mandalore. Especially given some of what she says to Sabine in Rebels--if there was someone else she genuinely trusted to take the throne and rule her world, she’d be willing to cede her claim and be one of their generals. Especially since she’s very much not a political animal. She’s an excellent war leader, but not so much in terms of actual Governance.)
(insert long ramble about the Parallels between her and Anakin, which I touched on in one of my fanfics, lol; and will probably do more with in my BB project which involves the two of them and Padme as the main characters)
(And, yeah, she does want to fight Din for the right, but if she thought Din would be a good Duke/King of Mandalore, I think she would seriously considering swearing allegiance to him? Again, witness how she handled things with Sabine. Also she would probs prefer to avoid a third (fourth?) civil war in her lifetime. But, I mean. I love Din but he is. He is not a Leader. Not like her people need.)
(And I think the way things played out with Sabine affects her decisions here, too--she did accept the Darksaber as a gift/tribute then, but proceeded to lose it. Maybe she does need to fight for it the way Maul and Viszla did (presumably; we don’t know how he got the Darksaber; it may be something he inherited/have been held by House Viszla for a while, even if they never used it to dethrone the Kryzes until now).)
(But, then again, I mean, this has been her life for at least a decade, so...well, maybe she wouldn’t quite step aside. Even if an Absolutely Perfect candidate came along. But WRT Din specifically--given who he is and what he’s capable of, while she absolutely wants him in her camp (and on a personal level isn’t super thrilled about having to fight him like this; she seems to genuinely like this kid), my guess is she doesn’t want him ruling. Not without some more actual leadership training/experience. Because, well, he’s been either a follower or a loner in everything we’ve seen him in, and given Bo’s opinion of (possibly experience with?) the Watch/the group who raised him, and the fact that he’s consistently shown himself to have super-narrow priorities and not really caring about much outside of them...yeah, she probs has some Concerns.)
(Plus, he clearly doesn’t want it. And you have to Want It on some level in order to be an effective ruler--that Wanting can be from genuine altruism/wanting to make the world better, like we see with Bail and Padme; it can be from single-minded determination to Make Things Right, like Satine and I would argue Bo-Katan (Leia falls into either the first or second category, depending on the point in her storyline); and it can come from a desire for personal power and advancement (as we see with Pre Viszla and, of course, Skeev Palpatine himself; to be fair, rulers in this third category tend to be bad in other ways lol). But someone who genuinely doesn’t want power generally kind of Sucks when they’re unexpectedly handed it. Which I could cite several IRL historical examples of. And, I mean, obviously, this isn’t the only factor in play for what makes a good ruler/leader (see above re: Palps and Pre Viszla), but it is a factor.)
(Also, to clarify: none of these are bad qualities/traits, necessarily? Like, traits are good or bad depending on whatever context a person/character finds themself in. And in Din’s current context, with his current life and mission--even in situations where he has to coordinate with other groups in the service of a larger goal--these are excellent traits to have. But for someone who’s responsible for an entire nation? Not so much.)
(One could argue that Bo has some Issues there, too, albeit different ones, which is why I think she might be willing to step aside and cede her claim to a Genuinely Good/Better Alternative, if she found one. She’s a war-leader, not a ruler, and the two jobs require overlapping but different skillsets.)
(..........honestly? I don’t think the show would go there, but I think the two of them as a team/partnership ruling Mandalore would actually be really effective? Either on an equal footing or with one as the Official Ruler and the other as a second-in-command/right-hand. She has the leadership expertise and the actual will and drive to pull this off, and he has the diplomatic skill, as we see with the Tusken Raiders, among others.)
(Not a romantic partnership, lol, that would be Weird, but a political and probably eventually platonically affectionate one. Especially with how Mandalore feels about family of choice/adoption, and the fact that they’re both kind of alone now (whatever happened to Korkie, anyway??) even if no formal adoption is likely in their case...)
(Anyway. Uh. Long tangent aside...)
(also if there’s anyone who didn’t see Gideon trying to decapitate Din when his back was turned...IDEK what you were expecting. Like. I am All About guys like Pellaeon in the Imperial ranks, and the fact that there might be a few people who would make that offer/deal and be on the level. To say nothing of my best beloved Alexsandr Kallus. But. Uh. Gideon is. Not one of them.)
(Also, I thought it was a Nice Touch when the spear started turning red--because, no, the Darksaber can’t cut pure beskar. But it does generate heat, as we’ve seen in, say, TPM. And beskar does melt.)
Also, called it on tossing the Cylons Dark Troopers out the airlock Not Working in the long term.
While it’s not Cool or Flashy like a bomb or slicing, the Cylons Dark Troopers pounding the doors down with their goddamn fists was Cool and Terrifying in all the best ways.
Side note--I think even if I hadn’t been spoiled (forgot to mute the spoiler channels on the SW Discords I’m on before going to bed, and checked on autopilot), X-wing + Grogu perking up would’ve probably clued me in and I would’ve been SHRIEKING. I was still vibrating super hard even though I knew who was coming, but it probably would’ve been slightly more XD
(and then a moment of HAHA GIDEON KNOWS WHAT’S COMING)
(and so does my girl Bo)
(and then the green ‘saber and the glove and other costume details and IF YA DIDN’T SCREAM BEFORE YOU SURE ARE NOW!!!!)
(Kind of cool that they waited until the last minute before showing his actual face though)
NO MY GIRL BO-KATAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(IF YOU DIE WHO WILL GET DRUNK AND SWAP WAR STORIES AND MAYBE HAVE VICTORY SEX WITH FENNEC)
(shut up i’m shallow)
(also I love her she’s legit one of my favorite characters in this series I don’t want her to die DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD:)
OH GOOD SHE GOT UP
(yeah that was my actual real-time reaction to her getting shot lol)
“Talent without training is nothing.” ::insert Obvious/Tired joke about Luke having all of three months’ training At Best::
(also, I mentioned this in my last quick reaction, as well as elsewhere, but I’m...still kind of uncomfortable with the continuing implication that the Jedi path is the only option other than Darkness. Not because it’s a bad one, either in the PT-era or with Luke’s reconstruction. But the idea that the only way to achieve the mindset/emotional stability/whatever needed to wield the Force without Falling is through adapting the Jedi philosophy sits wrong with me. especially the implication that you can only do so from an early age/in isolation from other influences or bonds; which is a word I’m using very specifically because there’s a difference between Attachment as defined by the Jedi and interpersonal bonds which they clearly have and I don’t want this to get derailed by that particular Discourse(tm) That doesn’t even super hold up on Earth, with a single species, let alone in a galaxy with trillions of beings of multiple different species. Basically, people and the galaxy--and by extension the Force, which is in part created/influenced by living beings--are way too complicated for there to be only one right answer.)
(Also, it...doesn’t really hold up with the core message of Star Wars, which is about Choice? If the only way you can be a Good Force Adept is by meeting this extremely narrow set of criteria, most of which are outside your possible control......but I should probably save this for a separate post, lol.)
(The point is, I mentioned earlier in the post how much I’m LOVING the throughline in this season about different factions/sects among Mandalorians, and I think it would be Great if we got more of that with Jedi/Light adepts.)
(Anyway. Uh. Back to the episode...)
That FACE MOMENT had me legit crying omg
ARTOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!@@21!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
omg had they MET
I...don’t know what I was expecting from the credits but Welp. I wonder who the body double was...
(And before you ask, I didn’t really get the Uncanny Valley effect from Rogue One, not even Tarkin, so.....yeah, I guess I don’t always pick up on that, or it hits me from weird directions, lol. Because I sometimes get that from the Rebels animation, especially in stills/gifsets, because everyone’s faces are all so Smooth...)
.........Jabba’s palace, okay.
.......Bib Fortuna, Okay.
(those fingernails, however, are Not Okay)
YAY RESCUE THE GIRL.
Good on you, Boba, just shooting him in the face instead of letting him posture!
although why you want to rule Tatooine is...okay then.
LOL at Fennec perching on the arm of the chair, sipping her booze all casual-like.
Right! So that was an Experience! Overall, I liked it. Looking forward to how Din and Bo handle things moving forward, in particular! Because, like I said, I’m in this series for Dadalorian (so IDK how I’ll feel with it no longer being the Core Story since Grogu left with Luke) and in this season for the Mandalorian factions/sects and how they interact.
I’m also not sure how I feel about three interconnected series leading up to a Major Finale Event? Disney’s Star Wars has not had a super great track record with giving all the information needed to follow things in the core product (see: the ST worldbuilding lol, and also some of the cameos/appearances in this season, even), so I’m Skeptical of how well they’ll do explaining what is Necessary in each of the three series, in case someone only watches one or two.
What were your thoughts?
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Blinded ch.6
A/N- Hope you guys like it!! :)
Warning- none
Pairing- Poe Dameron x solo!reader
Tagged- @chloe-skywalker
(Let me know if you want to be tagged)
—
The moment couldn’t be real. He couldn’t be here. He was dead. This was just a mind trick played by Kylo, nothing more nothing less. Anakin Skywalker was dead. You began to take careful steps backwards as you saw his appearance still there. An amused smile began to form on his lips as he saw and felt your confusion.
“You’re confused and worried. Don’t be I’m here to help.” He said only making you more surprised and worried.
“How?” You finally managed to say.
“Im a force spirit it’s a power only a few jedi can do, in time I’ll teach you too.” Your eyes were still wide and you still had a million questions and doubt. “I’m here to help you y/n.”
“How? Why?” He mustered up a small laugh as he shook his head at same questions you asked him.
“I’ve been watching you, looking out for you, we all have. Since your fall to the dark side and your path back to the light side. I’ve seen you struggle and your mother Leia try and help you. She can’t do it alone and I understand your struggle with the battle you fight within and I want to help you and your redemption back.” You’re left speechless still in shock with his presence but you understand more now. And the doubt you have is small now but still lingering. “I’ve been calling to you but with all the voices in your head you were confused.”
“I really want to follow the right path again.” You say in a low voice.
“It’s not going to be easy but we’re going to do it.”
-
The thought of your grandfather Anakin presenting himself to you as a force spirit, to try and help you was all you could think about. The help he was offereing was one you couldn’t refuse, you needed his help if you wanted to do what was right. Even if the presence of him still blew your mind, You had known about force spirits but it was not until now that you knew that it was actually true. But you couldn’t just think about that. You had to keep yourself busy so the voices you hear, the ones that are tempting you to follow a path weren’t the only thing you heard and thought about.
Your mother said that you shouldn’t spend time alone when you weren’t training or mediating. She said that you needed to make friends around the base. You would offer to help some people and some would gladly accept and others would walk the other way or just pretend you weren’t there. Some didn’t know of who you had been before and where you had been but others did and those are the ones that glared at you or whispered to one another when you passed by.
Either way you tried to talk and make friends even if some didn’t want to even look your way. But that’s something you had to deal with if you were going to stay and help here in the resistance. As you looked for a specific part for a ship you’ve been fixing a little orange and white droid kept bumping into your leg. “Do you need help?” You ask the little droid. He begins beep to tell you what he needed and that he couldn’t reach it. You grab it and hand it to him and he thanks you. You would have thought he was going to leave but he stayed and asked you to help him with the ship he was fixing.
“Your pilot can’t help?” You ask him and he nods so you sigh and follow the little droid to where the x-wing was. You begin to help out the little droid and in an instant know what was wrong with it. The only thing you didn’t know was who the X-wing belonged to and who the droid belonged too.
“What are you doing?” The all to familiar voice asked. You scoot forward and from under the X-Wing. You take a deep breath and stand up.
“Your droid said he needed help so I came to help.” You told the Commander Poe Dameron. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at his little droid and back to you.
“Well we’re fine.” He said with a different part in his hand that he didn’t need.
“Really? Because by the looks of it you don’t. I’ve fixed ships before I know a thing or two.” You say to try and remain calm and not let the anger seep through.
“Well I’ve said we’re fine. We don’t need your help.” You look down at the little droid and smile at him.
“Maybe we’ll talk later you’re much nicer then your friend here.” You say as you look back at Poe. You grab the part the BB unit had grabbed and shoved it into Poe’s arms. “Keep it maybe it’ll fix that big ego of yours.” You say with a huff and turn to leave.
-
“Focus on what’s around you, the warm sun, the wind, the dirt, grass, life, decay that feeds the new life.” Your grandfather Anakin said as you sat outside in the open, where it was quiet and alone perfect for mediating. You did as he instructed and closed your eyes and began to focus on what was around you. “Let the force flow through you...what do you feel?”
“I feel the wind, the warm sun hitting down, I feel the water flow in the riverbed, the dirt, the decay below it that feeds new life, I feel the birds in the trees and the other critters. I feel the force flow through me, I feel calm.” You say. The rocks and dirt began to float up as you sat and mediatated, you also began to float without you noticing it. You were lost in your mediation, you felt calm and peaceful something you hadn’t felt in a while. “I feel you, your presence, it’s strong and I feel my mothers too.” You whisper.
Your mother looked at the spirit of her father as they both stayed and watched, and trained. But their was also someone else watching, lurking about in the woods. Poe Dameron. He had followed your mother and you. His curiosity got the best of him, he wanted to know what you were really doing, he trusted General Organa but he still couldn’t trust you. He just wanted to make sure you weren’t leading your own mother to some trap. But as he saw you in the woods floating above the ground and the rocks and dirt floating above too he knew that maybe their was no trap. Their was nothing to be suspious about. In fact he was amazed by what you were doing. He knew of the force and what it could do, he once had a force sensitive tree but he never knew anyone who was force sensitive until he met you.
Your eyebrows furrowed and your nose scrunched up as you felt something else, another presence, darker. Once again you went to the dark part of the planet, the burnt trees, the black ground. “I feel anger, the darkness, cold, pain...I see the darkness...it’s calling to me.” You say your voice strained.
“Y/N focus again on your surroundings, the peacefulness, the light, life, don’t follow the darkness.” Anakin began to say.
Everything then went black and you began to feel fear. “It’s dark but I I feel someone.” The presence then began to feel familiar. Their was a hint of light coming from above, you were in your mind, you stood up and the worried voices of your grandfather and your mother felt distant. You began to hear heavy footsteps approaching, you stumbled back but kept your eyes on where you had heard the noise come from.
Bits of sliver began to reflect as it hit the small amount of light that hit. It wasn’t until the presence came into full view that you knew exactly who it was. “It’s Kylo he’s here.” You whispered. You felt nothing but anger and pain come from him. He took off his helmet and you saw his face, you hadn’t seen it in a while but you saw it now.
“She’s lying to you, nothing good comes from being there, they hate you there, they fear you. She’s lied to you. I haven’t.” He began to approach you. The memories of him and all he has said flashed by and you could feel it start to consume you. “You feel that anger, feed off of it.”
“Y/N let the darkness pass don’t let it consume you. Don’t let it blind you.” You heard anakin say, his voice sounded distant and almost like an echo but you could hear him.
“Come back sister. Here you have true power. They do nothing but lie. Remember what they done to you. Come back, don’t leave me.” You weren’t paying attention to how close he was until his hands were on either side of your head. In an instant you felt darkness, all the feelings your were trying to fight. You were trying to fight him off and feel the light again, but it was hurting, your struggle to fight was causing pain.
“I can’t! I can’t! It hurts!” You began to yell as you began to shake, sweat ran down your forehead and your breathing was heavy. “Please! Just make it stop!”
“No y/n fight him. Fight the darkness. Follow my voice, feel the darkness pass, feel the force in you, light.” Anakin kept saying. The rocks that were once floating around you began to explode and turn into a thousand of small pieces. The surrounding trees began to crack along with the branches littered on the ground.
The lurking presence hiding in between the trees paid closer attention as he saw your struggle. He payed attention to what was happening around you and him. In that instant he felt something, as he saw you cry out in pain he saw that maybe you weren’t the person he was painting you to be. He saw that you were honest in your journey to redemption. He began to feel sorry for how he had treated you how had felt towards you, he no longer saw the monster he knew you to be, but you. He saw you for you, just a girl trying to change for the better. He began to feel different towards you, then again he had felt different towards you before in that fight with the stormtroopers that happened a while ago. But now he knew his feelings for you were different. The hate wasn’t strong but you also couldn’t erase what you had done but now he saw it in a different way.
“Y/N honey fight him! Hear my voice.” You heard your mother say. “Remember your father, remember what he told you. Remember his feelings towards you. He loves you honey. I love you. You’re not alone.” At the mention of your father you fought stronger, you began to feel the light again. Your breathing began to calm and you began to relax. The trees were no longer shaking and the floating dirt and rocks around you weren’t flying in a fast motion but calmer. You no longer saw Kylo or felt pain, anger and cold. You felt what you had felt before. Once you felt yourself fully return back you let yourself fall to the ground. You let your head fell in your hands.
“You did good y/n. It wasn’t going to be easy and it’s not going to be easy but you came back, you didn’t let the darkness consume you. That’s good, we’ll continue tomorrow.” Anakin said as he rubbed your shoulder in a soothing way.
“Thank you.” You whispered to him. He smiled at his daughter before he disappeared. Your mother then sat next to you and wrapped her arms around you.
Poe who was still watching carefully began to make his way back. He was impressed and he left with different feelings towards you. He saw your struggle and the fight you put up to keep the darkness away.
.
.
.
#fanficiton#star wars#star wars imagine#starwars#star wars fanfiction#star wars imagines#starwarsimagines#starwarsfanfiction#starwarsimagine#poe dameron x solo!reader#poe dameron imagine#poe dameron#poe dameron fanfiction#poe dameron imagines#leia organa#general organa#anakin skywalker#kylo ren
183 notes
·
View notes
Text
Gideon
Part 6 of so happy together
Part 5
______________________________________________
You woke up the next morning excited at the thought of Elaine coming over. Almost immediately you jumped out of bed and went to get dressed. As you were choosing a shirt you heard a short loud buzz. Your phone. You walked over and turned the screen on. Another message from Ben, you werent expecting that.
‘So what are your plans for today?’ the message read. You picked the phone up and typed
‘My best friends coming over, were exchanging gifts and then just hanging around.’ you hit sent and it dawned on you. Why was he asking? Did he wanna talk? Hang out? You shook your head trying to not overthink it. You continued getting dressed when another message came through.
‘Oh, i was gonna ask if you wanted to come with me and Luke to this art museum, i remember you saying you really liked art and thought you'd wanna tag along.��
So he did want to hang out. ‘That's really sweet of you to offer, wish i could go, maybe next time though :(‘
You hit send, slid the phone in your pocket and headed downstairs. You went to the kitchen and saw there was a note on the fridge
‘Left early to go get you another surprise, I think you'll like this one most. Be back by 12’
Turning towards the clock you saw it was about 9 am. Elaine said she would be here at 9:30. Opening the pantry you looked to see what your grandfather kept around. Sure enough the first thing you saw was a big box of your favorite cereal. You brought it down and saw it was unopened. He must have bought it before you came. You opened it and had 2 bowls while you scrolled through your social media. You didn't have a big following, not like Rey or Elaine. You still had a good amount of people following you though, like Elaine, Hux, phasma, some friends in the city from when you lived there. Your parents' business pages followed you, as did your grandfathers. As well as some strangers that started following you back when you used to post your art, until a certain someone got everyone in school to make fun of it driving you to take it down. You don't know what you did to make rey hate you so much. It's like from the beginning of time her goal was to make you as miserable as she could. It was like having an evil older sister, except she was your cousin.
She was only about a year older than you. Once you moved to the republic, she followed a few months later. Once your father announced you would be attending Yale after graduation. She announced later that year that she had been accepted. Jokes on her though, once you finally gather the strength to do it you plan on telling your parents you have your heart set on the Pratt institute in Brooklyn. Your father wanted you to run some of his businesses with him, but you wanted to be a fashion designer. You didn't even want to live here with the rest of them. The town of Alderaan held nothing but bad memories. It held some good things like your friends, and your grandfather, but the only person you're close with is Elaine. Her heart is set on New York too. You know if you left your grandfather would visit. He has business in New York so he would have a reason to come every now and then. You would visit him too, of course. There was more pain than happiness though. The pain of your parents. The pain from the torment Rey had brought for years. Mama's death. You wanted to go, and start somewhere new. Somewhere you could be Y/N Kenobi. Not just Y/N daughter of Alden Kenobi, and Granddaughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Somewhere you could be more than their legacy.
You heard a knock at the door. You quickly ran your bowl to the kitchen sink and rushed over to the door. You looked out the peephole and saw Elaine standing on the other side holding a small box. You swung open the door and pulled her into the hug.
“I know it's only been a few days but i miss you so much.” she said embracing you.
“I know, and for it only being a few days there's a lot to catch you up on, but first I wanna give you your gifts.” you pulled her in the house and made your way to the den. She sat on the little couch looking around as you rushed upstairs to grab her gift. Unlike you, she was a big Reader. Reading was her absolute favorite thing in this world. Almost her entire instagram feed was books she was reading, cafes she loved to read at, and pictures of her at her favorite library.
She was also insanely smart. You consider yourself smart, but this girl was a borderline genius. She could do anything she wanted to in this world, but science above all was what she wanted to do. Her dream was to be a botanist, and it was fitting for her. Whenever she was out of her school uniform she always had something on that involved plants whether it was a leaf print shirt, socks with trees on them, or a hair clip with flowers on it.
You had gotten her a stack of books. A limited edition of her favorite Jane Austen, a new one that you found when you read the summary and it sounded like something she would have liked, and a couple older books on plant biology. You grabbed the books and ran back down to her. And placed them down next to her. She gave you a look knowing that it was books. She picked them up and unwrapped them each one by one. She almost immediately read the first chapter of the book you chose for her. After she was done she handed you your gift. You unwrapped it and saw it was a light green instax camera.
“I figured you could use it on the Italy trip.”
“How'd you know about that?”
“Your grandfather may have asked for places to take you to, you're lucky I talked him into Italy his first idea was Canada.” you didn't have a grudge against Canada it just seemed too close to home, and you loved Italy.
“You really are my best friend.” you two talked a while when you eventually got to the topic of Christmas day.
“He was here.”
“Who was here?”
“Ben. so were his grandparents, and Luke. it was weird.” you said, remembering how the night had begun.
“So not only was he here, but you also met Anakin and Padme?” you forgot that they were a big deal in the town. They practically ran it.
“Yeah I guess. They weren’t as scary as people make them out to be. Anakin was quiet, but Padme was really sweet.”
“That's so cool. I've always wanted a chance to meet her. I heard the garden at her house is absolutely insane. What happened with Ben though? It must have been awkward considering he's a total dick.” you laughed remembering that you had ranted about that to her.
“At first he was still a dick, but then something changed and he turned out to not be so bad.”
“What happened?”
“My parents happened. I called them the day after you left hoping to catch up with them before Christmas. They took that as a sign that they didn't need to call for the holiday. It hurt a lot. I was crying in the hall when Ben found me and asked if I was ok. After that we talked for a bit before we came back. We talked the rest of the night.”
She looked just as confused as you were last night. “So one day hes slamming a door in your face the next he's hanging out with you like you guys had just met?”
“That's exactly what i thought! That night too he called a spoiled rich kid!”
“He's the one that acted like a spoiled rich kid.”
“I said that too!” you exclaimed as you two laughed
“He turned out to be not so bad after all. He even texted me this morning trying to hang out.”
“Sounds like he's got a crush.” she teased
“No, no, no, you have not seen this man Laine, he's incredibly hot, and there's no way a man like that could take an interest in someone like me.”
“Why not? I mean you're smart as hell, funny, and you're beautiful.”
“Trust me if i was all that i would've had plenty of boyfriends in the past.”
“You're kidding right? You know my brothers had a crush on you since day 1, and you've never seen the way Hux would stare at when we were freshman.” she said shaking your shoulders.
“Hux had a crush on me?” you always thought he was handsome but you thought he was too uptight to ever take the time to have an interest in someone.
“Yes since we were 13. He would always ask me about you and the things you liked. He was just too scared to act on it.” That was a fun fact for sure.
“Huh that's interesting. I never knew that.”
“It's because you're oblivious. Whenever someone does like you, you think they're just being nice.”
She continued to completely roast you for never noticing the difference between people flirting and people being nice. After that she stopped herself and looked a bit shocked.
“Wait, he asked if you wanted to hang out, what did he want to do?”
“Go to an art museum. He said he remembered me saying i liked art and he wanted to see if i would go?”
“You mean, like a date?”
“He said Luke was going too, so probably not.”
“Still he chose to invite you instead of anyone else.”
“He doesn't know anyone else.” just then you heard a car pull up. Looking at the clock you noticed it was 11:30. If it was your grandfather he was early. You heard the door open and close and after a few minutes you saw him walk in.
“Why hello Elaine it's a pleasure seeing you here.” she got up and went over to hug him.”look at you two so grown up. It warms my heart to see you two still together after all these years.”
You got up after her and went to hug him too. “If you two could follow me I have one last surprise for you Y/N.”
Both of you followed after him as he led you to the front door. Once you both were there he opened it and led you outside. Sitting in the front yard was something big. It was laying down but when the door opened it turned. It was a dog. Not just any dog, but a blue tick just like the one mama had when you were younger.
“He's quite old. He's a rescue, but as soon as I saw him I knew he was perfect. He can stay here since you can't have him at school. This just means you'll have to come over more often.”
You walked over to the dog. He was old. You weren't sure how old, but he did have a few gray hairs in his face and throughout his body, but he was still beautiful. You bent down letting him smell your hands. He took a while to smell your hand before licking it. He must've been losing his sense of smell. As soon as he stood and licked your head you knew you were in love. This dog was going to be your everything. Elaine came over and let him smell her too.
“Where'd you get him?” you asked him as you scratched the back of his ears, and Elaine stroked his back.
“He was abandoned in the middle of the woods when they found him. His foster parents think he was a hunting dog, and that when he got too old to keep hunting his owners dumped him. He loves being outside, and he is apparently very loyal. I knew he was going to be the perfect friend for you and today was the day we scheduled his pick up. I was originally going to pick you up from school and take you with me to get him, but then you came for Christmas, and i know you wanted to spend time with Elaine so i went for him myself.”
The old plopped himself down on the ground. You gave his belly a few rubs before you stood up and ran to go hug your grandfather again.
“He is perfect. Thank you.” he hugged back before walking to the car to grab his food and toys.
“What are you gonna name him?” Elaine questioned. There was a song. It was by Emmylou Harris, and it was one of your grandfather's favorite songs and there was a dog mentioned in the song.
“I think Gideons is a pretty good name.” you went over and sat on the ground to pet him again.
“Gideon. I like it. It's fitting.” you both stayed outside playing with him for a bit before you decided to bring him inside.
You led him in on the leash, and he stood for a second as you unhooked his leash from his collar. He walked around slowly in an old man-like fashion. He stopped by almost every item giving it a quick sniff before moving on to the next thing. You and Elaine watched as he walked into the den and sniffed in a corner before sitting down. You took over a small bowl of food and water. He lapped at the water a bit before he laid down and drifted off to sleep. Elaine and you sat next to him on the floor petting him and talking to him. Eventually he got up presumably to go outside. You let him out and, started making the corner he chose a little cozy. You set up the dog bed your grandfather had brought him, placed an old blanket on it, and put a few toys near it.after he came back in you figured you'd let him sleep and you retreated to the couch with Elaine.
You and Elaine spent the rest of the day together. Your grandfather ordered a pizza together, and you guys all hung out together and ate before he went back upstairs to continue working. It was about 9 when she decided to head home.
“I had an awesome day. I'm definitely starting these books as soon as i get home.” she hugged you tight while you two stood at the door. “Keep me updated on Gideon, i'll let you know when i get home.”
“Okay love you!” you yelled out to her as she got in her car. She blew you a kiss and sat in her car, and you watched as she drove off. You walked back in and Gideon was standing behind you. You shut off all the lights downstairs and headed towards your room with him following close behind. When you got to your bed you gave the spot next to you a pat while looking at him. He slowly made his way towards the bed, and smelled the spot before jumping up onto it. After he laid down at the foot of the bed, you got in and stretched your legs out carefully so you wouldn't kick him by accident. You checked your phone and saw you had 12 new messages from a few hours ago. All from Ben.
You opened it, and saw a bunch of photos of some amazing art pieces, and one of him doing a goofy pose next to a statue. You laughed and looked through them. You read the message he had sent along with it.
‘Took some pictures since you couldn't come, there's always next time though.’
‘Lmao these are golden dude thanks!’ you sent back. You sat up and took a picture of Gideon sleeping, you sent it along with a message
‘i got a dog as my last gift for christmas :) his names Gideon i think you would like him.’
Not even 5 minutes later you got a picture back. It was of a shaggy dog with brown fur that had streaks of black. ‘its an old pic, but this is my dog Chewbacca, we call him Chewie though.’
You two went back and forth talking about your dogs, and other things until eventually you drifted off.
#ben solo#ben solo fanfiction#bensoloxreader#teen!ben solo#ben solo x reader#star wars tfa#star wars au#star wars fanfiction#star wars tros#star wars#star wars x reader#teen!reader#reader insert#kenobi!reader#obi wan kenobi#oc#chewbacca
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
In Defense of Anakin Skywalker (and Hayden Christensen)
I grew up with Star Wars, my whole family loves Star Wars. I was 8 when I saw Episode I and afterwards, I was completely immersed in the Star Wars universe. Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi was probably my first fictional boyfriend and I'm unashamedly still in love with him too.
Episode II: The Attack of the Clones came out when I was 11 and so naturally I was excited to see the continuation of the Star Wars prequel universe. However, nothing could have prepared me for the absolute utter gorgeousness of Canadian actor, Hayden Christensen who was cast to play the adolescent Anakin Skywalker.
My memories of first seeing Episode II are fond because I got to see the movies with my older siblings while on vacation in Myrtle Beach. It was probably my first experience of being accepted among my older adult brothers and sisters or the feeling of 'grownupness' as I like to call it.
So Attack of the Clones has always been an special film to me because I saw it at a time when I was no longer being viewed as a child, but as a growing teenager.
It's also why I've always been rather defensive of the film too. While the film was titled Attack of the Clones, it may as well have been re-titled, "Attack of Anakin Skywalker (and subsequently, Hayden Christensen)". For over 20 years, there has been an absolute and indescribable hatred of Anakin Skywalker and many people blamed both Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen's supposed poor acting as the result of a badly done Anakin.
And to be honest even though I had a massive crush on Hayden Christensen and was hardly a movie critic at the time, I felt that at times that Anakin could have been better acted. However, I was young and didn't care about the script or the acting. Yet, for years I constantly defended, Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker and Hayden Christensen. Partly due to nostalgia, partly to being a teenage girl and most of all partly to do with understanding the character of Anakin as being misunderstood, misinterpreted and not being treated as an adult by the elders in his life.
Did Anakin have problems? Yes.
Were most of these problems his fault? No.
Did Anakin ever try to fix these problems and better himself? Everyday of his life.
He had nothing, but he gave everything
The prequels were written as a timeline of a boy's journey from goodness into darkness. Anakin's life is a story arch of sacrifice and redemption. Life has not always been good to Anakin. He was born a slave with no father. He was raised in the strong love of wonderful mother Shmi Skywalker. While Shmi may have been scared and confused as to how she conceived a child without a man, she raised her son in love and simple contentment.
Chances are Anakin and his mother probably faced terrible abuse in their time as slaves and more than once, Anakin may have been separated from Shmi as leverage for greedy slave owners. Although a slave, Anakin was never a victim. He may have been physically owned, but his heart and mind were free. He was his own person, always thinking outside of the box, building, creating, questioning everything and everyone. Not to mention a little wild and rather reckless.
Even as a child Anakin was a little strange to people. For a slave to have such a hopeful and positive attitude may have seemed bizarre to outsiders, but that was just the norm for him. Shmi once remarked that her son knew nothing of greed. For a boy raised with nothing, all he had were his talents as an inventor and growing pilot. And he used his talents for other people. He built C-3PO to help his mom, he entered the podrace to help Qui-Gon Jinn, he always gave without any expectation of being thanked.
A spirit that refused to surrender
After Anakin is freed and sent to train as a Jedi, that wild spirit was still intact. Much to his by-the-book master's dismay. Anakin didn't have the opportunity to grow up in the strict Jedi Temple that was built on order, rules and tradition. As a child, Anakin was use to being himself and not fitting into anyone's mold. His original dream was to be a pilot, not a Jedi. No one asked him if he wanted to be a Jedi, no one asked him if he wanted to be trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi.
While Anakin may have been grateful for both opportunities presented to him, overtime he may have seen this new life as not to different from the one he left. A life run by others. Telling him what to do, where to go, how to dress, how to behave. He survived as a slave because he dared to dream and imagine and refused to be defined by others.
Now he's thrown into a culture where individuality is looked down upon. He lived through the stifling Jedi order because he still held onto those qualities. He was going to be himself on his terms. He would nod his head and say yes when he needed to, but off the clock he would live by his own rules. Something that Obi-Wan and the Jedi order could not understand. And Anakin is getting frustrated by this.
So now we get to Attack of the Clones (and the Attack of Hayden Christensen). Critics came down hard on both Anakin and Hayden. Constantly complaining about Anakin's constant complaining, his tantrums, broodiness and being a crybaby about everything. Critics blamed the disaster of Anakin Skywalker on the terrible miscasting of Hayden Christensen. The only redeeming quality Hayden Christensen had that saved him was the fact he was so easy to look at.
For years, fans were desperate to know who Anakin Skywalker was. And so the pressure to deliver a good character that could measure up to the icon of Darth Vader may have seemed insurmountable. And so when people got this confused, overemotional 19 year old, who has no experience in love or sex, but is madly in love with a beautiful young women; and who wants to be respected in a highly established culture, without losing himself or conforming, well people were just disappointed. The disappointment can be explained in one of Anakin's most famous lines.
"HE'S HOLDING ME BACK!"
He, being George Lucas who was holding back Hayden's actual talent to create a good three dimensional character. Plus his bad script writing. Poor Hayden was just made to read lines on a page and somehow make this sad character somebody that people can root for. Unfortunately fans and critics ate him alive. It's only in recent years that people have begun to realize that they were blaming the wrong person. And by blaming Hayden, they were completely misunderstanding Anakin as a character.
His most beautiful gift, his most fatal flaw
Of all of Anakin's gifts, his ability to love deeply was probably his most profound and his most dangerous. The Jedi Temple forbade romantic attachments to others and for good reason. When you become attached to or love someone beyond the boundaries of platonic friendship you become afraid of losing them. The end of my review for the Star Wars prequels sums it up the best:
In The Phantom Menace, Yoda warns Anakin about the dangers of being afraid. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. Anakin's most beautiful attribute is also his most fatal flaw. His ability to love deeply. Yet, if you love someone you will always live in fear of losing them. Anakin was created by darkness, but raised in the light of his mother's love. His own love was made manifest by Padme and then by their unborn child/children.
However, Love no matter how strong can be weakened and even be destroyed by the evil of fear. If the prequels taught anything about life, it taught how fear (even in its smallest form) can be be our most detrimental enemy. Living alone in fear and not seeking help is a signing of our own death warrants. What might have happened if Anakin had gone to Obi-Wan and seek his help? Would things have been different?
The prequels were not meant to tell a happy story. They were written as a timeline of a boy's journey from goodness into darkness. No, they don't have the silliness or humor of the Originals, because there is nothing humorous about someone's self-destruction. Yet, the story of Anakin Skywalker's transformation had to be told in a way that was real and heartbreaking.
To take Darth Vader and make him a human who could feel and understand and love could be an insurmountable task. Yet, you only need to watch his death scene at the end of Return of The Jedi to see that the humane part of Anakin Skywalker had always been there. The prequels were made to be built on that final scene of redemption and human love. A husband's love to save his wife became a father's love that could overcome darkness and hate. An extreme love that defied fear and held on to hope. That was the love of Anakin Skywalker.
Anakin could be a bratty and immature young adult. However, to only base a character by his few annoying flaws is overlooking the bigger and better picture. Anakin was an outsider his whole life and yet that never seemed to bother him. He never cared about fitting in. He was content being himself and he refused to let Obi-Wan or the Jedi Order or even Padme change him. He held onto who he was for as long as he was able to. Then the tragedy of losing his wife changed that. The indomitable spirit wasn't broken, it was destroyed. Anakin re-entered a life of slavery for over 20 years.
And he was ultimately freed by one person. An orphan who once had nothing but a talent as an inventor and dreams of being a pilot. A young Jedi with an unbreakable spirit that refused to surrender to evil or fear or pain or loss. A son who loved his father so deeply that he would fight to the death to free Anakin Skywalker forever.
4 notes
·
View notes
Photo
“According to Lucas' son Jett, he spent about a year before the Lucasfilm sale developing a sequel trilogy, which would have continued the saga.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnr18AUym-o
..
George Lucas’ Episode VII - https://medium.com/@Oozer3993/george-lucas-episode-vii-c272563cc3ba
George Lucas' Ideas for His Own Star Wars Sequel Trilogy - https://io9.gizmodo.com/george-lucas-ideas-for-his-own-star-wars-sequel-trilogy-1826798496
STAR WARS: The Original Plans for the Sequel Trilogy - YouTube -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1dM9qFe4p0
https://ibb.co/jvph85c
"In late August 2012 Star Wars fans from all around the world gathered in Orlando, Florida for the sixth official Star Wars convention, Celebration VI. The lineup was strong despite the live action movies, always the brightest and biggest stars in the franchise’s galaxy, coming to an end seven years earlier. Though he was not scheduled to attend, series creator George Lucas was there. Publicly, he was just there to make a surprise appearance during the panel for the animated The Clone Wars TV show. But privately he was there to talk to original trilogy stars Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. They were brought to a conference room away from the convention floor where George broke the news: he was working a new Star Wars trilogy and wanted them to reprise their iconic roles."
[Disney didn't buy Lucasfilm/Star Wars until October 30th of 2012. This meeting occurred months before the sale, and at that point, the sale couldn't be assured.]
[Now there is some speculation as to why Lucas made the treatments of his ideas for his Sequel trilogy if he was considering selling, but it should be noted that Jett Lucas, George Lucas's son has stated that his Father [George] had been working on his Sequel trilogy for an entire year before this.]
When George decided to make a new trilogy, he moved quickly. He reached out to old friend and all-star film producer Kathleen Kennedy sometime in the first half of 2012, hoping to bring her on as co-chair of Lucasfilm.The two then approached screenwriter Michael Arndt about writing the entire trilogy around May.
This means this was already being talked about and definitive actions taken for the creation of his Sequel trilogy in the first months of 2012, which could have been almost 10 full months before Disney bought Lucasfilm in October of 2012.
The design team, or “Visualists” as Rick Carter would call them, would meet with George Lucas on January 16th at Skywalker Ranch, where he would be shown art of Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Temple he had exiled himself to, and the training of Kira. This appears to be his last involvement with the film.
Phil Szostak, author of The Art of The Force Awakens and The Art of The Last Jedi, revealed that the Luke Skywalker seen in The Last Jedi had his genesis in ideas from late 2012.
"So, the late-2012 idea of a Luke Skywalker haunted by the betrayal of one of his students, in self-imposed exile & spiritually in “a dark place”, not only precedes Rian Johnson’s involvement in Star Wars but J.J. Abrams’, as well."
And in 2016, Pablo Hidalgo confirmed that Thea (Kira), Skyler, Darth Talon, and the planet of Felucia were in George’s plans.
[Darth Talon was the only thing from the Expanded Universe in Lucas’s Sequel Trilogy.]
..
"Fast forward to 2012, when we hear George is looking to make SW movies again, I though I thought 'I wonder what next Mon Calamari's gonna be. And it turns out, the Mon Calamari this time was huge swaths of the EU. There was no Jacen, no Jaina. No new Jedi Order. Chewie lived. Not surprising, but there it was."
Pablo Hidalgo ~ 2016
https://ibb.co/nmjWcBM
..
"My question is, what did George's treatments for 7 look like? I would love to see if they fit the EU."
Answer [Pablo Hidalgo]- "They did not. For instance, there was no Jaina, Jacen, or Anakin." ~ 2017
https://ibb.co/N7HKCsF
..
"Question from Today, but I thought this was pretty well known. George Lucas never considered Jacen, Jaina, or Mara Jade as part of his universe."
~ Pablo Hidalgo May 2016
https://ibb.co/VDX2qvY
..
Question - 'So, if the 3rd season of Rebels was discussed in autumn of '14 [2014], how long was the reboot planned?
Pablo Hidalgo [Lucasfilm Story Group] - "Since at least the summer of 2012."
[Lucas still owned Star Wars than.]
https://ibb.co/1qTnLjS [direct tweet]
https://ibb.co/C5rRTFc - [Discussion tweet is used in]
..
“According to Mark Hamill, George’s overall plan for the sequel trilogy had Luke training his sister Leia in Episode IX before dying at the end of the film, though it’s unclear if Mark was referring to Lucas’ plans at the time of the sale to Disney or if this was from the numerous ideas he’d shared with the actor in the 80s.”
[It was a bit of both. Mark Hamill had always wanted [If Lucas made a Sequel Trilogy] - To have Leia learning the Force, it is even speculated that Mark Hamill wanted Luke to die a heroic death towards the end of the ST having trained Leia and have her be the one who restores the Jedi Order.
“No, there is another.” - Yoda, Empire Strikes Back
That is what happens in Lucas’s Sequel Trilogy. Disney didn’t use George Lucas’ storyline, but they did use certain plot points from it. Context matters of course. The following is a list of things that Lucas had created in his Sequel Trilogy that Disney pilfered from Lucas’s Story Treatments.
Please note while core points are confirm-able, some speculation of extrapolation from various sources is included. I tend to think it’s fairly reliable, but I cannot swear to every detail.
* There was only one Grandchild of Anikan Skywalker ever born. Ben Solo. He was a student at Luke’s Jedi Temple, he did turn to the Darkside and slay some or all of the other students and set fire to the Jedi Temple before fleeing.
..
"The Son falling to the Darkside was always in the mix, the movies just ended up having it as an already established fact."
~ Pablo Hidalgo, The Tweets of San Francisco: A QM Production, 2018
https://ibb.co/9WXZZQQ
..
'
Question - "How many students were at Luke's' academy'? Was ot even an 'academy'?
"We'd likely never use that term. That's very 'EU', not very George. It'd be a temple. As for numbers, can't say now."
~ Pablo Hidalgo 2016
..
* Han and Leia had been separated for about 5 years, but they were drawing closer again.
* Ben Solo does kill Han Solo in Episode 8. We don’t know how. Lucas wrote this into the story line because he knew that Harrison Ford wanted that. He just asked him to wait til Episode 8 for it. Harrison Ford was fine with that.
* Chewbacca never had a moon fall on his head. He was very much alive.
* There was no New Jedi Order.
* Luke did go into something of a self-exile and he did live on an island, he was in a ‘bad place’ [Not Darkside] , he did think he failed and he was despondent and didn’t want to try and train New Jedi again. He was not ‘disillusioned’ about the Jedi. He didn’t actually want them to end. He just was afraid of creating more Vader’s and Ben Solos because he never felt confident because of his own limited training and failing. - He was not hiding persay, but he did want to be left alone more or less - We also don’t have time frames. We don’t know how long he was on the island. - Once again, different story lines in terms of context.
"But anyway Luke in exile predates TLJ by a long time and came from someone who can very happily and rightly supersede anyone's feedback :)"
~ Pablo Hidalgo
https://ibb.co/sKZnWKk
..
"Luke was training a new generation of Jedi, it all went wrong because of 1 boy, and he's the 'Jedi killer' - that's the source [the source being George Lucas sequel trilogy treatments he made in 2011 and ended up selling to Disney later].
~ Pablo Hidalgo, 2016
https://ibb.co/JjYtGtf
* At a certain point Luke realizes there is something wrong with the Force.It feels ‘sick’. He knows something is very very wrong and that it would have dire consequences if it couldn’t be stopped. He spent a great amount of time communing with the Force, desperate to find the answer to what is ailing it before it is too late. Because the Force is getting worse and worse, Luke communing with it as much as he does effects him as well. [The Whills are feeding on the Force]. He knows it will probably end up killing him because he doesn’t care what happens to him just as long as he can find the answer and hopefully how the threat can be overcome.
* It is believed at a certain point in Episode 9 he does find the answer. He tells the gang what needs to be done because he was far too weak and was dying and nothing could stop it. He put on a brave face. Leia leads the group to the ‘final battle’. Luke dies while they’re gone. His communing with the Force saves the Galaxy from the Whills by finding the answer to how to stop them. A heroic death befitting of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master. [we have no idea how these things play out, what needs to be done, etc.]
* Luke did train and young girl. Her name was Kira. She was from Jakku and a tinkerer. We don’t know much about her, only that her training was never completed and she wasn’t a “Mary Sue”. Luke actually trained her.
* Luke does train Leia to become a Jedi. She becomes a full Jedi Knight towards the end of Episode 9.
* There is a scene that does take place in the Ruins of the Second Death Star [which is underwater] in Emperor Palpatines Old Throne Room. The Emperor is as dead as a door nail. The Redeemed Anakin Skywalkwer’s sacrifice was not in vain.
Princess Leia, fully trained by The Last Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker, becomes The Last Jedi Knight in Episode 9. “The Other” - It than falls to Leia to restore the Jedi Order, which if the speculation is true, is what Mark Hamill wanted.
What I wish is that [Disney] had been more accepting of [George Lucas]’guidance and advice. Because he had an outline for ‘7’, '8’ and '9’. And it is vastly different to what they have done.
— Mark Hamill, 2017
..
Mark Hamill quotes about Lucas Sequel Trilogy -
"George had an overall arc – if he didn't have all the details, he had sort of an overall feel for where the [sequel trilogy was] going – but this one's more like a relay race. You run and hand the torch off to the next guy, he picks it up and goes.
"I happen to know that George didn't kill Luke until the end of [Episode] 9, after he trained Leia. Which is another thread that was never played upon [in The Last Jedi]."
where Lucas would have taken the second set of prequels. Though Leia and Luke communicate telepathically, fans have never really seen her use the Force. Mark Hamill had this to say about Leia using the Force in George Lucas' original writings.
"This is always something that interest me because we can communicate telepathically and I tell her in one of the movies, I guess the third one, you have that power too. So I always wondered, and I don't read the fan-fiction [The Expanded Universe] , why she wouldn't fully develop her Force sensibilities and I think that's something George Lucas addressed in his original outline for 7, 8, 9. I was talking to him last week, but they're not following George's ideas so we'll have to wait and see on that one. But it seems like a waste of an innate talent that she should utilize in some way."
https://movieweb.com/star-wars-leia-originally-used-force-george-lucas/
..
"...Knowing that the film was made for a young audience, I was trying to say,in a simple way, that there is a God and that there is both a good side and a bad side. You have a choice between them, but the world works better if you're on the good side."
~ George Lucas
..........
“Friendships, honestly, trust, doing the right thing, living on the right side and avoiding the dark side,” Lucas said. “Those are the things it was meant to do.”
~ Lucas on Star Wars and what its about, 2017
https://www.polygon.com/2017/4/13/15288998/george-lucas-star-wars-celebration
..
"The message of the Star Wars films is pretty classic. There’s good and evil and the hero’s journey, his quest."
~ George Lucas, May 2020
"Right or wrong this is my movie, this is my decision, and this is my creative vision, and if people don't like it, they don't have to see it."
~ George Lucas
An interviewer said to Lucas after he said he would be too old to complete the third trilogy:
"Do you know how many fans would be willing to feed you Cream of Wheat and wheel you around in your chair if you did [intend to complete the third trilogy]?"
"Everybody said to drop the stuff about the midichlorians, it makes it too confusing. But it’s a metaphor for a symbiotic relationship that allows life to exist. Everybody said it was going to be a giant turkey: “This isn’t going to help LucasFilm at all.” I said, “This is about the movie and the company is just going to have to deal with whatever happens.” That’s one of the reasons why there was so much hype on the first prequel: Everybody was terrified."
~ George Lucas, Rolling Stone Magazine, 2005
“The ones that I sold to Disney, they came up to the decision that they didn’t really want to do those. So they made up their own. So it’s not the ones that I originally wrote.”
~ Lucas on his sequel trilogy
"The Force has two sides - [Light and Dark]. It is not an inherently malevolent or a benevolent thing. It has a bad side to it, involving hate and fear, and it has a good side, involving love, charity, fairness and Hope."
~ George Lucas
..
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Conversations in a Quiet Room
In a universe where everything is the same except Satine survives the Clone Wars and bears witness to the fall of the Republic.
Characters: Satine Kryze, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bo-Katan Kryze, Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader, Padmé Amidala
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan Kryze & Satine Kryze
Tags: Satine Kryze Lives, Post-Order 66, Reunions, Return to Mandalore, Fall of the Republic, Heart-to-Heart, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Mess, The Twins Are Safe
Rating: G
Read on AO3:
Chapter 1: Transfer of Power
Satine discusses her contingency plan with her sister in the fallout of the Republic and the Jedi.
You'd have to be dead to miss the fall of the Republic.
It was on every holonet site, every sign, every screen; even in a neutral system. As for Satine Kryze, it was written all over her face.
"Jedi uprising." She sneered in internal disbelief, though she was positive her own advisors knew where she stood on that supposed fact, which was cutting through every possible news channel. She found it positively ridiculous how there only seemed to be one narrative on the matter. No debate, no explanation, not even an investigation. The Jedi, who despite their more recent actions as soldiers (per the Republic's demand, might she add), were typically the very last vestiges of peace in the corrupt government. Now, they were bad. Simple as that.
Of course, in an Empire there is no other point of view- just the Emperor's.
She may have not always agreed with the Jedi, but at their core, she knew in her bones that they were fundamentally good. One did not become a successful leader without having fine-tuned instincts.
But she still had to watch their temple burn. The news outlets framed it as a success for the newly anointed Emperor Palpatine, who heroically ridded the galaxy of a treasonous and dangerous cult. It was not reported as the tragedy it was. They did not talk about the young children that lost their home and loved ones at best and their lives at worst. They did not show the Jedi walking along their friends into battle to only have the very same guns turned on them in half an instant. They did not display the cries or the fear or the bloodshed. Instead, they kept reverting back to what Satine could only assumed was doctored footage of Master Mace Windu attempting to assassinate Palpatine. The footage cut out from there, erasing the rest of the scene without a trace.
And whether out of deliberate ignorance or general enthusiasm, people ate it up. It was easier to believe that the strange religion that outsiders did not understand betrayed its people rather than the government. It was easier to see the Jedi as dangers than it was an old man that supposedly navigated them into peace.
The term "peace" was now being thrown around hither and yon, it seemed.
Some folded because they had to and surely developed contingency plans of their own. Bail Organa of Alderaan was certainly no fan of the matter by glance alone. There was Mon Mothma, who was by far the boldest of his adversaries, despite technically walking in line with the Emperor's new ideals. Padmé Amidala had been one of them, of course, but...
Satine shivered at the thought of her friend's unfortunate loss. She hadn't even known Padmé was pregnant. It was another thing she could not fixate on for too long if she wanted to remain on task.
Wanted posters flocked everywhere in search of remaining Jedi stragglers. Despite the pain that it caused her to look upon such young and abandoned faces, she checked every single day for updates. It did not mean these Jedi were necessarily safe or alive, but it was the only form of hope Satine had to go on. Mandalore would surely be confiscated by the Empire. Palpatine's very goal seemed to be acquisition at its finest.
It was only a matter of time as it had been a mere 3 weeks since the destruction of the Jedi Temple. The Empire was to be the way. As a leader of an entire group of people, she had to determine what was best for them. Her whole platform had been built on pacifism and maintaining the peace, but this Empire would not be responding with such kindness.
She did not doubt the fighting capabilities of her people, either, of course. They were Mandalorians, but there was not enough of them to take on the drones of brain-washed soldiers that would arrive at the front door the moment someone set a toe out of line.
"Those that attempt to disrupt the peace and bring chaos to our galaxy will be silenced." Slavery. He was going to enslave those that did not fall firmly into his shriveled grasp.
She never liked that man. Ever.
She looked out her balcony and at the morning sky that washed the city in orange and pink hues. It was beautiful and peaking through the skyscrapers, but her anxiety kept her from appreciating its true decadence. She could not allow herself to slow down and take a moment. There was too much to prepare for and worst of all, there was too much potential loss that was creeping in the corner of her mind. She tightened her grip on the railing to steady herself to Mandalore and to her people. That, in and of itself, was enough of a budding tragedy that did not require thought of a Jedi with soft eyes and sharp wit.
The Empire was coming.
"Satine?" Her sister's voice called from behind her, interrupting her array of thoughts. "Korkie said you wanted to speak with me."
She released a breath before turning to face Bo-Katan, who looked nothing like her, but had aged substantially in the past couple of years- ever since she distanced herself from Death Watch. Dark circles underlined her eyes, indicating she'd been sleeping approximately as much as Satine had lately. Despite their philosophical differences, both wanted what was best for Mandalore and both knew for a fact that this Empire was not that. Bo-Katan had changed her mind significantly ever since they began to work together on improving Mandalore's future. Fighting off Maul and his band of cronies certainly acted as a much needed force for the two of them to get along.
Still, in the amber lighting of the hallway, Satine could not help but see her little sister. Not the one that woke up one day and decided Satine was weak and went and joined a terrorist group, but the one that would come into her room when she was small and troubled with nightmares. The one that would give Satine her olives because she didn't like them and accept Satine's cucumbers for the same reason. The one that wanted Satine to take her to school or to read to her or sing with her.
She knew, of course, that Bo was no longer that little girl and to think of her in such a way was hurtful to the both of them in the long run. They were on the same side again, which would have to do.
"I did. The Empire is coming for Mandalore."
Bo snorted, "We've known that."
"I reckon they'll be here any day now." She twisted her hands nervously at what she was about to ask of her sister. Her sister, who was no longer a child, but still much younger than anyone that should take on such responsibility. She'd decided that for herself, in a sense, when she wanted to uproot everything Satine had built. She'd apologized since then in her own way and while Satine had mostly forgiven her, there was one final piece to that puzzle of redemption. She hadn't seen it until she awoke this morning and realized what needed to happen for Mandalore.
"You're afraid." She commented, "We all are."
"I need you to take my crown away from me." Somehow, she managed to look Bo-Katan square in the eyes when she said it. Despite all the practice of decorum and the schmoozing of politics, she could not fool her sister. If she did not make immediate eye contact, it would not resonate as an official decree.
"Excuse me?"
Now that it was said, it became easier to explain, for some reason. The first words were often the hardest to say, because from there, the frame of conversation was dictated.
"I'm a threat to our people, Bo. I've been nothing but a thorn in the Emperor's side during the Clone Wars. Had it not been for me, we would have been another system he would already possess. On top of all of that, I have considerably strong associations with a wanted Jedi Master of the High Council. I'm sure they'll see that as a reason to call be treasonous."
"And I'm your sister."
"Who has never publicly supported me." She didn't mean for it to sound like a slight, but it certainly came out that way. She didn't miss the way her sister's eyes fell just a smidge, but she continued on. "Which while I never would have believed that to be a strength until now. Nobody of the public knows you are on my side."
"Because you didn't want to be associated with me."
"That's not-" She clenched her fist and took in a calming breath. "I didn't want the rest of our people to be under the assumption that I'm in the business of being in peace with terrorists. Even if I know, in my heart, that that is not you. Your narrative in this is as someone who Palpatine likely believes he can manipulate."
Because you've been manipulated in the past.
"But you aren't." Satine said with a hardened edge to her voice.
"I'm no leader either." She squawked, "Politics and... And diplomatic solutions... And boring legislature... That's your ballpark, not mine."
"You do not see what I see when I look at you." She took her sister's hands in her own. "When I look at you, I see someone strong, adaptable, smart, and caring. All of which, might I add, are exceptional qualities to have as a leader. Also, when you're not trying to be a brooding troglodyte, people like you quite a bit."
A fond smile quirked at her lips as she rolled her eyes. She did not release Satine's hands. "And you think all of your loyal advisors and precious followers will listen to me if I snatch that crown from off your head?"
"Since when do you need to be well-liked?"
She shrugged, "You've got me there. And remind me again why you can't just pawn it off to me in an announcement?"
"Because then the Empire will know we are at least on speaking terms."
Bo nodded and seemed to weigh the heaviness of the conversation just then. She didn't want to be Duchess of Mandalore, but truthfully, when Satine was 18 years old and forced into the role after her Father's murder, she hadn't wanted it very much either. But she had a duty to uphold.
She waited for more protest, hoping and praying she had the words of encouragement to persuade her sister as well as herself.
"I know this is hard for you." Bo said. "I don't deserve this."
"Then earn it." Satine said.
The redhead released a breathy laugh and looked nervous for the first time in her life. It was a valid title to be nervous over. Satine remembered the night before her commencement. Satine hadn't been the world's favorable candidate either at the time. There she was, a young girl who seemed like an outsider that spent most of her days on Coruscant rather than her home world of Kalevala. Many viewed Satine as someone that wanted to crush Mandalorian tradition in favor of 'fluff' that had filled her head. She was labeled an idealist and a fool, but she fought (in her own way) tooth and nail to get where she needed to be.
And the hurt the hurt that settled over Satine as she thought about leaving Mandalore was immeasurable. It cracked her heart in ways she did not know were possible. She'd given up everything for her people. Everything. Now, it seemed she had to give them up if she wanted them to survive. It was a cruel and unfair joke, but she'd analyzed it from every angle. The Empire was coming and she knew they would not see her as someone they could work with. She was unsure if she could play into their game.
Better for Bo-Katan to play the part of the obedient Imperial leader and to do everything to protect the citizens of Mandalore than for some stranger to come in and enslave everyone.
"What will come of you?"
That was a very good question.
"I can advise you- off the books, of course, because so long as I live and breathe, you will never be alone in this."
"Do you think..." She trailed off like she wasn't sure if what weighed on her should be said.
While Satine was always a huge proponent of strategizing conversations, there was no room for tactics here. "What is it?"
"Do you think Kenobi made it?"
That was a question that Satine had not been prepared to ask herself. While she'd never been the type of woman to lose herself in anything, much less a man, she could not deny that a piece of herself would die alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi. She could not seem to fathom it and to question his resilience felt like betrayal, but it had been weeks since the fall of the temple and the hunt for remaining Jedi began. Obi-Wan's name had been popular on the list of the 'Unfound' as they were calling it, but this did not guarantee his safety. It was a big galaxy, but the Empire's reach was far.
"I've not heard anything." She said quietly.
Bo-Katan nodded, "Sometimes, no news is good news, yeah?"
"Yeah." Satine swallowed what felt like her whole heart.
Actual good news would be better though.
31 notes
·
View notes
Text
Balance in the Force
“Don’t lecture me, Obi-Wan! I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the Dark Side as you do.” (Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith)
„If once you start go down the dark path, forever it will dominate your destiny.” (Jedi Master Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back)
Did anyone ever suspect that even Grand Master Yoda might not be quite right?
Are the Jedi entirely good? Is the Light Side meant to be “virtue”?
The Jedi we get to know in the prequel trilogy are neither free from flaws nor are they perfectly wise. They like to believe they are so, but looking at the facts they often don’t see what’s going on under their very noses. As Luke himself pointed out many years later, it was their hubris that led to their downfall.
We are speaking of a Council that had a Sith Lord among them for decades without realizing it.
Yoda wanted to preserve peace, but by teaching Jedi adepts for centuries to choose the Light Side, he unwittingly created an unbalance which favored the ascent of the Dark Side users, the Sith.
Besides, what was it with taking small children from their families, forcing them to become Jedi (i.e. having to live a life of sacrifice) whether they wanted it or not? And why did they equip children with a deadly weapon?
Both Obi-Wan and Yoda wanted to push Luke to commit patricide, Obi-Wan even telling him an obvious lie (that Vader had been Anakin’s murderer) for the purpose. In the Mos Eisley cantina, Obi-Wan cut off the arm of an importune although he had not attacked him, displaying an unnecessary cruelty. When he still was Anakin’s teacher he suppressed him, belittled his ideas and his need for approval, even denied him the right to worry about his own mother. Yoda did not take Anakin’s fears seriously either. The Jedi’s code of non-attachment was fatal because it made their commitment to compassion hollow. They were so far off from “mortal” issues in their ivory tower (it literally looks like one) that they no longer saw what was really important.
Are the Sith entirely evil? Is the Dark Side meant to be “evil”?
We are led to think that the Dark Side is all evil, but looking closer, it’s not: while Obi-Wan and Yoda try to manipulate Luke, Vader is always brutally honest.
Anakin never was in denial. He got married despite the Jedi code. He decided to embrace his feelings, including his sexuality. Not only was he obviously calm and serene (balanced and strong) after his marriage;
had he not married Padmé the children who would later bring down Palpatine’s Empire would not have been born. These children always reached out to others, no matter what they went through.
Palpatine himself had encouraged the Jedi Council to set Anakin at Padmés side to protect her, most probably speculating that the two young people would fall in love and thus Anakin would have another weak spot; he assuredly did not imagine the role the children of this couple would play, as little as he imagined that Luke, lured to the Death Star by compassion for his father, would in the end refuse to turn, pushing Vader to redemption.
It was Snoke who bridged Ben’s and Rey’s minds, with the purpose of manipulating Rey to come to him; he did not count with the strong connection that would arise between the two, and that this would finally mean his end.
I remember that I was initially irritated when Han seduced Leia - I thought he was giving Luke, who was his best friend, a backhanded turn making a move on the girl they were both crushing on as soon as Luke was not around. But eventually this turned out to be the right thing, because Luke’s crush on Leia faded before he found out that she actually is his long-lost twin sister.
Luke briefly considered killing Ben because he was afraid of losing everything he loved, yet in doing so he pushed his nephew to the Dark Side, which on the long run caused the death of Han Solo, who had been Luke’s dearest friend.
So, from something that is or may seem bad, good can come, and vice versa. Dark and Light are not intrinsically separated from one another as Jedi and Sith like to believe. Ironically, they are very alike in this fundamental mistake.
Looking back, I believe that Anakin was not “consumed by the Dark Side” as was said by Obi-Wan and Yoda. Half of his descent to darkness began with his training as a Jedi; when we see him again in Attack of the Clones he is already teetering on the edge, he is no longer the pure and idealistic boy he used to be. Palpatine manipulates his weakness, but that weakness was - albeit not consciously - caused by Jedi’s efforts to stunt him emotionally. They wanted to force him to make a choice, but Anakin couldn’t; he instinctively felt that it was wrong and that the Force is naturally made of both sides. He was told over and over that it is wrong to care for others, but that was the one sacrifice he was not willing to make in order to become a Jedi.
Darth Vader’s “creation” visually illustrates this, too. Anakin is almost killed by Obi-Wan, the Jedi, and Palpatine the Sith creates Vader from his miserable remainders.
My impression is that, being the strongest Jedi of all and the central figure in the conflict, he got between both sides and was crushed. The fact that beneath all of his power he was indeed physically and psychically broken would emphasize this.
Also, it would explain why Palpatine did not immediately contaminate Anakin’s mind but left him to the Jedi first: he needed both Forces in him. Vader’s enormous power did not come from the Dark Side, but from the conflict raging inside of him.
In A New Hope, Vader is still mostly Tarkin’s lackey; in Return of the Jedi he is oppressed by Palpatine, his master. He is at the height of his power in The Empire Strikes Back, where he is on the hunt for his son! Which means he is yearning for the Light. (See also the symbolism of “animus” hunting for “anima”, a common trope in fables and myths.) Vader did come back from the Dark Side in Return of the Jedi; and his son could feel the conflict inside of him. But if there was a conflict, this obviously means that Vader had not chosen one side once and for all.
Luke said to Palpatine “I will never turn to the Dark Side.” However he did so, if briefly, when he contemplated killing his own nephew. A further proof of the fact that with the Force, one cannot make a decision and pretend to stick to it for the rest of one’s life. Temptation can come at any time.
Luke’s / Anakin’s blue light sabre, the one that calls to Rey, is commonly seen as a symbol of hope and justice. In his time as a Jedi, Anakin indeed often used it in order to help others. However he also used it when he raided the Jedi Temple and killed everybody, including the padawans.
Kylo felt so torn apart by the conflict that he was willing to commit patricide to finally join the Dark Side for good. To no avail; he was traumatized, regretful and deeply hurt, proving that there still was good in him despite the horrible deed.
His power, too, came from the fact that he grew up with a good (at least well-meaning) family but was secretly influenced by Snoke all of the time. Like his grandfather, he was at his strongest while on the hunt for his equal in the Force: in this case, Rey in The Force Awakens.
And both of them are never so impressive as while they fight the Praetorian Guards together as one.
The Force As the Human Psyche?
From the psychological point of view, one might say that the Light Side represents human conscience (Superego) and the Dark Side the impulse (Id). Now the Id is not “evil”; aggression and sexuality stem from the Id, which often leads to believe that it is. But the Id also means impulse, creativity, belonging. In other words, the Superego alone without the Id cannot know love. Without love, an individual cannot reach out to others, and who does not reach out to others is not evil but also not really good. For evil things to happen, not only the active participants are responsible but also the ones who do not see it, or see it too late to do something against it. The Jedi are a tragic example of this.
Though we get to know the Jedi as the “good ones”, one of their major faults is that they live in denial. Anakin / Vader never is in denial, and neither is Ben / Kylo: both are brutally honest, to themselves as well as to others. Which is often painful for their surroundings, but both Luke and Rey need them to tell them the truth, and to force them to look at it. Luke was traumatized learning the truth about his father, but afterwards he finally became the last and strongest of all Jedi; Rey was deeply hurt when she had to accept that her parents not only were dead but had indeed not wanted her, yet later on we saw her so grounded in the Force that she could make massive rocks float.
It may seem the most natural thing to do, and also a great honor, to become a Jedi (or a Sith) if one has the Force; but so far, we have never seen any Force user, Skywalker or not, finding happiness with this choice, whether he made it himself or whether it was thrust upon him.
I assume there must be a way that someone can learn to use the Force without having to choose to be a Jedi or a Sith. Both of these extremes do not ensure peace and happiness, neither for the Force user nor for the ones around them. Only a balanced Force user can find happiness, and bring fulfilment to others, too.
Leia would be a very good example for this: she always used her power for knowledge and defense, and she embraced her desire for belonging and her sexuality, too. She is very rightly paired off with Han, who used to be a small criminal but never was actually evil, and later used his shrewdness, earned through his many adventures, to help others.
So, what does this mean for Episode IX, the ending and culmination of the saga? Since the classic trilogy ended with the victory of the Light Side and the prequel trilogy told us the victory of the Dark Side, it can only end with Balance.
However, I am not sure that Ben Solo and Rey will “bring Balance to the galaxy” with their union. They must first and foremost find balance within themselves, and thus be the first of a new kind of Force users.
Rey was not tempted by the Dark Side yet; I am positive however that it is an important experience she must make, and her approaching the ruins of the old Death Star, where Palpatine is most probably lying in waiting, would hint at something like that.
Ben Solo, on the other hand, must prove that he has overcome the resentment in his heart. He needs to be an example for the fact that someone can go down the dark path, come back to the light and survive, and still want to reach out to other people. He needs to find forgiveness and new life despite his sins, not to be punished for them and forgotten.
Ben and Rey need to show the galaxy at large that Balance is possible; that a Force user, whether he is a Skywalker or an absolute nobody, needs not choose one side but that they can very well use the best from both sides; and that to preserve peace and justice one does not need to become a Jedi, but that anyone can do so who is balanced inside.
Because in the end, the Force is neither simply Light and Dark, nor is it grey; it creates diversity and binds everything and everyone together.
“You refer to the prophecy of The One who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it’s this boy…?” (Mace Windu to Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace)
It is largely believed in the fandom that Darth Vader ultimately brought the much-needed balance by killing Palpatine. However, that act meant the destruction of the Dark Side and the victory of the Light Side of the Force: and if one side remains stronger than the other, that does not mean balance. Which could explain why, when we see our heroes again about 30 years after their “happy ending”, they do not look happy at all and we learn about a lot of disappointment and disillusion which they had to live through.
Nevertheless, I do believe that when all will be said and done, we will realize that Anakin Skywalker was indeed the Chosen One.
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” (Yoda in The Phantom Menace)
Logically this must also mean that trust leads to serenity, serenity leads to love, and love leads to happiness. The old school Jedi may have been wise, but we never saw them display affection for anyone. Their fear of the Dark Side and philosophy of detachment was literally their doom; they feared Anakin Skywalker too much to show him the love and offer him the belonging he so desperately wanted.
It is true that fear and anger lead to the Dark Side, but the quickest way to fall prey to fear and anger is to deny that one feels them in the first place. Denial was the Jedi’s first step down the path that led to their doom, and plunged the whole galaxy into darkness. That he never denied the truth of his own emotions, nor of anyone else’s, was perhaps Anakin’s greatest strength of all.
To value love enough that he was willing to die for someone he cared for was perhaps the hardest, but most important lesson the Chosen One had to learn, and which he passed on to his successors.
#star wars#balance#the force#yoda#family#episode IX#bendemption#ben solo#kylo ren#rey#obi-wan kenobi#anakin skywalker#darth vader#leia organa#jedi council#luke skywalker#light sabers#padawans#han solo#the chosen one#philosophy#read more
138 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
veryoaki
woah
vreenak
I'm riding on the wheel of fortune
thecousinsdangereux
my love is like the night
sleepymushrxxm
Oops, All Mushrooms!!
moreofpodmore-blog
Just ask for More.